The following morning, the pair of them arose not long after the dawn. It was Asgardian custom for weddings to be held at noon so that the light of happiness could shine down upon the couple. It was also common for the groom to fetch his bride breakfast and leave it outside the door of her home as proof of his ability to provide for her. While the terms didn't exactly match, Loki did follow tradition enough to leave Tony sitting beside the fire in his guest room, promising coffee (Thor had become so addicted that at least a hundred pounds of beans were on hand in the royal kitchen at any time) and pastries.
When half an hour passed without Loki's return, Tony became more than a little worried. He finished dressing, then set off down the corridor, asking a passing servant where he could find the kitchen. He didn't make it that far, though. As he went past the partially closed door of an unoccupied guest suite, he recognized Thor's voice. Tony was surprised he was there, but he quickly realized that his lowered voice and urgent tone meant something was wrong.
"—is cruel," Thor hissed quietly. "I will not see this match made!"
"It is not your match to make or reject," Loki's voice answered just as strongly in lowered tones.
"Mother is beside herself," Thor said. "Will you not think of her if not of me, of your place in the realm?"
"She understands," Loki said, "or she will in time."
"If you but ask for more time, perhaps Father will relent one day and allow Tony to be given an apple as it should be done, without this risk," Thor argued.
"And if he does not? If age or accident separate my beloved from me before Father changes his mind? You know the dangers Anthony faces. Every day could be his last, more so than the usual Midgardian. I will not see him die when I could stop it," Loki said.
"This marriage to a mortal will destroy you," Thor said so quietly Tony could barely hear him, his voice tinged with sadness. "Do not do it, brother. As one who has loved a mortal myself, I know the pain of the constant awareness of death hovering over the one who held my heart. I would not see that come to you as well."
Tony stood against one of the walls in the hallway, obviously eavesdropping, but his heart sank a little. He had always considered Thor a friend, and he was certain Frigga had been welcoming towards their marriage, but perhaps both had a little more prejudice against mortals under the surface when push came to shove. Deciding that maybe he'd heard enough, he slipped back down the corridor and sat before the fire again, trying to blot out the knowledge of the disapproval that awaited his life as Loki's husband.
Not long after, the door opened again, and Loki entered with a tray laden with coffee, pastries, and fruit.
"I apologize for the delay. I hope you're hungry," he said, putting the food on a table before the fire and smiling, but his face fell when he saw Tony's worried expression. "What is it?"
"This. You, choosing me. It's like you're lowering yourself or something, isn't it? Do Asgardians see me as some kind of an animal or something?" Tony asked suddenly.
Loki stared at him, then said, "I'm not exactly Asgardian myself if you recall, so I don't particularly care what they think. What's happened? Have the servants said something?"
"No, I'm just putting two and two together," Tony said.
"I admit that in some quarters this match will be considered less than ideal," Loki said, looking uncomfortable, "for a variety of reasons. But that's unimportant."
"You're sure about that?" Tony asked, an angry glare in his eyes. "You're willing to deal with your family lowering their opinion of you because you love me?"
"In my father's case, I don't think it's possible for me to be any lower in his books," Loki said wryly, but then he became serious again. "He would be unhappy with any choice I made. Mother would never think that, and Thor, who turned up in Asgard this morning, by the way, knows you and considers you a dear shield brother. And I love you. Is that not enough?"
Tony wasn't entirely sure Loki was telling the whole truth, but he decided to trust him. Taking a sip of the coffee, he grinned over the rim.
"Okay, then let's do this," he said. "Any other customs I should know about?"
"Well, you'll need to walk into the throne room naked, then there's the trial by fire, but once we've tattooed your nether regions with the words 'Property of Prince Loki,' the ceremony should be complete," Loki said calmly.
Tony's spit-take was truly spectacular as Loki laughed, then drew him into a kiss.
