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Title: Dragon Dreams – A Dance of Fire and Ice

Fandom: Marvel

Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Marvel Comics for the creation of some of the most awesome heroes ever. This fanfiction on the other hand is entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.

Warnings: m/m, dragons, soulmates, mind-control, True Love's Kiss, hurt/comfort

Main Pairing: Loki/Tony

Marvel Characters: Anthony 'Tony' Stark, Loki Friggason, Thor Odinson, Frigga

Summary: Loki, an ice dragon from Asgard, had never expected to find his soulmate on Midgard, nor that his soulmate would be able to break the spell Thanos put on him.

Dragon Dreams

A Dance of Fire and Ice

Dragons were a special breed. Even on Asgard they were rare. The royal family were dragons, people with the ability to shape into the mighty, scaly form of a dragon. It had always been a source of pride, for Thor in particular. He loved to boast about his large, golden form. A lightning dragon, it was what made him more special than other Asgardians for he controlled lightning itself.

Loki had always been different though. He wasn't a lightning dragon like Thor and Odin. He was an ice-dragon. He had never quite understood why or how. Not until it was revealed to him that he was adopted. That he was from a cold ice-planet where dragons were less rare.

It only made Loki feel even more othered. His magic, his ice-dragon form, being adopted, being from another species – one hated by Asgardians. He was just so... tired. And he longed. He longed to find the place where he belonged. His soulmate. He should have one, every dragon had one – not every person, not every species, but dragons, they did.

Somewhere out there was a soul made to match his, to complete him. Someone who was supposed to be all his. Alas, Loki had no clue where or who his soulmate was. Maybe he could find them, but how much longer was it going to take? Years have come and gone, decades, centuries.

The yearning filling Loki's heart grew heavier with every day. His mother, in her gentle wisdom, kept telling him that his soulmate would find him when Loki would need them the most.

When? When could that possibly be? If it had not happened when Loki learned the truth about his heritage, when Loki got shunned after taking over the throne (rightfully so) – what else was Loki meant to endure that would be even worse than this? A question he regretted asking when he found himself mind-controlled by the Mad Titan. This had to be it though, this must be Loki's lowest.

Please show up and save me from this fate.

He didn't want this. He didn't want to serve Thanos. Thanos was forcing him, controlling him. Loki was not a lackey, he was a king. He was not meant to serve like this and for these ridiculous, silly goals. What did Thanos' goal interest him...? What did Midgard interest him?

Midgard hadn't had dragons since its middle-ages. Which only made the question even more pressing. How was his soulmate here, of all places? Who was it? When would they be put in his path? His inner dragon was roaring loudly, yearning to be free from Thanos' grasp. Yet it was caged by the spell, shackled down by the power of the Infinity Stone. It snarled and lashed out inside his mind, trying to hit but being removed from his enemies' reach. To keep Loki contained, controlled.

He was at Stark's tower, pacing the perimeter. They had taken Barton from him, they had tried to stop him but they could not yet. Something had drawn Loki here though, the large tower with Stark's name written on it. As he walked in, he made direct eye-contact with Stark himself, the man foolish enough to get out of his protective suit. Quite like a knight, Loki mused. Yet no knight would be so daft to take their armor off when coming face to face with a dragon. Not that Stark knew who he was facing; not truly, not fully. It may just blow the human's mind.

"Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity."

"Eh, actually I'm planning on threatening you." It was said with such careless nonchalance.

"You should have left your armor on for that", pointed Loki out, curious about this strange human.

"Yeah. Seen a bit of mileage and you got the... glowstick of destiny. Feel like a drink?"

A drink? Truly, what strange creature was Stark? He saw his enemy enter his home and yet instead of high alert, he removed his own armor. He quipped and now invited Loki for a drink? No fight? No immediate attack? Punch first, ask questions later? In all his life, Loki had never met a human like this. Was that why he had come here to begin with? Did Stark's strangeness draw him in...?

"Stalling me won't change anything", pointed Loki out, smiling amused.

He couldn't help but take in the tower. It appealed to him. The aesthetic was great, the rich interior design. The whole name-on-the-building thing was quite Loki's brand of dramatics. Stark had taste.

"No, no. Threatening. No drink? You sure? I'm having one." And he truly made himself a drink.

