Work Text:
It started when Tony answered Rhodey when he didn’t actually say anything. Tony could have sworn that Rhodey told him that he wanted to go back to the ship. It was loud and clear, but Rhodey insisted that he didn’t say anything out loud. At first, Tony thought that it was just a fluke, but then he thought that he heard Peter say he was in the mood to listen to some music. When Tony offered to play some AC/DC, Peter only looked at him with wide eyes.
Tony was suddenly able to read minds.
After that, they found out that Tony wasn’t the only person who gained a superpower. Bruce was able to feel the emotions of others, which he discovered when he sensed Peter’s excitement over Tony’s new ability. Peter’s new power was telekinesis, which he used for the first time when he wanted water and the bottle landed in his hand. Rhodey stated that he gained a psychic ability and was shown a few visions of the future, but he wouldn’t tell anyone what he saw. That only made Tony more curious, but Rhodey wouldn’t budge. He was keeping it a secret.
It seemed to have only affected the human members of the Revengers. Thor, Loki, Valkyrie, Korg, and Miek didn’t say that they noticed any changes. It left the humans even more confused than they already were.
“Are you guys eating Waterseed?” Valkyrie asked once she boarded the ship. Everyone else was still out on the new planet they landed on looking for more food and resources.
“Is that what it’s called?” Bruce responded before taking another bite of the fruit.
It was one of Tony’s favorite new foods that he got to try. The fruit looked like little globes of water with clear and perfectly round seeds. They almost resembled grapes, but smaller in size. The fruit had a really sweet taste which wasn’t normally his preference, but it was really good. With each bite, Tony wanted more.
Oh, this is going to be fun.
Tony heard another thought, this time from Valkyrie.
“It can have certain effects on beings with shorter lifespans,” she smirked.
“We’ve noticed,” Tony said flatly.
“It will only last a day. Waterseed was really popular in Sakaar, but it never worked on me,” she explained.
She elaborated by saying people with shorter lifespans ate them for fun to see what mind-based power it would give them. Tony could see why that was appealing for some people, but it definitely wasn’t for him.
“And you’re sad about that?” Bruce asked, probably able to sense it. “I’ve already had enough changes to my biology!”
“I’m having fun!” Peter exclaimed, using his telekinesis to steal Tony’s phone out of his hand to play a new song.
When there were too many people around, Tony noticed that he had a hard time distinguishing people’s thoughts. He really had to focus on one person to hear them or else it sounded like a bunch of shouting.
“This is amazing,” Valkyrie grinned.
Rhodey only sighed and buried his head in his hands. Tony didn’t have to read his mind to see that he was stressed out.
“Let’s not tell anyone else. We don’t need to concern everyone with this when it’s only temporary,” Rhodey said, since he was basically the only rational person on the ship.
“That’s not fun!” Peter shouted.
“That’s probably a good idea,” Bruce agreed, causing Peter to frown.
So they decided to keep it a secret, hoping that Valkyrie was right about it being temporary. Tony was already getting a headache from the overwhelming sound of everyone’s thoughts. Peter had very loud thoughts, which was expected. The kid barely kept his mouth shut, so it was obvious that his thoughts were all over the place. He somehow had three songs stuck in his head while also thinking about the answers to his science homework from two months ago.
A few hours went by and Tony still wasn’t used to being able to read minds, but he was doing alright. He just made sure he wasn’t in the same room as more than two or three people. As he was eating dinner with Rhodey and Thor, he heard Loki enter the room.
He looks nice today.
Tony had no idea who Loki was referring to.
“Brother! Come eat with us!” Thor shouted as soon as he saw the younger god.
Why is he so annoying?
Tony couldn’t stop himself from chuckling to himself. Loki’s thought was expressed in a playful tone, typical of a little brother.
“If you insist,” Loki responded.
At least he’s here. That will make this bearable.
Tony wondered if he was thinking about Rhodey. Loki had to have been thinking about Rhodey, right? There was no way that he thought that Tony would have made a situation bearable. Tony didn’t realize that Loki and Rhodey were so close.
Since Tony joined the Revengers, Loki quickly became his favorite. They spent a lot of time together listening to music and exploring new planets. It started when Tony asked Loki questions about his magic because he was fascinated by it. After that, they became friends. Well, Tony hoped that they were friends. Loki was a hard person to read. Tony wished that they could be more than friends, if he was being honest.
“How was your day, Lokes?” Tony asked.
“Thor dragged me across the planet to find mead,” Loki complained.
“We had quite the journey, brother!” Thor exclaimed between bites of his food.
Loki raised an eyebrow. “We were not able to find the mead.”
I wish I was able to go with him instead.
“We will have to find it soon. I am sure Valkyrie has almost finished her stash,” Thor said.
“I think we’re all going to need it,” Rhodey mumbled under his breath.
Of course, Tony was the only one around who knew the real reason why Rhodey said that. Tony couldn’t help himself from laughing in response, which caused everyone to join in.
The sound of his laughter is charming and his smile is beautiful. I wish he smiled more often.
