Hey people ! Ready for some awkward comforting on Tony's part – get your mind out of the gutter, I'm talking about talking :p – and a cosy wake up in the morning – seriously, nothing's going to happen yet, so stop getting your hopes up, you'll just be disappointed :p

PREVIOUSLY ON ASAF: Loki looked away, and most embarrassingly his next thought was voiced in a whisper. "Perhaps Laufey chose not to bear another child himself after having given birth to a runt like me."

CHAPTER 8

Tony could not distinguish Loki's face very well in the semi-darkness, but he was certain the man – or maybe not a 'man' in any way after all – was feeling a strange mixture of sadness and guilt, even though his expression remained the same. He knew that he could tell what Loki was feeling right now, even though he should not be able to, and that was a scary thought. It probably meant that the soulmate gig was real, and that this 'link' was proof of a bond between their minds. Fuck! He didn't want anyone inside his head, nor did he want to be in anyone else's! Why did his life always go so royally to shit?

Loki lowered himself down in silence, tugged the covers up to his chin and turned on his side, facing the wall. Great! Now he had a depressed alien on his hands! And he was really crap at this 'comfort' thing too. What the fuck were you supposed to say to 'after seeing my ugly mug Mom refused to bear other kids'?

"What does a Frost Giant look like?"

Loki stayed silent for so long Tony thought he wouldn't answer, and when he did, it was with reluctance. "Blue skin. Red eyes. Giant." And that was all he said. So very helpful!

"Okay, so, you've got blue skin, so that's Frost Giant-y all right. Red eyes, check. So, you're just small. Like, you've got alien dwarfism. I mean, what the fuck? You're taller than me! I'm not that short, but next to you I sure am! And I kinda hate that, 'cause I have a height complex. Do you have a height complex? I sure do! So okay, maybe Frost Giants don't like their kids to be small, and I don't know what the height difference is – I mean, are they twice your size? More? Who the fuck cares? Your parents were idiots if they abandoned you. 'Cause I'm pretty sure that to a lot of humans, you look fucking amazing!"

During his speech, Loki had sat back up, bare chest displayed in his Arc reactor's light, which gave it some kind of light Jötunn-ish colour. "Are you trying to make me feel better, Stark?"

"It's Tony. And so what if I am?" An eyebrow lifted. "Is it working?"

Loki snorted. "There was no need."

Yeah, right! And he was the frigging Pope! He kinda wanted to shove the 'I can feel what you feel' thing in his face, but that would make the whole situation way too real. If he couldn't have blissful ignorance, he'd take fake blissful ignorance instead.

Had the 'comforting' worked? He couldn't really tell; he was bad at this shit, always had been. He couldn't feel anything else coming from Loki, so he had no idea. This whole mind bond thing sure didn't do its job when it needed to!

"Okay, so I get that learning after all that time that your adopted sucks, but, you hate being a Frost Giant, right? Why?"

Loki looked away. "Because they are stupid, cruel, monstrous warmongers. Because they are the monsters parents tell their children about at bedtime. Because I am an ugly monster in disguise."

There was the dejected feeling again. Well, shit! You should learn when to shut your trap, Tony! Well, now he had no choice but to continue. "All right. They're stupid, you say. Well, you don't look stupid to me, and I'm a certified genius, so I can tell. And maybe they're cruel, but I don't know if you're cruel, because you – and I mean you, not Thanos-controlled-you – haven't been cruel to me yet. And I don't know about Jötunn history, but do you like war? I bet you don't. As for monsters parents tell their children abou— Wait a sec! Are you telling me Odin and, what was her name? Your adoptive mom. Did they tell you Frost Giants were monsters when you were a kid?"

Loki didn't even have to say a word; the foreign misery that washed over Tony was enough. "The motherfuckers! They're complete sickos! Jesus! My parents were saints compared to them! No wonder you're so fucked up – no offence! I'm fucked up too. But still. Geez!" Tony took a deep breath to calm down, and realised he had been pacing to and fro like a mad man just a second ago. Oookay, time to sit back down. He was supposed to reassure someone, not rave like a lunatic.

