Work Text:
What the hell was his life that actual 'Gods' started bonding in front of him? They were in the middle of an Invasion of New York and the entire world if the enemy army succeeded in taking over New York and Gibbs had stupidly run directly towards danger. This time in the direction of the super villain God actively leading the invasion.
To make matters worse, when Tony tried to follow him and cover his six, he ended up with a front row seat to Gibbs bonding to the enemy complete with kissing. What the fuck was even happening here?
Gibbs may have had a few screws loose ever since the events that led to his vacation in Mexico, but he would never bond with someone truly evil. Tony found himself forced to try to talk sense into not only the Avengers, but SHIELD as well. He was going to kill Gibbs for this, just as soon as it wouldn't result in a vengeful God on his ass.
Everyone wanted to take Loki into custody. His brother Thor wanted to take him back to Asgard. Tony absolutely refused. He had no idea what would happen to Loki on Asgard, but he wasn't about to let his boss go to another world and he knew damn well that Gibbs would go anywhere Loki did now.
They hadn't initiated a full bond, but whatever the two of them had done involved some seriously fancy pyrotechnics or flashy lights or something. He was pretty sure that all of New York had seen it. This was only going to add to the collection of clips about Gibbs on short video sharing services that gave the world a bad impression of him.
Tony sidled closer to Gibbs who had his arms wrapped around the chaos God, who looked a little worse for wear and very confused. "What exactly is your plan, Gibbs?"
"Rule 40, DiNozzo."
"Right, Boss. You take care of your guide. I'll cover you. Call me if you need anything."
"A large number of food supplies would be good," Loki muttered.
"Of course, Boss' boss."
"Hm. I think I like that title."
Tony hoped that was a good thing. Deciding that the best thing to do was distract the various law enforcement agencies and Avengers to give his boss and his new mate time to escape, Tony suggested, "Shouldn't someone take care of the invading Army? We've got the leader, but the rest of them are still coming." Tony pointed at the sky.
There was a lot of cursing and SHIELD and the Avengers both scattered. Tony smirked and followed behind Gibbs and Loki. Tony honestly had no idea where they planned to bond. Gibbs had just kind of taken off for New York driving as fast as he could. They didn't have a hotel or anything. Tony wondered if the God of Lies had his own place on Earth that they would go to or if they'd drive back to Gibbs' house or what.
He fully intended to do a grocery run and then set himself up nearby wherever they settled down. He needed to talk to Gibbs and Loki both. Actually, Blair would probably want to talk to them too. Tony should let his guide know about this disaster.
"I already know, Tony."
"I keep telling you that's creepy, Blair," Tony protested.
"You're the only one who can hear me."
"Doesn't make it any less creepy."
"How else am I supposed to talk to you over long distances?" Blair wondered.
"My cell phone?"
"You know those things are bad for my zen."
Tony shook his head. "Did you need something?"
"Just letting you know that we're already aware."
"So Jim is there with you?"
"Yep. We're not close enough to New York to help out with anything other than the spirit plane though," Blair admitted.
"That's fine. SHIELD and the Avengers have the invasion under control or at least I hope they do. I've got Gibbs and Loki."
"Reach out to me if you need help."
Tony rolled his eyes at the mother-henning. "I will, my Guide. Don't worry."
"Don't try to be stoic. I can make you regret it even from here."
"Yeah. Yeah. I got it. I'll be fine. I'm not sure what's up with the God, but he seems incredibly docile."
"Don't let him fool you. He is in a considerable amount of pain," Blair warned.
"What are we talking about here? Physical? Emotional? Both?"
"A significant amount of both."
Tony groaned. "Oh God. He was tortured wasn't he?"
"Pretty sure, Tony."
"How the fuck do you find out these things, Blair? You're not even here."
Blair chuckled. "But you are and what's yours is mine, remember?"
"I didn't think that applied to things like this."
"If I were anything other than a shaman, it wouldn't."
