The day of their departure came fast and they gathered their luggage. "Tell me why Heimdall can't put us down in front of that mountain instead of two days' march away from it?" Tony sounded more curious than concerned about something resembling an Arctic expedition.

"He's not Scotty?" Or me, long ago. Loki groaned when Tony raised his eyebrows. "He's afraid that the impact of the Bifrost would clash with the cavities that are under the surface of parts of Jotunheim. There's a potential that we would end in a pile of debris. Seems that when the Bifrost tore through Jotunheim it made big parts of it even more unstable than it was before. Or at least that`s what he told the queen, might as well be that he just wants us to have a little walk in the snow because he's an asshole."

It seemed like the mentioned gatekeeper took that as his cue because the next moment they were surrounded by blinding white light and every noise stopped. It was a strange feeling for Tony. It felt like travelling at an incredible speed and being absolutely static at the same time, surrounded by light but nothing else. He felt slightly nauseous when he gathered back his senses, standing inside of a round imprint of runes in ice.

The ground was covered in snow, brilliant white with big ice covered rocks casting cream shadows on it. Clusters of impressive crystals were rising into the sky like mountains or trees, as tall as multi-storey buildings. There were enormous glittering pillars in lightly grey whites that shimmered like moonlight. Giant columnar crystals like a dark blue forest, broad and spiky with sharp edges of ultramarine and indigo and soft shadows of sky-blue, even parts which looked ever so slightly turquoise. Some fallen obelisks lay on the ground, surrounded by smaller crystals, sharp as blades and flawlessly sparkling.

A unique bit of topography, creating unearthly beauty. For Tony it was simply overwhelming and astonishing but Thor and Loki didn't even look twice.

The wind was icy but surrounded by these impressive landscape, far removed from every civilization Tony knew, he almost forgot the cold. "Even at the risk of losing my head, it's beautiful here. Looks like Iceland or Antarctica. Like a fairy tale winter. The gigantic crystals, the scrunch of snow and ice. It's fucking cold but stunning!"

"It's a cold wilderness. Rocks, ice, inhospitable and grim. I don't understand what you see in it." Loki grunted. "There is nothing of beauty on Jotunheim."

You are. Tony shook his head. "Seems again like growing up on Asgard has a lot of doing that in North Korea. Everyone else is seen as inferior and don't forget the kin liability. When you talk like that, I sometimes hardly withstand the wish to hit you on the head, you know that? You're too clever for this shit or at least you should be." He took a deep breath of cold air. "Is all of Jotunheim like that? Doesn't look like fertile land to me, so what the hell do they eat here?"

"It's mostly like that, on big parts of this realm winter never eases its grip. There are some dense, dark forests and rivers so they live from deer and fish, I guess. I don't care! They can eat stones if they like to. Can we leave now?" Loki was restless and tense.

Snow blew over the ground like glittering white mist and Tony shrugged his shoulders. "I'll follow you. You have the map."

So they started their walk in silence. Thor didn't seem to mind or even notice it, he was absorbed in his own thoughts. The last time he sat foot on this realm it didn't end well. It started a row of events he regretted but couldn't take back and now they led him back to Jotunheim.

When they saw a small furry animal that was gone as fast as it appeared Tony tried it again. "What's that? Looks like a flying squirrel or something alike."

"To clarify that once and for all, I don't know it. I know nothing about all that here!" Loki was back to impatience, annoyed about everything. About not being cold which reminded him of the blue skin hidden under the one he recognized as his own, about being the reason why they were walking through an icy desert, about everything and everybody, especially about himself. He walked faster and with that forced Tony to speed up, too, silencing him because he needed his breathe to keep up with the two gods.

They had walked for two hours when Tony suddenly broke through the crusted snow. Struggling and cursing he sank almost to his armpits. Loki, who was closer to him, turned around and walked over to him. Thor followed him, grinning slightly.

Tony was laughing because, as cold and uncomfortable it was, he also saw the humor in the situation. "Pull me out!"

"Are you sure? As you are so interested in this realm you might want to stay a little longer, exploring the beautiful landscape?" Loki reached out his hand with a big grin.

Back on solid ground Tony shook himself like a dog, trying to get rid of the snow that covered his clothes. After he dusted himself down he looked at the two gods. "Ok, I decided to not let my pride kill me. You two have the taller legs and more strength. We walk through snow with ice on top. You have not the slightest clue how exhausting that is for a normal human being! And you run, for fuck's sake! Slow down, I can't keep up with that speed any longer. And I'm not going to end in anther snow filled pit because I hurry without looking where I step." Thor nodded and Loki did the same, the impression of guilt briefly crossing his face. His eyes darted away for a moment then he composed himself. "If you are alright we should nevertheless keep on moving. We have a long route in front of us and we should reach a territory with caves in a few hours." Thor added helpfully: "There we can rest, light a fire, eat and spend the night in a safe place."

