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When Tony had made his suit space-proof, it had been to prepare for more alien attacks and possible alien abductions. He had not done it because he had expected to be taken to a different planet, a different world for what was very likely a first date.
“Very likely”, because Tony wasn't actually sure. He wouldn't be surprised if this was just going out as friends. Or a prank. Yes, this was probably a prank. But Tony was at least eighty-seven percent sure that Loki wasn't going to kill him.
Maybe he had just wanted to make Tony retch; a revenge for that time Tony had made the mage eat Surströmming - Loki didn’t like fish, much less fermented fish - , after which Loki had turned slightly green. And just because Tony didn't want to grant him that triumph, he very pointedly didn't retch, even if the thought of hurling the insides of his stomach onto the weird grass-like ground was very alluring. As it turned out, “walking the branches of Yggdrasil” wasn't the best feeling if you weren't used to it, no matter how space-proof one's suit was.
“Are you alright?”, Loki's mildly concerned voice came from somewhere above him.
Tony grunted and nodded. He had bent over while trying to keep his breakfast inside and apparently he'd also grabbed Loki's knee-long coat for support.
“Do you trust me?” , Loki had asked.
And Tony, like the reckless, curious, trusting fool he was, had said, “Yes.”
This was how people got trust issues.
But anyway, Tony wasn't mad at Loki. Not really. They had survived jumping through space and time, Tony was not retching, and they might or might not be having their first date on a planet that was probably hostile.
As far as (hopefully) first dates went, this was easily one of the best ones Tony had ever had.
He grabbed Loki's coat tighter and pulled himself up, and then he glared at his friend. “Could you warn me next time?”
The worried expression faded away immediately, and instead a grin spread out on Loki's face. “I could”, he said cheerfully. “But where would be the fun in that?”
“In my stomach not acting like a rollercoaster, obviously.”
“It would have acted like one either way.”
“ Preparation is the key, Lokes.”
Loki gave him a dry look and then glances down at where Tony's fingers were still grasping his coat. Tony let go immediately and Loki took a step back, like he always did.
“So”, Tony said, filling the silence that had gotten a bit too awkward for his taste. “Is this really another planet or some yet undiscovered spot in Idaho?”
“Does this look like Idaho to you?”
Tony forced himself to look away from the mischievous glint in Loki's eyes and properly took in their surroundings for the first time. They were standing in some sort of field, which stretched far into every direction. There was a weird looking forest in the distance to their right; the trees were incredibly high and their crowns shone purple and blue in the moonlight. The moonlight - it came from one, no, two moons in the vast sky. They were gigantic, one of them barely visible against the darkness of the sky, crescent and faintly blue, the other full and silver. They were hanging low over the horizon, as if they were just rising, and turquoise and purple lights danced over the sky like this planet's version of the aurora borealis.
“I don't know”, Tony said. “Idaho is pretty weird.”
Loki chuckled. “Trust me, it is not Idaho. You can take off your suit, by the way.”
Tony frowned, hesitating, and looked down at himself. “Are you sure?”
“Yes”, Loki said, watching Tony calmly, but expectantly.
“Do you trust me?”
And Tony, being the reckless, curious, trusting fool he was -
The armor bled off his skin and back into its casing. He took a first tentative breath and realized that the air was actually okay to breathe, and the fact that no parts of him were exploding or anything was reassuring, too. Now that his suit was gone, he noticed that he felt incredibly light - there was less gravity here than on Earth, apparently. Tony jumped up and down a few times, too fascinated to feel ridiculous, and beamed when he stayed in the air for a few seconds each time.
“This is awesome ”, he decided, grinning at his friend, and Loki laughed.
“Shall we?”, he asked then, eyes still crinkling with a smile.
“Hmm? Shall we what?”
“I did not take you here so you could enjoy this scenery”, Loki said, rolling his eyes and gesturing vaguely at the field. “I have prepared... another scenery for you to enjoy.”
That sounded like a date, didn't it?
Thank god.
“Okay, sure”, Tony said. “Which direction?”
“Behind the village.” Loki pointed at the forest and jerked his head, motioning for Tony to follow him.
“The what?”
Loki glanced at him and waited until Tony was walking next to him before he repeated, “The village.”
