Archive of Our Own ^beta

The first time Loki met Tony it was an early morning after a rough night. Loki had come to the ice-rink to simply unwind and try not to think about the latest argument he’d had with Frigga when he'd refused to come and visit his adopted family.

He hadn’t been doing anything strenuous; nothing like the routines he’d performed back when he was competing professionally. Loki was just enjoying the familiar sounds of his skates cutting through the ice and enjoying the biting chill in the air.

Loki had been the only one on the ice for over an hour, but he was drawn from his thoughts when he heard the sound of fumbling skates and a slightly yelped curse.

He’d looked over his shoulder, his movements shifting to a soft glide as he saw a brunet man trying to pull himself onto the rink.

Loki’s mouth couldn’t help pulling into an amused smile as he watched the heavily layered man grip the side of the rink, staring at his feet as he shakily tried to move across the ice.

He was terribly adorable with his teeth chewing his lower lip and his brown eyes intensely focused on his feet. His mittens were a bright red, and he had a scarf to match.

Loki hadn’t been able to stop himself from coming over, not only because the man was desperately in need of assistance, but because Loki would never forgive himself if he didn’t at least try and flirt with such a helpless, handsome man.

He’d glided over, the sound of his approaching movements making the man glance up as Loki came to a graceful stop in front of him. The man was even more attractive close up and Loki smiled at him. He knew there was no guarantee that the other man would be interested in either skating advice or flirtation from another man, but Loki wasn’t about to let that stop him from trying.

“Would you like some help?” Loki questioned. “You look as though you’re new to ice-skating.”

The brunet glanced between them, his skates scrabbling slightly against the ice as he tried to maintain his footing. He still smiled wryly, his eyes showing more than a little self-deprecation. His voice was sarcastic, but full of good humour, “How could you tell?”

Loki chuckled and told him wisely, “Years of experience.” The man grinned back, and Loki offered his gloved hand. “I’m Loki.”

“Tony,” the man answered. “And I’d shake, but, you know, I’d probably fall down if I let go of the wall.”

“Hmm,” Loki hummed while shifting to stand behind Tony. He took a moment to admire the shorter man’s pert bottom and toned legs before concentrating on the task at hand. “You need to straighten. Hunching over like that is unbalancing you.” Tony made a slightly dubious noise but complied. “Bring your right leg in closer to your left, and you’ll be better stabilised,” Loki directed. “Now, take your right hand off the wall.”

The man wobbled slightly when he complied, but Loki moved to stand beside him while placing a supportive hand on Tony’s lower back. Slowly, the brunet managed to get himself standing tall and still without wobbling on his skates. Tony flashed him a large, bright smile. “Thanks. You know what you’re doing.”

Multiple gold medals do tend to have that effect, was on the tip of his tongue but he swallowed it down. Impressing Tony was the goal, coming off as arrogant was not. While he was proud of his achievements as a figure-skater, that didn’t mean everyone else was. His family certainly weren't, and Loki had also met more than a few men who found his profession too effeminate.

“I’ve been skating for a long time,” Loki eventually settled on before questioning, “Now, have you skated before?”

“Once,” Tony told him, “when I was a kid and wouldn’t have cared about falling flat on my face and breaking my nose.”

“Well, let’s try and keep that from happening,” Loki told him with amusement.“Now, you’ll start with small movements of your feet. Right foot first using a gliding motion. I’ll demonstrate.”

Regrettably, he had to move his hand from Tony’s back in order to show the smaller man how to use his feet. He didn't go far before he was circling back to the brunet and stopping at his side. Loki stayed close so that he could grab him and keep him upright if he looked as if he would fall. “Now, keep your hold on the wall, but loosen your grip so it’s easy to move.”

Tony followed his instructions perfectly, and picked up the movements of his feet easily, quickly adding speed and getting confident enough to let go of the wall. Loki smirked and followed along beside him, but he did make a point to warn him, “Be careful to keep your balance when you increase your speed.”

His remark had the unfortunate effect of making Tony glance over at him and distract him just enough that he lost his concentration on his footwork. Loki could see the fall coming but didn’t have time to grab him. He quickly twisted and changed course to avoid the place where Tony fell.

It wasn’t a bad fall, and Tony had been smart enough ball his hands into fists to avoid an errant blade slicing his fingers.

“Ow,” Tony complained, pushing himself onto his knees.

Loki just skated close enough to offer his hands to help the brunet stand, Tony having skidded far enough away from the wall to have difficulty doing it on his own. The brunet just eyed him dubiously. “Sure I won’t drag you down with me?”

“I’m sure,” Loki told him firmly, but with a small smile.

Tony didn’t argue after that, and Loki helped pull the smaller man to his feet. He might have intentionally allowed them to end up closer than necessary with their chests almost brushing, but Tony didn’t seem suspicious of it, and Loki soon guided him over to the wall once more.

“Now,” Loki suggested, “shall we try again?”

The brunet just grinned widely, his eyes bright with determination and his cheeks slightly flushed from the chill. He looked terribly attractive, and Loki had to force himself to be patient as he helped the man become more confident and secure on the ice before making any further advances.

He started by casually brushing his hand against Tony’s arm as they were skating around the still empty rink together. Tony briefly glanced at the touch but otherwise kept skating, not seeming to notice anything out of the ordinary.

Loki made a point of doing it a few more times as he remarked, “You’re picking things up very well, Tony.”

“Thanks,” Tony answered, intelligent eyes flicking between Loki’s hand and the minimising distance between them. “You’re a good teacher.”

Loki grinned a little and hummed absently. He waited until they had done another half loop of the rink before asking casually, “What were your plans for the day, once you’ve finished ice-skating?”

He watched the brunet after asking the question, seeing realisation fill his brown eyes before a small grimace pulled at his mouth. “Ah, look,” and Loki felt instant disappointment fill him, “I appreciate the lessons a lot, but I kind of have a date with someone tomorrow.”

Loki didn’t even bother to deny that it was what he’d been aiming for. “Ah, of course you do.”

“She’s the reason I’m here,” Tony explained. “She wanted to go skating, and I knew I’d fall flat on my face and kill any chance of being suave.” His smile was genuinely apologetic. “Sorry though.”

Loki shrugged; it was a shame, but it wasn’t the end of the world. He did shift a little to put a less intimate distance between them. “You don’t need to be sorry.”

“I really appreciate all your help,” Tony continued earnestly. “Seriously, you’re holding life-saver status.”

Loki laughed and shook his head. “It’s fine, Tony. I was happy to help.” He paused, tilting his head slightly. “I could teach you some more, if you like. Perhaps I can help you impress her further by learning to skate backwards.”

Tony’s eyes went wide with excitement and delight. “Really?”

Loki nodded. “I have little else to do today; why not?”

“That would be awesome, Loki, seriously. I’ll owe you one.”

The taller man just shook his head at the remark. He doubted he’d ever see the brunet after today, making the offer appreciated but empty. Loki didn’t mind helping him though; Tony was attractive, good company, and a distraction from his family. He might not be in a position to date the brunet, but it didn’t mean Loki couldn’t enjoy the other man’s companionship for an afternoon.

Three weeks later, and Loki had almost forgotten about the afternoon he’d spent giving Tony skating lessons.

The brunet had been a lot of fun, full of laughter, sarcasm, and more than little snark every time he fell down while trying to learn to skate backwards. He’d mastered it in the end, but by that point they’d spent almost three hours on the ice and other people had joined them on the rink.

Tony had shaken his hand firmly, continued to promise that he owed Loki as the skater waved it off. Loki had left the rink first, and while a part of him had mourned not lingering long enough to exchanging numbers with Tony, Loki had known it was probably for the better.

He had spent a week absently hoping to see Tony at the rink again, but when the other man never appeared, Loki had forced himself to give up searching for a glimpse of brown eyes and a wide grin.

It was as Loki was at his favourite coffee shop, waiting in line and absently scrolling social media on his phone that a voice he never expected to hear again called, “Hey, stranger!”

Looking over his shoulder, half convinced he’d heard wrong or that he wouldn’t be the subject of the call, he saw Tony waving happily, pushing through the door of the shop and walking right on over to stand beside Loki. “How’s life been on the ice-rink?”

“Um, well,” Loki remarked, still feeling surprised. “And how are you?” He focused himself enough to be a bit more specific. “How was your date?”

Tony grinned widely. “Ten out of ten, think it was the backwards skating that did it.”

He winked at Loki while the taller man just found himself smiling and shaking his head a little. The cashier also called ‘next’ stealing Loki’s attention. It only proceeded to make Tony very loudly and adamantly demand to pay for his coffee, going so far as to bat the hand holding Loki’s wallet away.

Loki knew he shouldn’t have been charmed, but somehow, he was.

