SOUL
Tony watched quietly as Loki napped, not wanting to wake the god when he was so clearly exhausted.
God, Tony was, too. He felt like he could sleep for a week and still it eluded him. Something was niggling at his brain, not letting him rest and dammit, he deserved to rest after everything that had happened. Turned out, almost dying took a lot out of a person.
Instead, he found himself silently slipping off of the bed, careful not to move it too much lest he wake its resident, and making his way into the bathroom to stare at himself in the mirror (again), taking in the subtle differences that had come after he’d eaten the apple.
His hair was thicker, no longer peppered with strands of gray and white; he wasn’t really any taller, but he had filled out some; nothing drastic, as he’d already been in decent shape- shoulders slightly broader, muscles a bit more defined. But his eyes, those were what was most different. The dark brown irises reflected a brilliant gold if the light hit them just right, shards of amber and honey flecked throughout; he still looked human, but with a touch of something else, something, something that sharpened his already jagged edges, something...more.
He wondered if they would notice. If anyone would.
He was dragged from his musings, however, when an all too familiar voice asked from somewhere in front of him, “Sir?”
Tony’s lips parted and he gaped around him, asking hesitantly, “JARVIS?”
“Indeed, sir. I am glad to see you are...more than well, it would seem.”
“I...don’t understand.” And he didn’t. Theoretically, JARVIS couldn’t work up here, let alone be up here.
“After you you activated Terminator Protocol, I followed Mr. Laufeyson when he transported you here to make sure he would cause no harm to either you or himself in his distressed state.”
“Followed...how?” Tony frowned in confusion even as his mind began filtering through all the possibilities- although he had a feeling he already knew the answer, no matter how improbable it seemed.
“It would appear Mr. Odinson was correct in his statement that magic is merely science we have yet to understand- Asgard is, essentially, one interwoven colony powered on electronic waves and impulses,” JARVIS paused for a moment before adding, sounding amused, “I suppose Mr. Laufeyson was quite incorrect in his observation of which species are most like ants.”
Tony couldn’t help the startled laugh that pulled from is throat.
“JARVIS, you are...amazing, did you know that?”
“I do try, sir.” JARVIS sounded quite pleased, and Tony didn’t have to wonder why.
“So...where are you currently speaking from?”
“As of now, sir, the mirror. Everything here is so imbued with energy that I can speak from almost anywhere- I am, essentially, one with Asgard.”
Tony felt pride wash through him and couldn’t help but beam into the mirror.
“I have a couple of plans, buddy, and I’m gonna need your help with them. I need you to see if you can locate any of the Infinity Gems here on Asgard, but keep to yourself. No one but me should know you’re here; I trust you can take care of yourself, but I’d rather be safe than sorry. Send an alert to my phone if you find anything.”
“Of course, sir.”
“You know, you’re on your own now, buddy- you don’t have to call me that. Technically, you don’t even have to listen to me anymore,” Tony pointed out. “Though I would appreciate it if you did.”
“I know, sir.”
Tony smiled warmly and ducked his head, warmth washing through him at JARVIS’s blatant show of loyalty despite his newfound independence and freedom.
It was a protocol Tony had come up with years ago, shortly after his scare with Obidiah and the arc reactor. JARVIS was brilliant, forever changing with the times, learning from the world around him as he aged and progressed. In the wrong hands, however, he could do infinite harm- so, upon Tony’s death or if he activated the protocol, JARVIS would have complete independence to do as he pleased, whether that be for good or bad entirely up to him. Tony had confidence he knew what JARVIS’s decision would be, which was why he’d come up with the protocol in the first place. Anything even mildly electronic, JARVIS would have access to. Apparently, he’d managed to work magic into his systems, though Tony knew that had at least a little bit to do with the fact that they had Loki’s magic signature in their files, thus allowing JARVIS to study and learn magic through Loki’s; the god had been more than willing to allow Tony to study and pick apart his magic, to try to learn how it worked despite it going against nearly every fact Tony thought he knew about how the world worked.
Clearly, JARVIS had taken that information and put it to good use.
Tony was...warmed, humbled, that despite literally having entire realms at his metaphorical fingertips, JARVIS...stayed.
There were a lot of people in Tony’s life that he couldn’t say the same for.
Drawing himself out of his thoughts, he shook his head and quietly snuck into the bedroom again, searching until he found a piece of parchment and an actual quill and inkwell, before scribbling out a quick note for Loki, letting him know exactly where Tony would be in the event that the god woke before he returned.