“The forest is a village ?”
Loki nodded and, prompted by Tony's uncomprehending stare, explained, “We are on Alfheimr, the world of the Ljósálfar, the light elves. They live in settlements that resemble forests, just like this one.”
“You mean, like - literal elves?”
“Of course.”
Tony blinked at his friend, then gaped at the not-forest they were slowly approaching. “‘For Sam is going with Mr. Frodo to see the elves’”, he quoted absently. “Oh my god.”
“I hope that is not the only reason you are coming with me”, Loki said dryly.
“No, but it's certainly a bonus now.”
Loki rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. It made Tony grin, and he didn't hesitate to bombard Loki with questions about the honest to god elves . Loki answered them patiently and, like always, seemed pleased by Tony's curiosity. Tony was so busy returning Loki's smiles that he nearly forgot listening to the mage's explanations.
It didn't take long until they reached the village. It turned out that the elves lived in freaking tree houses , and it was awesome. They were kind enough, even though they treated Tony like some animal in a zoo - which he could understand, really; he didn't treat them much different. They didn't have pointy ears, which was a great disappointment.
Before they left the settlement, Loki bought Tony a gift - a big piece of elvish glass, shining in the brightest colors. Tony would make awesome sunglasses out of it and, maybe - doubtlessly - some pretty daggers for Loki. He didn’t tell Loki about that plan, and since Loki never expected to get gifts (no matter how many Tony gave him) the daggers would be an awesome surprise. Tony would use the elvish glass to make the blades, and the handles -
“Anthony.”
“Huh?” Tony looked at Loki, who was watching him with a fondly annoyed expression.
“Where did you go to, hm?”
“Just the workshop”, Tony answered absently, busy with looking around. Loki had led them out of the village while Tony had been lost in thoughts, and behind the not-forest they were some wooded hills. Those trees looked a bit more normal, even though they were a lot more colorful than the trees on Earth.
“Oh.”Loki sounded so defeated that Tony looked at him again, but before he could say anything, Loki continued, “Do you wish to return to Midgard?”
“What? No no, I want to stay here”, Tony hurried to stay. “I was just - thinking. Sorry. I’m fully here now. You wanted to show me something, right?”
Loki looked at him for a moment, probably figuring out whether Tony was being sincere or not. The conclusion Loki came to seemed to please him, because his smile returned, only a bit hesitant. “Yes. We have to make our way up the hills.”
A hiking trip. Tony had never been one of those outdoor freaks, but he knew that Loki was - and, besides, this was a different planet , so discovering some of its nature really wasn’t so bad.
Tony flashed Loki a bright grin. “Let’s go, then.”
He wanted to take Loki’s hand, but Loki began walking just before Tony could touch him, so Tony sighed and simply followed his friend. He asked some more questions about the light elves, and soon Loki was telling him about the magic this planet had to offer, his smile steady and sincere. Tony loved listening to him.
When they arrived at the spot Loki had prepared , Tony was rendered speechless. And that wasn't because the moons had fully risen by now or because he had never seen a sky as clear as this one, it wasn't because of the millions of stars or the fireflies that were dancing around on the little clearing Loki had led him to. No, it was because of the freaking blanket , and the picnic hampers that came along with it.
There were little, ridiculous Loki-helmets on that blanket.
And it was a picnic.
Tony laughed because, firstly, this was definitely a date and, secondly - “My, Lokes. You're a romantic , aren't you?”
Loki didn't find it funny, apparently. He was frowning. “You don't like it”, he said, as if it wasn't at all surprising him. “We can go back to the village and eat there -”
“ No ”, Tony interrupted, shaking his head and still smiling. “No, Loki, this is awesome. And I'm hungry. C'mon on.” He grabbed Loki's arm and pulled him toward the blanket, where they both sat down. Loki withdrew his hand as soon as possible.
Dinner was awesome. Loki had brought the most delicious food and a very good wine - from Vanaheimr, he said - and the conversation flowed effortlessly, easily. It was probably the most romantic date Tony had ever been on, what with the picnic and fireflies and stars and stuff, and oddly enough, he liked it. Loved it, even. But that didn’t have anything to do with the date itself, probably, but with Loki.
