[ Needs one more edit.]

Disclaimer: I do not in anyway own these characters. All rights belong to Marvel etc.

NOTE: The words in Italics that are not contained in "" [and that stand alone, not in a sentence] are the characters thoughts and not intended for others to overhear. [ although it does sometimes happen.]

The words in "Italics" are a conversation intended to be heard between the 'mind lin

Loki woke to the sound of quiet laughter in his room. In his half asleep state he could still recognize Tony's chuckle, but was uncertain who the other two voices belonged to. That is, until a loud booming laugh rang throughout the room and was quickly followed by a chorus of hushing sounds.

Why í sorglegt nafni Óðins is Thor in my room?

Loki wearily opened his eyes to seek out those who woke him from his slumber, spotting them through the doorway that connected the sitting room to his bedroom. Loki could see half of Tony's back on one side of the table and on the other, sat Thor and Frigga. His eyes widened as he watched an unfamiliar scene unfold in front of him. Oblivious of his watchful eyes, the group continued to talk in hushed voices. They laughed and told stories while Frigga and Thor shared fruit. His eyes followed Stark's interactions with his mother, pleasantly surprised at how well they got along.

I have never had this before.

The family I always sought out.

Is this what my family would look like?

Almost on cue, Tony stopped listening to Thor and turned to look directly into Loki's eyes.

"Hey you," thought Tony. "Don't just lay there and watch us, you creep."

Loki smiled slowly and nuzzled his face back into the pillow.

"Thank you for the invitation, but I do not have the energy to deal with Thor this early in the morning."

Tony thought back, "He's actually being kinda helpful about the trial today. Shocking isn't it?"

"My brother, helpful?" Loki thought before he scoffed and sat up in bed.

Frigga noticed her son slithering out of bed and began to say good morning before Thor snapped his head around and shouted, "BROTHER!"

Loki flinched and wrapped a green velvet robe around his body as he approached the table.
"Quiet," Loki snapped. "It is far too early to listen to your obnoxious voice."

Tony snickered and raised his eyebrows at Frigga. "Someone's a grumpy-wumpy in the morning. Usually he's better than this," he said, leaning over and pretending to whisper behind his hand. "Usually he sets Thor's Pop-Tarts on fire."

"That was one time, Anthony," responded Loki, sitting himself down next to his lover with a shrug. Thor was already sagging in his chair at the memory, looking at the bowl of fruit in front of him as if it could magically transform into his favorite breakfast pastry.

"Thor, I heard you were being helpful for once?" Loki asked, wrapping the robe around himself tighter and absentmindedly fidgeting with the tassel. Thor glanced up from his attempts at Pop-Tart magic and looked at his brother in confusion.

Loki cast his eyes upward. "About the trail today?"

"Oh! Yes, I was telling him of our customs and what he will be expected to say."

Frigga leant forward and interrupted. "What do you mean you 'heard' of Thor's helpfulness?"

Loki rubbed his eyes and muttered, "Anthony told me."

"I did not hear him speak of it." She said, confused.

"Uh." Tony glanced at his lover and back to Frigga. "Lokes? I don't think she knew about the Mind Link yet."

Loki's hand froze in mid eye-wipe, turning to face Stark. His lips pressed into a thin line in annoyance. Tony was about to say something when we noticed a furious blush crawl it's way across the god's face. Tony bit his tongue and decide to enjoy the moment a little longer. After a few moments of blank staring, It was apparent that Loki had stopped breathing.

"Thor!" Frigga chirped, looking eagerly at her blond son. "Does this mean...?"

"Yes, mother." Thor said with a wide grin. "They are soul mates."

"That is wonderful news! Why have you not told me this before, Loki?"

Loki stared at his mother as though she had grown tusks. "I was..."

"Being a bashful dwarf." Interrupted Tony. Frigga furrowed her brow and chuckled.