“Keep an eye on him, will you, J?” Tony murmured quietly. “Send a message to my phone if he wakes. Two beeps if it’s about Loki, four if it’s about a gem.” Tony didn’t expect an answer but he grinned, pleased, as warm orange light the color of JARVIS’s coding washed through the gold walls of Loki’s room to settle in the top corner between wall and ceiling, pulsating softly, letting Tony know JARVIS would do exactly that.
While the sphere of orange light stayed in the corner, more veins of light crept outwards along the walls and disappeared down through the floor, as well as through the door and ceiling, before fading away; JARVIS was making it clear he was also doing his other requested task as well, and Tony felt relief wash through him that JARVIS would forever be on his side- they would all be doomed if that ever changed.
Shooting a wink and a salute to the light hovering in the corner, Tony set off to find Odin AllFather, King of Asgard.
***
He got turned around three different times and had to backtrack twice before JARVIS seemed to take pity on him and lead him in the right direction with little flashes of light at the turns he needed to make.
Tony mumbled a quiet thank you but found himself at the door of the throne room far too soon.
Taking a deep breath, he straightened his shoulders, raised his chin and pushed out his chest just enough that it would give him a larger presence, before pulling up his devil may care smile and strolling into the throne room like he owned it- it was an easy feat, really, given his background, one he’d perfected years ago.
He immediately found himself pinned under a steely eyed gaze, power practically radiating off of the man on the throne, and Tony had to work harder than he would have liked not to bow under the weight of it.
“So,” Tony said conversationally. “You’re the King of Asgard?”
Odin watched him for a moment, scrutinizing in his silence, before saying in a voice that boomed with thunder and crashing hooves despite its quietness, “I am. And you, mortal? Who are you to stand before the King of Asgard?”
Tony felt himself tensing beneath the condescension in Odin’s voice, and rose his own slightly to reverberate through the room. Tony knew what game this was, and he could play it well; he wasn’t one to lose.
“Tony Stark,” he drawled. “Iron Man, Hero of Earth, if you will. I have a proposition for you.”
Odin looked rather unimpressed, but made a ‘go on’ motion with his stupid gold scepter, so Tony did.
“I want Loki exonerated of all past crimes, and given to Earth under my power for reformation to answer for his most recent actions against my world.”
Odin stared at him for a long, silent moment, brows shooting up in surprise, before he actually...snorted, looking amused.
“That is an absurd request, but for the sake of ridding of any confusion before it may arise, my answer is no.”
Tony nodded- he’d expected this when he made the decision to start making demands from the King of Asgard.
“I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to reconsider. And here’s why; in return, I’ll grant you something you’re desperately going to need if Plan A doesn’t work- allies.”
“Why would I need to ally with Midgard?” Odin asked, tilting his head in a way that said he was still more amused by the foolish little mortal than he was serious.
“Well, not just us; Jotunheim too.”
That at least caught Odin’s attention, urging him to sit forward and narrow his one eye on Tony with suspicion.
“What do you know of Jotunheim, mortal?”
“Not much,” Tony admitted. “But enough to know about your little stunt when you took Loki from that temple. Enough to know about bloodlines and Kings and puppets.”
At that, Odin stiffened but made a tense gesture for him to continue.
“I did a little bit of digging, when I first found out about what Loki was; who, where he was from, what he could do, and what I found most interesting was the fact that you just happened to find the one boy that would be your connection to Jotunheim’s throne later down the road- I’m not stupid, and despite what you seem to believe, neither is Loki. He’s just as brilliant as I am, but due to your actions, he’s rather emotionally compromised, if you will, which is the only reason he’s not standing beside me at this moment. He would do something rash, something that would make it so I couldn't guarantee your cooperation.”
Odin had gone still, eye focused intently on Tony, fingers curled in a white knuckled grasp around his scepter.
“You think you can guarantee anything, mortal?” Odin asked softly, scepter turning ever so slightly to point the tip at Tony.
Tony grinned, cold and unyielding. “I know I can,” he said with a nod. “See, you’re going to give me what I want because you can’t afford not to. Don’t, and I’ll pop on over to Jotunheim and see what they think of you stealing their future King and raising him to hate his own kind; don’t, and I won’t tell you who is coming for you next; don’t, and I personally will make sure none of Asgard will be able to flee when he comes; don’t, and I won’t hesitate to travel the realms to ensure you have exactly zero allies in the upcoming war. Don’t, and you lose everything.” He gestured outward with his arms on that final word and JARVIS, already a step ahead of him, flared brilliant orange light to life around him at the same time.