Tony got half back under the covers, and lied down facing Loki. "Look, I've known you for like five minutes, so I don't know about all the shit you did in your long life. How old are you, by the way?"

"I'm three thousand and thirty-four years old. The equivalent in mortal years would be about twenty-eight, if I'm not mistaken."

"Holy fucking hell! I'm forty-two, like, just forty-two, and now I feel like super insignificantly young, and old at the same time. I don't know how you do it, but that's amazing! So, I don't know what you did in the – holy hell! – three thousand years you've been alive, but I guess that unless people – and by that I mean normal, civilised people, not crazy people like Odin and shit – unless they've told you repeatedly how you're such a horrible monster – which I guess wasn't the case – then you're probably not a monster."

There. Reassurance complete, right? Loki smirked. "Well done, Sta—"

"Tony."

"…Tony. You've countered almost every argument I used."

Almost? Tony rewound the conversation in his mind. Stupid, check; cruel, check; warmonger, check; monster, check. What el— Oh, it was 'ugly monster in disguise'. "You mean 'ugly'? I thought I'd already tackled that one earlier, but whatever. And don't take this like some kind of praise, or some kind of declaration, all right! I'm just talking, like, objectively or something."

Tony rolled onto his back and closed his eyes; this would probably be easier if he didn't have to see Loki smirk all the while. "So, let's start with the skin colour. I already said I thought it was cool-looking, but you don't seem to believe me, so I'll explain. We humans have a very fertile imagination, and in fiction, we like to imagine skin colours of every possible shade, where fictional aliens are concerned. So I've seen a lot of variations of those, and among all the colours, I've always thought blue was the best. I mean, colours like green and orange and pink and yellow and stuff, that just hurts the eyes. Purple just looks like an all-over bruise, and red, while a great colour, doesn't work on skin, like, at all. True black is just burnt to a crisp, and pure white looks like death, so that ain't great either. But blue; blue is a great skin colour. Blue is even a great hair colour. As long as it's not blue hair on blue skin – too much blue – blue's is great."

Tony chanced a glance at Loki, and he was pleased to see all mischief gone from his feature, replaced by true surprise. Tony didn't know if it was because his ramblings were just too crazy, or if Loki had truly believed nobody could appreciate his skin tone. Whatever it was, it was working, so he did what he did best and rambled on.

"Now, the red eyes are a bit unnerving, I'll give you that, but it's a great red, even better than my suit's hot rod red, so I'm kinda jealous. I love red. Kinda my favourite colour. My suit isn't red and gold for nothing! I know, it kinda screams Gryffindor, but I don't care. And I'm kinda jealous Thor made red and gold look cool before I was even born, but whatever. I'm sure rocking those colours! But I'm getting off topic. I gotta say, as aliens go, even fictional ones, you sure as hell are the prettiest of the lot!" Loki made a face. "Okay, so maybe pretty isn't the best word for it. But let me tell you, with a face – and body – like yours, you could charm a whole army of women into doing whatever you want, and I mean that in whatever skin you wear! So, did I cover all your concerns now?"

Loki blinked a few times before answering. "I believe you did."

"Great! Any more silly issues we need to tackle, or can we finally go to sleep?"

Loki's smile was small and soft, and it completely transformed his face. The quiet amusement and shy fondness that trickled down Tony's spine was definitely not his, but he shivered in response. Loki closed his eyes, and the small stretch of his lips stayed a few moments more. "Sweet dreams, Tony."

Why that phrase made his spine tingle again, he didn't know, but he quickly turned around to face away from Loki, and screwed his eyes shut. "Er, good night!" he squeaked belatedly in answer, and silence overtook the room.

XXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXX

Loki woke up in a warm, comfortable bed, lying on his back with his right arm stuck under a hot body, a scalding hand plastered to his stomach, and stubble prickling his shoulder. It was more the temperature difference than the fact that Stark – Anthony – was holding onto him in his sleep that made Loki's eyes pop open. The sudden light made his irises turn to pinpricks, and he used his free hand to shield them. The daylight that entered through the floor-to-ceiling windows halved rapidly, and Loki blinked in the new, better lighting.