"Dwarfs are anything but bashful," She said, sounding bemused. "They are short, violent creatures who dislike everyone equally."

"Ah, I see," Tony said, looking mildly deflated. "Another childhood story, ruined."

Loki cleared his throat. "Mother," he mumbled. "I was going to tell you after the trail."

"It is perfectly alright," She said with a knowing smile. "I had a feeling there was something more than friendship between the two of you."

Loki's response was drowned out by loud, wet chewing sounds from across the table. Thor had gone hungry long enough and was digging into the fruit bowl with unrivaled gusto. Loki wrinkled his nose as flecks of fruit juice and spit sprayed forth from his brothers mouth. Tony, meanwhile, was more interested in the four golden apples sitting amongst the more average looking fruit. He reached out while everyone's attention was on Thor, and plucked one from the bowl. He started to examine it carefully.

Is this some sort of fancy 'Golden Delicious' ?

He thought, running his fingers along the fruit.

It can't be THE golden apples.
Why would they just be sitting here in a bowl?
Well, only one way to find out.

When he could no linger hold back his curiosity, he lifted to fruit to his lips to take a bite.

"NO!" Bother Frigga and Thor jumped forward to stop Tony. The apple fell from his hands and bounced off the table.

"Oh, sorry." Tony smiled sheepishly as a flash of irritation crossed Loki's face. Frigga did not fail to miss Loki's lack of response to Stark's near miss.

"Loki," she said quietly. "Why do we not choose your outfit for the trail together?"

Loki frowned at his mother and stood, offering an arm to her as she joined him. She gave him a stern look once they reached his closets.

"Loki..." she said softly, touching his arm and stopping him. "You know better than to do that."

"I did nothing wrong. If Stark eats an apple by accident, it is solely his responsibility."

"You know that is untrue," Frigga responded, frowning at her son. "If your father found out, both of you would be in trouble. There are ways to go about it and certain rules that must be followed. There is also the fact that he would need to eat another apple in a few years. Odin will not allow him this if your lover 'accidentally' becomes immortal."

"I know, mother," Loki spoke quietly, his fingers picking at the fabric of a black tunic that hung from one of the many pegs in the closet. "I know Odin will never allow it. I am not even his son, I doubt he would let my mortal lover join me in eternity. I'm surprised I am even allowed it anymore."

He glanced away from his mother and moved down the line of clothes. "I just wanted a chance. Even a small one," Loki said, shifting a few green jackets and vests aside until he reached the end of the closet. There, in the far back, was a long red tunic that came with a dark vest. He smiled at it, fondly remembering the similar outfit he constructed for Stark. With a chuckle, he magicked the red outfit on, matching the vest with a pair of dark pants and thigh high boots. Loki turned to his mother with a smile, completing his outfit with a flourish. The usual gold crescent met with small circular plates to held his cloak in place.

"Not your usual colors, love," Frigga said, tilting her head to one side. "I can see who inspired you."

"I could use a little inspiration to get through this."

"You will do fine, Loki," Frigga said, reaching forward to tuck a lose hair behind her son's ear. "You have people who love and care about you. One who has traveled far from his realm just to speak for you." With a chuckle she pulled her son behind her to rejoin the others.

At some point, Stark had pulled out a small magnifying glass and was examining a slice of the golden fruit. Thor looked up, almost guiltily. "He wanted to investigate it more," Thor muttered. "So I sliced it for him."

Loki looked down at his lover, shaking his head. "Stark, where did you even keep that thing? What could you possibly gain from looking at the fruit?"

Tony held up a finger and jotted something down on a parchment. The paper was already covered with messy notes and small blotted drawings. After a few more pokes and a good amount of sniffing, Tony looked up from the fruit.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" He asked, grinning. "I can see a lot with this, it's not your average looking glass."

"What..." Frigga asked quietly, "is he doing?"

Loki clicked his tongue. "He's asserting his 'science' on to magic, yet again."

