A/N: No warnings for this chapter other than a bit of angst mixed with extreme fluffiness. Reviews are most welcome!

Young Thor and Loki stood in a glorious sunny field, so different from Asgard's dark forests. There were so many flowers, vivid and aromatic, like nothing they'd ever seen before. Little insects flew around them, creating a comforting buzzy noise. Small animals scampered about, some curious and unafraid enough to come near and sniff the boys' hands. Even the birds were different there—tiny and colorful, making sweet music, so unlike the large predatory raptors they knew at home.

"It's all right, lads," their father had said. "You may explore all you like, it's quite safe here on the governor's grounds. Just don't go beyond the wall. I'll be right inside—speak to a guard if you need anything." Odin had then given each of his young sons a squeeze on the shoulder before turning and heading into the huge old palace that was now the political hub of the realm of Trondheim.

Loki was happy to walk quietly, eager to observe more of the beauty of this different world, but Thor quickly became bored. "See that tree, Loki? I bet I can reach it before you. Let's race."

There weren't many physical challenges at which Loki could hope to beat Thor, but when it came to running, Thor tended to be a bit of a plodder, while Loki was fast and nimble, giving him an advantage in spite of his much shorter legs. After considering the distance, he thought he might have a chance. He nodded. "All right. You count."

Thor grinned, pleased that Loki had accepted his challenge. "All right—ready yourself. One... two... three, go!" The boys took off and Loki made it to the tree ahead of Thor by a hair.

"I won!" he gasped, laughing in surprised delight.

"That you did, brother. But, I bet you can't climb this tree."

Loki's joy quickly dissipated as he looked up at the gnarled old tree. The lowest branch was several inches out of reach for him, while Thor could grab it easily. Loki shook his head. "I won't bet you, brother. There's no way I can get up there, I'm too small." He sighed, and went to sit down on the grass to watch his brother exhibit his superior strength and agility. "You go ahead."

If this had been back in Asgard, and if Thor's friends had been with them, the bigger kids would have already clambered up into the waiting branches, leaving Loki alone on the ground, probably mocking him for being smaller and too afraid to even attempt to climb.

But now, Thor glanced from the enticing arms of the tree to his little brother. "You can do it, Loki. I'll help you."

"Don't be an idiot. I'll just fall, and then we'll both be in trouble."

"You won't fall—I won't let you. Come on, try."

Loki gave Thor a dubious look, but stood up and approached the tree. He stared up at the lowest branch and, knowing it was useless, strained upward to reach it. His fingertips didn't even graze it. He shook his head again, more adamantly this time.

"You see? I can't."

"Yes, you can. Here..." Thor came over and grasped Loki around his legs. He lifted him easily, and Loki was able to grab hold, pull himself up, and throw one leg over the branch. From there, he had no trouble negotiating his way to the crook of the tree and wedging himself in. He was panting with the exertion, but was smiling excitedly.

"I did it, Thor! Oh, it's wonderful up here. You can see everything!"

Thor laughed, pleased. He wouldn't admit it, but he liked seeing Loki happy. He quickly climbed up and joined him. He followed Loki's gaze and gave a low whistle. "It's brilliant! The whole realm stretches before us. I wonder what lies beyond that wall."

Loki shot him a disapproving look. "It makes no difference. Father told us to stay within it. You would not be so stupid as to disobey him... Would you?" Loki asked, a touch of horror in his voice as he realized that that was exactly what Thor intended to do.

"No, of course not. But, it can't hurt to take a closer look, can it? Come on, let's go." Thor let himself down by holding onto the low branch and then dropping softly to the ground. Loki bit his lip worriedly, but he followed, landing a bit harder, having farther to fall. He lost his balance and ended up on his bottom, unhurt but feeling decidedly foolish. He looked up to see Thor running toward the fence, already many yards away from him.

"Wait for me, Thor!" Loki shouted, scrambling to his feet. "Wait! I'm coming!"

Loki took off, sprinting after his brother. He paused in disgust as he saw Thor leap over the thick stone fence. He grit his teeth, thinking, "I know I'm going to regret this," but he raced as fast as he could to join his errant sibling. He wasn't big enough to simply vault himself over, but he was able to scramble up and drop down onto the other side.

"Thor?" he called. He looked to his right and then to his left, but couldn't see Thor anywhere. He took a few tentative steps forward, and spotted his brother lying on the ground. A thin man with long black hair was standing above him, a knife glinting in his hand.