All things that made Tony happy had a lot to do with Loki, lately.
Tony was ridiculously full when they were done eating, and somehow he ended up lying on his back in the grass - he had teased Loki a bit too much and had been playfully shoved as a result, which was why he was lying in the grass instead of on the blanket. Tony was still laughing and he didn’t mind that it was getting colder and darker - the fireflies had disappeared by now -, he didn’t mind at all. As far as he was concerned, they could stay here the whole night.
To his surprise, Loki joined him, lying down next to him. He was grinning, too, and Tony really wanted to kiss him - or just touch him, maybe, but he was scared of being pushed away. This might have been a date, but Loki wasn’t comfortable with being touched, Tony knew.
“They call it ‘the Silver Fox’”, Loki said suddenly, his voice quiet.
Tony was still a little breathless from laughing, but he turned his head to Loki and asked, “What?”
Loki smiled at him briefly before looking up at the sky again. “There. Do you see it?”
“No… ?”
The mage chuckled and shuffled a bit closer to Tony, taking care that not even their shoulders touched. He lifted his hand and showed Tony where to look, his fingers tracing the lines of stars. “There.”
Tony was still breathless, but it wasn’t from laughing anymore. He swallowed thickly, trying to look at the stars instead of at Loki. Being so close to his friend made him dizzy, and hell, they weren’t even touching.
“I see it”, he got out, and he did see it. He couldn’t not see it when the stars Loki meant lit up, probably because Loki made them light up.
It was a constellation - Tony didn’t know why they called it “fox”, because it didn’t really look like one. But then the Greater Bear didn’t really look like a bear, either, did it? But he guessed that, with a little fantasy, he could see a fox somewhere up there… maybe.
“So they have foxes here?”, Tony asked, and Loki chuckled again.
“You could say that, yes. The animal in question is very similar to the foxes you know.”
“Ah”, Tony made, because he didn’t know what to say.
“It’s only really visible every few centuries”, Loki said softly. “No human has seen it before.”
Tony looked at Loki. “It’s beautiful”, he said, his tone earnest. “Thank you.”
Loki smiled - Tony wanted to kiss his dimples - and looked away from Tony, up at the sky. “It is also said”, he added after a moment, “that she grants wishes.”
“She?”
“Yes. The Ljósálfar tell a story about these stars”, Loki explained. “There was an elf, once. Her name was Ljósrävya, and she was so kind to nature that both Nið and Máni - the two moons of Alfheimr - fell in love with her.” He glanced at Tony, smiling. “They offered to make her the Goddess of Stars, but she did not care for that, and she didn’t love either of them back. What she wanted was to stay on Alfheimr for all her life. While Máni accepted her decision, Nið grew dark with grief, due to her broken heart. She lured the elf up into the skies and forced her to stay there. But Ljósrävya fled, and she fell down to Alfheimr in a shooting star.” Loki was silent for a moment, then said, “She did not survive her fall. Her people buried her in the deepest forest of Alfheimr. In memory of her, Máni spoke to the stars and had them change their constellations. This”, Loki pointed up at the stars, “is a picture of her.”
Tony swallowed. “That’s a sad story”, he said quietly.
“She did not get her wish”, Loki replied. “But, according to the Ljósálfar, she lives in those stars, and she will watch over Alfheimr as long as it exists.”
“And she grants wishes?”
Loki nodded.
“What kind of wishes?”
“Any”, Loki said, turning his head to look at Tony. “She is generous, and she doesn’t judge.”
Tony grinned and rolled onto his side, propping himself up on his elbow. “And, have you wished for something yet?”
Loki rolled his eyes and averted his eyes again, but Tony could see a bit of red tinting the god’s pale cheeks. It made Tony smile, but he knew better than to tease Loki.
“I won’t judge, either”, he said instead.
Loki looked at him and swallowed, seemingly uncertain. When he eventually spoke, his voice was so quiet that Tony barely understood him. It was just one word and it didn’t really make sense, so Tony was sure that he hadn’t understood Loki - he hadn’t just said “touch” , had he?
Before Tony could hold himself back he asked, rather dumbly, “What?”