Thor nodded sadly, watching Tony jot down more notes. "Yes, my lady Jane is very much the same in this matter. She spent days studying Mjölnir and ignored my offers of company."

Loki met his brother's eyes, and for the first time in many years he felt an understanding grow between them.

Scientists.

Tony muttered something before standing up and running over to Loki's stash of papers. Loki glared his his lovers back, biting back a rain of nasty comments. The trail was in less than an hour, and Stark was having fun.

Frigga touched Loki's back gently and said, "We will leave you two alone for a bit. I will be here to escort you to the hall when it is time. "

"Thank you, mother," Loki said with a smile. He gave his brother a quick nod and turned to watch Tony scribble a while longer. Sometime this morning, Stark had found his original clothing and dressed himself in the old T-shirt and jeans once more. Loki watched with amusement as his lover got ink all over his hands. As annoying as Stark's obsessions could be, the man could be so adorable at times.

"Lokes." Tony's voice stirred Loki from his thoughts. The man was stepped up in front of him suddenly, him holding some papers.

"Yes?"

"Why didn't you stop me from eating the apple?"

Loki chuckled and slipped his arms around Tony's waist. "Perhaps because I find no reason to be troubled if you somehow manage to become immortal."

"You want to be with me forever?" Tony asked, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively. "That's a long time, sweet-cheeks. Forever listening to my music, forever massaging my back, forever..."
Tony stopped, all signed of humor lost.

"What is it?" Asked Loki, tightening his arms around Stark's waist.

"Can I even do it? Even if it was allowed, with this thing," he tapped the arc reactor, "Could I be immortal? Would I have to live forever with this metal crap in my damn chest?"

Loki looked at him thoughtfully, a hint of sadness in his eyes. Truthfully, he did not know what would happen if Stark ate the apple. Thor had expressed his fears of the trials one must face before being granted permission to join the immortals. Thor feared that his lady love would not be suited for the tasks, or that she would even refuse his offer.

Did Anthony want to be immortal?
Would he go through the trials, follow all rules until he bested Odin at his game?
Stark did not put a lot of time and effort into things that held no interest for him...

"I take it from your emo silence, that's a no." Tony said, growing more miserable.

"I cannot say for sure what will happen," Loki replied, pressing his nose against Stark's in a soft, loving manner. "I do know that, to gain the apple, one must follow certain rules. It is something of a game played between the god's and mortals. There are only four who have won in all the years of our written history."

Tony looked like he was going to throw up. "I thought..." He swallowed back the nausea. "I thought maybe I could just ask him. I didn't realize it was such a big thing."

"It should not be. There is no reason for such ridiculous ceremony." Loki sighed and pressed his lips against Tony's forehead. Loki waited until Tony had relaxed before speaking again. "One thing at a time, love. For now, you need to dress for the trail."

Tony groaned and leaned back to pout at Loki. "How dare you ruin the moment by reminding me of that? I was trying my damnedest not to stress out." He started scratching at his ink-stained hands. "This is going to go badly. You know how I am. How many times have I said something that's pissed you off in the past few months?"

"Only a handful of times."

"That's a handful more than I'm comfortable with," Tony responded, clenching his finger in the red fabric of Loki's sleeves. He glanced down at them and suddenly stepped back, looking at his lovers outfit.

"Oh my god. Lokes, I love it! You in red..." Tony hummed in apreciation.

Loki tried, and failed, to keep the smile from his face. "It appeals to you?"

"'Appeals'? I could eat you up right now."

"That will have to wait. You need to dress now."

Tony eyed the god thoughtfully, failing to form any sort of rational response. After a moment his head snapped up. "Dress me in green."

Loki was to go in first, alone. Tony held onto him for a long time before he at last relented and let the god go. Loki felt all the warmth of Stark's body leave him as the gold doors closed behind him. Walking into the center of the room, he fidgeted with the red leather strap on his sleeve to reminded himself that he was not truly alone.