"The Chitauri are coming and nothing will change that", stated Loki, a bit out of breath.

...Was that why he was here? Why he was truly here? He could not reason with Thor, not when the blonde oaf was in one of his self-righteous phases. The angry green one? No, certainly not. The trickery widow who yearned for vengeance for Barton? No. Definitely not the self-righteous captain, too much about the blonde reminded Loki of Thor.

Yes. Maybe. Maybe he had come here to warn Stark. To hope for help. His soulmate, quite clearly, wasn't coming to his rescue. At this point, Loki couldn't believe in that anymore. Because the Chitauri were coming. And nothing could change it anymore. If his soulmate could not show their face until now, there was no hope left for them to be united, for Loki to be saved. Very well then, he was going to save himself. Somehow. Perhaps with Stark's help. For a human, he was remarkably clever and something about the way Stark was different from the others appealed to Loki.

"What have I to fear?", he asked, a bit in despair – he feared the Chitauri, feared Thanos.

Stark started babbling on about the Avengers, Thor's little band of friends. Loki was growing restless as he listened to Stark. And he did. He let the human talk on and on, let him mix his drink. If he wanted to, he could have so easily killed Stark at any given moment during this exchange. If he wanted. But he didn't. He didn't want to kill him, he didn't want any of this.

For as much as Loki had managed to fight the mind-control to come here and try to warn Stark, the closer they stepped to each other, the more it took hold of him again and he felt himself lift the scepter to control Stark – to remove the potential help from his grasp. His staff tapped against Stark's chest, but nothing happened. Blinking, he repeated the motion.

"This... usually works", whispered Loki baffled.

Not even with some kind of technology should Stark be able to shield himself from the influence of an Infinity Stone; they were not this easily fooled. Loki stared at Stark, searching for the answer.

"Performance issues. Not uncommon. One out of five-"

"You're a dragon", choked Loki out, eyes widening. "You're my soulmate."

/break\

Tony Stark was different. He had learned it many years ago, that he was not the biological son of Howard and Maria Stark. He was a dragon. One day, as a teenager, he had turned into a dragon. Kind of on accident. Turned out Howard Stark had thought he had acquired something rare when he took a dragon's egg, but then a human-looking baby had hatched and Howard had lost interest in him. By now, Tony could shift at will. Which was to say, not very often and only when he was all alone. Humans didn't do that. Turn into dragons. He was... an abomination. He had to hide this. And so, he would have to live with never understanding his origins.

Until Loki attacked and tried to take over New York – and said the impossible, effectively turning Tony's world upside-down. "You're a dragon. You're my soulmate."

"How can you know this – you can't know this", sputtered Tony panicked, stepping back.

"This is an Infinity Stone. The greatest power in the universe", stated Loki, eyes hard and cold and blue. "It can not be stopped. There is only one power great enough to overcome it."

"A... And that... that's...", started Tony, unsure if he wanted to finish the sentence.

"The power of a soul-bond. The laws of the universe degree that you can not harm your soulmate", whispered Loki. "But that would mean you're a dragon. There are no dragons on Midgard."

"Well, I mean, the thing makes portals, you know. Like the one you opened to let the Chitauri into my home. Let's just say someone who got to experiment on this thing many years ago got to step through and steal an egg from somewhere", offered Tony dryly. "But... if you say that I mist be a dragon to be your... soulmate – still debatable, that one – but... that'd mean you're..."

"A dragon. Yes, quite", confirmed Loki solemnly. "Though... now I do understand the very golden and bright armor. You're a dragon hoarding shiny things, mh?"

There was a sly smirk on his lips and Tony cleared his throat. "So none of your business. Stay focused. So you claim we're soulmates, but why would the universe give me a soulmate who's trying to take over my world, huh? Explain that to me."

"Do you think I want this backwater planet?", barked Loki out, hands shaking – and staff shaking. "This controls the mind. You think Thanos would have handed me this kind of power just like that? He used it on me. I am a powerful sorcerer, I manage to keep at least partial control."

Tony stared at Loki thoughtfully. Considering his options. Should he believe Loki? Looking into his eyes, it seemed suspicious. They were as blue as Clint's when he had been mind-controlled.

"Say I believe you. How do I break that spell?", asked Tony tentatively.

"Kiss me", stated Loki, voice even. "The soulmate's kiss breaks any curse."