"What the hell does that even mean, Blair?" Tony demanded.
"I don't think I have time to explain it. You will have to help Gibbs and Loki navigate bonding."
"Why?"
"Because Loki doesn't know the first thing about it as he was adopted at a young age and those who adopted him have no concept of Sentinel or Guide," Blair explained.
"What the hell? Then how is he able to bond."
"His people have the ability, but he was never trained. He will need a lot of help. The bond with Gibbs will allow him to free his mind, which should allow him to reach the spirit realm where I can train him more myself."
"Aw. Fuck." Tony buried his head in his hands. "This is going to come back to bite us in some manner, isn't it?"
"No more than any of your other crazy choices do."
"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"
"Because there's a war going on and even if the Avengers manage to clear the army on Earth, there's no guarantee that the instigator won't try again," Blair answered shrewdly.
"I still can't believe Aliens are real."
"I could have told you that if you had asked."
"And how do you know that?" Tony prompted.
"Let's just say that the spirit realm doesn't only connect to people on Earth."
"What?!"
"It's not something most people realize," Blair assured. "Really only shamans have the ability to see people from other planets, but it does exist."
"Crap. Does that mean you can see whoever is the leader of the army?"
"No. He is blocked to my vision, being neither sentinel nor guide."
Tony wasn't sure if he was glad there were limits or worried about what that meant for them in the future. "And what do you mean Loki has to free his mind?"
"The process has already started, but you mustn't let him fall into Asgard's hands. They won't treat him right. They will blame him for this and while he does hold some fault, he isn't truly in his right mind which is largely their fault."
Tony growled. This was getting so far beyond what he considered normal and he didn't like any of what he was hearing. "What the hell is Asgard?"
"It's another world."
"Eh?" That really didn't answer Tony's question.
"Don't worry about it. I only mention it because one of the Avengers is from there and believes Loki to be his brother."
"So I need to stop this guy from taking his brother back? Or they're not really brothers? Or what?"
"His name is Thor. They aren't really brothers, but at the same time they are. He is part of Loki's adopted family," Blair corrected.
"The ones who didn't teach him how to be a guide?"
"Correct, but remember that's because they don't know about such things."
"Right. This is going to be a disaster. I can tell that already." Tony just knew that his life would never be the same after this. Really? Aliens?
"Be strong my Anthony. You can handle it. Don't forget you can call on my power if you need it."
"Yeah. Yeah. You need to go help Jim now, don't you?"
"In a bit," Blair murmured.
"Fine. Go take care of your sentinel. I'll see what I can do for Gibbs and Loki. Hopefully this won't blow up in my face too badly."
"You'll be fine. You already know everything you need to."
Tony scoffed. "Easy for you to say. You love all this mystical stuff."
"Just relax. There's nothing to worry about," Blair soothed.
Tony snorted. "I'll try."
"Go find Gibbs and Loki now. They probably need to say the words."
"Right. Gibbs and words are going to work well."
"You can handle it, my Anthony."
Tony sighed. He really had no idea how he ended up in situations like this. Grabbing a bunch of food that would be easy for Gibbs and Loki to partake of during their bonding, Tony paid for the snacks and pinged Gibbs' cellphone to find out where he and Loki were before joining them there.
"This isn't working." Gibbs growled.
"And it's my fault is it?"
The God of Mischief's tone practically rang with hurt and pain. It was obvious to Tony that he expected to be blamed for everything and since that was generally what Gibbs did, he could only cringe. Deciding that he needed to step in, Tony interrupted, "No, it's not. You need to complete the bonding and then Blair will be able to help Loki get his powers under control and explain everything."
"We don't need help, DiNozzo!"
Tony rolled his eyes. "There is a lot about this situation that you don't understand, Gibbs, and taking it out on your guide isn't going to help anything you selfish prick of a grade A bastard sentinel."
"I can take care of myself. I am not some damsel in distress," Loki countered.