"Sir. It is time to wake up, Sir," said the voice of Jarvis from above them, and Loki automatically looked up, but of course there was no one. He quickly looked back down, at his own skin, and was relieved to see it had not turned blue during the night. The surface temperature was half what it should be in his Æsir skin, so he adjusted it with a small burst of magic, but nothing more. He should endeavour to abstain from all magic if at all possible; a depleted core filled up much more rapidly if given complete rest. The temperature was important though; if it dropped too low, he might shift back to his Jötunn skin again. It was possible that the only reason his shapeshifted skin had held was because of Anthony, serving as a living blaze. Said blaze was now shifting in his sleep, either stirred by the voice calling him, or by the sudden warmth.

"Sir, it is time to wake up," Jarvis repeated, and the sunlight flooded the room fully again.

Anthony groaned and mumbled something faintly resembling 'five more minutes', while the hand on Loki's stomach slid around his waist and tightened, and the rest of the man snuggled closer. There was now a face against Loki's neck, breathing hot air against his skin, and a distinctive bulge was poking at his hip. Loki knew – even though he had no evidence whatsoever – that Anthony's reaction when he woke up would be embarrassment. Utter silent mortification.

"Sir," Jarvis said again, to no avail.

"Anthony," Loki said, and this time Anthony's eyes flew open – he could feel the eyelashes brush his skin – and the mortal's body stiffened for two whole seconds, before he jerked himself back with such force that he almost tumbled out of the massive bed. Loki watched on, amused, as Anthony gathered the covers around him – to hide his crotch from view, probably – and his face reddened at a fascinatingly quick rate.

"Good morning," Loki said as he sat upright.

Anthony worked his jaw a few times, before he managed to utter: "Mo— Morning."

Loki combed a hand through his hair and looked at the dishevelled mortal with a smirk. "I trust I was an adequate pillow?" Anthony's face flooded with more blood and shock, if such a thing was even possible, and he suddenly broke eye contact. This little mortal could be so wise and well-spoken in the evening, and so young and innocent in the morning; it made Loki want to tease him even more. It was probably best, though, if he did not antagonise his soulmate too much. By Yggdrasil, the man next to him was truly his soulmate! It was still such a strange situation to grasp.

Loki stood up and walked towards the windows that displayed the half-destroyed city centre. While he stretched in the sunlight, he felt the stare searing his back, but ignored it. He did not think Anthony was ready to face him at the moment. His soulmate. It was his soulmate sitting on the bed behind him. For some reason, in the calm of the morning, everything seemed so very surreal.

Even more so was the conversation of last night. Anthony had been surprisingly nice, even though he had at first completely rejected the notion of soulmates; it was not unexpected, considering the mortal's ignorance of such things; and still it had hurt Loki deep down – he had been rejected, again. And yet, Anthony had invited him to share his room for the night, and he had even been nice to Loki, trying to stifle his fears.

Loki did not know many people – no, he did not know anyone – who would have said such things to him and meant them. And Anthony had meant them; Loki knew there had been no lie, and he had even felt some of the sincerity – or sometimes, indignation – that the mortal had projected. He felt along the mind bond now, and it rippled with embarrassment and awkwardness, accompanied by a tinge of arousal. How bemusing; were mortals always so uncomfortable with the natural reactions of their bodies, or was Anthony only one of a few? Even if the next few years would be anything but good, at least they had the potential of being amusing.

The moment he turned around the mortal looked away, and Loki let a grin lift his lips for a few seconds. When his expression had returned to its neutral state, he asked: "May I use your bathing facilities?"

"Uh, yeah, sure."

Loki collected the clothes he had left on the strange-looking couch that took up a corner of the room. The fabric and leather did not smell very good, and cleaning it with magic would be too taxing. He looked down at the odd, too short trousers he was wearing. He could not exactly ask Anthony for other clothes of his, as they would not fit him.