"That's very fairy ta-", started Tony with a scoff before pausing. "Right, you're literally a mythological god and we're both dragons. Maybe don't scoff at the fairy tale."

Loki smirked at him at that. Gulping hard, Tony decided – well, what did he have to lose? He grabbed Loki by the neck and pulled him in to kiss him hard. A spark went through him, a cold but exciting one. He gasped as they parted and looked into Loki's eyes... Loki's emerald-green eyes.

"...Huh", whispered Tony surprised. "Okay so that actually worked. Weird. What now?"

"Now I have full control over myself and my magic and can close those bloody portals again."

/break\

Closing the portal however was only the first step; Loki had to turn himself in and when Thor took him to Asgard, Tony came along – explaining to Thor, and only Thor, the situation. Tony, as Loki's soulmate, weighed in heavy on the judgment of Loki. Though the All-Mother also helped. She seemed very fond of Tony, most likely due to Tony being her son's soulmate. Loki could not be arrested for crimes committed while he was mind-controlled. And Tony... came to enjoy Asgard. He started to feel at home there during the trial already. The weeks long trial.

"It is over now, my friend", declared Thor, resting a heavy hand on Tony's shoulder.

Friend, huh. They had spent their first meeting trying to beat the shit out of each other. Though, granted that was on both of them for not communicating. Now however? Over the past weeks during the trial? While the royal family housed Tony at the palace? Thor had been very charming, friendly and considerate. Apparently, being Loki's soulmate made Tony one of Thor's new favorite people. Tony... was not necessarily against having that kind of protection.

"Seems that way, big guy", agreed Tony softly.

"What my son is trying to ask is: Will you stay?"

Both Tony and Thor turned toward Frigga, who approached them with a smile. They were on the balcony, overseeing the incredible city below. Asgard was amazing. It was magical, but with such advanced science that it looked liked magic. In his free time, since the trial did not last all day and wasn't even held every single day, Tony got to explore the city and also the palace library. All that knowledge. Tony was sure he could spent centuries in that library alone.

"Why would I stay?", laughed Tony confused. "I... I have to return to... to..."

To what, exactly? He faltered. His mother was dead, Jarvis and Ana were dead. Rhodey was gone for months and months at a time, it wasn't like they lived together and spent all day together. And from what Tony had seen, Asgard had portal technology. Tony... wouldn't be out of the world. Pepper, she was such a talented CEO and she was so happy with Happy, she didn't need him, not like that, not that often. Once again, portal technology; he wouldn't never see them again. But aside from Pepper, Happy and Rhodey, there was no one. Stark Industries was running perfectly fine without him. And the Avengers? What Avengers? A bunch of misfits who distrusted each other? Who spent more time arguing with each other than fighting their actual enemy. There was Brucie, Tony really liked Brucie. But Bruce didn't like the spotlight, so who knew. Wait, why was he even considering this? That was absolutely insane. No, why would he want to stay here?

"This is your home", stated Frigga with furrowed brows. "Well, perhaps not Asgard exactly – fire dragons, they're native to Svartalfheim. The home of the dwarves. They feed off the forges; it does explain your incredible talent for mechanical creations."

"...Oh", whispered Tony softly, blinking a couple of times.

Admittedly, he had come to the same conclusion a while ago. The first thing he had attacked in the library were all books about dragons. Ice dragons were native to Niflheim, home of the ice giants (that was how Tony learned more about Loki's adoption. And it... turned out they had more in common than they had thought, because both had been stolen by greedy men as innocent, defenseless babies and then been neglected when they turned out to not be useful).

"Asgard may not be where fire dragons are native, but it is much closer to home than Midgard. We respect and honor dragons. You could soar the skies to your heart's content, you would not have to hide. I know you're hiding who you are. The way you carry yourself, it reminds me a lot of Loki, who spends so much of his energy trying to hide his true self. And it pains me, but because... Asgardians would not understand, he has to. You, you can not show your dragon form because Midgardians can not understand. I wish I could give my son a place he can feel safe enough to show his true colors, but if I can offer his soulmate that, then I will."

"No, I couldn't possibly stay here", whispered Tony and shook his head. "What... What would I even do here all day long? I'm out of my element here, this is not my... there is no place for me."