Tony sighed. "That's so not the point. Neither of you know each other, which is fine and normal even, but until you bond you won't have the sense of what the other person really means and will both end up accidentally or on purpose insulting the other because you're feeling out of your depth. Now, let me help you bond. I've been through this with Blair. I know what you need to do."
"Since when are you an expert on bonding?"
"Do you forget that I'm bonded to the Alpha Prime Guide of North America, Gibbs? Anything I don't know, Blair can tell me. Trust me, he's already given me an earful about the situation."
Loki looked intrigued. "You can help us?"
"Yes. You successfully triggered the start of the bond with your instincts, but to complete it, you must be willing to let your instincts take over and most complete the ritualistic phrases. In other words, you both need to stop fighting and say what comes to you naturally."
Loki adopted a stunned look. "You can not be serious."
"I'm afraid so. I know it's not easy. Believe me I fought the instincts when it happened to me too. I was confused about what was happening and wasn't inclined to trust anyone or anything, but it has to happen or the bond will never settle and you will both be in a constant state of frayed emotions. Now, if you would please take each other's hands and speak from the heart, we can get this finished." Tony set the food down on the table in the room they'd procured.
Loki looked wary as he glanced between Tony and Gibbs, his sentinel. Tony could tell that Loki had never truly trusted anyone in his life. Given what Blair had told him, he couldn't really blame the God either.
"I've brought food for you as once you enter the stage of getting to know each other, you will pay very little attention to much else, but you'll still need to keep up your strength." Tony nodded to the food on the table as he put the drinks and any perishable food into the fridge to keep cool. "I'll leave the room once I know you've successfully completed the preparatory steps and have moved onto the final stage, but I will be just outside the room to make sure no one disturbs you and if either of you need anything just let me know."
"And what do you expect in return for this generosity?" Loki narrowed his eyes, the look one that indicated he knew nothing came free.
"Nothing. Gibbs is my boss. He'd expect nothing less. Not to mention my Guide, Alpha Prime of North America, would have my hide if I didn't help out with guides and sentinels in distress."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Who said anything about distress?" Gibbs protested.
"Not everything is about you, Gibbs." Tony nodded his head in Loki's direction.
"How do you know this?" Loki pressed. "I have practiced for many years to control my face and you are not a guide to be able to sense things you should not."
"I am not a guide, but my guide is a Shaman and they can do many things that should not be possible. I don't understand how it works myself."
"That's unsettling," Loki murmured, but he turned back to Gibbs and held out his hands.
Wonder of wonders, Gibbs actually clasped Loki's hands and started the ritual conversation, "Guide."
"Sentinel," Loki breathed.
From there the words started pouring out of them and Tony knew that they no longer needed his help. He quickly stepped outside. As much as his curiosity sometimes got the better of him, bonding was private. He knew he wouldn't want anyone to have seen his initial bonding or hear the words spoken that weren't part of the bond and he respected Gibbs enough to give him that.
Tony would like to rent the nearby room for himself, but he knew better than that. He may be a sentinel, and one of the more powerful ones at that, but that didn't mean he could afford to relax. Even if Jim were here to help cover, with everything Tony had learned today, he didn't trust it to be enough. He needed to be prepared to enter Gibbs and Loki's room at the slightest hint of trouble, though preferably him standing in front of their door would prevent any trouble from getting to them, but Tony knew there were always more than one way into a room, so he couldn't afford to step away from the door as any extra response time could be the end of Loki or Gibbs or someone else.
He had enough friends in the city that it was easy enough to get someone to bring him food while he kept watch. He knew that Blair said that they were too far away to help with the invasion, but Tony hoped they were at least making their way towards New York and Tony. He really didn't want to handle this alone.
"You are never alone, Tony."
"I know, Blair. I know. You don't need to creepily stalk my thoughts to remind me."
Blair chuckled. "You know I worry about you. I'm not about to let you stew in worry if I can do something about it."
