Tony strode a few yards down the hall, briskly heading for the elevator that would take him and Frigga down to the lab. It struck him that he was probably being rude, walking ahead of a queen—he wasn't sure, but it seemed like one of those things a commoner ought not to do, on pain of being kicked out of the palace, or stretched on a rack or something. But, what the hell was a guy supposed to do when the queen had no idea where she was going? Tony stumbled to a halt and turned to smile brightly at Frigga.
She smiled back, and she didn't appear annoyed or rack-stretchy. But Tony was determined not to do anything uncouth, so he adopted a kind of hitching half-step, in which he could walk beside the Allmother while still guiding her along the way. It worked, but it felt damn awkward. It was a walk good only for carrying on a conversation.
Which they weren't.
This was the first time they'd been alone together without a crisis hanging over their heads, and Tony had no idea what to say to the woman who was, for all intents and purposes, his mother-in-law.
His magical, ruler-from-another-planet-mother-in-law, to be precise. Damn, that's a lot of hyphens, he was musing, when Frigga asked, "Tony? Are you all right?"
"Oh! Uh, yeah. I mean—Yes, ma'am, I'm fine. I mean, I'm fine, Your Highness. Sorry."
Frigga chuckled. "You're still uncomfortable around me."
Tony inhaled deeply in preparation for assuring her that he was, too, comfortable around her, but he just ended up laughing at himself. "No, ma'am, I'm afraid I'm not. I just..." He slowed down, frowning as he tried to find the right words. "It's not so much that you're royalty—I've met plenty of kings and presidents and dictators, and I pretty much know not to do anything too stupid around them. It's not even that you're, you know, a sorceress and could turn me into a horsefly if I got on your nerves."
Another soft laugh. "What is it, then?"
Tony noted Frigga didn't dispute that last statement, but she was being kind, so he trundled on. "It's just that..." He came to a complete stop and turned to look Frigga in the eye. "I just don't want to embarrass Loki. I mean, you're his mom, and I really want you to like me, but even more than that—I never want to make him feel like he has to apologize for me being a total dumbass." Tony paused, and added, "Which, saying 'dumbass' probably qualifies me for. I'm sorry about that, too."
Now, Frigga laughed out loud.
"Oh, Tony. Please stop worrying. I don't expect you, or any of your mortal friends, to know the etiquette of Asgard's royalty. I very much appreciate your deference, but I honestly hope that someday you'll feel as comfortable speaking with me as you do with your own family." She put a hand on Tony's shoulder. "And, the fact is, you can do no wrong in my eyes. You love my son, and he loves you. It's something I've long hoped for him, and had come to fear would never—could never—happen." Her smile glimmered, and then she added, "Now, please relax and lead the way. I certainly have no idea where we're going."
Tony gave a huge exhalation of relief and started walking at a normal pace. They reached the elevator, got in, and began the slow descent to Tony's lab. "Well, uh... So, you're excited about having a grandkid?" he asked, just to keep the conversation going.
"Oh, you have no idea. Another thing I was beginning to think would never happen. I had hopes for Thor, of course, but now he hardly appears to be in any hurry to settle down. And, Loki... Well, when he was younger, he was so charming, I expected some poor maiden to come up pregnant at any given moment, but it didn't happen. And then, after everything that came later..." Frigga sighed. "Well, let's just say this was all a wonderful surprise."
The elevator came to its destination, the doors slid open with a soft whoosh, and Tony led Frigga to the lab entrance. He punched in a code and the heavy steel door rolled open. He took Frigga to the far back area and pulled down an aged white board hung on the wall. Behind it was an old safe. He spun the combination lock until the door sprang open, and then he stepped aside. "Okay, here you go."
Frigga peered inside. "Are you sure there's nothing in here you'll need?"
"Nah, I used to keep formulas and stuff in there, but I've got higher-tech resources now. The last thing I kept in there was a ham sandwich... That didn't end well, by the way. No, I don't need it, and it's completely empty, so please, go ahead."
"All right." Frigga slid the hide-wrapped package into the safe and watched as Tony closed the door and spun the lock again.
"There. About as secure as you can get without heavy explosives. Or a professional safecracker."
Frigga nodded, but frowned thoughtfully. "Mm. Does anyone else know the code for entry?"
"The combination? Uh-uh, I don't think so... Well, Pepper. She has records of all that kind of stuff in case I bite it. Umm... My pal, Rhodey. He used to keep all kinds of weird stuff in there. Oh, and there was this girl who—"
"I see." Frigga stepped forward. She placed her hand on the lock for a moment, and then traced the outside of the safe door with a finger. Tony saw tiny silver sparks erupt every so often.