As tall as Loki was, he was dwarfed by the vastness of the room. The benches that sat his jury and judges towered over him and Odin's chair stood higher.

So needlessly dramatic.

"Loki, son of Odin and Frigga, brother to Thor." Began a man from one of the tiers.

Loki bowed his head ever so slightly in acknowledgment, refusing to grant anyone the proper bow.

The man continued, "You stand here, convicted of several accounts of attempted murder. You are being tried for the events listed In Midgardian years as 2010. You are also here for your attempts at taking over the throne on the same date."

Odin snapped at the man, "Strike the final part from the trial. I already cleared that conviction as a misunderstanding."

Loki stared up at Odin in surprise. All his practiced expressions and carefully tutored emotions fell apart.

Why would he do me this favor?
What did he gain from removing that from my trial?
Even if it is true, I did not steal the throne...

"Loki," Odin said, addressing his son. "I must first ask you, how do you plead?"

"I plead guilty of my actions on that date, but not for attempted murder."

A murmur traveled through the crowd at this. Odin cast a one-eyed glare at the jury. "What do you mean?" He asked, leaning forward in his heavily ornate chair.

"What I mean, Allfather, is that I admit my actions were rash at the time." Loki paused, trying to carefully word his thoughts. "I never meant to truly harm anyone. You know as well as I that my attempts were merely to shape Thor into a better suited king. I acknowledge that I harmed my brother and many others in my moment of madness. But any harm done was purely accidental."

"Accidental does not mean you are without consequences. You also went against my wishes and destroyed an entire realm, killing millions. How do you plead to that, Loki?"

"I did as any warrior of Asgard would do. I simply fought a battle, and won. So for such a crime as following in my father's footsteps, I plead guilty."

An silence followed his statement, the jury expecting more from Loki.

"You have changed, my son," Odin said curiously.

"I have had much reason to change. Although," Loki said with a small smile. "I do not think I have changed all that much."

Odin's lips twitched at this comment, the jury becoming confused and restless.

"That will be all for now." Odin spoke to the room. "We will meet again in an hours time to hear from the mortal."

Loki threw himself into Tony's arms the second the doors closed behind him.

Frigga let out a squeak and attempted to stifle a laugh. "Loki! Someone might see..."

"I do not care one bit." Loki grumbled into Tony's shoulder.

"I suppose that is alright," she responded with a smile. "You two sit over here and relax before they call Sir Stark in. I shall go find Thor since he is sure to be off sulking somewhere."

They sat in silence for some time, Loki leaning his head on Stark's shoulder while the shorter man wrapped one arm around him. It wasn't entirely comfortable, but it didn't matter at the moment. After a while, Tony started placing gentile kisses atop the god's head. He continued downward until he cupped Loki's head in his hand, kissing his lips. It was soft, and quiet, and it held more meaning than any other kiss before that. Leaning back after, Tony looked up and down his lovers face before settling on the green eyes. He gave the god a faint smile and said quietly, "It'll be fine, Lokes. My little Smurf. My Gonzo. My squer—"

"If I agree with you, will you shut up?"

"No, probably not," Tony said with a more sincere smile. "Did I distract you enough?"

"Asking if you distracted me simply reminds me of the problem you wished to distract me from."

"So that's a 'no'?"

Loki jabbed a finger into Stark's forehead. "You figure it out."

"Hey! I'm the genius here," Tony said, reaching up and rubbing his head. "Also, ow."

"Sir Stark?" Came a wheedling voice from a few feet away. Looking up, Tony spotted a skinny young man with hair so light blond it was nearly white. Tony decided he would name him Weevil.

"Yes?" he said, thinking, "Weevil."

Loki choked and turned to face the wall, covering his mouth to keep all sound from coming out. The messenger glanced nervously at the shaking god and took a step back before speaking. "Sir, you are needed in the hall. The trial is to begin once more."