"I love you too, Blair."
"We aren't headed your way. The invasion happening in New York is only one of the possible world-shaking events happening. We need to stay where we are, but I'm always with you and you know as well as I do that you can draw on my power if you need it to help defend Gibbs and Loki."
"I do. Thank you, Blair. I miss you and Jim."
"We miss you too, but you're right where you need to be, same with us."
"Yeah, I know. It just sucks," Tony complained.
"Agreed, but it's the life we were dealt and we shall prosper in it."
"Thanks, Blair. You better get back to whatever you were doing. As much as I love how much attention you pay to me, there's not actually anything of concern happening here."
"Oh I beg to differ, Gibbs bonding to an alien will be of great consequence."
"Yeah. I'm expecting SHIELD to show up at any moment."
Blair hummed. "Actually, I believe they are already there."
"Fuck. Really? Where?"
"I believe they have a sniper? or archer? - I'm getting weird impressions of him - posted right outside the standard sentinel boundaries."
"No matter how many times you do that, it's still creepy. Can you tell if the person is focused on Gibbs and Loki or if they're focused on me?"
"For now, they seem to be watching you. I think that they plan to try and get to Gibbs and Loki as soon as you take a break."
"Lovely," Tony commented dryly. "Well at least my paranoia is validated."
Blair snorted. "I believe if you dial up your senses you can get a lock on them."
"No. It's better if they think I'm unaware of them for now. I don't want to do anything that they might be able to sense."
Tony closed his eyes and leaned against the door to Gibbs' room. It made it easier for him to hear inside and harder to keep the noises that Gibbs and Loki were making out of his senses, but it would work to portray that he was letting his guard down even if he wasn't. He hoped that it would lure SHIELD or the Avengers or anyone else after Gibbs and Lok out when Blair was relatively unoccupied with more pressing matters, but only time would tell.
Tony took turns alternating between appearing to be vigilant and appearing to be resting. Normally, he would have made sure that he didn't appear to have any sort of schedule, but frankly if someone was going to attack, he'd prefer it to be while Tony was there. Gibbs was a force to be reckoned with and Tony suspected that his new guide would be even worse and he definitely didn't want to see what kind of destruction they would wroth if they were interrupted while bonding.
Contrary to popular belief, Sentinels and Guides weren't actually the most vulnerable during their initial bonding. In fact, they were more dangerous while bonding as it was a heck of a lot easier to trigger an empathic event in a guide and while mundanes may believe that Sentinels were the more dangerous of the two, a pissed off guide was actually far more damaging than a pissed off sentinel in general. Unless a guide was very careful, one would not recover from the mental trauma received, whereas sentinels simply used physical violence which was far more likely to not be fatal or permanent.
No, if one wanted to hit a sentinel and guide pair when they were most vulnerable, it was best to do it when the pair was denying that they had a bond or when the pair was separated. Though, even those rules varied greatly. For instance, he'd spent many years with miles of distance between him and Blair who lived with Jim in cascade and it didn't have the same effect of making them vulnerable that it normally would. Part of that was because Blair was the Shaman of North America, but most of it was due to the fact that they'd all specifically practiced their abilities to stay connected and buffer each other over such long distances. Like everything, it simply took practice and the more you did it, the easier it became.
Tony was starting to get complacent after no one had shown up for two days. It would be at least another two days before Gibbs and Loki would emerge, but it could be as much as another week or more. So of course, SHIELD chose that time to make a move. Just because he hadn't dialed up his senses to find the sniper or archer or whatever Blair said was there, didn't mean he wouldn't feel someone entering his territory. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," Tony warned, raising his voice so that it could be heard anywhere in his territory. It was a neat trick that he'd picked up from Blair one time when they were actually in the same location for once.
The person heading towards Gibbs and Loki looked around in surprise and Tony smirked. He may be a simple sentinel, but it was never wise to underestimate him. He'd beaten the plague, after all.
