"The teleport thing is cool." Tony commented over his breakfast the next morning and Loki looked up from his tea with a short smile.
"I suppose so, if you are unused to it."
"Thor can't teleport." Tony pointed out. "I mean, Mjolnir can fly or whatever, but his giant ass has to walk every where without her or a horse."
Loki's smile grew. "Yes well, perhaps I do have an advantage over him in that way. I require neither a hammer nor a horse to move myself."
"How far can you go? Teleporting, I mean. Is it actually teleporting? That doesn't seem like a cool enough word for it." Tony scooted closer on the couch until their legs were touching. "But, could you get us to the other side of the kingdom?"
"Asgard is more of a realm, less of a kingdom." Loki corrected. "And yes. In a heartbeat. When it comes to traversing the realms, it's not actually teleporting, but more… jumping I suppose. I am simply pulling myself from one place and landing in another. It is useful when moving between the realms as well. The jump to Midgard is harder on me, but I can do it if needed."
"So you don't have to use the bifrost? And the blind guy? But you used it when you came us."
"Heimdall." Loki sounded amused. "And no, I mastered moving between the realms without assistance centuries ago. I used the bifrostnto find you and Thor because I cannot move myself and two other bodies easily. It hurts, someon could get lost in the between and torn apart. It is safest to do when it is just I, or when I am moving familiar places, such as the garden to my chamber."
"Amazing. That's all just… amazing." Loki blushed at the awe in Tony's voice. "That's why one of your names is Sky Traveller. Because you can just poof and arrive places.
"I prefer to think I don't poof , darling." Loki answered, and then his eyes widened when Tony leaned up and kissed him.
"I like when you call me darling."
"Then I shall continue to do so."
"Thank you, for staying all night with me." Loki murmured later, as they walked towards the stables. "And for spending the day with me. I have missed your company."
"I actually didn't realize we slept most the day and all night." Tony admitted. "But I wouldn't have left either way. And I've missed you too. You and I- we have something different than what Thor and I have and it's.. It's nice."
"Would you explain that?" Loki held the gate open so Tony could walk ahead of him, smiling when the beautiful mortal headed straight for the winged horses, clucking and cooing softly as he held his hands out.
The giant beasts trotted towards him eagerly, and Loki smiled wider when Tony pulled sugar cubes and pieces of carrot from his pockets to feed them.
"You realize, " Loki came up behind him. "The pegasus does not need to eat, that they are nearly more mythical than the gods themselves."
"Mythical or not, what pony doesn't want sugar cubes?" Tony leaned further into the corral, reaching to pet the velvety noses. "Just because they are some sort of… higher version of an earth horse, who's to say they don't want the same love and attention mortals do?"
"Anthony." Loki reached for him then, turning him so they were face to face, backing him up against the fence so they could press together. "Tell me why you and I are different from you and Thor?"
"Because Thor is perfect and I am not." Tony shrugged. "I can take everything from him because he has everything to give. But you and I-" he looped his arms around Loki's neck, huffing in annoyance as he pulled Loki down to him. "-tall bastard- you and I are both broken souls. And when we heal, we heal together . Thank god we have Thor to keep us right, because we would be a mess."
His dark eyes warmed, softened, and Loki thought he could feel it down to his soul.
"Thor chose me when I had nothing to give him and that is amazing. But you and I need each other, and that's…" he shook his head. "That's a whole other thing, you know?"
"So." Loki touched their foreheads together. "Would you rather be chosen? Or needed?"
"I'm a high maintenance guy." Tony teased. "I require both of them."
"Tell me, Anthony." Loki started, as they ate their lunch in the brightly lit parlor off of the main dining hall. "Do you miss Midgard? The people? The way of life?"
"I miss real shoes." Tony looked down at his slippers in disgust. "I don't know why you guys insist on making me wear slippers but I don't love it."
"You are given slippers, because as the Chosen Love of Our King, you are not to do any work."
"And if I need to walk?"
"You could simply snap your fingers and someone would carry you."
"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."
"And yet you claim to be high maintenance."
"Oh I'm high maintenance as hell." Tony agreed. "Meaning I like my shoes to coordinate with my outfit and my sunglasses and that's difficult to do when wearing slippers."
"Ask for shoes." Loki pointed out. "Thor wears sandals and I wear boots. There is no reason you couldn't request shoes. Though I will say, slippers make it easier to simply deposit you in bed as we wish."
Tony choked on his salad and Loki his his smile behind his water. " Deposit me in bed? "
"How else would you describe the way Thor simply carries you off and proceeds to darken the sky with your Storms?"
"Alright, I can't argue that." Tony nodded. "Sure. So um, are you going to make a habit of also depositing me in bed ? Once we get to that point?"