"Thor!" Loki shouted. "You must get up! Hurry!"

The man raised the blade above his head, clearly intent on plunging it into the fallen blond-haired boy.

"No! Stop! Don't hurt him!" Loki took off running, Not pausing to consider his size, Loki launched himself at the man, attacking him with his fists and all the strength and fury his small frame contained. He was yelling as he landed each vicious blow, but the man only laughed and shook him off, dropping him flat on his back beside Thor. He then brought the knife down in a graceful arc, piercing the flesh of young Thor's belly.

Terrified, Loki looked up. The man was standing over him, laughing as the blade dripped blood onto the ground, and Loki saw he was himself as a grown man. The boy shook his head and whispered "No..." He looked over at Thor, who was lying still, his eyes closed, blood pouring from his belly.

"Thor!" the boy Loki screamed, tears streaming from his eyes. He screamed his brother's name over and over again until he felt a hand on his arm.

Loki woke up.

"Thor," Loki gasped weakly. It came out barely a whisper, although he felt as if he were still screaming.

"Easy there, tough guy. Big brother's run off for a while, you'll have to make do with little ol' me." Tony was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at Loki with concern. "Bad dream, huh?"

"What?" Loki's vision was blurred and he blinked until things came into focus. A dull ache in his side turned into a sharp stab of pain as he tried to sit up. He grimaced, but managed to say, "Oh. It's you, Stark. How the hell did I end up in your bed again?"

Tony's worried frown disappeared. He'd heard Loki cry out, and he'd had trouble getting him to let go of his dream world. Now, he smiled in relief to hear one of Loki's typically snarky remarks. He reached out a hand and gently smudged away a tear that had run down Loki's cheek.

"Oh, you know, a little wine, a little dance, a little song. Naturally, you found me irresistible. That and the gaping hole in your gut, which I had the pleasure of exploring. You really are fun on a date, you know that? No wonder you're so popular." Tony's eyes were twinkling, and Loki tried to follow the meaning behind his teasing words and to make sense of his jumbled memories. Things began to fall into place, although a lot of it was still fuzzy.

"That was... not a date." Loki again struggled to sit up, but it hurt too much. He lay back, panting. "However, if you want to show me a good time, help me go to the bathroom. My bladder's about to burst."

The worried look crossed Tony's face again. "I don't know if that's such a good idea, gorgeous. All those magical stitches inside you—a couple of 'em might come loose, then Dr. Tony'd have to wash up and go in again, and I gotta tell you, internal medicine is not my specialty, not that kind of internal, anyway."

"I'll be fine. Just help me get up."

Tony reluctantly came around the other side of the bed and leaned down. Loki weakly wrapped his arms around Tony's neck and Tony grasped him around the waist and they managed to get Loki to his feet. Tony heard him forcibly repress a scream of pain. "Are you okay?" he hissed.

"Yes. Just... give me a minute." Loki hung onto Tony's neck with one hand and pressed the other to his side. Tony could feel the magic vibrating under Loki's skin. "There. I'm fine." He let go and started to walk, but would have fallen if Tony hadn't grabbed him.

"Whoa. I think you're kind of not fine, as in, not fine at all. Get back in bed."

"No. I just need to get my feet under me, I've been lying down too long." He again took a few steps, holding onto Tony's shoulder. They slowly made it to the bathroom, Loki's face drained of what little color he'd had upon awaking.

Tony maneuvered him to the toilet and Loki shakily stood facing it on his own. He looked down at himself for the first time since waking. "What the bloody hell am I wearing?"

"Those are mine. Fit pretty good, though, huh?"

Loki turned to look at him in distaste. "I'm wearing your underwear?"

"What? They're clean!"

"Ugh."

"You know, you've had several parts of my body inserted into several parts of your body, and you're grossed out by my clean underwear?"

"It's... fine. Now, get out. I prefer to piss in peace."

"Okay. I'll be right out here." Tony stepped out of the bathroom and heard the heavy urine stream fill the toilet bowl, followed by a flush. Then everything was quiet for a moment, until a plaintive "Tony?" came from within the room.

"Yeah?"

"I want to take a shower."

"Okay. Go ahead."

"I can't, uh... I can't quite manage the shirt."

Tony came back in and found Loki standing with the boxer shorts pooled around his feet and the t-shirt halfway up his torso, but the god clearly was in too much pain to wriggle the rest of the way out of it. It was a bit comical, but Tony could see the pain and embarrassment on Loki's face, and he just smiled kindly.