Loki’s ears were definitely red now, and he sat up so abruptly that it startled Tony. “Nothing”, Loki said, his voice clipped. “Forget it. Would you like more wine? I think I -”
He broke off when Tony sat up as well and put his hand on Loki’s shoulder. The touch was tentative, but Loki still sucked in a sharp breath and he tensed. He didn’t shrug Tony’s hands off like he usually did, though.
“Loki”, Tony said softly, letting his hand wander over Loki’s back to his other shoulder. The leather felt good beneath his fingertips. “You could have just asked. If you wanted me to touch you.”
Loki didn’t reply. He ducked his head, his hands clasped in his lap, and didn’t even look at Tony.
“Or, you know”, Tony continued. “Just let me touch you. Because I do it all the time. Or try to, anyway.”
“I know”, Loki whispered. “I know. ”
“Why don’t you?”, Tony asked carefully. “Let me, I mean.”
Loki took a quivering breath and lifted his shoulders, helpless. After a long pause he said, “I want … too much.”
Okay.
See, the thing was - Tony was a pretty tactile person. He touched everything. And everyone. It was like his eyes didn’t believe what they saw when his fingers couldn’t touch it, sometimes - and he liked to know that his friends, the people he cared about, were actually there. And since he sucked at telling people that he liked them, he touched them a lot. As soon as he actually trusted somebody, they were hugged at least twice a day.
And Loki was not a tactile person. He had flinched back the first time Tony had wanted to touch him and actually snarled at anybody else who even tried it. So Tony had gave his best not to touch him, but he didn’t always manage. He had thought that Loki simply didn’t want or like to be touched, but apparently… Apparently things were a bit different than they seemed.
Tony looked at his friend - not just his friend, at the man he was in love with , and wondered what to do. “You want me to touch you?”, he asked eventually.
Loki huffed a joyless, quiet laugh and nodded, without looking at Tony. “Yes.”
“That’s not wanting too much, Lo”, Tony told him, squeezing his shoulder. “I want to touch you, too.”
Loki’s eyes snapped back to him, wide. Tony smiled at him.
“Otherwise I wouldn’t try to do it all the time, you know.”
Loki blinked as if that was actually news to him. He turned his body toward Tony to look at him properly, but he didn’t manage to hold Tony’s gaze. He took another deep breath. “I do not remember the last time I was touched by someone who -” He broke off, swallowed, then continued, “Someone who didn't wish to harm me. Before you, that is. When you started trying… ” Again, he stopped, and this time he didn't finish the sentence. “I do not just want… simple touches”, he said instead. “I want -”
He trailed off again.
“Yes?”
“You. Just… you.”
Tony’s smile widened, and he felt so giddy that he couldn’t keep his hands in check. He reached out and put them on Loki’s chest, grasping his lapels to pull him closer. They nearly toppled over, but Tony didn’t care.
“That’s good, then”, he said. “Because I want you , too.”
Loki’s breath caught in his throat, Tony could hear it, and his eyes widened even more. Before he could say anything, Tony kissed him - and Loki gasped and melted into it, his trembling hands finding their way to Tony’s shoulders. It didn’t last long, and when Tony pulled away, Loki reluctantly blinked his eyes open.
Tony grinned and stroked Loki’s cheek, then carded his fingers through the soft, black hair. He watched as Loki’s eyes fluttered shut again, wrapped his arms around Loki when he leaned into the touch. They ended up lying in the grass again, with Tony running his hands over any part of Loki’s body he could reach, slowly and gently. Loki curled into him, his nose buried in Tony’s neck, and held onto him as tightly as he could.
Loki murmured something in a language Tony couldn’t understand. Tony brushed his - lover’s? Boyfriend’s? Whatever. He brushed Loki’s hair out of his face and squinted down at him. “What was that, sweetheart?”
Loki huffed and pressed even closer. “Thank you”, he murmured into the skin of Tony’s neck. “I said thank you.”
“No need, Loki.”
“I was not talking to you.”
The teasing tone made Tony snort. He tugged at Loki until he lifted his head and Tony could kiss him again, which, yes. Good. Fantastic.
They had jumped through space and time. Tony had not retched. This planet was apparently not that hostile, and they seemed to have the blessing of a constellation of stars that might or might not have been a person once.
Definitely the best first date Tony had ever had.
