Chapter Text
“I know you need a desk job but this is seriously below your pay grade,” Stark said to the man behind the receptionist desk inside the Avengers building. “You'll be bored out of your mind in a week.”
“That long?”
Stark tapped the computer screen. “I put Tetris on this bad boy.”
“Wow, going all out, 64-bits of excitement.”
“I suppose it could also run the latest Call of Duty.”
“Now we're talkin'.”
The second man standing to Stark's side slid more paperwork in front of him along the raised counter. Stark groused as he signed, “Seriously Happy how much more is there? Norway was supposed to cut us some slack with customs.”
“This is cutting us some slack. Pepper was on the phone with them for four hours yesterday.”
“Send her some thank you flowers.”
“She'd rather I sent her back all these signed before she leaves the office today.”
“Yeah yeah.” Stark paused mid-signature as he spotted Loki walking up to them. “Lokes! Meet the gang, babe.” Stark haphazardly returned to signing papers while tossing out introductions. “You've heard Happy Hogan's voice, kid watcher extraordinaire.”
Hogan emptied his hands and offered a handshake.
Loki took it and shook firmly. “A pleasure.”
“Likewise. Thanks for uh-” Stark tossed Hogan a look and Hogan cleared his throat before turning back to Loki. “Thanks for keeping him busy.”
Stark snorted.
Loki merely cocked a half smile.
“And this is Rhodey.” Stark gestured with his pen at the man sitting in the receptionist's chair. “Later I'm sure he'll probably put you in a headlock and tell you not to hurt me.”
“Dude, spoilers. It's better when I surprise them.”
“There's no need for the headlock,” Loki said. “I have no intentions of hurting him.”
“See? All settled.” Stark finished a pile of paperwork with a flourish, then groaned as Hogan slid yet more papers in front of him.
“How do I know he's not lying?” Rhodes eyed Loki cautiously, a possessive and protective tilt to his shoulders.
“The headlock keeps me from lying?” Loki questioned.
“No, but if I get the feeling that you are, it makes it easier to snap your neck.”
Stark rolled his eyes as he worked. “Take it down a notch. We get it. Insert big brotherly talk here. I already got the same treatment from Thor.”
“Yeah, well, you've never tried to take over the world with an alien army.” Rhodes eyed Loki. “I think I'm entitled to being a little skeptical.”
“Done under duress and torture. Talk to Thor if you want corroboration. Next brotherly bullet point please.” Stark finished the pile of papers and capped the pen. “And who says I've never tried to be corporate overlord of Earth.”
“You whine about just signing papers. I don't think you're the corporate overlord of anything.”
Loki hid a chuckle at the pair. It was actually good to see Stark had friends. He'd been beginning to wonder if Banner was the only one, and he'd been gone two years. He didn't even begrudge Rhodes' protectiveness. Stark merited protecting.
Stark spotted Loki's quiet laughter. “See? He even giggles cutely.” He turned to Loki, pulling him down for a pecked kiss.
“It is good seeing you happy,” Rhodes admitted. He moved to stand, slightly unsteady a moment as he settled on his feet. “But he hurts you, I smash his face in.”
“I assure you,” Loki said, looking to Rhodes. “There is a line forming for the honor, should the unthinkable happen.”
“Glad to hear it.”
Loki's gaze returned to Stark. “Are you done, darling? I need a moment of your time.” He tossed a glance at the other two. “Alone.”
Mild concern washed over Stark's features at the request but he turned to Hogan. “You got everything you need for now?”
Hogan collected all the paperwork strewn along the counter. “For now. I'm sure she'll fax us over more.”
Rhodes glanced at his watch. “I told Bruce I'd meet him upstairs so I might as well go do that. Find me when you're done?”
“Sounds good.” Stark slid an arm around Loki to move them down the long hall to their room but Loki instead steered them back toward the main doors out. Stark was surprised at the direction but called back to Rhodes, “Peter's here somewhere, probably getting his ass beat by Valkyrie, if you get tired of Bruce's projects.”
Rhodes chuckled. “The poor kid. I think he's nursing a crush.”
“He shall be disappointed, then,” Loki said cryptically. He had his own guesses where Valkyrie’s interests lied.