"Here. Let me give you a hand." He pulled the shirt over Loki's head.

"Thank you."

"I'll get the water started." Tony turned on the water, adjusting the temperature. It was a luxurious walk-in shower stall, with plenty of room for two. Tony helped Loki get in, and then he undressed himself, and joined Loki under the spray of hot water.

"What are you doing?" Loki asked tiredly.

"Making sure you don't slip and dislodge vital organs. And, I totally don't have a boner, although I can't guarantee for how long, seeing as how we're both naked and wet, which are two of my top three favorite ways to be. Want to guess what the third one is?" Tony asked, a leer in his voice.

"Hm. This may be difficult for you to believe, but I'm not really in the mood for any of your erotic shenanigans at the moment."

"I know that." Tony gently turned him to face him, an actual serious expression now on his face. "I'm kidding. I'm just here because it seems to me that if you can't get a shirt over your head, you won't be able to wash your hair either. And, this..." Tony gathered the thick mass of hair matted with blood and dirt behind Loki's ear. "...this needs washing. Okay?"

Loki just nodded and turned back to the spray. Tony pulled the shower head out of its cradle and wet Loki's hair thoroughly. He then replaced it and poured shampoo into his palm and began massaging it into Loki's scalp, then carefully worked through the matted part, discovering a partly-healed gash underneath. Loki flinched when the water hit it, running a murky red down over his shoulders, but Tony noted that the other bruises and abrasions from yesterday were all but faded away.

The wound on his belly was still red and slightly swollen, but it no longer looked as if the skin was about to pull apart. Tony helped Loki wash himself, his neck, under his arms, over his stomach...

"That will do, Stark. I can manage from here."

"Good plan, admiral. Just holler if you need help getting out." Tony saluted cheerfully.

Loki didn't answer, and Tony stepped out onto the fluffy bathmat and toweled off. He found a fresh towel and left it on the rack for Loki, and then got dressed and went to wait in the bedroom. He did a not-too-bad job of changing the sheets and was just taking the wad of blood-stained, dirty bedclothes to the hamper when Loki emerged, wearing a towel around his waist, his hair dripping wet. He supported himself with one hand on the door jamb and asked, "Do you have any more clothes I might borrow?"

"Are you kidding? I've got a walk-in closet the size of JC Penney. But, don't you usually just, you know, conjure up a stylish outfit in your size? You're a teeny bit taller than me."

Loki gave him a look that was almost a smirk. "'A teeny bit?' Right." He hobbled toward the bedside chair and sank down into it, clutching the towel around him. "As for the conjuring—I tried. My magic seems to be a bit useless just now."

"What do you mean?" Tony sat on the ottoman facing him.

Loki stared past Tony, pursing his lips. "I'm not sure what's happening... It's very weak. I've never had that happen before. Of course, I've never been gored by a Tronderian nesehorn before."

"You mean, the outer-space rhino thingie?"

"Uh, yes, I believe so."

"He did quite a job on you."

Loki shrugged. "My own fault."

"How so?"

"I'd never seen such a creature. It was coming straight for Thor. I was a little... dazed, I suppose, from fighting the insurgents. I was standing there, thinking how funny it would be if the damn thing butted Thor right in the ass and sent him flying through the air. Then I saw the horn... By the time I reacted and shoved my brother out of the way, it was too late."

"You almost died, Loki."

"Mm."

"I thought you guys were immortal."

Loki gave a pained laugh. "No. We have our weaknesses, believe me. My kind more than the Æsir, it seems."

"What do you mean, 'your kind?'" Tony asked with a questioning frown.

Loki raised an eyebrow. "Thor never told you? You knew I was adopted, right?"

"Yeah..."

Loki snickered. "He didn't tell you the whole story, of course." Loki gave Tony a rundown on his birth, on his true form, and how Odin had placed a lifelong spell upon him to change his appearance.

After he'd finished, Tony was quiet.

Loki gave a bitter huff. "So... how does it feel, knowing you've been fucking a monster?"

Tony took his hand. "You're not a monster."

"If I took on my Jotun form, you'd change your tune."

Tony met his eyes with a level gaze. "Try me."

Loki leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Tony watched in fascination as Loki's skin became a soft blue color, then deepened to indigo. Tribal markings appeared, and when Loki raised his head, his eyes glowed red.

Tony's mouth fell open.