Anthony, though, seemed to have understood his problem, for he addressed the disembodied voice. "Jarv', I think we have a clothes situation, and not just in this room. You've scanned the whole group on entry, I'm sure you can order the right size for everybody."

"Of course, Sir. Did you have any particular design in mind?"

"Apart from putting Clint in Tweety yellow? No, you go ahead and choose whatever you think is best."

"Very well, Sir. Oh, and Sir, Miss Potts is in her room, having a heated conversation with Mr Odinson after she found him in her bed. Should I let her know you are awake?"

"What? What the fuck, Jarv'! Why didn't you tell me she was here?" Anthony sprung out of bed and raced to the door. "Why the fuck didn't you wake me?" And out he went. The door closed itself on its own.

Not knowing when these clothes Anthony meant to provide would arrive, Loki walked with his clothes to the bathroom. He put them down on a free surface, and observed the bathtub. It was rather big and standing at the end of the room, with enough space to walk around it, and from it one would have a very nice view of the city through the two glass walls. The tap, however, looked really strange; one knob had diamonds growing in size inserted upon it, and the other had golden numbers that made no sense to Loki.

"If I may, Mister Odinson," Jarvis said, and Loki cringed at the name.

"Please, don't call me that."

"Very well. What name should I use? I am correct in assuming that, after last night's story, you do not wish to be called Laufeyson either?"

"Do you listen to every conversation in this house?"

"Indeed I do, Mister…"

Jarvis' voice trailed out, waiting for a name, and Loki wondered which name he should give. Of course, he could ask to simply be called Loki, but he did not know the person, or whatever other entity – Loki had a feeling this Jarvis was not a mortal – hidden behind that voice. There was a name he would like to take, but he did not know if Mother would accept it; if his mother would still see him as such. Still, it was the best possible name he could have.

"Friggason. Loki Friggason."

"Very well, Mister Friggason. Would you allow me to draw you a bath, or would you prefer to shower?"

"Whichever is quicker."

"Then I would suggest the shower."

Yesterday Anthony had indeed not stayed long in this 'shower', whatever it was. Loki looked around again, identifying the washbasin easily, and the strange looking toilet as well. Glass walls, with a clear upper half and an opaque lower half, enclosed a different coloured corner of the room, and Loki supposed that could only be this 'shower'. Given the name, he guessed it meant water would rain down from somewhere.

He got out of these strange trousers, found how to open the glass door after a few seconds of observation, and stepped into the 'shower'. This tap looked ridiculously more complicated, with added buttons and little signs that did not make much sense.

"Can I be of assistance?"

"Yes. I don't know how to operate this… shower."

"If you wish for a simple setting, the symbol situated in the middle and representing three dotted lines should be facing the triangle of rubies." Loki turned the round central knob. "On the right side, you will find the different temperature settings. If you are sensitive to hot temperatures, I would suggest starting below ninety degrees Fahrenheit." Loki turned another handle. "As for the water flow, the bigger the diamond, the stronger the spray. On your right you will find a number of bottles. You may use the black and gold bottle labelled 'shampoo' to wash your hair once you have wetted it, and the red bottle with the mention 'body wash' is, I believe, self-explanatory."

Loki turned the diamond-adorned knob and let the warm rain wash his worries away. Then a thought occurred to him. "Jarvis. Who is 'Miss Potts'?"

So, there you have it! Tony's crazy bathroom, Pepper's arrival and all the melodrama! I'm sure having fun XD And I hope the wake up scene was enough "action" to keep you going for a while, because we're definitely not "there" yet!

Oh, and about Loki's age, I looked around the internet, and found out that some theories say that Loki is like, 17, which I find ridiculous. Because in Thor, he is born around 900AD, which is kind of stupid; how did Vikings meet Loki then, to write about him in the Eddas? (And as I use stuff from the Eddas, they obviously exist – even Seilvig knows about them, so they exist in the MCU as well). So I'm going with "Loki was like 17 when he met the Vikings". That sounds way more plausible to me ;) Just don't look at the math :p

Spread the Luv!

LL