"No, there's not much else that differs from a Midgardian ceremony. We'll have rings, of course, a matching pair from the crown jewels that will size themselves to our fingers and never come off once the bonding is complete, and then an exchange of vows, followed by choosing the apple. Once that's done, it's official," Loki said, biting into a fluffy pastry with what looked like blue cherries on top.
"How will I know if I pick the right one?" Tony asked.
"You'll know," Loki said. "Trust me."
"I do," Tony said, but he was growing more and more suspicious.
An hour later, Loki was carefully adjusting the ceremonial sword and cloak his husband-to-be would wear for the wedding, then checked his own reflection in the mirror. Tony stood beside him, regarding the picture of the two of them in the glass with a smile.
"If someone had told me that the guy who defenestrated me was going to wind up marrying me, I would have thought they were nuts," Tony said.
"Shall I toss you out the palace window again for old time's sake?" Loki asked.
"Nah, gotta save some fun for the honeymoon," Tony said, swatting the seat of his leather trousers. "So, is it time?"
"I believe so," Loki said, and in spite of the fact he was smiling brilliantly, a small pinch of worry clustered around his eyes. "Let's go."
Hand in hand, they walked down the corridors and stairs until they came to the same door that led to the room where they had met Odin the previous night. Thor stood there now in place of the Einherjar guard, and while he grinned at Tony and clapped him warmly on the shoulder, Tony couldn't shake the feeling something was horribly wrong.
"Okay, hold up," he said finally. "I might be fresh off my first trip by Bifrost, but I didn't suddenly become an idiot. What exactly aren't you telling me?"
"Nothing," Thor said too quickly.
"Thor, never play poker," Tony said. "Or maybe do, but only against me so I can beat you. What's really going on here?"
"Anthony, I have told you all that I am allowed to tell you," Loki admitted.
"So that implies there is something you're not saying," Tony said.
"I do not deny it, but if I were to explain any further, my father would know and invalidate the ceremony. I cannot offer you any more details than that," Loki said, giving him a pleading look. "Trust me."
"I trust you," Tony said. "It's dear old daddy I wouldn't trust as far as I could throw Thor without my suit."
Loki sighed, but took his hand, squeezing it gently in place of any more words. Tony's frown deepened, but when he looked into Loki's eyes, he melted, returning the soft pressure of his fingers.
"Okay," Tony said. "Let's get this over with, then get out of here and plan a real party back on Earth."
The door opened, and the throne room was empty except for Odin and Frigga at the far end. Two small tables, each with a golden bowl on it, stood in front of Odin. Loki, Tony, and Thor walked the aisle leading up to the throne in silence, their footsteps echoing through the vastness. It was lightyears from a romantic moment. In fact, Tony felt downright awkward.
After what seemed like a very long walk, they reached the bottom of the steps where Odin stood between the tables. He glared at them with his single eye, while Frigga somehow fixed Odin with an even more disapproving stare.
"We have gathered to join these two together as mates for as long as they both shall live," Odin said. "I see no reason to stand on ceremony. Loki, second Prince of Asgard, do you agree to take Anthony Stark as your spouse?"
"I do," Loki said, taking Tony's hand and slipping one of the rings onto his finger.
Odin grunted his acceptance of the vow.
"Anthony Stark, you do not yet have a voice in this place. If you agree to take my son Loki as your spouse, put your ring on his finger as a sign of your choice," Odin directed him.
Tony was slightly taken aback that he wasn't allowed to speak even at his own wedding, but he took the ring from his pocket and put it on Loki's finger. His green eyes twinkled slightly, and a small smile pulled at the corner of his mouth, but mostly he looked strained.
"Very well. As part of this binding, Anthony Stark, you are to choose between these two bowls of apples. One holds the fruit of Idunn. While your mortal legends have warped their powers somewhat in the telling, it is true that they will grant a Midgardian, or any other sentient being, for that matter, an extension of their natural life to match that of an Asgardian spouse. You and Loki will live equally long lives, and when death claims him, it will claim you as well. If you understand, you may nod," Odin said.