"Whatever you say," Tony said as he stood and adjusted his long green jacket. "Weevil."

There was an audible snort from the alcove where he left Loki.

Good. If I can still make him laugh, he's not too far gone.
Now let's see if I can amuse the court.

"Anthony, Son of Stark."

Oh not this again.

"Yep," Tony responded, keeping his voice calm. "That's me."

Odin gave him a withering look. "You are here to speak in defense of Loki. Please take this seriously."

"I am, sir," Tony said, losing what was left of his fake charm. "This is how I talk."

A man in the jury coughed and spoke up. "You may start with your explanation of the most recent events in your city of York."

Tony grimaced and ran a hand through his hair.
"How about we start with something a little further back, shall we?" he said, looking up at the Allfather. "Let's start with a little explanation about the void that you let your son fall though?"

"We are not here to speak of such things. No one can vouch for what happened during his time there." Odin frowned as if only mildly disappointed at Tony's wording.

Tony stood up straighter. "I can."

"How?"

"I saw something from the void myself. There is something out there, in the darkness," Tony began, feeling a chill crawl through his bones. "It's old, it's nasty, and it's bored."

The silence grew long and all too familiar for comfort. Tony cleared his throat and began to explain how many times he'd died, and how Loki brought him back every time. He explained the research he did into the god's eye color, and what it meant. Tony carefully left out the most painful things, and the most personal. Namely, their relationship.

"We were told that Loki was aware of his actions while he attacked Midgard."

"He was, sort of," Tony said, losing all patience. "Look, it's like when you take drugs."

Members of the jury raised eyebrows in confusion.

"Okay, you guys clearly don't do that here. How about," Tony grinned. "Ale."

That got him grimaces and a few knowing looks directed down the benches to a man at the end. He looked, admittedly, a little drunk.

"Say this person just went through a lot of shit, right?" Tony looked Odin directly in the eye. "So you want to feel better. What do you do? You drink. Why? Because it makes you forget, you feel happy, the world gets brighter. Now all your troubles are melting away. Everyone knows that drinking makes you do stupid things." Tony flashed a grimace of his own. "I, myself, can vouch for that 100%. Anyway, there you are, in a stupid dazed state. You're mostly aware of what your doing, but you do it anyway. This is what happened, Loki got drunk off his ass so he could forget his troubles. Then add a dash of false sympathy, a little bit of magic, and you've got a Thanos cocktail."

Odin was giving him a look that clearly read, "I am doing my best to understand you, but I simply cannot."

Tony spoke slower and louder. "Loki was used, abused, and confused. No? Still not..." He grumbled and started again. "He got told all the things a hurting god needed. Plus there was a little mind control. Anyway, wasn't the point of me being here to explain how much he's changed?"

"Has he changed?" asked Odin, leaning forward once more, glad to be back on familiar ground.

"A little, yeah. But probably not in the way you mean." Tony chuckled. "I get the feeling he's more like he used to be. Blindly jumping in to help people, while still being terrified of betrayal. He would do anything to save your life, but he won't treat you kindly. Not after what he's been through." Tony stopped and met Odin's single eye once again. "So, has he fundamentally changed? No. I think he's the same kid you may remember, Odin."

"Perhaps..." Odin said quietly. The king continued, addressing the room more loudly. "We shall join now in the lesser hall to discuss the case. Son of Stark, please leave the hall until we call for you once more."

Tony bowed low to the king and nearly ran from the room. Once outside, he spotted Loki sitting with Thor, and bulted across the hallway to him. Loki stood, looking worried. "Tony, what's wro—"

"Bathroom. Now. Gotta pee. Where?!"

With a short laugh, the god gripped his arm and teleported them to another hallway. Tony dashed through a smaller set of gold doors to relieve himself. He could still hear Loki chuckling from outside.

"Oh stop it!" he yelled as he finished. "You weren't in there nearly as long."

