Tony had not only been in a wide variety of ridiculously expensive buildings, but he'd also owned a large number of them. In spite of that, Asgard's palace was still more than a little intimidating even to him. It wasn't so much the soaring columns and obvious opulence wherever he looked. It was more the feeling that Odin might be watching him every second, a sort of creeping paranoia that he was fairly sure was entirely based in reality. Even so, he and Loki oddly encountered no one except several motionless guards who followed their prince with their eyes, their gazes disapproving.
Finally, Loki led him up a wide, sweeping set of stairs, then down a corridor covered in carpet so thick their steps were completely silent, until finally they came to a series of towering doors.
"Let me take a wild guess which one is yours," Tony said, pointing towards one that had a banner of emerald green hanging from it embroidered with golden serpents.
"And you would be wrong. That's yours. Mine is the next one down," Loki said, indicating a door with no embellishments on it at all.
"I don't get it," Tony said, fingering the banner.
"Its presence indicates that you stay here under my express protection and invitation," Loki explained. "In short, no one who does not wish to incur my wrath would dare to bother you in any way."
"Sort of a 'Do Not Disturb by Order of the Prince' sign," Tony said, smiling at him. "I think I like being under your, what did you call it? 'Express protection and invitation.'"
Loki gave him an answering smile and opened the door, motioning him into the room. Tony went through the door and was met with a perfectly serviceable room with a bed, a chair, a desk, and a window overlooking the city.
"Nice," Tony said.
Loki's smile widened as he entered and shut the door behind him, then strode across the room and to a modest little door next to the bed, opening it and saying, "Nicer."
Tony peeked through into what was obviously Loki's personal quarters, a space overflowing with books, magical paraphernalia, and beautiful tapestries. An enormous canopy bed draped in silk and velvet took up almost an entire wall.
"Whoa," Tony said, staring at it.
"What's wrong?" Loki asked, frowning.
"Just… that's kind of a lot to live up to," he said, pointing at it. "I've seen countries smaller than this thing. Just what have you gotten up to in here in the past?"
"Nothing," Loki said as he walked over to it and lay down among the piles of pillows, looking up at Tony flirtatiously. "It's brand new. I ordered it specially made when I decided to ask for you to marry me. It is to be our wedding bed."
Tony chuckled, but before he could jump onto the mattress beside him, Loki held up his hand to stop him.
"No," Loki said firmly, though a grin was tugging at his mouth. "Not yet. This is a traditional Asgardian bower for the prince's wedding night, and it is not to be besmirched until we have declared our vows."
"Besmirched?" Tony said, laughing. "Why am I marrying someone who actually says that with a straight face?"
"But you are," Loki said, his grin turning softer.
"Okay, fine, no hanky-panky on the United States of Bedmerica until after we're legally married. But can we use the bed in the other room instead?" he asked, taking hold of Loki's hand.
Loki seemed to be considering the proposition for a moment, glancing towards the open door, before finally shrugging and saying, "I suppose there's technically no rule against that."
Two hours later, a freshly showered Tony, dressed in a suit of what Loki assured him was an appropriate ensemble of Asgardian clothing, found himself walking beside his fiancé along the same corridor, back down the stairs, and towards the throne room where he would meet Odin. Loki's brow had a barely visible sheen of sweat on it that had nothing to do with their early activities. In fact, despite his Frost Giant ancestry, Tony couldn't remember ever seeing him sweat before, proving just how nervous he was. Tony felt a sudden stab of anger pierce his own anxiety when he realized this was how frightened Loki was of his own father.
"Lokes?" Tony said, taking his hand and noting the worry on his face. "It's gonna be fine. I promise."
Loki's smile was weaker than usual, but he took the opportunity to kiss Tony firmly, seeming to draw strength from him, then squared his shoulders and nodded to the guard at the door. The Einherjar swiftly opened it, and Loki and Tony entered, walking purposefully towards the throne at the opposite end of the room. Odin remained motionless, regarding them with cool calculation as he held Gungnir in his right hand. Tony wondered silently whether he was going to have to fend off an attack without his suit if the spear was launched at him without warning.
When they reached the steps leading up to the throne, Loki bowed, Tony copying the movement immediately.
"Father," he said quietly, then added, "Mother."
Tony was startled to realize he hadn't even noticed Frigga standing just to Odin's right. His attention had been on the spear, and her silver gown melted into the color of the stonework behind her, but he wished he'd seen her since she was roughly a thousand times less horrifying. For one thing, she was smiling warmly at both of them.
"Loki," she said, swiftly descending the stairs in a fluid movement that reminded Tony of a ballet dancer he'd once dated. She embraced Loki, then turned to look at Tony, still smiling, "And this is your love?"
"He is," Loki confirmed, and Tony could see in a moment that he was truly happy to introduce the two of them. "Anthony Stark of Midgard, Iron Man, Avenger, scientist, I present my mother, Queen Frigga."
Tony bowed again, and Frigga curtsied back very prettily, then took one of his hands in both of her own, "I am glad to finally meet you. We have heard much of your exploits, but I would delight in hearing them from you as well."
"I've heard a lot about you from Loki," Tony said, smiling back at her. "All good, of course."