"Uh... What's that for?" he asked.
Frigga bit her lower lip. "Well... Until we learn the exact properties of the pendant, I'd rather not take any chances on it falling into the wrong hands. Now, only you and Loki will be able to open the safe, once you've given him the entry numbers."
A puzzled frown crossed Tony's face. "Are you saying the pendant itself could be dangerous?"
Frigga shrugged elegantly. "It's possible. I haven't had a chance to examine it, and even if I did, the Jotunn have ways not known outside their culture. I really hope Loki will leave it be until after meeting with Farbauti."
"Huh. You know, I'm kind of surprised you didn't pin her down on that before bringing it here. I mean, the US Department of Agriculture tries not to let people bring unknown stuff into the country, in case it kills bees or takes over farmland or what-have-you."
"Very wise."
"Yeah, well, you guys kind of bypassed that, what with the space travel and all."
"Ah, yes. Apologies," she said with a twinkle. "But, as I'm sure you know, politics sometimes take precedence over good sense."
"Politics?"
"Yes, relations between Asgard and Jotunheim are better than they've ever been, but there's still a long way to go. I didn't want to imply mistrust of Farbauti when she was simply sending along a gift."
"All I know about politics is, 'Don't trust anybody.'"
"Indeed." Frigga looked down at the floor and sighed, and then met Tony's gaze. "Would you send me a message via Thor if Loki asks for the pendant?"
Tony's eyes narrowed. "Why?"
"I'd just like to know... if he finds any use for it."
That sounded a little more ominous than Tony liked, but he remembered Loki's internal struggle with the Tessaract diamond. God, he hoped this thing wasn't like that. If it was, he'd probably end up in deep shit before he knew it, and in desperate need of Frigga's advice anyway, if he lived long enough to ask for it. He nodded. "Okay. I will. Assuming he hasn't leveled all of New York with it by then."
A rueful smile tugged at Frigga's lips. "My dear, if he's in a state of mind to do that, he won't bother asking for the combination." She gave him a pat on the arm, and gestured toward the exit. "Shall we return to the festivities?"
"Yes, ma'am, I'd love to. I really need cake."
"As do I."
"And, booze," Tony added with a straight face.
"As do I," Frigga answered solemnly. Then, she grinned, straightened to her full royal height and indicated Tony should guide her back to the party.
When Tony entered the living room, he saw a resigned-looking Loki sitting on the couch next to Thor, his chin propped on his hand. In an inebriated show of fraternal affection, Thor had an arm slung around Loki and was gleefully regaling the party guests with some tale which apparently featured an escapade from Loki's youth.
Tony edged closer and heard, "...and, there he was, standing with his hands on his hips right in front of everyone! Sooo arrogant, like the bloody cock-of-the-walk, just asking to be taken down a peg!"
The locals were laughing, the Asgardians were hooting, and a flush of anger rose in Tony's throat. He started to say something, but Thor continued. "...And then Loki said to him, very quietly, 'Is that so?' So smooth, so elegant! And, he raised and lowered his hand, just the slightest bit, like this..." Thor demonstrated Loki's hand gesture. "And, bam! The mage's trousers dropped to his ankles, and he was left standing there, naked from the waist down, in front of his wife, the Allfather and everyone!" Thor proudly clapped Loki on the back, everyone laughed even more heartily, and Loki's lips twisted into a sly grin.
"Well, I'm sorry, but I can't bear hypocrisy. If he felt the need to call me down before the the entire town, he should have waited until he no longer had his mistress's lip paint smeared on his nether regions."
"Agreed, Brother, agreed!" Thor gave his brother a fond kiss on the temple, and Loki chuckled. He looked up to see Tony watching. It kind of made Tony's day to see that Loki's eyes lit up at the sight of him.
"Tony! Come, sit with me. Thor's reminiscing while drunk on his ass, and it's quite entertaining." Loki patted the sliver of couch that was available, given that Thor was half-lolling on the rest of it. Tony headed over, and Loki gave Thor a sharp jab in the solar plexus with his elbow. "Move over, you enormous git. I want to sit with my mate."
Thor chortled noisily, and scooted to the other end of the couch while at the same time grabbing Tony's arm and yanking him down to sit between himself and Loki. "My new brother!" Thor said happily, scrunching Tony to him. Then, his face fell. "Oh, Loki... We went so long bearing a rift between us..." he said sorrowfully. But then he brightened. "Yet, we are healed, and not only that, but you have given me a NEW brother! I went from no brother at all to having TWO! This is... magnificent!" Joyful tears leaked out of Thor's eyes and dribbled onto the top of Tony's head. "Y-you've made me so happy!"