"A cave? You forgot to mention that before?"

"You never asked. I'm sorry, what did you think we'd do? Eat some culinary specialties after visiting a few historical monuments? Find a nice hotel with breakfast in bed?" Loki did his best to tame the feelings that seethed inside of him but that was the nicest thing to say that he could manage.

"Jackass! But I thought about a tent?" I didn't think about the alternatives, fuck. "No, you're alright, a cave is fine. I just don't like them very much." Or hate them.

Tony hadn't seen anything like a cave since he was back from Afghanistan and the memories linked with that special cave weren't something he ever wanted to feel again. He remembered cold nights, surprisingly cold for a land with so much sun and sandy deserts. He hated being cold. It sucks. It's painful. But this was something else, wasn't it? He was warm. He was well prepared for that. He was free. And he wasn't alone.

This was another time, another place, even another planet. No problem, or at least that was what he hoped.

They decided to have a lunch break, eat and drink something to ensure that they could go the distance and J.A.R.V.I.S. had repeated it over and over again that at least humans needed a constant supply of food and water for energy and to produce enough heat in such a cold environment.

The landscape changed over time, getting more rugged and mountainous. Very occasionally they saw a conifer. It was already dark when they found the territory marked in the map and settled down for the night inside of a cave between large rocks and hills. The stars had already begun to come out, diamonds sprinkled across the dark sky. There were more stars than Tony ever saw. Before he entered the cave he took one last look at the world he was thrown into this morning. The ice and snow was shining and sparkling in the last light of day and he could only hear the wind and the creaking of the ice. It was raw and cold but he would never forget the sight. It was unbelievably beautiful.

Thor was still so very silent it stretched Loki's already thin patience. When they lit the fire he turned around. "Why did you agree to come with us? The queen wouldn't have forced you to. Why did you leave behind the throne and your woman?" His voice was an assault not curiosity.

"Her name is Jane. You demand respect for yourself and Tony, I expect the same from you."

That isn't wrong. But surprising. "Why did you leave Jane behind?" He emphasized her name like it tasted sickening in his mouth.

Thor decided to ignore the mocking undertone. "And by the way you should be thankful for her. She did a lot of talking to make me understand that what I was taught about you being with a man could be wrong. However, she as well as the throne will wait for me. This will not. You're still my brother."

"You're a stupid fool."

"I can fully return this compliment."

Loki didn't answer.

They decided to take turns staying awake and keeping watch.

Loki was the first and he didn't mind. He couldn't sleep anyhow at the moment. Sitting near the entrance on the ground he watched their surroundings and Tony who shifted uneasily in his sleep. When he started to make soft but unmistakably pained noises Loki wasn't sure if he should wake him up or let him sleep. On the one hand sleep was vital, this whole ordeal was stressful, physically and mentally and Tony could need sleep, but on the other hand he knew how terrifying nightmares were. Before he could come to a conclusion his lover made the decision for him, he woke up. Breathing heavily he lay still in his bedroll, staring at the cave ceiling. He winced when Loki addresses him with a whisper. "Are you alright?"

"Peachy." Unconsciously covering the arc reactor with his right hand he sat up. "Mind if I keep you company?"

Loki shook his head with a light smile and Tony got out of the bedroll to sit down on it at the other man's side. They were silent for a while.

It was Tony who spoke again. His voice was soft. "When you get your magic back, you won't need me anymore. You won't need my protection or my money or anything. Will you leave me?"
"Fucking idiot!"
"The first time you curse in my language and it's aimed at me. That's flattering, I guess." Tony forced himself to smile but it looked as wrong as it felt.
"You're welcome, fool. I love you. I will still need you for that. It's scathing that you think I stay just because of the things you offer!"
"I'm sorry. But I'm just human. I'm a genius, I know, but I will never sleep very well nor will I ever be not damaged and weird. I can't run for hours, if I fall into a snow filled hole you have to pull me out."
"And I will." Loki looked thoughtful. "Why did you come here with me when you doubt my love?"
"Because I love you and want to help. And I don't doubt you. I'm just, I don't know."
"Imbecile? An insecure idiot?"
"Might be. Can we add handsome and brilliant, just for my ego?"
Loki pushed his shoulder. "Yes, we can." Perhaps you should accept that not only your look or intellect is loveable, but you are.

They both went back to sleep when Thor woke up and took over guard duty. While they ate breakfast Tony protested that the god of thunder didn't wake him up for his turn but shut up when said man told him cheerfully that he looked like he needed the sleep more. It was embarrassing, even more because it might be true.

It was windy and even colder than the day before when they left. They put their heads down against the wind and walked toward the mountains.