Throughout the whole scene, Odin remained sitting on his throne, never moving. Tony was reminded of a very powerful gargoyle that might come to life at any moment and wreak havoc. After an uncomfortable pause, the king finally spoke again.
"Anthony Stark, your presence here is tolerated by me only at the insistence of my younger son, and I do not give my blessing to this union," Odin said, his voice ringing through the hall. "Not yet, at any rate. I am humoring the second prince, but I believe he will still come to his senses and realize his infatuation with you is but a trick of the heart, no more."
Frigga's glance towards his husband was sharp with disappointment, and Loki's eyes crackled with anger.
"I am well acquainted with tricks. I am the master of trickery, as you well remember, and I assure you, I love this man with all that I am," Loki said.
"And I—" Tony began, but he was interrupted by Odin bringing Gungnir down with an ear-splitting crack against the pavement.
"You have no voice in this place," Odin said. "Not yet, mortal. And that is the root of your choice to be here, is it not? You would have the length of your life match that of my son's."
Tony opened his mouth to speak, and he fully intended to yell at Odin, king or not, but Loki put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a warning look.
"That is my wish and his," Loki said. "I beg the favor of an apple of immortality as a wedding gift."
Odin grunted as though this confirmed his suspicions.
"Anthony Stark, I wish to speak with my son in privacy. Return to your room until you are called for," Odin ordered.
Tony's mouth puckered from his desire to shoot back a thousand things at the old man, but he knew better. Not by much, though. Frigga had gone back to her husband's side, and while her words were too low for him to hear, he was sure Odin was fully distracted, so he silently flipped him the bird while Loki nearly choked on his shocked laughter, but he also flicked his eyes towards the door meaningfully. With an audible sigh, Tony backed out of the room, following one of the rules of etiquette Loki had taught him about never turning his back on the king.
Once he reached the door and another Einherjar stationed inside the audience hall opened it for him, he began a long monologue of exactly what he wanted to say to Odin, muttering it under his breath as he walked the long path back to his quarters. When he finally got back to his room, he slammed the door, threw himself on the bed, and stared at the ceiling, sulking. Not five minutes later, a soft shimmer of green appeared next to him on the bed as Loki materialized beside him.
"I got sent to my room," Tony said in disbelief. "That hasn't happened since Jarvis tried to ground me when I was seven. Granted, I climbed out the window, down a tree, then hijacked the family plane and flew to Vegas by myself for three days, so he didn't give that a whirl again, but still, it's the principle of the thing."
"I'm sorry, darling," Loki said, and Tony noticed with concern that his expression was exhausted. "I was hoping things would go better."
"At least your mom's nice," Tony said, rubbing his thumb over Loki's arm.
"She already adores you," Loki agreed, looking a little less weary as he kissed Tony's forehead. "Not yet as much as I do, but she will."
Tony wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer, but he braced himself and asked, "So, are we still getting married?"
"Whether my father permits it or not, yes," Loki said. "He cannot stop us. But the apple is another matter."
"He said no," Tony said, nodding. "I knew it."
"He didn't, actually," Loki said, "but it is not to be quite so straightforward as I had hoped, and I must speak to you about that."
Loki raised himself up on one arm to look down at Tony, whose face drew into a frown of concern.
"Odin has consented to allow us to wed tomorrow, but as part of the ceremony, you must choose between two apples. One will grant you long life, binding your life to mine. You shall live until I die, and then we shall depart this existence together."
"So, we'd never be separated?" Tony said, his smile soft.
"Precisely," Loki said, running a hand gently over his face. "We will never be divided by death."
"But you said something about having to choose?" Tony said. "What does the other apple do?"
"Nothing," Loki said, and Tony saw sadness in his eyes. "It would do nothing to you at all."
"And I'd die like a normal mortal when the time comes," Tony finished.
"Yes. I have already told my father I will abide by his rules, but the choice is now yours."
Tony looked up at him and smiled wider.
"It could be worse. We have a fifty-fifty shot at the apple of immortality, and if I pick the wrong one, well, I'm already mortal, so we're no worse off than we are now," Tony said. "I've always liked gambling, and those are good odds. Maybe we'll get lucky."
"So you agree to the arrangement?" Loki said with a bittersweet smile.
"I don't like the idea of leaving you behind someday if I choose wrong, but that will happen anyway if we don't take the chance," Tony said, grasping his hand and giving it a quick kiss. "I don't ever want to hurt you."
"I don't believe you would ever intentionally harm me," Loki said.
"Oh, I wouldn't do anything on purpose, but I've been stupid before," Tony admitted. "I have a tendency to mess things up when it comes to relationships. Always have. But with you it's just… different. Completely."
Loki said nothing, only gazed at him with an unreadable expression.
"Yeah," Tony finally said. "Let's do it. If you're willing to love me for the rest of my possibly stupidly short mortal life, then yes, I'll agree to play your father's little game."
"Then we wed on the morrow," Loki said. "Whatever happens, I will be yours and you will be mine."
"I already am," Tony said, putting up his hand to caress Loki's hair, pulling him down into a searing kiss filled with all the love in his heart.
Loki's chamber remained empty that night.