It was probably why when Tony gestured to sit down and join him for coffee and a catch up, Loki found himself agreeing.

Tony was ridiculously entertaining, and Loki quickly realised that learning to ice-skate had been one of the few things that had made Tony’s vibrant, talkative personality take a backseat. Loki hadn’t found himself laughing so much in ages and a quick catch up soon became an hour of good-humoured and delightful conversation.

It was exceedingly satisfying to watch Tony’s eyes fly dramatically wide and his mouth drop open when Loki had answered the question about how long he’d been ice-skating to explain he was an Olympic figure-skater.

Tony’s subsequent googling and incredulous praising of some his most impressive performances had ended up with Loki’s cheeks hurting from smiling so wide. This time, Tony had insisted they exchange numbers, and while Loki knew that nothing would come from knowing Tony but his friendship, the skater found himself more than happy with that outcome.

And in the three years that followed, Loki never once regretted it.

Tony had thrown open a door to a whole new, hilarious, ridiculous, exciting life that Loki would have hated to have missed.

When Loki had moved to New York it had both been a way to put distance between himself and his adopted family and because of the opportunities the city offered to both perform and to coach young skaters.

He’d only been there a year when he’d met Tony, and apart from a few friendships with the people he worked with, Loki hadn’t made any real friends, but then there was Tony.

Tony was a genius, literally.

He was the creator and owner of the company Arc Systems which had at least twenty apps with Tony’s name on it as well as numerous other inventions that he’d patented and sold. Anthony Stark was known as the reclusive genius billionaire who was the wonder of the generation. Tony was an adorable nerd who just wanted to code in peace and hang out with his friends the rest of the time. It was why few people knew or saw his face, and instead were more familiar with the CEO Pepper Potts.

When Tony had told him nervously over dinner and Mario Kart one night, Loki had just shrugged and told him that his gold medals were more impressive. A plastic fork had been thrown at him in response, but Tony had been smiling with gratitude as he did it.

The truth was, Tony was Loki's best friend, and that meant Tony knew about a lot of things. He knew about Loki’s family and about Loki’s struggles with coming out as gay because of their criticisms of him throughout his youth. He knew about Loki’s pet peeves, favourite foods and when he needed to leave Loki the hell alone so he could go skating by himself. Loki even introduced to Tony to his oldest friend and fellow figure-skater Bucky Barnes.

Tony also, despite Loki assuring him he didn’t have to, always made sure to come to every skating performance that Loki participated in and cheer him on enthusiastically.

It was for all of those reasons and more, that when Loki got off the phone with his mother after a long, infuriating, emotional conversation, the first thing that the skater did was grab his jacket and go over to Tony’s apartment.

Tony opened the door on the first knock, took one look at Loki and immediately pulled him inside while asking, “What’s wrong?”

“My mother called,” Loki answered, the words explanation enough.

Tony sucked in a sharp breath, a deep grimace forming on his face. “Right. So. Scotch, no rocks?”

Loki smiled tightly as Tony walked away, heading towards the kitchen to get him the suggested beverage. He had just disappeared into the other room, hidden by the breakfast bar when Loki told him, “I agreed to attend my brother’s wedding.”

There was a few seconds where nothing happened before Tony slowly walked back out of the kitchen, his face filled with nothing but disbelief. “I’m sorry, you did what?”

Making his way over to the couch, Loki shrugged out of his jacket before flopping down on the cushions, his jacket landing beside him. “Frigga begged me. She was almost in tears.”

“She’s a manipulative cow,” Tony snapped. “She knows she’s your weak point.”

Loki sent him a glare that was more half-hearted than usual. “Don’t, Tony.”

“No,” Tony growled. “I know you think she’s the nice one, and maybe she had a shred of fucking decency, but that family is toxic, and you were right to get the hell out!”

Clenching his jaw, Loki could feel tension forming in his back, and he sat up, trying not to yell at his friend. “She’s the only one who helped and encouraged me to become a skater, Tony. I wouldn’t be a figure-skater without her.”

When he looked over at Tony, the brunet was clenching and unclenching his fists, his teeth gritted before he turned abruptly on his heel and headed into the kitchen. The apartment was silent apart from the sound of glasses clinking and Tony shuffling around in the kitchen.

He was in there longer than he needed to be, but by the time he came out with two tumblers of scotch, they were both a little calmer. Tony handed Loki his glass before perching himself on the arm of the couch.

Loki reached out and lightly squeezed the shorter man’s elbow, knowing he had chosen the arm instead of the cushions because he was too agitated to relax. Tony just smiled tightly but didn’t say anything, leaving the ball in Loki's court. Loki just took a sip of his drink before turning the glass in his hands.

“She says Thor has changed.” Tony scoffed, showing as much doubt as Loki had felt. “She says he wants me to attend and that any date I bring will be accepted.”

Tony made a disgusted sound and Loki heard him hiss angrily under his breath, “Accepted, as if it should make any fucking difference that it’s a man.”

Loki reached out and patted Tony’s arm soothingly. The brunet just sighed loudly before wrapping his arm around Loki’s shoulders and leaning against the skater. Loki grunted at the sudden weight, but Tony didn’t let up until Loki had shuffled down the couch and Tony could almost lay on top of him. Loki made protesting grumbles at his friend’s weight, but Tony didn’t move, and Loki didn’t shove off the comforting warmth Tony provided.

Tony's head was resting against Loki's shoulder as he asked, “What are you going to do?”

Loki sighed and took another sip of the scotch. “I said I’d attend.”

“You going to take Barnes?”

Loki shook his head. “No. He’s dating Steve, and there are enough rumours about us already.”

The inventor lifted his head. “Wait. You can’t go alone.” Loki lifted his shoulders in a half-hearted shrug. “No,” Tony continued adamantly, “no fucking way. I’m coming with you.”

The skater blinked at him, looking at the smaller man in surprise. “What? Tony, no, I’m not about to ask you to do that.”

“Why the fuck not?” Tony demanded, sitting up entirely to glare at him. “I’m your friend; I’m not letting you wander off into the middle of hell by yourself!”

“Tony, I appreciate that, but we’re both well known enough that it will only take one photo and one person making the connections for the rumours to start about us.”

The brunet waved it off dismissively. “I can handle a rumour, Loki. Besides, I’ve always been open about playing for both sides of the field. So come on,” Tony grinned at him widely while reaching out and lightly gripping Loki’s wrist, “let me be your date.”

Loki thought about arguing it, but he didn’t have it in him, instead he went boneless against the couch, feeling the first rush of relief since he’d been stupid enough to cave to his mother’s pleading. He smiled softly up at Tony. “Thanks.”

The smaller man just grinned, squeezing Loki’s hand affectionately before pushing up from the couch. “Right. So, I’ll talk to Pep, see if she can recommend a good place to get suits. For now, we need pizza, more alcohol, and some senseless violence. Movies or games; your call, sweetie-pie.”

Loki sent him a withering look that was somewhat minimised by the grateful smile tugging at his mouth. “Don’t call me that.”

“Sure thing, sugar cube.” Tony told him with a wink.

The taller man just shook his head and chuckled softly, finishing the last of his scotch before moving to set up one of Tony’s numerous gaming consoles.

He might not have been looking forward to seeing his family again--and he was still kicking himself for giving in--but he could admit that it didn’t feel as bad now, not when he knew he would have Tony by his side and supporting him throughout the nightmare of Thor’s wedding.

Nothing truly changed between them over the six months that passed before the wedding. Tony did pick up a habit of greeting Loki, both by phone and in person, with the most ridiculous endearment he could come up with, but otherwise, their friendship remained the same.

They’d had tailored suits made and booked the airfares and hotel with only minor disagreements.

(“Come on, Lokes” Tony had argued. “You think someone won’t scout out if we don’t share a room? I guarantee Thor’s friends would be assholish enough to check.”

Loki had just sighed loudly, pausing over the hotel booking. “We don’t need to prove we’re dating, Tony.”

“Hell yes we do!” Tony had told him, his eyes narrowed and his voice determined. “You’re going to have caught yourself a fine, rich catch, and your asshole family is going to know it. So take it like a man and strip down and snuggle up.”

Loki snorted out a laugh while Tony grinned. “You’re an idiot.”

The brunet had just winked and blown the skater a kiss. “Love you too, pumpkin-pie.”)

Frigga had also called, thrilled and grateful at having been told by Thor about Loki’s RSVP. She said she was looking forward to meeting his date and Loki had tried not to feel bitter about the whole thing. He had ended the call swiftly and grabbed his skates to just stop thinking for a while. Tony had met him at the rink with a hot coffee and the proud statement that today would be the day that he managed to twirl for more than a few seconds without falling on his ass. The inventor had failed miserably, and Loki had just laughed loudly at Tony’s pouting face and helped him back up again.