They stepped outside and Loki hooked an arm with Stark's, guiding them toward the cargo ship.
“Nothing's wrong, right?” Stark worried. “Did I forget your birthday? Have you told me your birthday?”
Loki squeezed at the man's hand. “You've done nothing wrong, darling. Calm yourself.” Stark released a long breath. Loki soothed, “I have something to show you.”
Loki's own heart beat faster but he focused on the task at hand. They walked up the gangway into the empty cargo ship. He guided them back through the dim ship into a side holding cell, then released Stark to kneel before a panel. He ran a hand over it and it magically disappeared. A metal box sat within a hidden stash.
Loki looked back at an attentive Stark. He drew a long breath, steadying himself. This had to be first. The man needed to know this first. He carefully removed the box from the stash and set it on the floor. The dim room slowly glowed blue as Loki removed the top. Stark's eyes grew wide.
“Thor does not yet know it is here but I...” Loki plucked the tesseract from the box and held it up. His features glowed in its light. He looked up at Stark's stunned face. “You deserve to know it is here, for Thanos will come looking for it.”
“How... How do you have it?”
“I was sent into the vaults during our final fight against Hela. I saw it and I... I thought perhaps I could bargain it for my life, for all our lives even. Gift it to Thanos and be left alone. I did not yet know...” He swallowed and met Stark's large brown eyes. “I did not yet know that someone would instead give me a reason to fight Thanos.”
Stark's face softened but he still looked as if he was staring at a ghost. “He'll want this back?”
“Desperately. He seeks the infinity stones and this is one. There are others near but he will come for this one as well.” Loki slowly stood with the tesseract in hand. “We must hide it. We must protect it. We must never let him possess it.”
“Why are you telling me now, Lokes?” Stark looked away from the glowing cube and met Loki's gaze. His eyes were full of surprise and something more. “Why not keep it hidden? It's your trump card.”
“Because, as I said...” Loki looked down and his hair fell forward, half concealing him, though he still glowed in the dim room. “I have someone to fight for. I have someone to fight with. I no longer wish to merely bargain my way to safety. I wish to defeat him.” Loki's voice dropped to a whisper as he continued, “I wish to vanquish him with you, my love, and then I wish to spend the rest of my days with you, in a universe without such a monster to loom over us. I wish it with everything in my heart.”
The room was heavy with silence. Stark was quiet. Loki kept his gaze down, trembling delicately as he waited.
Stark stepped close and put fingers underneath Loki's chin, raising his gaze to meet the mortal's. So much floated through Stark's eyes. His voice was warm when he finally spoke, “I would give anything to see that come true, baby.” His hand shifted and moved to cup Loki's left cheek. “We're gonna make it happen. You hear me? We're going to defeat that son of a bitch and we're gonna get that happy ending.”
Loki melted and leaned into the man's hand. “I believe you are the only one who could best him.”
“We are the only ones that can best him,” Stark corrected. “I can't do this without you. Not anymore. Not ever.”
Loki nodded against his hand. “I would be nowhere but by your side.”
“That's the only place I want you, Loki.” He kissed him. It was sweet yet reaffirming, deepening a moment before breaking. He looked down at the tesseract. “We'll tell your brother and we'll build it a bunker. Thanos is not getting his fucking hands on it.” Then he met Loki's eyes again. “Thank you for trusting me with it.”
“I trust you in every way, and I wish no secrets between us, certainly nothing of this size.”
“That means a lot, especially from the god of mischief.” Stark smiled as he lightly teased, then kissed Loki's right cheek. “I trust you too. I trust in every word you've said.”
Loki kissed his lips, lingering a moment, before he turned to set the tesseract back into its container. He righted himself and cupped Stark's face with now freed hands. “There is one more thing I must discuss, Anthony.”
Stark raised an eyebrow at his full first name but waited.
Loki drew a deep breath before he said, “I would grow old with you. I would be with you for however many long years I am granted but to do so would be impossible as things are now. I would cherish every moment of having you, my darling, but I selfishly wish for more.” Stark blinked at the topic but Loki pushed on. “There is a way to grant you a longer life, one more parallel to my own. You would live many hundreds more years. It would not be easy to accomplish, but for you, I would collect what was needed. You would live a lifetime many times over what a mortal should and I know such an offer is monumental to ask. You do not have to answer me now, but I would know eventually if you would join me in millennia together.”
