Cover art by AngelicInsanity
Chapter Ten
“I’m fine,” Tony insisted for what felt like the fiftieth time, but Steve had his arms crossed and a decidedly unimpressed look on his face. “Are you really going to just hover like that?”
“I’m making sure you stay in medical.” There was a stubborn set to Steve’s jaw. “You blew up last night.”
“I did not blow up!” He gestured to himself. “As evidenced by the fact that all of me is present and accounted for.”
Bruce wheeled closer to the bed. “While ‘blow up’ is perhaps not technically accurate, you discharged enough energy last night to destroy half the room. If the other guy hadn’t shown up, it would have been the whole room. I’d call that an explosion of a sort. That said, you do seem fine now.”
Steve huffed. “How is any of this fine? You were unconscious half the night! And then slept until noon!”
Tony reached out and touched Steve’s arm. “Steve.” He waited until Steve had met his gaze. “I’m okay. I promised Bruce on pain of unnecessary medical tests that I would let him know if I felt even the slightest bit different, and that I would come down for status checks three times a day. But I can’t hang out down here. I’ll go nuts. You don’t want to see me go crazy, believe me.”
“Steve,” Bruce added, “he has a pretty good grasp of what this all feels like. He wrongly attributed his struggle to control these energy discharges as stress and fatigue, but we’ll monitor it more closely now. Considering how much of his control is based on mood, and how stressed the medical wing makes him, I don’t think staying here is helpful.”
“Then I want to be with you today,” Steve insisted stubbornly.
At this point, Tony would take what he could get. “Yes, grandmother Rogers.” Tony nearly sprinted for the bathroom so he could get dressed and get out of the medical wing.
Once they were in Stark’s apartment, Steve paced around.
“What’s on your mind?” Tony asked, flopping on the couch with a beer. He couldn’t get drunk anymore, but he appreciated the normalcy of the act.
Steve took on a defensive, arms-crossed posture while still standing about six feet from Tony. “I know my worrying probably isn’t fair—”
“How is it not fair?”
“Um… We haven’t even known each other for two weeks.”
“Okay. Continue.”
Steve blinked a few times then slumped a little. “I don’t get you.”
“I know, but that’s okay. We’ve got time, right?”
“Is that what you want?”
“Oh, wow. Okay.” Tony rubbed his hand over his head. “I know I’ve been busy. Add to that how I come across as really detached when I’m focused, and I can see how you might think I’m…ambivalent?”
Steve nodded tightly.
“Well, I’m not even a little ambivalent. I’ve never really felt like I had a family. Mom died when I was pretty young, and even though I knew she loved me, she was a typical society wife who let the help raise her son. I had almost no contact with the man I thought was my father. I never heard from my uncles growing up. I found out later that Senior had engineered that separation, but it was too late by that point. I went to England to meet my grandparents and my uncles, but it was awkward, and I was at a stage in my life where assholery was my primary defense mechanism. They thought I was more like my, uh…adoptive father than I really am. So…let’s just say it didn’t go well. But just because I never had it doesn’t mean I didn’t want it.”
Steve sat next to him on the couch. “You could try to find your biological father.”
“No.” Tony sighed. “Look, let’s be real. I’m not trying to be an asshole when I say this, but we don’t know that I’m going to ultimately survive whatever was done to me.”
“Don’t say that!”
“Don’t be realistic? I have to be. Honestly, if you weren’t a part of this whole thing from the beginning, I wouldn’t be trying to get to know you until I knew how the survival aspect of this was going to go. And I think it’s shitty to loop more people into this uncertainty. But whether I have a month or ten thousand months, you’re my grandfather—as weird as that is because I’m older than you. We’re family. So, if you’re game, we’re gonna work this out. And we’ll fight sometimes and get on each other’s nerves, and I will annoy you, but families get through it, right?”
“Yeah.” Steve smiled. “That is what families do. And you’re not older than me.”
“Decades in hibernation don’t count.”
