Loki was dying.
At least he had to be, right?
Never in his entire life had he truly felt cold, yet right at this very moment he felt far colder than he'd ever felt in his entire life.
No amount of hot showers or warm cups of tea seemed to help aid in warming him. Not even the nest of warm blankets and thick furs he'd erected in his bedroom seemed to help ease the chill that wracked his frame.
It didn't help matters that his seidr was rebelling against him, casting off his glamour and revealing the peaked, azure skin that lay below.
His head felt swollen, his nose stuffed up and his hearing sensitive. Every time he tried to move or stand the world tilted on its axis, threatening to tilt completely until he sat back down and regained his bearings. He even tried reading a chapter of his favorite book, but couldn't bear the pressure behind his eyes that made them ache and water.
Cursing whatever entity that put this 'curse' on him the trickster god eased deeper into the blankets that surrounded him, a shiver wracking his frame. "JARVIS?" He groaned out as he closed his eyes, a shaky hand scrubbing its way across his face. "Please inform Stark that I will not be joining him in his workshop for today's 'presentation' regarding his newest toys."
Sniffling he let out another groan, tired eyes drifting closed. "I think I'm dying."
"I am afraid Sir is out, Master Laufeyso-," JARVIS began, but cut off for a moment. Just as quickly, JARVIS's voice returned, "Sir will be down momentarily."
Not a few minutes later, there was a light knock on Loki's apartment door, Tony's voice filtering through, "Lo'? JARVIS said you weren't feeling well?"
The door handle to Loki's bedroom turned slowly with a shake and a squeak as he used his magic- or rather what was left of it that behaved- to open the door. "I'm dying, Stark." The god said with a low, pained wail, the back of his hand covering his eyes as he laid bundled beneath blankets and furs that couldn't even keep him warm.
Shivering he rolled onto his side and curled in on himself, his face peeking out from beneath emerald fabric as he looked with watery red eyes towards the Avenger who stood at his door. "M'sorry..." Loki said with a sniffle. "I really wanted to see your newest creation..."
"Hey," Tony cooed, climbing into the bed beside Loki and wrapping himself around him, blankets and all, "That's alright. What's going on, honey? What feels bad?" He lifted his hand to Loki's forehead and winced at the piercing cold that bit at the back of his hand, "Damn, Lo'. You're cold as frostbite..."
Feeling the bed behind him dip Loki shuffled back against the body that stretched out beside his own. Warmth soaked through his blankets, a shiver of joy wracking his frame as he tried to press even closer. "I feel cold... and that shouldn't be possible. " Looking down at his hands his fingertips were near purple, each digit twitching before he shoved them back under the blankets.
"Mortal illnesses do not affect me.. and I have not been to Asgard in..." He tried to count the months before it all grew hazy. In the end he shook his head and gruffed. "A long while. I don't know what could have caused this."
Tony's arms wrapped a little tighter around Loki, but his body went rigid at the mention of 'mortal illnesses'. After a long while, he seemed to remember to breathe and stroked a hand through Loki's hair, gently untangling the snarls in the long locks.
Tony frowned and considered the implications of that. He was also immune to mortal illnesses, but the reactor in his chest made him more susceptible to other types of illness. He hadn't felt off when he returned, no more than usual, anyway, but there were many mortal illnesses that were still contagious; it stood to reason that various infernal illnesses might do so as well.
Loki was also Jotun, not infernal, and so neither of them really had any idea what kinds of ailments native to their respective races might affect the other.
"J, full body scan, please," he called up to the ceiling, only to be silenced by a series of charts projected on the wall of Loki's bedroom. Tony settled his hand over Loki's to further shield the Jotuun's eyes from the light as he looked them over.
"Could it be something I brought back from the Underworld," Tony asked slowly, his heart clenching in his chest at the thought of returning to Loki after a long week away, only to bring something along that might make him sick.
"I had considered such a possibility, Sir. However, upon close examination of the various native contagions housed within your respective bodies and the various mutations of those contagions upon cross contamination, I found no reason to believe that either of you may have passed anything more than a common mortal cold between you. As those pathogens have no noticeable effect on either of you, I have no reason to believe that the common cold may be the cause."
Tony sighed in relief, but couldn't quite calm down, too worried about Loki's state to relax.
"Any ideas, then," Tony asked, leaning his cheek against Loki's as he practically plastered himself to the Jotun beneath him.
"I have reason to believe that this may be a natural part of Jotun physiology, though I cannot be certain without a more in depth analysis of Master Laufeyson," JARVIS responded, apologetic in his inability to give a confident diagnosis, "I do not wish to cause you further discomfort, Master Laufeyson, but I believe that a swab of saliva and a sample of your blood would assist me in this matter."