Tony noted that the person didn't stop despite his warning. He wondered if this was the sniper or archer that Blair had sensed or someone else. Ultimately, he guessed it didn't matter though if it wasn't the archer or sniper, he would need to be prepared to deal with multiple people and not just this one.
"Everything ok, Tony?" Blair interrupted his musings.
"Peachy," Tony muttered sarcastically. "I may need your powers depending on how hostile this person or persons ends up being."
"That's fine. We don't have anything too draining going on right now, so whatever you need."
"Thanks, Blair. I warned them away, but they're still coming, so we'll see what exactly that means in a bit." Tony chuckled mirthlessly.
"You got this, Anthony."
Tony closed his eyes, feeling the warmth and reassurance Blair was pushing at him and letting it fortify him for the upcoming battle if there was going to be one. He pulled out a knife and his gun both. While he wouldn't shoot first and ask questions later, it always paid to be prepared and you never knew if the gun or knife would be more effective in battle.
"State your business," Tony demanded when he felt the other getting close enough that he would be visible to them. While this was a public hotel, Tony knew that it wasn't just any other guest. His sentinel senses couldn't tell him intent, but they could identify direction and heading and elevated heart rate among many other indicators that made it clear this person was ready for a fight and not just another guest.
"We're here to take Gibbs and Loki into custody."
"I don't think so. Gibbs is a decorated Marine and has served his country as an NCIS agent for years. You are not taking him into custody."
"Who is currently bonding to a known criminal," the government drone insisted.
"Whoa. Hold up there. I have it on good authority that there is more to Loki's situation than we know. Let's not go condemning him, yet."
"He led an alien army here."
"And if he was brainwashed or otherwise forced to do so, he wouldn't be at fault and thus would not be a criminal, but a victim." Tony glared.
"You don't really believe that."
"Actually, I do. One, Gibbs is as law abiding as they come and would not shack up with someone lacking in morals. Two, my guide, you may know him as the Alpha Prime of North America, flat out told me this guy was tortured."
"Well. That can all be sorted out once they're in custody."
Tony crossed his arms. "As I said, that's not happening. They are under Sentinel and Guide protection. They do not fall under your jurisdiction anymore."
"We will take them by force if we have to."
"You can try." Tony smirked.
"You are one Sentinel. What can you do?"
Tony's eyes darkened and a truly malicious look crossed his face. "Underestimate at your peril, but you may want to consider the fact that a literal alien God considers me to be suitable protection before trying something."
Tony watched the agents exchange glances, but he could tell they weren't going to listen. With a sigh, he pulled on the string that would let him borrow some of Blair's powers. His sentinel powers alone could do a lot of damage, but with Blair's added to the mix, he was practically unstoppable.
He wasn't interested in hurting anyone, but if they forced his hand. He would do whatever he needed to. "Would you like a demonstration as to why you don't want to take me on? I'd be happy to demonstrate on a volunteer if you'd like."
"And let you take us out one by one? I don't think so."
Tony snorted. "I figured taking out one was better than taking out all, but you do you. I guess either way you'll be returning with your tail between your legs like the naughty puppy dogs you are. Maybe that will teach SHIELD not to stick its nose where it doesn't belong."
Needless to say, they weren't impressed and immediately attacked Tony as a group. If they were sentinels, Tony might have been worried, but even then they probably didn't stand a chance so long as he had access to Blair's power. The whole Shaman thing apparently let them all pool their power together and was pretty damn powerful.
Tony didn't actually want to harm them, however, so he kept the powers from Blair light and to the point. Using them simply to knock people unconscious periodically instead of hitting their pulse points to do it. Eventually he stopped and looked around. There'd only been four of them and really it had been too easy. He pondered if he should call someone for cleanup.
"Don't worry, Anthony. Jim already called the appropriate authorities. They should be there in thirty minutes, an hour at most."