"I also did not drink all of the te."

"You did too. I saw you drekka hjartanlega te."

Loki tilted his head, smiling to himself. "I am impressed. You are improving with speaking the old tongue."

"Don't be too impressed," Tony said as he came through the doors to greet his lover. "Thor said it so many times to me. Except he said öl something."

"Ah, Ale."

"I should have known," Tony grumbled. "That bastard! Rubbing his drinking habits in my face."

Loki hooked an arm through Starks and began to walk. After a long moment he asked, "How has my brother rubbed his drink in your face? I have yet to see him do such a thing."

"I'm not even gonna' explain that because the mental image is hilarious." Tony's laugh stopped short when he felt a prickle on the back of his neck.

Uh oh, my spidey sense is tingling.

"Uh, Lokes..." he thought, glancing to the side.

"I know," Loki thought back, his arm pulling Stark closer. "Be patent. I wish to see who dares attempt to attack me a second time."

A soft snicker drifted down the hall from in front of them. If it wasn't so cliche, Tony might have actually been creeped out. Instead, using his other hand, he pulled out his box of 'magic snaps' and flicked the remaining few in the general direction of the laugh. There was a soft yelp and a thud that sounded suspiciously like a pompous ass hitting the floor.

"Sounds like Fandral," Tony said, sounding bored. "How droll."

"Droll indeed." Loki agreed. "We might as well leave, seeing as all it takes to defeat the 'mighty' Fandral are but a few children's toys."

There was a shout from behind the pillar before they snapped back to the small hallway by the meeting hall. Thor jumped a little, a small rivulet of drool still on his face.

"Thor," Tony said, placing a hand over his heart. "We were just attacked and you were sleeping?!"

"You were attacked?!" Thor stood, his arm swinging out to call his hammer to him.

"Not really, Thor." Loki elbowed Stark in the side. "Fandral snickered at us from behind a pillar."

"Oh... I see."

"Although, his creeping around is enough to reward him a little punishment. I have yet to do anything for his comments last night either," Loki said, looking thoughtful.

"Set his clothes on fire?" offered Tony. Thor gave him a look. Tony shrugged.

"I think," Loki said, a smile beginning to grow. "I shall turn his entire staff of servants into sheep."

"Brother!" Thor protested. "They did nothing to you, they do not deserve a punishment."

"Won't they, y'know, get the day off?" Tony asked.

Thor relented, sitting back down in the alcove. "Yes... perhaps"

Tony frowned and looked up at the taller god beside him. Loki regarded him with confusion.

"Loki, I want you to know," Tony said, seriously. "I'll never be okay with the whole servant thing. Just so... you know."

"I do not plan on having one in our home on Earth," The god responded, chuckling.

Tony froze and tried to keep his thoughts to himself.

Our home. Our home. Our home.
Our.
Home.

"What?" he said, shaking the thought from his head.

"I said, we need to enter the hall again." Loki furrowed his eyebrows, trying to understand Tony's sudden lack of interest. Tony flashed an apologetic smile and followed his love to the doors once more. As Loki let go of his hand, he felt a weight settle in his stomach.

"Can we talk like this in here?" Tony thought to the god.

"I would not suggest it. I do not wish to be found out just yet."

"Oh" Tony tried to hide his disappointment and faltered behind Loki as they reached the center of the room. Loki turned and grabbed Tony's hand in his, pulling him roughly to his side. Tony let out a manly squawk and ended up smashing ungracefully into the god.

"L-Lokes," he said, glancing around the room in a panic. "Didn't you just say..."

"I meant that particular aspect of our relationship. Everything else is fine."

Tony mumbled under his breath about holding hands in front of Odin, causing Loki to laugh. He attempted to stifle it with his other hand. Laughing at his own trial was not going to gain him any favors.