When the day of their flight finally arrived, Loki was more nervous than he wanted to admit. He felt sick in the stomach and hadn’t eaten anything the night before. He had met Tony out the front of his apartment as they took a taxi to the airport. The inventor had spent the time discussing some of the coding problems he’d been having with his latest software design, pinching Loki anytime he thought the skater wasn’t paying attention. He then moved onto the debate over which popular game had the worst design failures and how Tony would fix it if given half an hour’s time with their code.

The chatter was familiar and comforting, and it helped distract Loki a little as they made their way through check in, sat in the terminal and boarded the plane.

Tony didn’t stop talking for even a moment, plucking conversation topics out of mid-air as he stayed more or less plastered to Loki’s side. While he didn’t demand Loki respond, Tony did poke, pinch, and dig his fingers into Loki’s side with unerring accuracy any time Loki's anxious thoughts turned down the dark paths that led to the wedding or his family.

The airhostess asked if Loki was afraid of flying, but complimented Tony on knowing how to calm his partner. When she walked away, Tony grinned, making sure to be insufferably smug for about five minutes until Loki whacked him with a magazine.

Loki did have to admit that at least her assumption boded well for their ruse succeeding.

When the plane finally landed in Washington, it felt like every other time Loki had returned to America with dread after having travelled and competed internationally. When he’d been praised and revered for his skills everywhere else only to be mocked and sneered at by everyone but Frigga.

While Loki might have lived in Washington for a large portion of his life, he’d also spent almost as much of his youth in Europe, not only for training and competing but visiting Frigga’s family as well as the country he was born.

Odin was now retired but had been a businessman whose deals had only ever favoured Odin first and few others second. He had decided to remain in America as it was a place where he’d made most of his fortune and was easy for him to manipulate. Thor was happily been groomed for the same position and would more than likely excel with Odin steering from the shadows.

Loki would have probably moved to Europe to be further away if it hadn’t contained almost as many bad family memories as America. But, in the end, New York had presented the better job offer, and Loki was beyond grateful that he’d chosen it; after all, it had allowed him to meet Tony.

Tony was more of a support and strength than even Loki could have anticipated as they picked up their hire car and made their way to the hotel. The Borson home might have only been a half an hour from their hotel, but Loki didn’t want to take the chance of relying on a taxi. He wanted to be able to leave at a moment’s notice if everything went as badly as he was anticipating it would.

The hotel was expensive and so was the room, but Tony had ignored any argument Loki had given, declaring that if Loki was paying for both of their airfares, than Tony should be paying for their room. Loki had tried to point out that Tony was doing him a favour by even coming so he shouldn’t have to pay at all, but the argument had been swiftly ignored.

Loki had been forced to concede and even though the room had been booked in Loki’s name, it was Tony’s credit card that was given to reception when they checked in. The people were nice and friendly and didn’t care that two men were sharing a room. Loki knew that many people didn’t, that in this day and age most people didn’t blink or openly condemn same-sex couples, but Loki also knew that the Borson family and friends, were not those kind of people.

Tony knew it too, and it was why he was nudging their shoulders together, placing a hand against the centre of Loki’s tense back, and leading him towards their hotel room, his mouth was going a mile a minute as he described the last time he’d been to Seattle only to be disappointed by how small the Space Needle was, saying that if he was going to build a tower, the inventor would make sure it was much more impressive.

Loki had done his best to smile and banter back, but his heart wasn’t in it, and Tony only waited long enough for them to get into their room and put their bags down before he was spinning on his heel and telling Loki seriously, “Say the word, and we don’t go.”

Loki had blinked. “Pardon?”

“I mean it - say the word, and we skip the whole thing and spend tomorrow lying on the bed watching TV and eating nothing but room service.”

Loki had smiled, one of the first genuine grins he’d had since waking up that morning. “Thank you, Tony, but I’m already here,” his smile became more rueful, “and it will never be forgotten if I back out now.”

“It would be forgotten if you never spoke to them again?” Tony suggested hopefully.

The skater just shook his head. “I’m already here, and I would like to see Frigga.”

Tony let out a loud, long sigh. “Alright. Fine. We go. But we’re having that room service and movie marathon tonight. I need to relax after a long flight and too much sitting still. Hey, do you think we can order popcorn?”

The last was said as he made his way over to scan the menu. Loki just smiled softly at him, knowing the relaxation and avoidance of the restaurant downstairs were not for Tony’s benefit but for Loki’s. It made him feel such affection and gratitude for his friend, and he couldn’t stop himself from walking over and pulling the smaller man against him in a hug.

Tony blinked and briefly stilled, not used to Loki being the one to initiate such physical affection, but he relaxed quickly enough and hugged Loki back.

“Thanks, Tony,” he whispered in his friend’s ear.

“Hey,” the brunet answered easily, “always.”

They pulled apart not long after that and Tony went back to the menu, reading out everything and giving his commentary on each option. Loki listened while hanging up their suits and moving their suitcases from the middle of the floor to the luggage racks.

It was easy, it was relaxing, and Loki found the anxious knot in his stomach loosening slightly as he let the sound of Tony’s voice wash over him.

It’s only one day, Loki told himself, and you’ll have Tony with you.

The evening was easier to enjoy after that.

The next day’s apprehension wasn’t as easy to shake. They’d woken up after having fallen asleep with the TV going, and Loki had been pressed against Tony, his arm thrown over the smaller man’s waist. Loki had yawned and spent a few minutes lying there comfortably as he forgot where he was or what they were doing.

When he remembered, Loki had grimaced before rolling away from the brunet. Tony had mumbled something, half-asleep and protesting the loss of warmth. Loki had just grabbed the duvet that had been half on the floor and gently thrown it over the other man before going to have a shower.

He’d spent a long time in there, letting the heat of the water pound down on his shoulders and back as he prepared himself for what was to come.

While Frigga had said Thor had changed, she’d made no comment about Odin, the friends, or the family that would be attending. She’d pleaded with the one tone that always made Loki crumple; desperate, longing and hopeful about seeing the man she still considered her son.

Yes, Loki was irritated that she could manipulate him like that, but he did still love and care for her and couldn’t bring himself to cut the final tie that kept his adopted family lingering on the peripherals of his life.

It meant he was here, against all better judgement, and hoping that it wouldn’t be as bad as he feared or remembered from the last time he’d been surrounded by the Borsons.

When he made his way out of the bathroom, a half hour later, it was to find Tony sitting on the bed, only his face and hands visible from his blanket cocoon. He’d managed to find some cartoons on the TV and was watching them blearily.

Loki couldn’t stop his smile, knowing that his friend was all but incapable of functioning without his morning coffee. It left Loki to order their breakfast, pottering around the room and glancing at the TV occasionally until it arrived.

Tony all but pounced on the coffee and bacon, climbing off the bed but refusing to lose his blanket as he walked over to where the tray had been placed on the desk. He quickly took the only seat and began to indulge. Loki had just rolled his eyes and snagged the toast for himself spreading it lightly with jam and butter before forcing himself to run through old skating routines in his mind as he walked around the room, using it as a distraction so that he could eat without feeling sick.

It was a coping method he’d developed as a child, one he would often use before performances when he would have difficulty eating days before the event, his anxiety brought on by the jeers of his brother and the condemnations of his father.

He managed two slices of toast and stole the last piece of bacon--if only to make Tony gasp and gape at him for it--before sitting down on the edge of the bed with a coffee. Tony came over and joined him after grumbling about Loki’s rude, thieving tendencies.

The cartoons were still playing, but Loki wasn’t able to give them much of his attention. Tony just pressed their bodies closer together, almost leaning all of his weight on the skater. “Sooo, we’ve got the wedding at two, the reception at five, followed by our timely and hasty escape at three minutes past dessert?"

“Yes,” Loki agreed, “unless we decide to skip the reception entirely.”

Tony nodded sagely. “Mm. Terrible allergy to assholes, yeah, I hear you.”

Loki couldn’t stop his smirk or his quip, “Well, perhaps not assholes; that would cause tremendous problems for my lovers.”

The brunet’s laugh was sudden and loud, breaking any of Loki’s lingering tension as Tony leant forward and gasped out his amusement, making Loki chuckle as well.

“Shit, Loki,” Tony wheezed out. “All I can picture is you sneezing in bed. Fuck, that’s hilarious.”

“I doubt you’ll be so gleeful now that you’re the one sharing my bed,” Loki teased.

Tony was still trying to quell his giggles. “Eh, I don’t know. I’m sure they’ve got medication for that.” His eyes were still dancing with laughter. “A shot of anti-asshole beforehand, and we could be naked in no time.”

Loki just shook his head at the other’s commentary, still laughing softly. When he was able to quell his amusement down to a soft smile, he pulled the subject back on track. “Our delightful evening plans aside, Tony, what would you like to do this morning?”