"Thanks, Blair." Tony let go of the guide powers and let them return to Blair where they belonged. Fuck was he tired. Doing that took so much more energy than using his normal sentinel gifts, but sometimes it was necessary. Tony really hoped that after this SHIELD would keep their head out of Gibbs and Loki's business, at least until the bonding was complete and the two could decide what to do about the situation they found themselves in.
A few sentinels and guides Tony recognized headed his way. He waved and gestured at the men at his feet. They smiled and carted them off, telling Tony they'd make sure they were dealt with appropriately and to give their best to Gibbs, Blair, and Jim. Tony thanked them and agreed to pass on their well wishes. He didn't bother telling Blair or Jim as he knew Blair would have picked up on it as soon as they said it.
Fortunately, there were no other interruptions before Loki and Gibbs emerged from their bonding. They were both looking a lot better than when they went in. "Hey Guys. Fully bonded."
"Yes. Though, I still don't understand what exactly just happened," Loki murmured.
"You and me, both. I suspect there will be many debriefings in your future," Tony muttered. "Did you meet up with Blair and receive the training you needed?"
"Yes, though he suggested that additional training sessions would not be remiss, but honestly so far it has worked much like my magic always has."
Tony nodded. "That's good."
Gibbs grunted. "We'll be at my house if you need us."
"You know that's the first place they're going to look, right? SHIELD was pretty damn unhappy that I wouldn't let them take you. I'm betting you'll get a visit from at least one government drone if you return to somewhere you're so easily found."
"You let me worry about that."
"We will be fine, Anthony. Thanks for watching over us."
Tony watched Gibbs and Loki walk away and wished not for the first time that he lived closer to Blair.
"You can come for a visit if you want, my Anthony," Blair offered.
"I just might have to take you up on that if it gets any crazier over here." Mostly Tony wanted a good night's sleep, right now. It had been a long four days. He was glad that Loki and Gibbs hadn't needed longer, but there were so many unanswered questions that he really didn't know where to start.
"Sleep, Tony. We can talk about it in the morning," Blair whispered in his mind.
Right. Tony would like to be at home in his own bed, but he knew he was too tired to make it there safely. He checked into the hotel instead. Tomorrow would come too soon as it was.
Tony wished he could say he woke up feeling refreshed, but the truth was he woke up with a headache. Still there was only so much he could do. He tossed back some painkillers and checked out before returning to his apartment in DC.
He couldn't help contemplating what would happen now. Was Loki going to join NCIS? He just couldn't see that working for some reason, but he also couldn't imagine Gibbs leaving NCIS.
Maybe he should take Blair and Jim up on the offer to move in with them and just not worry about the fallout from his boss bonding with the alien leader of an actual invasion. Tony could handle a lot and keep on coming, but this situation might just be his hard limit.
After hours of driving, Tony finally parked in his parking spot and climbed out of the car, heading for the stairwell. Even though he'd slept some he was still horrendously tired. Yes, sentinels could continue to function properly for days or even weeks with little or no sleep if they needed, but it took a toll and could not go on forever.
Opening the door to his apartment, Tony almost cried out in relief when he saw Blair and Jim in his apartment. "I missed you guys so much. You have no idea."
Tony moved quickly into Blair's embrace, wrapping his arms around the sandy haired anthropologist and letting down all his walls as he let himself be held and supported in person. Jim joined them pulling both Blair and Tony into his embrace. Tony felt a few tears slip out onto Blair's shoulder, but he knew the other men would never say anything about it.
He finally felt like he was home. He couldn't believe Blair and Jim had come all this way for him, but it meant the world to him to know that they had. Now if only the rest of the world could fuck off and just let the three of them have some time to rebuild their bond, Tony would greatly appreciate it. He felt the world owed him one after having his boss literally go tearing out of a debriefing about the New York situation just to get to his bonded, who was the alien leader of it all. He really hoped that just this once, the world wouldn't try to screw him over when he least needed it to.