Tony waited a moment, looking at the two bowls, trying to understand something but he simply didn't have enough data yet. Very slowly, Anthony raised his hand as though he were in school.
"I take it something about this troubles you?" Odin asked. "Did you think you could merely eat the apple and be granted a long life without linking it to Loki's? Perhaps you expected to outlive him and declare yourself an heir of Asgard?"
Tony was beginning to be truly angry, but he shook his head firmly.
"Then the explanation is perfectly clear," Odin said.
Tony shook his head again, then pointed at first one bowl, then the other, followed by gesturing with his hands to suggest he wanted to know what the difference was between them.
"I see. You wish to know what will happen to you if you choose incorrectly. The answer is nothing at all. I assure you, you will not immediately drop dead, only remain mortal," Odin said. "You risk nothing."
Tony frowned more deeply, shaking his head again, then pointed at Loki. To his surprise, he saw Frigga nod almost imperceptibly, encouraging him. Odin looked confused.
"I do not understand," Odin finally said.
"Then allow him a voice in this chamber!" Thor said, a peal of thunder roaring distantly. "This pantomime borders on the ridiculous, and there is no humor in the matter!"
Odin grimaced, a look of supreme distaste on his features.
"I do not give that right to insignificant mortals!" Odin said loudly. "If he chooses correctly, then he may speak, but not before."
"And if I choose incorrectly," Tony said, breaking his silence, "there's a whole other problem going on, isn't there?"
"I told you not to—"
"Nope. Not listening. I am done playing Marcel Marceau, and what's more, I think I've figured out this stupid game of yours," Tony said. "You specifically said that we would be joined as long as we both would live, but only one of these bowls makes somebody immortal. So, tell me, what happens to Loki if I eat the wrong one? Because I'm assuming, since there's more than one apple in both of these bowls, and we're going to be linking our lives, he has to eat one, too. Or am I wrong on that?"
Odin looked like he was considering murdering Tony where he stood.
"The apples in the other bowl, they're the reverse, aren't they! Instead of extending my life to match his, they would shorten his life to match mine!" Tony yelled.
At that point, Frigga drew a short sword from where it had been hidden in the skirt of her gown and turned towards Odin. As no Einherjar were there to witness the ceremony, no one made a movement to stop her.
"You will lift the spell from all three of us," she said firmly. "Now."
Odin's face twisted in fury, but when Thor drew his sword as well, he reluctantly moved his hand as though wiping something away. Frigga put a hand to her throat as though a very tight collar had been removed.
"Dear heart," she said softly to Tony, "you are entirely correct. There is a second tree in Idunn's garden which bears the fruit of mortality. Had you chosen the wrong one, then when Loki bit into his own apple, he would have shared your fate rather than you sharing his."
Tony's eyes were crackling with anger, and he actually began to shake violently. He turned slowly to Loki.
"You agreed to this?" he said in a low voice. "You agreed to it without telling me?"
"I was unable to," he said. "My father did not tell me of this possibility until yesterday when he had you leave us. Had I spoken a word of it, the ceremony would have been rendered void. My mother was similarly bound, and Thor as well when he arrived and asked about the apples."
"Are you crazy? You would have given up thousands of years of your life just to marry me?" Tony yelled.
"No! I would have risked thousands of years of my life for the possibility of keeping the man I love beside me, immortal. Had you chosen incorrectly, I would never have needed to mourn you. I saw very few reasons not to agree," Loki said.
"That's like playing Russian roulette with a half-loaded gun!" Tony said. "I am not going to accept that! No, I am out of this. Odin, I may not have a voice in this chamber of yours, but this is all I need to say to you."
He grabbed apples from both bowls and threw them at the king's head. Odin, looking just shy of homicidal, merely let them bounce off his armor.
"Anthony!" Loki said, pleading. "This is our only chance!"