Tony frowned a little thoughtfully. “I don’t know. I mean, what time is it now? Eight? It takes us half an hour to get to Mordor from here.” He shrugged. “I’m happy to stay in the hotel. Or we can go to some of the few places you like in this city that the Orcs haven’t ruined for you.”

The skater ignored the nicknames to think about the area. “There is a lovely cafe; it does some of the best pastries I’ve had in America.”

Tony brightened. “Yeah? Well, let’s hit it! We’ll spend a couple of hours relaxing.” He stood up and made his way over to his suitcase, unzipping it and rummaging around inside. “Give me five minutes to shower, Lokes.”

The smaller man didn’t let him answer as he was soon grabbing clothes and rushing into the bathroom. Loki just shook his head at the other man before taking the remote and changing the channel. He managed to find a documentary on creatures of the deep and settled in to watch as he waited for his friend to come out of the bathroom.

And while it did take longer than the five minutes he promised, Tony was soon ready and joining Loki as they made their way out of the hotel.

The morning was actually... fun.

They went to the cafe, and Loki took Tony to a few other places that he was fond of. They took numerous pictures, including a few with Tony smacking a kiss on the skater’s cheek (“Realism, Loki. After all, I am supposed to be your boyfriend, sugarplum.”). It had honestly been such a great day that Loki almost forgot what they were in the city for, but unfortunately, Tony nudging him at twelve about getting back to the hotel reminded him all too quickly.

When they got back to the hotel and got out their suits, it was almost with a sombre air; Loki certainly felt his good mood plummeting as they begun to get changed.

“You know,” Tony remarked, buttoning his white dress-shirt in front of the mirror, “it’s almost a shame that we’re going to look this damn good at such a boring event.” He looked over his shoulder at Loki who was sitting on the edge of the bed, slipping on his cufflinks. “I mean, we’re hot shit, you and me. We should really be going to grace something more impressive, like the red carpet.”

“Pepper certainly made sure we were dressed to impress,” Loki acknowledged.

Their suits, after all, were impeccably designed and tailored.

Loki’s was done entirely in black with the only colour the flash of his white-gold and emerald cufflinks--a ridiculously expensive present from Tony years ago.

Tony, by comparison, had a white dress-shirt that was complimented by a deep red coloured vest with a tie of matching shade but softened by tasteful gold accents. They were bright and bold against the charcoal colour of his suit.

“Pepper wants to make the Borson family weep at our good taste.” Loki glanced up at him only to catch the brunet winking at Loki through the mirror.

Loki just rolled his eyes, standing up in order to rearrange the tie from where he’d draped it over his shoulders. He moved over to Tony in order to share the mirror, the shorter man having snagged his own tie and was already pulling it on.

Standing side by side, they certainly looked a perfect, handsome pair, even more so when Tony pulled on his vest, tucking in his tie and leaving him looking very fine indeed. Loki couldn’t resist reaching out and running his hand from the other man’s shoulder blades down to linger at his lower back. It reminded Loki suddenly and abruptly of the first time he’d met Tony all those years ago when they’d been ice-skating.

When he’d been instantly attracted to the brunet and hadn’t been able to resisting going over to flirt with him.

The feel of Tony’s arm curling around his waist snapped Loki from his memories and made him blink back to the room. Tony was just grinning at him as he tugged the skater until their hips were brushing.

“Come on, phone out of your pocket,” he told Loki. “We need some more evidence of our romantic weekend away!”

Shaking his head, Loki still complied, handing the phone to Tony and letting the inventor take multiple pictures of them together and even send a snapchat of them to Pepper. When he was finished though, it was almost one pm, and the tension that had never quite left Loki suddenly rose with a vengeance.

“Come on,” he said quietly, picking up his jacket. “We should go. We don’t want to be late.”

“I could handle being late,” Tony remarked, but still went and picked up his own jacket and slipped it on, buttoning it at the waist.

When he was finished and they both had everything they needed, they made their way out of the room and down to the lobby of the hotel. They had to wait for their car to be brought up by the valet, and Loki didn’t notice he was tapping his foot and fiddling with his nails until Tony covered the taller man’s hand with his own.

Loki glanced at the inventor, finding Tony smiling gently. “Hey, no matter what they say or do, you’re better than them. We are better than them. You’re here to see Frigga, and we don’t have to stay there a moment more than you want to. You got all the power here, Lokes.”

It wasn’t enough to remove all of his anxiety, but Loki did find himself... relaxing. He stopped jittering and let his hands separate to fall by his side. Tony didn’t let go of Loki’s hand though, going to so far as to link their fingers and squeeze comfortingly.

For a moment, it was almost as if Tony was his boyfriend.

But... no, any chance for that ship had long since sailed. Loki had made his interest known at the beginning, but Tony had been dating someone else, and even when he broke up with her, nothing had ever happened between the two of them. They were friends, close friends - best friends, and it was just the highly emotional weekend and the ruse that was playing havoc on him and reminding him of how attractive Tony had always been.

Loki made himself shake it off, looking away from their clasped hands and Tony’s profile as he stood with class and elegance in an utterly stunning suit. Loki swallowed a little and was grateful when the car arrived and he could let Tony’s hand go and take the keys from the valet as Tony tipped him.

The drive through the city and to the Borson estate wiped any persistent thoughts about Tony from the skater’s mind as his focus became narrowed on the event that he’d been dreading for months. Tony was trying to keep the mood light-hearted and positive, talking to Loki about what they would do when they were back in New York: more ice-skating lessons, a weekend of movie marathons, and a day of paintball.

It worked for the most part, with Loki replying absently until the scenery became painfully familiar as they got closer to the house on its four acres of land that would host the wedding and the reception. The same gardens that Thor and his friends had often chased Loki through in their youth, planning to tackle him to the ground and throw him into the large pond in the front garden. When they would hide his ice-skates in the bushes and tease Loki for his gay outfits and his gay sport as he hunted for them. He hadn’t even admitted to being gay himself at that point, and it had made it all the harder to accept when it felt like he was just becoming the malicious joke that Thor had always called him.

Odin, of course, had never been so blatantly cruel. A sneer here, a wisecrack there, and a refusal to ever support or see Loki perform. Frigga had been the one to wipe his tears, help him find his skates, and take him to the rink whenever he asked. She had been the one to argue and refuse to let Odin keep Loki from competitions, from getting a coach, and from eventually competing internationally.

It had made Odin bitter, and it certainly hadn’t stopped Odin from breaking the news of Loki’s adoption without any cushioning or padding. He’d revealed it like it was a blessing, that Loki was not his by blood. He’d revealed it after Loki had come out as gay.

The memories had Loki clenching the steering wheel tightly while gritting his teeth. God, why the hell am I even coming back here?

But he knew why; he would only ever return because of Frigga.

At least, unlike in his youth, this time he had someone with him. Tony knew the history of his family, he knew all the horrible, painful details after one very long night with too much alcohol and a bad phone call to Frigga spurring Loki to blurt everything out and cry more than he really wanted to admit.

He’d never seen Tony so outraged or so furious before. The brunet had looked like he wanted to fly across the country and beat Thor, Odin, and everyone else bloody. He had ranted, raved, and hugged Loki close. He'd told Loki that Tony wished he’d known Loki in his youth, wished he could have been there to tell a young Loki that he was awesome and that his ice-skating was fucking amazing and that the gay community was lucky to have such a sexy son of a bitch batting for them.

Truly, Tony was the greatest thing to ever have happened to Loki’s life.

And as they pulled up to the gates of the Borson estate, seeing numerous cars and a sea of stylishly dressed guests, Loki planned to suck up every ounce of support and strength that Tony was willingly offering him.

It didn’t take them long to reach the front of the house and to park their car with the few other vehicles that remained--most of the guests having chauffers in their employ.

Walking across the immaculately mowed lawns, Loki was relieved not to recognise any of the other talking and laughing guests around them. It was hard enough to walk across such familiar, painful ground, without adding some of his tormenters to the scenery.

Tony was helpful though, making a disgusted noise and whispering to Loki, “If he wanted an English manor house, why the fuck didn’t he go live in England instead of the US?”

The comment made Loki bark out a laugh. “Oh, wait until you see the interior, Tony.”

Tony made an expression as if he had just smelled something sour. Loki just let his eyes travel over the house that hadn’t seemed to have changed. It was large, imposing, and full of all the grandeur, reputation, and money that Odin craved. It made Loki’s stomach turn, so he turned his attention from the architecture to the people.

It took him all of a moment to spot Frigga standing beside the front door, wearing a beautiful blue gown and wringing her hands nervously. Frigga was also quick to spot him.

Her eyes widened before she all but rushed over to him. Her face was full of longing and joy, and she stopped before him on the grass, her arms reaching out for him before hesitating in mid-air, looking pained. Loki felt his heart ache and lifted his arm before he could think. She took it for the encouragement it was, coming forward in an instant and hugging her son close.