"Would that require me to leave my bed?" Turning his hand Loki slides his fingers through Tony's own, gently giving his hand a squeeze before sliding his arm down and away from his eyes. Instantly he grimaced at the lights that shone off the holograms, turning to regard the demon currently pressed up behind him with a small frown. "I'm not certain I want to, now that you're here keeping me warm."
"I could get 'em for you," Tony admitted, "Just a Q-tip on the inside of your cheek and a quick prick with a reinforced needle?" He didn't seem particularly keen to disturb Loki, either, but he was equally worried about what was going on with his Jotun lover.
"Shouldn't take more than a few minutes to grab what I need, take the samples, then get 'em back down to the lab for J to assess?"
Loki tightened his blankets around himself, his head flopping back onto his pillow. "Alright." Closing his eyes he sighed noisily through his nose, grimacing at the sound before sniffling. "Just don't be gone long. Please?" Squeezing Tony's hand once more he untangled their fingers, shoving his arm back under the blankets so that he could wrap both arms around himself for warmth.
At some point after Tony's departure Loki had dozed off, the seconds blurring together until a gentle nudge to his shoulder roused him once more. "Hey.. Did you get what you needed?"
"Yeah, all done," Tony murmured, climbing back into the bed and bundling Loki close, his over-warm lips pressing to the back of Loki's freezing neck, "Gonna take a little while for J to get everything sorted out, but I wanted to ask if you were cool with Bruce helping out?"
The kiss to the back of Loki's neck felt divine, a pleasant shiver bolting through him. Snuggling back into Tony's arms the god closed his eyes once more, a soft sigh of content escaping his lips. "You're so warm..." He murmurs, peeking open his eyes before closing them. "And I'd rather not have the others seeing me like this... If that's alright with you?"
"That's fine. I was just gonna ask him for a second pair of eyes on the data, but it's alright, J can figure it out."
Tony continued to kiss feather light along the back of Loki's neck until the giant dozed off again. It wasn't long after that he dipped under the blankets and pressed his bare chest to Loki's back, wrapping around the taller man with a soft sigh of content. Tony blamed Loki's heat for his new found obsession with the Jotun's cool touch, because while the circumstances sucked, Loki felt amazingly tucked up tight against him.
Tony made certain to tuck the blankets in tight around them both and eventually dozed off, soothed by Loki's cool flesh just as much as Loki seemed to be soothed by Tony's over-warm skin.
Some time later, Tony woke to the sound of his phone vibrating. He'd shed his jeans before he climbed into bed with Loki and, not wanting to leave the cocoon he'd secured himself and Loki in, he whispered, "J, divert all business calls to Pep, would ya? Let her know what's up?"
"Of course, sir."
Loki's dreams were a bit.. fitful, to say the least. They were visions of odd, horned beings both a mixture of Jotun and Demon. Just as one flash of images began another one took its place, jolting him out of his slumber with a sharp inhale of breath.
Tony was clinging to his back, the god's skin sweaty to the touch now that he had some actual warmth to keep him company. "Sorry... Did I wake you?" Loki carefully turns in his demonic lover's arms, coming to face him with a sniffle and a small frown.
"Nah, I've been dozing, too," Tony murmured, pressing burnished lips to Loki's forehead.
Tony had reverted to his infernal skin at some point while they both slept and he put out even more warmth than he did in his mortal guise. He was beginning to sweat, but even still, he held Loki tight, "You sleep well?"
"No, I'm afraid not." Loki murmured as he snuggled a bit closer against Tony's form, tired eyes peering up at him through the darkened interior of his bedroom. "I keep having these strange dreams, and I find them quite perplexing..."
Closing his eyes for a moment he then shifts his body, carefully tucking his head under Tony's chin. "I see demons, but I also see Jotuns? Then there's this odd mixture of both and they seem so angry... " Loki trailed off, a shaky breath escaping as a shiver rolled down his spine. "I wish I knew why."
"Sounds like fever dreams," Tony murmured, planting a hand in the middle of Loki's back, stroking over-warm fingers down his spine, "I had them a lot after Afghanistan..." He trailed off and sighed softly, stroking his free hand through Loki's sweat-damp hair, pushing it back from his face and looking into bleary red eyes, "We'll figure out what's going on and we'll fix it, ok?"
Loki felt himself relaxing against Tony's body, his worries melting away the longer the two of them laid together. His head seemed to clear, his stuffy nose turning into runny sniffles the longer the two of them rested together.