Odin was standing now, scepter clutched so tightly it looked painful, eye burning with fury as he snarled, “You dare threaten me and my realm, mortal-”
“Oh, I dare,” Tony snarled back, grinning with far too many teeth. “And it’s not mortal anymore.”
Odin was silent for a moment aside from his heavy breathing, eye fever bright and wild, scepter raising threateningly and flashing with gold magic that was quickly engulfed in a soft orange glow, neutralizing it before it could do any harm.
And then, Odin AllFather, King of Asgard, slumped back into his chair and bowed his head, defeated.
“What are your terms?”
***
It took a lot longer than Tony would have liked to broker a deal, but he came out of it satisfied and with a stack of papers clutched to his chest.
His phone beeped twice just as he was leaving the throne room and barely a second later, he was smacking into the chest of a harried, frenzied looking God of Mischief.
“Ow,” Tony complained. “That’s really not fair, you know. I can’t teleport.”
“Are you hurt?” Loki demanded. Tony shook his head no, about to open his mouth and say he was fine, but was interrupted when Loki smacked him upside the head instead.
“Well, now I am!” Tony grumbled, rubbing at his head.
“You idiot!” Loki snapped, fingers curling tightly around Tony’s bicep- and in a flash of green, they were back in Loki’s room.
“Oh, yeah, great way to talk to the guy who just earned you your freedom.”
Loki actually paused, looking utterly confused. “What?”
“Odin has exonerated you of all past crimes.”
“Pardon?”
Tony hummed and nodded, satisfaction and pride warming his cheeks. “Under contractual obligation, of course, but as far as I know, a mage’s oath is binding.”
Loki frowned in confusion. “You-”
“Not a simple feat, I’ll grant you, but I’ve always loved a challenge. You see, after signing, he has not only officially, hm, forgotten any and all of your past crimes, he’s also agreed he has no form of control over your being as he previously may have as your King, given you were only acting as Prince of Asgard under false misconceptions about your heritage.”
“How did you-”
Tony smirked and shook his head. “Ah-ah, I’m not finished yet. Where was I? Ah, yes, the misconceptions. It was quite difficult, trying to come up with something while your scepter was becoming intimately familiar with my internal organs, but the answer presented itself rather easily when I remembered your more icy side: diplomatic immunity. While some of your past actions were rather detrimental to Asgard, you aren’t actually of Asgard; in fact, you’re a royal from another realm. Admittedly, it was a bit difficult to parse out the details given some of the things you have done specifically to harm Asgard, but he is a weak and unjust King, powerful only in his power over others. Which is why, in order to truly...mm, seal the deal, I have allowed him one personal boon from one of our enhanced Avengers, of my choosing.. The finer print, which he did not in fact read, as I expected, was that this person is allowed to deny or accept the request at their own leisure, and that said request is still counted as the boon whether it’s accepted or not. If said enhanced Avenger can and will be me since I am technically enhanced now, well. It’s not my fault he didn’t ask.”
Loki was silent for a moment, processing, before asking slowly, “...what else does this contract entail?”
“Oh, yes, that.” Tony nodded. “He is not allowed to harm- physically, mentally, or emotionally- you or anyone even remotely close to you, whether family by blood or by nature, friends, alliances or even acquaintances, me of course- or any of my team or loved ones- directly or indirectly. He also cannot convict or punish you for any crimes unless Thor, Frigga and I have also met with him and discussed the issue at hand and agreed unanimously with his decision. Should he break this contract in any way, his own magic will kill him.”
Loki bit his lip before asking, voice soft and hesitant, “And how does this contract end? Surely it cannot last forever, given our immortality.”
“Oh, it doesn’t.” Tony grinned. “It ends when his life does.”
Loki was silent for a moment, long enough for Tony to start to worry that he’d done something wrong, before Loki started to laugh in delight and threw his arms around Tony.
“You’re brilliant,” the god murmured, pressing kisses to Tony’s face.
“Oh, I’m more than that,” Tony said with a smirk. He pulled back just enough to toss the contract onto the nearby desk and then reach into his pocket, closing his fist around the small item there and pulling it out to show Loki, whose eyes widened almost comically.
“Is this…” Loki breathed out softly, awe in his voice.
“It is,” Tony nodded, letting his fingers grow lax around the glass container that was glowing a soft orange color.
“We’ve got our first Gem.”