“I’m so glad to see you, Loki,” his mother whispered, her voice sounding watery.

“Mother,” he whispered, the word slipping out for the first time in years and making Frigga stiffen a little in his arms before almost going boneless with relief.

She stayed in his hold for a long time before making herself pull back. Her eyes were a little damp and her smile a little shaky, but she was otherwise perfectly composed. She looked away from Loki then, her eyes finding Tony and rushing over him, like she wanted to take everything in.

“This must be your partner,” she said softly, looking at him with an almost nervous hope, as if afraid the moment would be snatched from her if she spoke too loud.

“Tony,” the inventor answered with a nod and with far more civility than Loki had honestly expected.

Tony even held out his hand palm up between them for Frigga to take. She readily accepted, and Tony instantly bent down, lightly and chastely brushing his lips against the back of her hand. It made Loki smile helplessly while Frigga’s own eyes and grin were bright with happiness.

When Tony stood again, he let her hand go while saying, “A pleasure, ma’am.”

“Oh please, dear,” she said, her voice holding even more nervous hope than before, “call me Frigga.”

Tony must have noticed it as well, as his smile became a little less bland and while still not completely relaxed, it had become friendlier. It was nothing like the inventor’s wide, enthusiastic grins; the ones that he flashed around friends and strangers alike, drawing them in until everyone was charmed and half smitten, but he was a little more accepting of her presence.

Loki couldn’t even blame Tony for that, not when Tony knew all the worst parts and few of the good ones about the skater’s past. It meant Tony was prepared to hate everyone in the Borson family on Loki’s word alone.

And the truth was that while a part of Loki still loved his mother and had missed her hugs and her smiles - another part of him could never forgive her for what she’d done and the lies she’d told to him.

It seemed that Frigga realised a small nod of agreement from Tony was all she was going to get, so she turned back to Loki, hurrying to keep a conversation between them. “When did you arrive in the city?”

“Yesterday,” Loki answered neutrally.

But Frigga wasn’t deterred. “Did you show Tony the city?” She looked over at the inventor. “Had you been to Seattle before?”

“Yeah,” Tony answered, “a couple of times.” He glanced over at Loki. “We just had a lazy day.” His hand was suddenly brushing Loki’s before he was linking their fingers. “More relaxing that way.”

Frigga noticed the gesture, but she didn’t comment on it. “How long will you be stay-”

“Mrs Borson!” Frigga looked over her shoulder, but Loki didn’t recognise the young woman rushing up to her. “There’s a problem with the lights in the garden. I was told to find you immediately.”

Frigga looked painfully torn as she looked between the woman and Loki, tugged, as she always was, between giving her attention to Thor--the praised and beloved first son, or Loki--the unloved and feminine son who was perpetually in the shadows.

Loki made the decision for her. “Go. Thor will want his wedding to be perfect. I’ll still be here in a few hours.”

She turned to him at that, her hand coming to rest on his arm as she quietly requested, “Please promise me, Loki.” Loki blinked, taken aback by the request, but her voice and her grip was desperate, “Please promise me you’ll be here for the reception.”

Loki opened his mouth, only a small shocked and uncertain sound coming out, but Tony was quickly speaking for him, the inventor’s voice firm, “He said he’ll be here for the wedding, and he is. So far nothing’s come up to change his mind about the reception.”

The ‘so far’ was very pointed and caused Frigga to snap her head around to look at Tony. He was holding her gaze without flinching, and Loki could practically hear the warning in Tony’s expression; ‘so don’t push it’.

It helped Loki to reach up and encourage his mother to remove her hold. She looked back at Loki, something wounded in her eyes as she retracted her hand. Loki just smiled tightly. “Go assist with the lighting, Frigga. Tony and I will be here when you’re finished.”

Knowing that was all the confirmation she was going to get, Frigga sent him one more sorrowful look before nodding and walking away with the lady who had come to find her.

Tony waited until she was out of earshot to say, “I get why she’s hard to say no to. You have the same sad eyes as her.” He looked at Loki with a mixture of sympathy and frustration. “It’s why you always end up getting the last fucking slice of pizza.”

Loki let out a sudden and amused snort and Tony grinned, pleased with the outcome before squeezing the skater's hand. But his expression soon sobered.

“Seriously though,” Tony continued, “she does seem to care, so I get it, but I’ve also got to think about you, okay? She’s not wringing one more promise from you just because she gives the sad eyes.”

“I appreciate that,” Loki admitted quietly. “She is...” my mother - the words just made Loki sigh. “She has always been hard to deny.”

Tony bumped their shoulders together, his favourite move to make when trying to jerk Loki out of his thoughts. He was smiling wide, gentle and full of affection. “Why you got me here, Lokes.”

“I know,” and Loki didn’t know why he did it but he moved forward, brushing his lips in a soft, grateful kiss against the shorter man’s cheek. Tony’s eyes were a little wide as he pulled back, their faces still close together. “Thank you, Tony.”

The brunet swallowed a little thickly. “You’re welcome.”

Standing there, looking at each other, there was almost... something. A flash of something new, a spark of something under Loki’s skin – but it was gone too fast, the sudden honk of a horn jerking Loki away from Tony and making him look over his shoulder and at a car that had a man leaning out the window and wolf-whistling at a girl walking across the lawn.

Loki grimaced before tugging Tony towards the door of the house by the hand. He hoped at least, that they could find some kind of alcohol and a shadowy corner to duck into. The last thing Loki wanted right now was to be recognised by someone from his past.

Hopefully if any of Thor’s old friends were here, they would be confined to the bridal party and busy until at least the reception.

It turned out, he wasn’t so lucky.

They might have been able to walk through the house without interruption--and with Tony whispering ‘oh, the horror!’ in his ear every few seconds when he saw something offensive in the interior designing--but moments within stepping outside onto the patio that led into the gardens, one of the people top on the list of who he wanted to avoid spotted them.

Loki had just taken two champagne flutes and handed one to Tony when she had remarked loudly and with incredibly fake surprise from the bottom of the stairs, “Oh my God! It’s Loki!”

Loki had jerked around to look at her, already feeling dismay rush through him, but there she was, unmistakable and with the same cruel smirk he’d learnt to dread as a child. Sif stood tall and proud in her designer gown, on the first gravel path that twined throughout the gardens, her cry had also made almost everyone in the vicinity look over at them.

Loki didn’t know whether to groan or curse as she walked up the stairs, her smile never fading and her eyes locked on Loki like he was the first tantalising drop of meat that had landed near her cage all day.

She stalked like a predator, and while Loki had once given his own back in his youth through tricks and pranks, he'd been reprimanded harshly by Odin. That punishment itself wasn’t enough to stop him, but the threat of forbidding him from ever ice-skating again had... forced Loki to bite his tongue more than he’d wanted to.

Thor could rough him up, his friends could ridicule, taunt and harass him, and never get in trouble. Loki hadn’t possessed the physical strength to stop them, and hadn’t had any friends to stand at his defence. He’d been forced to swallow his words down and duck his head so that he could escape to the ice-rink after school and just skate.

Bucky had been the first friend he'd ever made, and despite often competing against each other, they could be found laughing, joking, and pranking the other athletes. Bucky had also been the first boy Loki had ever kissed when they’d both been experimenting with their sexuality.

His friendship with the other skater had helped him to break out of the shell they’d forced him into, and moving out to live with Bucky at eighteen had helped enormously as well. It didn’t mean that being dropped back into the middle of his old backyard with the bullies of his youth didn’t suddenly throw him back to the last time he’d seen them; when he’d been young, terrified of losing the chance to skate, and struggling to learn and be who he truly was.

But I’m not that person anymore; the thought rang loud and clear through his mind and somehow, it was almost... freeing.

Loki straightened his shoulders from the slight hunch they’d fallen into and turned to face her fully, bringing his shoulder in line with Tony, their arms also brushing. Sif noticed the change to his posture and a small frown formed, but she otherwise didn’t falter in her advance.

She stopped in front of them, her smile offering sweetness, but her words full of bite, “Oh, Loki, it’s been so long! The last time I saw you must have been years ago; you still had all your acne and hadn’t grown into your height!”

Loki smiled and remarked, “I see you’ve grown into your ears too.”

The smile dropped almost comically fast off of Sif’s face, and her hand even jerked towards her face as if to touch them. Tony could be heard muffling his snort in his champagne glass.

Sif shot a glare at Tony before her eyes suddenly darted between them, quickly putting two and two together. “Oh! You’re here with someone? I’m sorry, how rude. I’m just not used to you having anyone.” She offered her hand to Tony. “I’m Sif, an old friend of Loki’s.”