"Darling, I would much rather snap my fingers and take us somewhere versus throwing you over my shoulder and stomping away like some sort of marauding Viking."
" Oh. " Tony's eyes widened. "So Thor is the marauding Viking and you are just… much smoother than that."
"I have always aspired to be, what did you call it?, smoother than my hammer wielding, thunder calling golden haired brother."
"I see." Tony reached over and wiped a drop of dressing from the corner of Loki's mouth. "Well to answer your earlier question, there is not much I miss of Earth. Actual roast beef maybe. Real shoes. Maybe knowing what time it actually is because apparently in Asgard, time is irrelevant."
"But nothing else?" Loki promoted and Tony shook his head.
"I'm happy here." He said matter of factly. "Why would I miss earth?"
"I'm glad, Anthony." Loki said softly and Tony grinned, licking the dressing from his thumb.
"Me too."
"So do you shift into anything besides a cat?" Tony chewed idly on a piece of grass as they walked through the gardens, Loki directing them away from the roses to show Tony more of the grounds, of the orchards and the river that ran through it.
"Of course." Loki trailed his fingers through the leaves of an apple tree as they passed. "Anything at all. Any animal. Any gender."
Tony tripped right over his feet, landing in an undignified sprawl on the cobblestone path.
"Are you alright?" Loki reached to help him up, but Tony just stared at his hand and then up at him.
"You said gender . You can shift between a man and a woman?"
"And the others." Loki added with a little smile. "That intrigues you, does it?"
"The others ?" Tony's eyebrows flew up. "Nope, my brain might explode if I think about that. But seriously? You are… gender fluid? Is that the right word?"
"That is one way of saying it." Loki grasped his wrist and pulled him to his feet. "Mortals might say non binary I suppose? My Jotunn form is male, and that is how I keep my glamour, but with being able to shift…my gender is not a permanent characteristic, if I do not want it to be."
" Oh ." Tony squeaked, and they kept walking. "So I might turn around one day and you won't be Loki, you could be...Loren?"
"Yes."
"With all the… coordinating parts."
"Yes."
" Oh ." Tony said again.
Then after several moments, Loki- "Would you like to spend time with… Loren sometime?"
Tony coughed hard, bending over to try and clear his lungs, the image of a female Loki enough to make him nearly pass out.
"That's shockingly tempting, but I'd rather spend time with Loki." He finally said and it was Loki's turn to be surprised.
"You would not prefer a shifted form? Something you are more comfortable with? Perhaps your Captain-"
"I'm gonna beat you halfway to hell if you finish that sentence." Tony warned and Loki clucked his tongue sympathetically.
"I was simply curious. Your reaction tells me all I wanted to know. I thought perhaps one of the reasons your silly team abandoning you hurt so badly was because you and the Captain had been involved."
"No. No Cap and I weren't ever-" Tony scratched at his neck uncomfortably. "It was hard enough losing him a friend and teammate. If it would have been anything more… I wouldn't have survived it. Period."
"Anthony." Loki reached for him, slipping an arm around his waist and tugging him close. "Forgive me for bringing it up in such a glib manner."
"It's fine." Tony shook his head and changed the subject. "So if I ask nicely do you think they would make me peach pie tonight? This whole fresh fruit thing is amazing." He plucked a peach from a branch and took a bite right out of it, laughing as the juice ran down his chin.
Loki's eyes tracked the juice as it fell from his lips to his chin and nearly down his neck, forcing himself to not lean forward and lick it off the tan skin.
"Or maybe cake." Tony said thoughtfully, not even noticing Loki's intense gaze. "Chocolate? Do you like chocolate cake? Or are you gods above such mortal cravings?"
"I would think gods would understand how strong a craving can be more than mortals." Loki pulled Tony even closer as they walked, reveling in the freedom to touch without worrying about Tony pulling away. "After all, isn't everything you enjoy on earth just a product of a gods whim?"
"Jesus, I could choke on your ego." Tony rolled his eyes but leaned in closer. "But that's what I get for falling for another god, isn't it?"
Loki jerked and stared down at him. "And have you in fact fallen for another god?"
"Well, I certainly don't meander through gardens with people I hate."
"So do you believe in the hjartslattur bond like Thor does? I mean he throws the word around like it's a valid… thing. I know you and I have sort of talked about it but do you believe it is real?"
"Why wouldn't I believe in it? I have seen the surge in Thor's power since he brought you here. And Our King has had no shortage of lovers over the centuries, but there have never been physical storms until he met you. That is proof enough for me."
"So you believe that I'm his hjartslattur."
"Without a doubt."
"Then you believe I am yours as well."