Stark gaped for a heartbeat, but then Loki was surprised at the immediate, firm reply which came an instant later.
“Yes.”
It was Loki's turn to look dumbfounded. He had not expected an instant answer, much less a positive one.
Stark cupped his cheeks in return and said firmly, “Yes, baby, yes. I'll help. Whatever you need to get it done. I worried about it, but I didn't ask because I didn't think... Hell, if we all live past Thanos, and you still want me around in five years even, that'll be a fucking miracle.”
Loki shook his head against his hold. “Ridiculous. I shall want you in five hundred years.”
“You don't know-”
“No, I don't, but neither do you, darling. Whatever is to happen, the universe should be a better place to have many more years of your creations, but I don't offer this to change Midgard. I offer it to have you, to be with you. I...” His heart raced but the words spilled out all the same. “You are my love and I would have you always, Anthony.”
“Baby...” Stark gasped, eyes wide and adoring, before he kissed him, multiple pecks piled on top of one another, until they lingered in a deep kiss. Loki's heart skipped. This man would be his. This man would always be his. Please. Stark pressed his forehead to Loki's as the kiss broke. He kept Loki's gaze as he spoke emphatically, “You're not allowed to gift me thousands of years and then walk away, Loki. This is it. You and me. This is it. You're mine. My heart. Mine.”
“Yours,” Loki soothed back to him. “I have never thought of giving such a gift to anyone, and I will never think to gift it to anyone else. Only you. You are mine. Mine, dearest.”
“Yours,” Stark repeated. He kissed him again and it dragged on and on, every swirling emotion poured into it, until they had to break for air. Stark's voice trembled as he whispered against Loki's lips. “I love you. I'm so lost in you. I need you. Please never go.”
“I love you,” Loki soothed. His hands moved down to wrap arms around Stark. “I need you just as desperately. I will go nowhere. I promise. So long as you'll have me.”
“I'll always have you.” Stark's hands slid back to twist into Loki's hair. “You're it. You're all I need. Oh baby...”
They kissed again. There was so much said, so much to digest, so much to accept. It was ages before they broke apart and still Stark stole pecked kisses from bruised lips. It was Loki who broke the quiet with a soft, “Thank you.”
Stark tilted his head. “For what?”
“For accepting... everything. The tesseract. The offer. My words.”
“Loki, nothing you ever tell me can make me run away. Nothing.”
Loki released a breath he did not realize he was holding. “Truly?”
“I swear. You're fucking stuck with me, hopefully for a long damn time, if this plan of yours works.”
“And if your plan against Thanos works.”
“Touché.” Stark pecked his lips. “I guess we should show your brother the big blue cube.” He made no move to untangle himself from Loki.
“I suppose.” Loki squeezed the man in his arms.
Stark smiled. “Does this whole thing mean I get to be the god of something?”
Loki chuckled. The man was always quick to tease but it was endlessly endearing.
“I'm serious!” Stark huffed.
“And what would you be the god of, my darling?”
“I don't know, the bedroom?” Stark winked.
Loki burst into true laughter.
“Don't fucking laugh so loud!” Stark shoved his shoulder and finally pulled away, reaching to cover the box and pick up the container with the tesseract inside. “A man could get the impression he's not performing in the bedroom as well as he thought.”
Loki rolled his eyes. “Hardly, dearest. I can use the title in the privacy of our own bedroom, if you’d like.” He took Stark in a moment, then added, “How about the God of Creation?”
“Sounds like I made the universe. I'll take it.”
“I meant your tinkering but the God of Tinkering has less of a ring to it.”
“Creation it is.” Stark cocked a grin as they walked out of the cargo ship together. “Lets go tell Thor.”
“He shall be mightily pleased.”
“He better be. He's going to have the best damn brother-in-law ever.”
“Oh so now we are to be wed?” Loki harassed in return.
“In a few hundred years. You know, after we save the universe and settle down.”
Loki chuckled. “Sounds perfect.”
Stark pulled him down for another stolen kiss.
END