Tony made a show of very slowly dropping his eyes down to her hand before back up to her face. He didn’t even make a move to take her offering. “I’m Tony,” he stated simply, “Loki’s boyfriend.”

Her eyes burned with satisfaction, and she dropped her hand, not seeming to care about the refusal when she could pounce on the information. “His boyfriend?”

Loki actually scoffed, making Sif blink a little, looking surprised. “Long gone are the years when being gay was an insult to me, Sif.” He smirked. “My Wikipedia page lists my sexuality quite firmly.”

“Mm, right underneath the gold medals he’s won,” Tony chimed in cheerfully, and Loki couldn’t help flashing the inventor a smile for that.

Sif looked completely thrown off balance. It was one of the most satisfying things Loki had seen in recent years.

“But that is a glimpse of my life, Sif. What of yours?” Loki enquired, looking her up and down even as his hand moved to curl around Tony’s waist and grasp his hip, starting to move them away. “But then judging by the fact you are not the one wearing a white dress today, I can only assume it hasn’t gone exactly to plan.”

He walked them around her then, Sif’s face was almost red with fury but they were already making their way down the stairs and leaving her unable to reply. Tony was cackling quietly and he told Loki, sounding almost awed, “Oh damn. Snap and burn. That was amazing, Loki. God, how I wish we had that on film.”

Loki just grinned, feeling proud and elated. He felt like he was walking on air or had just successfully completed his entire routine without fault in front of the judges.

He saw Tony hold out his champagne glass and he happily toasted the brunet and took a victorious sip. Tony looked almost giddy as he asked, “Anyone else you want to catch up with for old times’ sake?”

Smiling with the first bit of happiness, amusement and mischief that he could recall feeling around the Borson estate in decades, Loki told Tony gleefully, “Oh yes.”

Maybe this day wouldn’t be so horrible after all.

Unfortunately, they didn’t get a chance to enact their plan of talking to anyone else before the ceremony as Frigga found them shortly after they finished speaking with Sif. She wanted to know everything she could about how Loki had been, how he had met Tony and what their lives were like together in New York.

It was... an awkward conversation.

On the one hand, their lives were easy to describe with very little lying needed, on the other hand, Loki had kept the details about his life concealed from his mother because he hadn’t wanted to let her back into his world again.

He hadn’t realised how much coming here would... change things.

And Loki didn’t just mean about Frigga. While that might have been his first, awkward focus as his mother had excitedly asked after their lives, looking thrilled with every glimpse she gained of Loki’s happiness - it had all changed after the ceremony.

The wedding itself was much the same as any other. He sat with Tony towards the back, on the groom’s side, watching as Thor’s bride made her way up the aisle, radiant and entirely unfamiliar to Loki. Apparently she was the daughter of some business associate of Odin’s and both families had doggedly engineered the match. Thor seemed happy enough about it, even if Loki had more sympathy for the woman than he did his adopted brother.

When the ceremony ended, there were a few hours of drinks and canapés as the wedding party took photos. Loki and Tony had used it to circle through the guests and the Borson extended family, proving exactly how much Loki had changed and outgrown their thinly veiled snipes.

There was one interesting moment when a lady from the bride’s side had recognised Loki and asked for a photo. The seething face of Sif in the background had prompted Tony to ask for a copy. He promised Loki he’d get it framed for the skater’s next birthday.

When they finally made it to the dinner, Loki was almost high off the thrill of success. He’d only had two flutes of champagne, nowhere near drunk, but he felt euphoric. Tony was an equally thrilled companion by his side, and when they sat down to dinner, Loki placed his arm over the back of his friend’s chair, sitting close and brushing his finger’s over the smaller man’s shoulder every few minutes.

Touches like that had been a constant presence throughout the evening: arms around waists, hands linked together, kisses brushed to the other’s hand or temple when they separated for the bathroom or to get more drinks or food.

Loki even found it easy to listen to the speeches, to not even flinch when Odin stood up and spoke as well. The food was exquisite, the dessert divine, and while Loki had always planned to leave the moment the meal was finished, he found himself unwilling to quite lose the triumph rushing through him.

He’d been sitting with Tony at their otherwise empty table, watching the dancing and chatting absently about the night and which outfit looked the most hideous when Sif had made her way back to them. This time she was flanked by two of Thor’s more irritating cousins.

“So, Loki,” she asked without preamble, taking a seat beside Tony at one of the empty chairs. The two men stood behind her like bodyguards, likely her support after learning that Loki had more bite to his words nowadays. “Everyone’s been talking about your boyfriend.” Thor’s cousin openly sneered at the word. “But no one quite had the chance to ask about him.”

“You mean,” Loki remarked flatly, “no one cared to enquiry.”

“Well we care,” Sif riposted, turning a smile on Tony that probably would have looked pretty if both of them hadn’t known exactly what kind of woman she was. “What is it that you do, Tony?” She smirked, her next words coming out laced with mocking, “Do you dance across the ice like Loki?”

The taller and older of the cousins let out huff of amusement at the description while the other man just sniggered.

“No,” Tony told them with a small shake of his head and a slight narrowing of his eyes. “I’m an inventor.”

Loki shot Tony a sharp look at that, nervous suddenly about what the other man would say or give away. Sif must have caught his expression as she immediately pressed Tony. “Oh? And what have you invented?”

“Only at least a dozen things on your phone,” Tony told her, making the three of them blink. When Tony smiled at them, it was sharp and full of vicious pride, “Name’s Anthony Stark; billionaire, genius, software engineer, and owner of Arc Systems.” He leant forward a little and told her. “Feel free to Google me if you need the proof.”

Sif’s jaw had dropped open with shock, and the men behind her weren’t much better. It didn’t help that a few other people at nearby tables must have heard as a young woman, who was more than a little drunk, suddenly announced, holding up her phone with Tony’s own Wikipedia page open. “Oh my God. He is Anthony Stark.”

“Yeah, and I feel like having a dance with my boyfriend.” Pushing away his chair and standing up, he lowered his voice to coldly tell Sif, “It may not be the ice-rink he prefers, but that doesn’t stop him from being the most graceful person here.”

He moved away from her before holding out his hand for Loki to take. Loki instantly complied and was led out towards the makeshift dancefloor, leaving behind the whispered conversations that had flared to life behind them.

“What the hell are you doing?” Loki hissed against the brunet’s ear.

“What?” Tony asked while placing his hand on Loki’s hip and encouraging the skater to lead them in the dance.

Loki complied, pulling the smaller man closer as they began to move, using the intimacy of the action so that he could continue to angrily whisper at him, “They didn’t know who you were! No one was going to say anything, now it will be all over the media that we’re dating!”

Tony just shook his head, a small grin tugging at his mouth. “I told you, Loki, that was never going to bother me.”

“But-”

“No,” Tony interrupted firmly. “You’re my best friend, and after the hell these people have put you through, you deserve this.” He tugged Loki down until their foreheads were resting together, and Loki could see phone cameras flashing in the background. “You deserve to be dating a sexy, funny, amazing billionaire who only feels pride about the world knowing you’re his boyfriend.” His smile became wider. “I would be lucky to be dating you, Lokes.”

The words were so sincere, so genuine, and Loki didn’t know what made him do it; a combination of everything, probably.

The twinkling lights overhead, the soft romantic music, the way he’d been forced to look at Tony differently all day. When, for the first time in years, he saw the handsome man who’d been falling over himself at an ice-rink. The funny, caring, intelligent best friend who’d flown across the country to stand by Loki’s side, who took the skater’s hand easily and kissed Loki’s cheek with an addictive scrap of facial hair.

They were dancing together, and he was calling himself lucky if he had the chance to be Loki’s boyfriend.

Rationally, Loki knew it was his friend complimenting him and stroking his ego the way Tony always had since coming to Seattle. But rationality wasn’t at the forefront of the skater’s mind - and instead of thinking with his head, Loki thought with his heart. He shifted himself forward and down just enough to press his mouth to Tony’s in a kiss.

It was soft, a gentle pressure of lips, but nothing else happened. For a long moment, Tony didn’t move, but before the rush of panic and regret could truly take over Loki, Tony’s hand was curling around his neck, and suddenly everything was different.

Tony kissed him back, and it was beautiful; soft and slow and exploratory. It was edged with the passion they were both capable of but never quite gave into. There was something almost sweet and shy to the touch in the briefest almost timid brush of a tongue against lips before they eventually broke apart to gasp and stare at each other.

They stayed there for a long moment, both of them seeming shocked by what had just happened.

Tony was the first to look away, clearing his throat a little awkwardly. “Um. Want to keep dancing?”

No, Loki thought and soon found himself saying, “No. I... I think maybe we should finish for the night.”

I think we should stop this right now.

Tony just nodded slowly. “Okay.”