Loki snorted in exasperation. "Well, that's what I strive for. Norns, Thor, let Tony go. Let him go, he can't breathe. Damnation, the mead has you acting the fool even more so than usual." Loki managed to wrangle Tony out from under Thor's meaty arm and he gave his lover a beleaguered once-over as one would a half-drowned puppy. He shot a frown at Thor as he smoothed Tony's tousled hair. "Please, try to contain your idiocy until you're back on Asgard."
"My boys," Frigga said fondly. "This is just like the old days."
"Yeah, can't believe I'm just now getting in on this," Tony said, wiping something wet and Thor-related from his eye—tears, sweat, he wasn't sure. Being under Thor's mighty arm was a damp experience. He turned to look at Loki and quietly asked, "Are you all right?"
"Yes. Surprisingly, all is well." Loki smiled, and Tony could see he was being honest. Suddenly, a little Thor-slime didn't seem like such a bad thing.
"Hey, guys—are we ready for cake?" Pepper asked, not really caring what the answer was. Bruce wheeled out a cart bearing a large sheet cake decorated in a cute jungle scene with the words, "Loki and Tony—Happy Baby!" in bright green icing. Jane and Pepper worked together to cut and serve pieces to everyone, making sure Volstagg got a couple extra, and Bruce managed to discretely ditch the mead and refill the non-alcoholic punch before Fandral began lifting a glass in honor of the parents-to-be.
Everyone milled around, eating and chatting until Fury and Coulson quietly bid goodbye to Tony and Loki, thanked Pepper for the hospitality, and then slipped out. It was possible they'd come with the intention of gathering intel on the alien visitors, but at this point, they had little more than a broadened understanding of just how much alcohol the Asgardians could consume without falling down. Hardly worth the toner it would take to print the report.
Natasha was the next to depart. She had a foil-covered plate in her hand and announced, "Hey, everyone, this was great. I'm taking Clint some cake, hope that's all right. Congrats, guys, I'm out of here." The door was closed behind her before anyone had the presence of mind to say goodbye.
After a bit more socializing, Frigga stood up. "Thor, my love—it saddens me to say it, but the Aesir must return to Asgard now." She lay a hand on the side of Thor's face, and he blinked a few times before straightening, apparently sobered up enough to be trusted with space travel. "Yes, Mother, of course." He had an aggrieved look on his face as he turned to Jane and gathered her into his arms. "I will return soon, my darling," he whispered into her ear. He gave her a barely-restrained kiss, and then his voice boomed, "Come, my fellows! We must depart. Accompany me to the open air of the tower roof so that we may take to the sky and return to our realm."
Loki rolled his eyes yet again and whispered to Tony, "Would it kill him to just say, 'Let's go?'" Tony snickered appreciatively. They watched as Thor trudged out of the living area, and then were busy as each of the rest of the alien guests took a moment to say goodbye and best wishes, heartily shaking hands with Tony, and giving Loki bone-breaking hugs.
Frigga was the last to leave, and she slipped her arm through Loki's. "Come up with us, dear, and bid us goodbye outside. I don't want to squander a moment of our time together."
"All right, Mother," Loki said. "Tony, you come, too."
"Sure. It's not every day I get to see people zip off into the stratosphere without a space ship."
The Asgardian contingent stood gathered in a knot on the roof, with Thor in the middle. He announced to Heimdall that they were ready to go, and then he raised Mjolnir high. With a sharp clap of thunder, a space in the clouds cleared for them, and the entire group swooshed upward toward the heavens.
Which was weird, but impressive.
Tony watched their ascent, wondering if, after the baby was born, Loki would, or could, take him on a space jaunt like that. That would be extremely cool, and would definitely make having an outer space boyfriend totally worth whatever oddball situations he found himself in as a result. He looked over to ask Loki about it, but stopped when he saw the look on Loki's lovely upturned face.
Aw, shit.
One of the things the shallow part of Tony's mind loved most about Loki, besides his cute ass and gorgeous body, was how expressive his face was. Yeah, Loki could lie and control the use his eyes and mouth to convince just about anyone he was telling the truth, but Tony'd had enough time to observe him undetected that he could spot his subtle little tells, like when one eyebrow was just a fraction of an inch higher than the other, or when he thinned out his lips a tad more than normal. Loki had a huge range of facial expressions, mostly on the rage-to-ecstasy scale, although sad and ashamed had snuck in there a time or two as well. And, Tony had quietly gone about the business of cataloging every single one of them. But now, Loki was sporting one expression Tony couldn't recall having seen before—wistfulness.