Loki gave a soft laugh as his skin color gradually faded and his eyes became their normal green. "You see? You can't even find the words to express your disgust." He shook his head and stared out the window. "Don't worry. As soon as I recover sufficiently, I'll be on my way."

Tony cleared his throat and swiped a hand over his eyes. "Okay, I'm not saying that wouldn't take some getting used to. I mean, two seconds isn't long enough to sort of... wrap my mind around that. But it doesn't mean that I think you're a monster, or that there's anything wrong with you. And, by the way, I'm really getting pissed at how badly you underestimate me. I know I've been a little... insensitive here and there, but hey, at least I'm trying, which is more than I can say for you."

Loki's brows knit together in as stormy a look as he could manage. "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's not like you've gone out of your way to work with me, is it? You get mad, and then, poof, you just disappear, and I have no way of contacting you. I mean, I'll do whatever it takes—gifts, flowers, self-flagellation, anything—to make things right when I've screwed up, but you won't let me. Why, I bet if Big Bubba Thor hadn't brought you here after you got hurt, I'd still be sitting on my thumb, wondering if I'd ever get to see you again. Right?"

Loki shifted uncomfortably. "Most likely."

"Yeah, see? It's a two-way street, dude."

"What is?"

"Being in a relationship!"

A slightly amused grimace crossed Loki's face. "Relationship? Are you seriously under the misapprehension that we're in a relationship? How? When did this momentous thing happen? Oh, perhaps it was between the time I was forced to pretend to be an absolute moron about Midgardian pastimes in order to be granted the pleasure of your company for one lousy evening, and the time I had to transform myself into a woman to prevent your closest friends from cottoning to the fact that you deigned to share a meal with me. You're subtle, my friend, because I certainly didn't feel like I was being included in any sort of relationship, other than to perform as your own personal circus bear."

Loki looked exhausted by the end of his rant, and Tony felt confused between anger and guilt. He stood up and stalked to the window, forcing himself to get a hold on his emotions. He then turned and went back to Loki.

"You expect too much." Tony spoke in a reasoned tone, but Loki could hear the barely-concealed anger underneath it. "You think this is easy for me? You think I'm just being an asshole all the time? I'm worried about a few things, not the least of which is that if Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. find out about you, that you'll be nabbed and God knows what'll be done to you then."

"I told you, I'm not afraid of them. They can't contain me, I would just—"

"Just disappear? Sure. Look at you now. You can't even come up with a pair of jeans and a t-shirt in your size, hell, you can barely sit up straight without looking like you're going to pass out. What do you think you could do if Nick Fury came through that door right this minute?"

"I will recover, Stark. This is a very unusual circumstance—"

"Life is full of unusual circumstances."

Loki sighed and let his head tip back against the chair. "True. But, I really don't care to argue anymore, if you don't mind. I'd like to... lie down for a while. Please."

Tony's expression softened. He got up and found a t-shirt and a pair of brand-new sleep pants from his dresser. "Here. Pepper got me these and they're too big. Should just about fit you, Daddy Long-Legs."

Loki took them, and nodded his gratitude.

Tony stood, leaned down, and pressed a kiss onto Loki's cheek. "Do you need help getting dressed and back in bed?"

"N-no. I'll manage."

"Okay. Well, I've got stuff I need to do. If you need anything, just speak to JARVIS—I'll instruct him to respond to your voice."

"All right."

"I'll check on you later."

"Fine."

Tony stood looking at Loki until Loki finally looked up at Tony. "Yes?"

"Are you still mad at me?"

Loki rolled his eyes. "Honestly, you are the most exasperating creature. I probably am, but fortunately for you, I can't remember why. So for now, let's just pretend I'm not, and you can go on about your business. I'll... turn you into a warthog later." He made a dismissive motion with his hand.

"I'd be a sexy damn warthog."

"No doubt." Loki looked up again and a grin stole across his face. Tony grinned back.

"I'll see you later. Right? No disappearing on me?"

"I couldn't if I wanted to. And, I don't want to. Yet."

Tony gripped his chin and gave him a warm kiss. "Good. I'm going to do my damndest to keep it that way." Tony gave him one more peck and then left, headed for his workroom.

Loki regarded the odd Midgardian clothing he'd been given and smiled. The pajama pants were a rather feminine shade of purple with something called "Hello Kitty" imprinted all over them. Loki examined the label and saw that they were a ladies' size "large." He almost laughed out loud as he approvingly thought, "Pepper Potts is a cruel woman."

He then began the excruciating task of slipping them on.