Tony knew that he shouldn’t have been focusing on Loki’s thoughts. Loki definitely would not like Tony inside of his mind, especially after what happened with Thanos. For some reason, Loki’s thoughts were the clearest in the room and Tony had trouble filtering them out. He was also curious to find out who Loki was thinking about. The god thought highly of this person and it made Tony somewhat jealous. Tony wished that Loki would think of him that way, but it would never happen. He didn’t fit the description of the person Loki liked.
I want to make him smile.
“I’m going to go find Peter,” Tony said, excusing himself from dinner.
It didn’t stop the god from giving him a concerned look before he left. Tony had to leave. He couldn’t invade Loki’s privacy any longer without feeling guilty. Loki clearly liked someone a lot and it wasn’t Tony’s business. Tony decided that it was a good idea to stay away from everyone until his power went away. He didn’t want to learn anyone else’s secrets.
At first, being able to read minds was fascinating. He got to look into Bruce’s mind and learn more about his research. When he concentrated hard enough, he was even able to hear some thoughts from the Hulk. Rhodey had an interesting mind too, even though he was guarding most of his thoughts to prevent Tony from seeing his visions. Tony was glad to find out that Rhodey was genuinely enjoying his time with the Revengers after he convinced him to join. Thor’s mind was slightly chaotic, but fun. The god of thunder’s optimism and happiness made Tony smile.
And then there was Loki who was crushing on someone. Tony hated that he was sad about that; he should have been happy for him. Instead, he was wishing that he was the one who Loki liked. Tony had been trying to find the courage to tell Loki how he felt about him, but things have changed. The man that Tony was in love with liked someone else. He would have to accept that, but it would take time and he couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
Tony was distracted from his thoughts when someone knocked on the door of his room in the ship.
“Come in,” Tony said. He wasn’t in the mood for company, but he didn’t want to worry anyone either.
Loki entered his room and stood over him with a worried expression.
“Is something bothering you, Anthony?” Loki asked.
I hope that he is alright .
It was nice to know that Loki was concerned about him.
“I’m fine. I just needed some alone time,” Tony told him.
I do not wish to leave.
That was… interesting. Tony didn’t know that Loki liked being near him.
“I’m worried about you. You’re acting like something is wrong,” Loki said.
Tony didn’t want to lie to him, but he also didn’t want to hurt him. He had no idea how Loki would react when he found out that Tony could hear his thoughts. But Tony also knew that Loki would rather know that it was happening.
“Us mortals, we’re clearly uneducated,” Tony began to explain with a nervous chuckle. “We ate some Waterseed.”
Loki’s eyes widened, clearly knowing the significance of the fruit. “What effect did it have on you?”
“I can read minds,” Tony said quietly.
Oh no.
You have to stop thinking about him.
Does he know?
Stop thinking about him!
“I’m so sorry, Lokes. I promise I didn’t mean to invade your privacy. I can’t control what I hear, which is why I left during dinner,” Tony apologized. He felt so guilty.
Why is he apologizing? It’s not his fault.
Does he know?
Is he angry?
STOP THINKING ABOUT HIM!
“There is no need to apologize, Anthony,” Loki said with his facial expression not showing the panic that was occuring in his mind.
“Who are you thinking about? You must like him a lot.”
Tony didn’t know why he asked. He didn’t have the right to know and he was pretty sure that Loki didn’t want to tell him.
“You haven’t figured it out? I thought that you were a genius,” Loki replied with a smirk.
How does he not know? I have thought about him a lot today.
“You haven’t said his name in your thoughts,” Tony said.
What do I do? What do I say?
“Oh my god, is it Rhodey?” Tony gasped. Rhodey was the only person at dinner besides him and Thor.
“Of course not!” Loki exclaimed.
It’s you, Anthony .
Tony’s mouth opened in shock. It didn’t make sense that Loki could like him that much. Loki was thinking such wonderful things about him and Tony couldn’t believe that those thoughts were about him.
“Oh” Tony said, still in disbelief.
“Anthony, if you don’t feel the same way, I completely understand. I am sorry if I ruined our friendship,” Loki told him, green eyes glued to the floor.
He could never love me back. Not me. He’s too good.
That thought broke Tony’s heart. He was speechless; he didn’t know how he could properly tell Loki that he was the most amazing person in the universe. Tony wanted Loki to feel happy and loved and he wasn’t sure how to do that.
Instead of speaking, Tony balanced on his tippy toes, cupped Loki’s face with his hands, and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. Tony could feel Loki initially stiffen at the contact, but he eventually relaxed and kissed him back.
That was magnificent.
“I don’t understand,” Loki said quietly, blush slightly showing on his cheeks.
“I love you, Loki. I love you so much,” Tony told him, happy that he was finally able to say what he had been feeling for months.
“I love you too,” Loki responded with a warm grin. Tony had never seen him this happy and he couldn’t believe that it was their love for each other that caused it.
Tony let out an amused laugh. “I guess you did ruin our friendship, huh?”
We created something better.