Wistful? Loki?
Again—aw, shit. Here he was, fantasizing about casually careening around the galaxy like an Asgardian noob, when Loki's former best friends (and, apparently, ex-best-friends-with-benefits) had just given him forgiveness, renewed their acceptance of him, and then levitated out of his life, probably forever.
That had to be a stab in the heart.
Tony stood there, watching Loki watch the ever-diminishing dot fade into the sky, noting how regally Loki held himself—well, as regal as it's possible to be when you look like you've got a basketball stashed under your shirt. Still, Loki's ebony hair danced in the wind, his shoulders were squared, and he stood with his arms crossed over said basketball, staring heaven-ward with dry eyes and his jaw set, not letting himself give in to emotion.
But, Tony could read that quirk of brow like a dictionary.
"Hey, kiddo. How're you doing?" he asked, sliding his arm firmly around Loki's waist.
Loki started, appeared to shake himself out of a reverie, and then made to head back inside, not meeting Tony's eye. "I'm very well, thank you. Come, we should make sure your man in the walls is giving Pepper and the others a hand in cleaning up. After all they've done, they must be exhausted, and—"
"Just a minute." Tony turned Loki to face him and cupped his face in his hands. "I want to know what that look was all about."
Loki gave him a puzzled frown. "What 'look?'"
"The look that said you wished you could go with them." There, he said it. Yeah, it used to be true, Tony Stark didn't do emotions, but Loki changed that. He changed a lot of things. No more would Tony let him slip away with his soul hurting, let him shove the pain back into a dark corner to fester—not on Tony's watch. They were going to talk about it, dammit, talk about Loki's feelings, right here and now, while it was warm and fresh, before he could let the ice build up and freeze his lover out.
Tony watched Loki's face expectantly.
Loki's green eyes went huge for a moment. He seemed to be fighting back tears, and he stared hopelessly at Tony, as if left utterly bereft. Tony felt his own eyes preparing to water, and Loki trailed a trembling hand down the side of Tony's face in commiseration...
And then, the fucker laughed.
"Oh, Tony, you are sweet," he said, chortling. "How precious, you think I'm homesick! Aw, come here." Gleefully, he swept Tony into his arms and squeezed him tight.
"Aren't you?" Tony asked around Loki's shoulder.
"No, love. Apart from my mother, I have no use for any of those people." He let go of Tony and one side of his mouth turned up into a wry grin. "It was just, listening to Thor's tales—I've forgotten so much. How close we all used to be, how much fun we had together. Once, we were warriors. Adventurers, conspirators. And, even before that, we were dreadful little children. Absolute terrors." Loki chuckled, shadows of memories playing across his face. "Thor reminded me of our elaborate schemes to steal freshly made pies from under Cook's very nose. We rarely succeeded, but we had so much fun trying." His grin faded and he sighed, looking out across the Manhattan skyline. "No, I don't care to return to Asgard as it is today. But, I wish I could recapture those happy times and keep them in my heart. I feel as though... they happened to someone else."
Damn, Tony thought. He was telling the truth.
"Loki... Aw, babe." Tony gripped the back of Loki's neck and squeezed. "You know, I'd do anything if I could fill in the empty spaces for you. And, yank out the bad spots. I wish I could—"
"Oh, stop. This isn't a thermo-nuclear problem for you to solve," Loki said good-naturedly. "It's just... part of it, isn't it? Being sentient? Being... alive?"
Tony shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. But, maybe now the memories will come back. And, hey, we've made some good ones ourselves, right?"
Loki nodded.
"Well, maybe you can mix 'em together. With the ones coming in the future, too."
Loki wagged his head, amused. "Such an optimist, Stark."
"I have reason to be." Tony was still gripping Loki's neck, and he pulled him to him. He kissed him, and hot desire shot through Loki's hormonally-charged body. He wormed his way into Tony's arms and Tony held him, making him feel wanted, cherished, like the precious treasure Loki meant to be for him.
There in the atmosphere of the tower's sky, the wind whirled around them, and the sun felt good on Loki's back. In that moment, as far as he was concerned, Loki of Asgard had all of New York City at his feet—because he had Tony Stark by his side.
Oh, yes, he thought.
Asgard could suck it.