The evening had been cool enough that neither of them had needed to take off their jackets, so they made their way without preamble off the dancefloor and towards the house. Loki’s hand felt hot and awkward where it rested against Tony’s hip. He felt entirely uncomfortable and tense, like he didn’t know what to do with himself or with Tony.

It couldn’t be more painfully obvious to Loki that kissing the brunet had reminded Loki of exactly how attractive and perfect Tony was - and how much Loki wanted more of what they had shared all weekend. He wanted more from the other man than friendship.

It was the worst realisation Loki could have possibly had, and he wanted to scrub his hands over his face and groan loudly. He didn’t have the chance though, not when they were in public; all he could do was put a sharp and sudden end to their ruse and do his best to ignore the sudden shift in their friendship.

He was distracted as he tried to decide how best to go about fixing it--trying not to think of Tony’s soft lips and the brush of his tongue against Loki’s mouth. The way the skater just wanted to do it again and again--and because of that, he wasn’t paying attention to his surroundings.

They had made their way out of the gardens and were about to reach the back entrance to the house, only to be stopped by Frigga. She had Thor with her and quickly stood in their path, all Loki wanted to when he saw them was hiss; fuck, not now.

“Loki, Tony,” she addressed them. Her voice turning sorrowful as she asked, “I hope you’re not leaving yet?”

“Aye, brother, the night is young, and I have yet to speak with you!” Thor announced, and before Loki could react the larger man was wrapping him in a tight hug as Loki stiffened at the feeling of being tightly embraced by a man who once used to pummel him into the ground. “It is good to see you!”

“Thor,” Loki answered curtly while pushing at him slightly, trying to make the other man release him. The larger man complied with a smile before turning his attention to Tony, his eyes bright.

“And this is Anthony! I am pleased to meet you.” He held out his hand, and while Tony was slow to offer his own, he eventually did, and Thor gripped it the moment he was able, shaking it firmly. “I hear you are the owner of Arc Systems!”

Ah, Loki thought, a sting of bitter disappointment flaring in his chest, so that’s why you’ve come over.

“Yeah,” Tony remarked blandly, “but I thought that this was meet the family, not meet the business associates.” His arm came around to cup Loki’s hip and draw them closer together. “But, it’s been fun; my boyfriend’s told me all about you.”

Thor automatically realised his misstep, and Frigga was grimacing in the background. Thor though, much to Loki’s surprise, was more graceful than he expected. "You’re right; this should not be a day of business. It should be a day of celebrating partners and unions.”

Thor turned to Loki then, his hand coming up to cup Loki’s arm. His blue eyes were serious. “I am glad that you shared this day with me, Loki. I am...” his eyes fell to the ground briefly, but when they came up and caught Loki’s again, they were pained. “I have wronged you much in the past, brother, and I cannot undo it. But I am glad you have found someone to care for you and to share your success.” He smiled tentatively. “I... I have seen your performances on youtube. I was glad to see you win your gold medals, brother.”

Loki felt utterly taken aback, and he couldn’t keep the shock off his face if he tried, “I... Thank you, Thor.”

Thor smiled a little more confidently. “Mother says you are not staying in Seattle long?”

“No, we’re leaving tomorrow,” Loki agreed.

Thor nodded, a sad understanding in his eyes. “I am glad that you came, Loki. I am glad to see you happy. And I...” an uncharacteristic nervousness seemed to come over Thor. “I have business in New York in the coming months, after the honeymoon, I would... I would truly like to see you while I am there, brother.”

Loki opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He found himself looking at Tony, needing proof that he had actually heard the words right as well as some kind of help when he felt like the ground had been swept out from under his feet. Tony looked just as stunned as the skater while also twice as suspicious, and his grip on Loki’s hip had tightened as well.

Thor has changed, his mother had said to him all those months ago. Loki had dismissed it at the time as just another ploy to have Loki agree to attend the wedding... but, maybe there is some truth to it after all.

But he didn’t know if it was enough. Thor had been... horrible to him and had encouraged his friends to be just as vicious. The numerous painful memories far outweighed any happier, brotherly moments between them.

Loki didn’t know why either of them would ever want to fix something so broken.

“Why?” he eventually asked, looking back at the blond who just seemed confused. “Why would you give a damn about me Thor? Why now when you never did when we were children?”

Thor flinched a little, but he still answered, “Because I have been shown the depth of how truly I have wronged you.” He couldn’t even hold Loki’s eyes. “Because I will forever regret what was done to you and my part in it. If you do not ever forgive me, I will understand it, Loki.” He raised his eyes to hold Loki's. “Because you are my brother, and because it should not have taken me so long to tell you how sorry I am.”

Loki felt something in his chest grow painfully tight, and he swallowed thickly. He felt... vulnerable, and it instantly made him want to lash out, to push Thor and his words away. You are not allowed to do this, a desperate part of his mind hissed.

He didn’t know what to do, but he squeezed Tony’s hip tightly, drawing on his friend’s strength, drawing on everything else that had happened at the wedding so far. He made himself scoff. “You say this and yet you invite half of my tormentors to your wedding, Thor. You bring me back into the lion’s den. Tell me, how much have you truly changed?”

Thor looked suddenly furious. “Did people speak rudely to you? Who?”

This time, his scoff was more genuine. “Oh, as if you didn’t know.”

“No,” and he sounded like he was barely keeping his voice from becoming an infuriated roar. “I told them that if you came and I heard even one comment from them about you, that they would be told to leave my wedding.”

Loki blinked very slowly. “What?”

“It’s true,” Frigga said quietly. “He even threatened it to Odin, and spoke at length with Katalina about you.”

“She deserved to know what I had done,” Thor added. “And why I couldn’t promise her that you would attend.” He gave Loki another hopeful smile. “I would like to introduce you to her before you leave tonight, brother.”

Loki felt like he was reeling, barely able to fathom what the hell was going on. But... but apart from Sif, apart from the people Loki had sought out who he knew despised him, no one had approached them, no one had tried to embarrass or abuse Loki. Everything Thor was saying was ringing true.

It felt very much like tripping over himself and falling flat on the ice, and he was still trying to pick himself up.

“I...” Loki blinked a few times, his voice a little faint, “I... will meet her.”

Thor smiled wide and bright as he looked over at Tony happily. “Anthony, will you come too?”

Tony was still frowning a little sceptically, like he doubted that Thor’s change of heart was genuine--or like he was worried that this was one more thing designed to hurt Loki--but his smile was polite enough when he agreed, “Sure, I’ll come meet the bride.”

They were led over to her after that. Katalina was beautiful, friendly, and had an Italian mother who she took after in looks. She was a fluent speaker and was excited to learn Tony’s mother was also from Italy and that he could speak the language as well.

She had hugged Loki the moment she met him and hadn’t hesitated to do the same to Tony. She was affectionate, that was obvious, but also poised, smart, and strong. She had a habit of patting Thor’s cheek affectionately in a way that made Thor stop talking, allowing her to diplomatically smooth over his more damaging words. Loki could quickly and easily see how she would be a benefit to Thor as he followed in his father’s footsteps. Loki could also see why Odin had pushed for the marriage so strongly.

Loki liked her though, and when he learned she would also be in New York when Thor was, he had found himself agreeing to see them, especially when Katalina requested that Tony be able to join them as well. Loki had exchanged a helpless glance with Tony who had just smiled and squeezed Loki’s hand, giving his acceptance and willingness to help Loki once more.

They couldn’t have spoken to them for more than ten minutes before Thor and Katalina had other guests they needed to speak to and bid farewell, but they had both given Loki a hug goodbye. Thor had shaken Tony’s hand, saying something Loki couldn’t hear but had made Tony’s eyebrows rise towards his hairline. Katalina had hugged Tony shortly after, kissing him on both cheeks and saying something to him in Italian that Tony had laughed at before replying back to.

Loki had waited until they had left the tables and dancefloor again, heading back towards the house to ask, “What did they say to you?”

Tony was still smirking. “Katalina told me she was glad to meet me and that I was to take good care of my handsome boyfriend. I told her I had every intention to.”

Loki’s laugh was startled out of him, only feeling his fondness for the woman grow. He also felt something inside him squirm at Tony's promise to her, but he endeavoured to ignore it. “And what of Thor?”

“Well, that was interesting,” Tony admitted, “he told me that he knew I didn’t like him and that I had good reason not to. He said that he was determined to prove himself not only to you, but to me as well.”

Loki still didn’t know what to do with that, or this new version of his brother. He was still trying to fit it against the bully of his youth. He didn’t know what had happened to turn Thor into the man he was now, but Loki found himself... undecided about it. There was something hopeful in him though, despite everything. Maybe he could salvage something with his mother... and maybe there was a chance for Thor as well.

He hadn’t expected that to be the case when he agreed to the wedding all those months ago. He also hadn’t expected... what had happened with Tony.