"...there is an unexpected bond between us Anthony. Something physical and emotional, otherwise a day like today would never have happened. Because of who you are to Thor, I have to believe that you are… you are mine as well."
"But that bothers you."
"It terrifies me."
"Because of me? Because I'm mortal?"
"Because of me. Because I have searched for happiness my whole life, through magic and tricks and skipping through realms and here it is right here in front of me. All I have to do is reach out and claim it as my own."
"So why don't you? I'm trying to be as obvious as possible about my interest. I realize there is a lot to work through between us, and between Thor, and all that. But- I mean, I'm here , you know. Not going anywhere. Why don't you just reach out?"
"That, Anthony, is a question I ask myself daily."
They ate dinner sitting on the floor in Loki's solarium, their legs folded and their knees touching as they shared the plate of meat and cheese and a cold sort of pasta salad.
"You are truly not scared of my Jotunn form." Loki said after a few minutes.
"Nope." Tony grabbed a slice of tomato and popped it in his mouth. "I've seen some weird shit in my day. You turning blue doesn't even top the list. You've met Hulk, right?"
"I vividly remember meeting your Hulk." Loki narrowed his eyes. "But I do not understand why you aren't more apprehensive about it."
"Lo." Tony reached for another piece of whichever meat they were eating. "Only Asgardians are terrified of Frost Giants right? Why would I, a mortal, be afraid of you? Why would I treat you with disgust?"
"My kind are monsters." Loki argued and Tony shrugged.
"Not to me. The idea of Frost Giants being these horrible things is an Asgardians idea. I have never heard the tales, so why would I be afraid? If no one told me snakes were poisonous why would I avoid them?"
"So." Loki said slowly. "You are not afraid because you have no reason to be."
"Exactly." Tony shrugged again. "We can work around the cold thing. But it's maybe a little neat that you have such an obvious tell."
"A tell."
"Yeah, I'll always be able to tell when you're cheating at poker. You'll just flash that pretty blue and I'll know when to fold."
Tony was teasing of course, but Loki still watched him for a long moment, simply awed by this man who wasn't afraid of him. This man who didn't think his Jotunn form was horrifying. This mortal who was somehow meant to be his.
"I can't believe they actually made me cake." Tony laughed as he dug into a huge slice of chocolate cake. "I fully expected them to say no."
"You are Our Kings Chosen Love." Loki reminded him with a chuckle. "You could ask for anything and the servants would make it for you."
He patted the dirt around the base of a rose plant, glancing up at the sunset before deciding it was getting too dark to continue gardening. Brushing his knees off, Loki stood and joined Tony on the stone bench.
"And how is your cake, Anthony?"
"You want some?" Tony offered and Loki shook his head.
"Sweets are not really- it has been a long time since I enjoyed them, I'm not sure I would still find them desirable."
"Well you won't know until you try?" Tony scooped up a glob of frosting with two fingers and held it up to Loki's lips invitingly. "Come on."
Loki glanced at him and when Tony nodded encouragingly, he leaned forward and opened wide, swiping his tongue across Tony's fingers and drawing them between his lips into his mouth, sucking and nipping at them to get every last bit of frosting, his tongue thrusting between the two digits before withdrawing.
"Oh my god." Tony stammered when Loki finally let him go. "Oh my god."
Loki smiled, slow and easy and wicked . "Darling, if you are going to call for a deity-"
"Wait before we get too- before I beg you to eat more frosting off my fingers, Lo let's just slow down and-"
"I don't need to slow down." Loki shook his head. "Maybe yesterday I wasn't quite ready for… for this between us, but now I am."
"It's only been one day." Tony pointed out. "If this is you saying yes again because you think I want-"
"No. No." Loki shushed him, scooting closer on the bench. "No, darling. I am saying yes because we have spent the last two days together and it is the first time in years that I have felt like I am… home. Like I am at peace. Anthony, I am not saying that I am healed entirely or that I won't have awful days or that I won't have a relapse or something ."
Loki tilted Tony's chin up, bumping their noses together as he slid one hand up Tony's thigh. "I am saying that when you and I are together- I'm not cold. And my heart beats-"
He smiled then, tenderly, lovingly. "Anthony, my darling, my heart beats as if it was never broken when we are together."
Tony grinned, his cheeks flushed beautifully, and Loki lowered his head until their mouths nearly touched. "Will you take me to bed and stay with me again tonight? Perhaps we might do more than… sleep."
"After all that romance, I think my legs are too shaky to walk, so you might have to do that cool teleport thing." Tony's eyes were shining, biting at his lip eagerly, and Loki brought him close for a long kiss.
"Whatever you wish, my love."
A snap of his fingers and a shimmer of magic-
-and they were gone.