"Then you will make a place for yourself", declared Thor determined, arms crossed. "It is what you do, is it not? I have seen it, heard it during our shared battle. Tony Stark, who forged his own path."

"Thor is right", agreed Frigga. "You can find your own path. As you noticed, Asgard has much ancient technology. Most where the true mechanics behind them are lost to time. A mind like yourself, you could... try to figure them out. How would you put it? Reverse engineer."

Tony perked up at that thought. To be quite honest, he had been salivating at the Bifrost and he was pretty sure that his game of twenty-thousand questions had given Heimdall more than one headache at this point. The thought of getting his hands on all of that, of having the time to learn it all?

"I... I couldn't possibly-", started Tony tentatively.

"My dear, you are the soulmate of the prince. You have free reign on this planet", stated Frigga amused. "You very well can. You can have whatever you want. You are a prince now."

"...I'm sorry, I'm a what now?", asked Tony slowly, staring at her.

"You're a prince, my friend", laughed Thor. "Nothing is more sacred than a soul-bond."

"You can have your own forges, rooms of any kind you may desire. Please, at least consider it."

"I... I will. Thank you, Queen Frigga", nodded Tony with a slight bow.

/break\

"J, what's your take on all of this?", asked Tony with a sigh, laying on his bed.

"My... take on this, sir, is that you should do as the queen suggested. Give it a try. You have not even tried to fly here yet. There are dragons all over, sir. I have counted at least a dozen different dragons at this point. And you have expressed that you enjoy Loki's company, right?"

Sighing again, Tony sat up and looked at his armor from which Jarvis had spoken. He went to the balcony and, without another thought, jumped off it. Mid-fall he turned. It had been so long since he last flew without his suit – he had built the suit specifically for that, so he could fly even without being a dragon, but it wasn't the same thing. No, as he unfolded his wings, he realized just how different it was. A roar ripped from his throat as he did a back-flip. For the next hour or two, he just flew through the city and the people who saw him, they cheered and gasped in excitement.

"You are truly magnificent. Those dark-red scales. That is why your suit is red, isn't it?"

Tony turned and startled for a moment at the gorgeous, large, ice-blue dragon. "Loki?!"

"Yes, quite. Will you fly with me, my soul?", asked Loki, his voice gentle.

"I... I... Yes", nodded Tony after a moment, letting Loki circle him.

They flew together, for hours, until the song long-since set. It was so freeing. When they landed, they talked for hours. Turned out that fire-dragons were a rare sight in Asgard, but a respected sight. This really was a place where Tony could be himself? Could fly? And the people, they were so excited about his heroic stories and his 'magic' (his talking suit and glowing heart). Especially the children admired him. This all felt so very different.

"This... was not what I expected to happen when I was called to New York", sighed Tony.

"Believe me, it is not what I was expecting when Thanos captured me", countered Loki.

"I will stay for a little while, just to... see. If there is a place for me", declared Tony. "And... if there is a place for me with you. If you want that. I mean, we're soulmates. But we didn't quite get the chance to talk a whole lot, outside of trials. Maybe we could... get to know each other."

"Yes. I would like that", agreed Loki with a faint smile.

They were on their way back to the palace, back in human form, and looking at Loki smile like that made Tony realize just how handsome the other was. Not that he hadn't noticed that before, but there was always a guarded side to Loki. One that Tony could relate to. Much like his own public press smile. This one however, this smile was genuine – and it was beautiful.

/break\

Loki could not be more pleased as he looked at his soulmate, sleeping peacefully in his dragon form in their shared castle. A small-ish castle up a hill that was both Asgardian and Midgardian in design and had the brilliant AI son of his soulmate installed to help out. Tony as a dragon was beautiful, with his dark-ruby scales. But Tony sleeping peacefully and with no troubles? Perfection.

They had had a tiresome day, after all Tony's friends had been over to visit. So far, it had always been Tony returning to Midgard, but now that they had moved into their own castle together, Tony had decided they needed to throw a house-warming party. It delighted Loki just how at home Tony seemed to feel on Asgard – and how much more it felt like home to Loki since Tony lived here.

~*~ The End ~*~

Author's note: AAAH I am one and a half hours late. Damn you, semester break, I have no sense for time ;/; HAPPY PHIMMYVERSARY TO MY BEST FRIEND AND FAVORITE CUPCAKE!