"Loki." Came Odin's voice as he entered the room. The king looked surprised to see them both, standing and holding hands. His eyebrows rose higher as he noticed Loki chuckling to himself. Tony found it kind of sad how everyone always looked so surprised when Loki laughed. You would think, in over a thousand years, Loki would find reasons to laugh.

"Sire," Loki said, bowing his head lower than last time. Tony followed suit, only bowing lower just in case. He looked down at his black leather boots and vaguely wondered why people show the tops of their heads to royals as a sign of respect.

"You may rise," Odin said, sounding mildly amused. Tony jerked up, realizing he was the only one still bowing.

I'm already making an ass out of my self. I knew I would.

"We have come to a conclusion on this matter," Odin said, looking down at Loki.

Tony tensed, squeezing his boyfriend's hand tightly.

Loki thought to him with a snap, "No matter what they decide, we are leaving. Be ready."

Odin continued. "We find you innocent of the attempted murders of Thor and the Warriors Three. We understand that you were not attempting to harm them, and that it was purely accidental."

Tony mentally scoffed.

"We also deem you innocent of murder and harm of mortals during both attacks. I have come to an understanding thanks to Son of Stark about the most recent events on Midgard."

Loki twitched at Odin's speech, his eyes wide with surprise. He almost spoke before Odin continued once more.
"However," he said, his tone more serious. "We find you guilty of destroying the realm of the Jotunheim and all of its inhabitants. The genocide of an entire race is no light matter. For that you shall be punished."

Tony felt something inside him crackle and come alive. It hurt. He glanced over at his lover and realized it was happening to him because it was happening to Loki. The god was panicking, streams of angry, frightened thoughts came pouring out.

He cannot punish me for-

This is a mockery, he knows-

Tony spoke to him, I spoke to him what part of-

He attacked them with intentions of slaughter-

Why?

Why?

So Tony did the one thing he knew that could calm the god down. He kissed him.

The effect was mildly hilarious. Apparently seeing a mortal not only kiss the prince, but to do it in front of the Allfather, was surprising enough to send the jury jumping out of their seats yelling. Not to mention, said mortal was now kissing a convicted criminal. For all this, neither of the two involved seemed to care. Everything else was shut off, tuned out, unimportant.

Pulling back at last, Tony gave Loki a warm smile and asked, "Think we can at least listen to your punishment before you freak out?"

"Y-yes..."

Odin had not moved from his seat but Tony made note of the furrowed brows. "Ehem. Now that we have your attention again," Odin said, sounding mildly disgusted. "I propose a punishment suitable for the crime."

Loki tensed again but this time he put all of his energy into squeezing Stark's hand. Tony was going to be sore after, but it was better than having Loki shooting sparks at Odin.

"I wish for you to continue working with the mortals. Earn their trust once more by doing the deeds expected of their heroes." Odin smiled faintly. "I have already heard of the great things you have done to help the humans in your time on Midgard. Continue to do so for a year and perhaps when we meet again, I will consider you a truly changed man."

"Pah-ha!"

Tony gaped at his darling boyfriend. He had never, in the past few months of spending time with the god, heard that sound from Loki's lips. Nether, apparently, had Odin. Tony turned and gave the king a questioning look. After starting at one another in bemused confusion, Odin suddenly barked out a laugh.

"May I take that as an answer, my son?" Odin asked, carefully pronouncing the last part.

"Yes, I..." Loki looked up at Odin and frowned. "My apologies for laughing."

"It is quite alright," Odin said with a smile. "'Never apologize for laughter.'"

Tony perked up at this and started to say, "What about maniacal—" before he was elbowed harshly in the gut. Loki bowed to the king and began to shuffle Tony out of the room.

"Loki," called out the Allfather. "I wish to speak to you after dinner tonight. Bring with you the Son of Stark."

Loki nodded, swallowing nervously as the door shut for the final time behind them.

This chapter is technically in two parts. I wrote the entire thing in one go and it turned into 11k words..so It's split up.

Review please! I'm sorry it's been so long!