"No," Tony said, taking his hands in both of his own. "No. I refuse. For once in my life, something has a price tag that's too high for me."
He turned around and walked back across the audience hall, leaving the others standing there.
Tony returned to the room next to Loki's, not sure where else to go. He changed back into his normal clothes, leaving the Asgardian finery lying on the bed. As he did, he saw the glint of metal on his ring finger. Carefully, he pulled the ring off, quietly huffing out an unsurprised but disappointed breath as he realized that the ring had never fastened itself to him permanently, so their marriage was not valid. He stroked the metal for a moment, then put it on the bed next to the clothes. He looked over at the door that linked his room with Loki's, knowing their marriage bed lay waiting on the other side, never to be used. After his rejection of Odin's plan, he wondered whether Loki would even speak to him again.
The answer came in the form of a soft knock on the door.
"Yeah," Tony said, half expecting a contingent of horned soldiers arriving to march him to the Bifrost, for attempted regicide via apples. "Come in."
The door opened to reveal Loki on the other side.
"Do you even wish to speak to me?" he said, still standing in the corridor.
"I'm not happy you agreed to risk your life for me without telling me, but I understand why you did it," Tony said, his posture sagging. "And you? Do you want anything to do with a pathetic mortal anymore?"
Loki was through the door in an instant, wrapping his arms around Tony and holding him desperately tight.
"We will find another way," he whispered. "I will not lose you."
"We're a pair of really smart guys," Tony said, smiling up at him. "And we're both devastatingly hot, so there's that too. Somehow, I think we'll get what we want."
Loki nodded at him, then kissed him, allowing himself to melt into the arms of his beloved.
"So… can we go home?" Tony asked.
"Well, technically you did just commit an act of war on the king," Loki pointed out.
"He deserved it," Tony said firmly. "I should have pitched one of those apples right into his remaining eye."
"As amusing as that would have been, I'm rather happy you missed that opportunity," Loki said, grinning. "As it is, Thor is waiting to provide us with an escort back to the Bifrost in case any unfortunate attempts are made to repay you."
"Then let's not keep him waiting," Tony said.
Loki took his arm and the telltale traces of magic fizzed against Tony's skin as they teleported directly to the rainbow road that led to the Bifrost. Thor stood there, looking grim.
"My heart breaks for the pair of you," Thor said, clapping a hand on each of their shoulders for a moment before drawing his sword and beginning to accompany them to where Heimdall stood, waiting. "I do not believe Heimdall will delay you, but I also do not know what orders my father has given him. As it is, I will be returning to New York along with you. I have no wish to remain here under the present circumstances."
They met with no resistance at all, and when Heimdall saw them, his golden gaze was thoughtful.
"I have seen many things," he finally said, "but I have not yet beheld another couple whose devotion was stronger than yours. I wish you a good journey and a… fruitful… end to your new quest."
"Nice pun," Tony said, holding on to Loki's hand and steeling himself for the nausea-inducing ride across the galaxy. "Let's blow this pop stand."
In less time than should have seemed possible, all three of them were standing on the roof of Avengers Tower. Thor quietly excused himself, walking away in the direction of the kitchen, leaving Tony and Loki staring out over the city as dawn began to break. For several long moments, neither spoke. Then Tony glanced up at Loki.
"Do you still want to marry me?" he asked him quietly.
Loki remained silent, but nodded, his gaze far away as though the gold-red colors of the sun rising above the steel and glass towers might hold the answers they sought.
"Okay, so we do it the Earth way this time," Tony said, pressing himself against Loki's side and wrapping his arm around him. "We have friends, family, a DJ, more booze than a very ambitious frat party, the works. I get to dress you up in Armani and then undress you later that night, and we live happily ever after for however long we get."
Loki smiled at him, then gently stroked his fingers down the other man's cheek.
"Yes," he said. "Let's."
They kissed in the morning sunlight, and for that moment, the shadow of death was far from them.