The talk with Thor might have temporarily made them forget about their kiss, but now, walking back with their hands linked, it was all too quickly flooding back. He could see the same awareness in Tony’s eyes as he glanced between the house in front of them and Loki. He was biting his lip a little, and Loki felt something nervous wash through him about what might be said.

They both knew though, that it wasn’t a discussion to have at a wedding where everyone believed they were a couple.

Tony stayed silent in the end, and Loki didn’t say anything either. There were too many people around them, talking, drinking, or leaving themselves. When they got towards the entrance to the house, almost in the same spot as before, they noticed Frigga lingering by the door.

“Well, this is getting familiar,” Tony quipped when they were close enough, but his voice was soft and teasing, warm even. “Here to stop us again?”

Loki and Frigga both noticed the light-hearted tone, Loki with pleasant surprise and Frigga with blatant relief and happiness.

“No, not to stop you,” Frigga told them with a smile. “To say goodbye and to...” she hesitated nervously, “to ask that I might visit you both in the coming months as well.”

After everything that had happened tonight; the surprising change in Thor, the soft joy he’d felt at seeing his mother - it made Loki more willing to take a chance on the people he couldn’t quite cut from his life.

He let out a soft sigh and admitted quietly, “I would like that, mother.”

The moment he said it, Frigga was throwing her arms around him in a tight hug. It forced Loki to let Tony’s hand go so he could wrap his arms around her as well.

“I am so sorry for everything, my dear,” she whispered, her voice overcome with emotion. “But I am so proud of the man you have become.”

Loki felt his eyes sting and had to blink them a few times even as he held her a little tighter. When she pulled back, she cupped his cheeks with both hands, smiling strongly even if a tear was sliding down her face. “Take care, my Loki.”

She pressed her lips against his forehead, a gesture that had been done a thousand times in his youth and had always made him feel incredibly loved. It did the same now, and Loki’s breath came out slightly shaky as he closed his eyes.

When she pulled back, another tear had slipped down her face, but she was smiling happily. She dropped her hands from her son’s face before turning to Tony and tentatively moved to pull him into a hug. The moment Tony accepted, tension slipped from her frame and she hugged him tightly.

“Thank you,” Loki heard her whisper; Tony just smiled gently and continued to lightly pat her back.

When she eventually pulled away, she delicately wiped her face to remove any traces of her tears. “I will see you both in a few months?”

“Sure,” Tony agreed easily and with a shrug, shooting Loki a small smile. “We’ll take you to see something on Broadway.”

“I look forward to it,” Frigga told them with bright eyes and pure joy.

After that, it was harder than Loki expected to part from his mother, but Tony took his hand again, and Frigga promised to call in a few days to arrange a time to visit. She bid them a final farewell, and the two of them turned away and left through the house, unimpeded.

When they reached the entrance they found a few other people out the front either talking softly as they waited for their rides or making their way to their cars. Loki and Tony quickly made their way across the front gardens, finding their hire car and slipping inside. They didn’t talk as Loki navigated his way through the cars and people to leave the estate and get onto the road.

It was only when the estate was nothing more than a shadow in the background that Tony quietly remarked, “So, that was better than we thought.”

“Yes,” Loki answered just as softly. “Surprisingly. I never thought Thor would change.”

“I never thought I’d start to like your mother.” Loki glanced at him with surprise only to see Tony smiling. “She’s nice, and she knows she fucked up, but she wants to redeem herself to you. Thor too.” He shrugged. “I like the idea that they might be genuine.”

“So do I,” Loki admitted.

They didn’t say anything else after that, both of them lost in their thoughts.

Loki couldn’t believe how much could change in a single night; his mother was back in his life, his brother too. His adopted family might just become people that he could grow to think of fondly rather than with anger, pain, and frustration.

He was even allowing them to come and visit him - visit them, because they thought Tony was his boyfriend. Loki gripped the steering wheel a little tighter as he thought about that.

Tony had agreed to continue the ruse when Loki met up with his family again, but... but Loki didn’t know if he could. His feelings had shifted, or... maybe they’d always been there. Maybe it had just taken a few days of pretending to highlight to Loki exactly how perfect Tony was for him.

Maybe it only took two days to realise he was half in love with his best friend.

The realisation made Loki feel tired. It also wasn’t something he could hide, not when Tony was planning to help him again in the future. Tony deserved to know, Loki just didn’t know what the hell that would do for them and their friendship. The thought of revealing it made Loki’s stomach churn with nerves and made his palms start to sweat.

It was one thing for Tony to know Loki had been attracted to him when they first met; it was another to know that Loki felt... more, so much more for the inventor.

Loki sighed heavily and just did his best not to think about it; to concentrate on the road and the drive back to the hotel. Tony was quiet and pensive beside him, likely thinking about everything that happened, possibly even working out Loki’s own deepening feelings. Tony was certainly perceptive enough that Loki wouldn’t put it past Tony to be anticipating the confession Loki was gearing himself up for.

He hoped that meant it would be easier to admit and wouldn’t be as damaging as Loki feared.

By the time they reached the hotel, Loki was resigned to what he had to do, and he handed the keys to the valet with a distracted air. Tony seemed equally aware of the tension, fidgeting with his suit and shifting on the balls of his feet.

The walk through the lobby and ride through the elevator was almost uncomfortable, and when they pushed through the hotel door, shutting it behind him, Loki wasn’t surprised that Tony turned on him instantly.

“Look, Loki,” Tony began, and Loki watched warily as Tony fiddled with his fingers and chewed on his bottom lip. “When we um, get back to New York and everything,” his eyes flicked to Loki’s, “do you wanna try this out? You know, the whole couple thing? Go on a date, maybe?”

Loki blinked, his brain seeming to stop working as he tried to process the words. “Pardon?”

“Yeah, uh,” Tony scratched the back of his head, full of nervous tension. “I don’t know if you felt it too, but when we were dancing and you were looking at me like that.” He licked his lips and smiled, so soft and beautiful. “I felt like it was real, like this could be something. I felt like everything was perfect and then I realised it was all because I was dating you.”

Loki stared at Tony for a very long moment, completely mystified before he very tentatively reached for Tony’s hand and linked their fingers. Tony’s uncertain expression quickly melted into a smile, and Loki grinned softly back. “I’d like that. I’d like that a lot, Tony.”

Tony was the one who moved then, taking the step needed to bring them closer, until Tony was almost brushing his chest. Loki just brought his free hand to cup Tony’s cheek as their mouths came together in another soft kiss.

Their lips brushed gently as if they were both nervous to ruin the moment. It didn’t get any deeper, and they were soon smiling too wide to keep it up, breaking apart only so they could rest their foreheads together.

“I felt it too,” Loki confessed softly. “I realised as soon as I kissed you that you were all I wanted, that you had been for some time, even if I’d never noticed it.”

Tony just pecked his lips in a gentle, sweet kiss. “Well, I promise that this time when you ask me out, I’ll say yes.”

It made Loki huff out a laugh and when Tony wrapped his arms around him in a hug; Loki was quick to hug him back.

He knew Tony was teasing him, knew that Tony had already asked him on a date, but Loki couldn’t stop himself from requesting it anyway, wanting to have a hundred dates with this man - a thousand. He wanted to spend the rest of his life by Tony’s side. “Go out to dinner with me, Tony?”

The other man’s bright smile was all Loki could see as Tony answered him instantly, “Yes.”

Grinning too wide to contain, Loki kissed the inventor again and felt elation rush through him when he was kissed back. He felt like everything was just... perfect.

Perfect, because I was dating you, Tony’s words repeated in his mind and Loki could only grin at them. Breaking the kiss, he pulled back just to stare down at the man in his arms who was looking up at him with equal happiness.

Loki knew everything was going to change now, not only his relationship with Tony but with his family as well - and Loki found he was only looking forward to it. Things might never be perfect with Frigga and Thor but there was a chance there that Loki was willing to foster. And more importantly than that, there was a bright future forming with the man in front of him, someone he’d loved and wanted for years, even if Loki had never allowed himself to notice. It made Loki unwilling to let him go now, and Tony didn’t seem inclined to move either.

It took them a long while to pull apart from their embrace, but they eventually did, stripping out of their suits and getting ready for bed. They weren't naked; they were still wearing boxers. They didn't even have to discuss that decision as they crawled under the covers, and Loki wrapped himself around Tony's body, their hands quickly linking on Tony’s stomach as they held each other close.

It felt good; it felt exciting.

Tonight, he was falling asleep wrapped around his best friend, his... boyfriend, and tomorrow they’d be heading back to New York to start something new between them.

Pressing himself even closer to the other man and lightly brushing a kiss to Tony's shoulder, Loki let himself close his eyes and indulge in the fact that he suddenly felt utterly and purely happy.