"You were gone for much longer this time..." Loki comments after what felt like an eternity, his muddied thoughts clearing up enough for him to speak his feelings. "I thought you weren't going to come back. I was worried you--" Trailing off the god tucked his head tighter against Tony's chest, his fingers stroking along the demon's side.
"Shh, hey," Tony soothed, kissing the top of Loki's head, "You're not gonna get rid of me that easily." He stroked his fingers through Loki's long locks and held him, kissing him as often as he was able and murmuring sweetly to the giant.
At some point they were interrupted by JARVIS's gentle voice, "Sirs, I believe you may wish to see this."
Breathing a comforted sigh of relief Loki smiled and let himself drift, it wasn't until JARVIS's voice crept over the speakers did he lift his head with a hum of curiosity. "What is it, JARVIS?"
"I believe that I may have uncovered the source of Master Laufeyson's illness," JARVIS replied, a nervous hint to his voice.
"Well, don't leave us in suspense, J! How do we get Lokes better," Tony grumbled, pushing himself up on his elbows with a frazzled look on his face.
JARVIS did not respond immediately, instead projecting a new series of charts, most of which seemed to be a vague silhouette of Loki's Asgardian and Jotun skins.
"You see, sirs, after careful assessment of Sir and Master Laufeyson's recent activities, as well as the information I was able to collect from Master Laufeyson's DNA samples, it would appear that Master Laufeyson undergoes a type of physical and emotional ... depression, if you will. This bonding sickness, so to speak, only seems to happen whenever Sir is visiting the Underworld. I believe that Sir's most recent visit, being longer than the usual, may have exacerbated an otherwise unfortunate, but mild, side effect of your recent copulation..."
Loki was quiet as JARVIS spoke, his cheeks tinting purple as he listened to the AI speak. A look was given to Tony, the god's breath hitching in his chest. Searching the demon's gaze he eventually blinked back wayward tears while looking away, a soft sniffle filling the space between them. "I.. was not aware that such a thing was possible. But, I suppose it would make sense."
Sure the signs were less noticeable then than they were now, but it all made sense in the end. "Jotun bond and mate for life, it would make sense that my body is missing yours."
"I... I didn't know that," Tony murmured, shock apparent in the widening of his eyes and the clench of his teeth, "So, you're saying that I'm making Loki sick?"
"In the most literal of senses, I am afraid so, Sir."
Tony's eyes prickled with the wash of fresh tears that welled in his eyes. He blinked rapidly to disperse them and turned to gaze intently at Loki, grief and guilt written clearly across his features, his voice low and absolutely wrecked as he said, "I'm making you sick, Lo'."
"And while that may be the case, sir, it would be remiss of me if I did not also tell you that your presence also seems to be the cure to Master Laufeyson's sickness."
"Oh, sure, that makes me feel better," Tony groaned, dropping his head into his hands.
From where Loki lay the god pushed himself up and onto one of his arms, his brows furrowing as he looked over at Tony while he held his head in his hands. "Do not be distraught, my dear Anthony." Reaching out he gently grabbed one of his lover's wrists. "We had made a deal to keep one another's secrets and to help one another during difficult times. This does not change things for the worse."
Loki's eyes became a little solemn, his attention lowering to his lap. "I know that there are pacts you have that you cannot- will not break. And even if this happens again I will still be respectful of your wishes." Or at least he'd try to be, anyway. Even if it did make him sick to go without his demonic lover for a week or more, Tony would still come back to him, right?
"I-yeah," Tony murmured, dropping his hands and reaching for Loki, his arm looping around the Jotun's shoulders, "Look. I'll try not to be gone so long next time, ok?"
His lips quirked slightly, however, some of the tension easing out of his frame as he leaned in and said, "So, mated for life, huh? Not a bad deal if you ask me..."
Turning into Tony's embrace Loki draped half of his body across his chest, the rest of him curling tight into his side. "Not a bad deal in the slightest." With a sniffle and a smile he sighed and snuggled closer, drawing the blankets up and around the two of them. "You'll just have to put up with me more than you already do." Draping one of his legs over Tony's, the sickly god smiled. "I think I want to sleep more now... Goodnight, Anthony."
"Night, Lo'," Tony murmurs, wrapping the giant up in his arms, blankets and all.
It isn't until later that night, restless and haunted by the thought of Loki suffering because of him, he finds himself in his workshop, fiddling with the new toy he'd wanted to show Loki.
"J, pull up my contracts, please? All of my earthly pacts and the ones from the Underworld, please."
"Shall I place the workshop on lockdown, sir?"
"Yeah, no one in or out until we've worked through this list."
"Of course, sir."
Tony and Loki will return.