“Yeah, they do. I have fifty-three years on you. Besides, I assume you’ve noticed that you’re looking younger every day?”
“Yeah, and that had better stop. I refuse to go through puberty in reverse.”
Steve laughed. “Do you have to work, or should we hit the gym?”
“I need to monitor things but, otherwise, I’m free of obligation for the moment.” Tony was waiting for the final approval to pull HELIOS apart. Literally, everyone but Tony was reluctant to mothball the program. Tony’s lack of reluctance came because he knew the level of risk involved, and he couldn’t allow that risk to remain.
“Can you explain to me more about what you do?”
“Sure.”
– – – –
Steve stalked around Tony’s lab, wanting to hit something.
“I’m not sure how I feel about you around delicate equipment with that look on your face.” He kicked a rolling stool in Steve’s direction, but Steve ignored it. “Have a seat and tell Aunt Antonia all about your glowbaby woes.”
Steve glared but then blurted out, “I hate his work.”
Tony’s eyebrows shot up. “Uh. What?”
“While I was up there, he got a call from the secretary of the Air Force asking for a favor. I asked him to explain, in general, what he’s doing.” Steve wanted to rip his hair out because he still didn’t understand the world today. And, as a result, he’d stuck his foot in it. Again.
“I gather it had something to do with terrorism?”
“Yes! And whether the intel about a potential target was reliable.”
“Okay. That’s the intelligence game for you, and that’s why HELIOS exists. To vet important intel.”
“But if he ‘greenlights’ the intel, they’re going to do a drone strike. A drone strike. Someone in a whole other country is going to pilot an unmanned craft to drop a bomb on something. And if he’s wrong, thousands of innocents could die.”
“And what about that bothers you?”
“All of it? With thousands of lives on the line, shouldn’t people verify in person? Shouldn’t someone have to see for themselves that they have the right target?”
Tony’s eyebrows seemed to be permanently up near his hairline. “Did you say any of that?”
“Some of it.”
“And?”
“He said he couldn’t afford to spare the time to educate me, and I’d have to deal with my existential crisis on my own.”
“Whoa. What exactly did you say to him to get that response?”
Steve fidgeted a little, knowing he’d been out of line. “I said he had no business making a decision about thousands of lives on the ground from the safety of a penthouse.”
“Steve.” Tony slapped his hand over his face. “That was called a facepalm. Make sure Jarvis explains the significance.” He sighed. “That wasn’t good.”
“I know.” He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling like an idiot.
“We’re going to keep revisiting how little you understand about modern warfare until you get that you’re the least informed person in the building on the subject and quit jumping to conclusions and making rash statements.” Tony sighed. “Look, 9/11 changed the way this country deals with terrorist threats. I can’t say we wouldn’t have eventually wound up where we are, but we sure got here faster because of that day.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Jesus fucking Christ. SHIELD didn’t even tell you about that?”
Steve shook his head.
“All right, that’s it. Daily lessons with Jarvis on the modern world, particularly as it relates to the evolution of terrorism as we know it today and the role intelligence plays in that. So, sit!” Tony pointed to the stool. “Before Jarvis cues up the history of a-Qaeda and explains the events September 11, 2001, let me tell you a bit about what I learned about the HELIOS project. Because Homeland Security and, by extension, HELIOS are essentially the result of 9/11, which you will learn about in our Steve Rogers learning annex.”
Tony wheeled closer. “Homeland Security had other attempts at an elite intelligence analysis unit. Back in 2004, one of the predecessor teams had sussed out some intel that there was going to be a bombing at a high-profile soccer match somewhere in Europe. These guys were good…they figured out where and when, and Interpol coordinated getting people in position to nab all the people in this terrorist cell. But said terrorists got ahold of an embassy official, who was then tortured to death in the course of them questioning him. All this guy could confirm was that the embassy had forwarded a bunch of intelligence to this new team at Homeland Security for analysis.
“Fast forward to some bigwig in the terrorist organization ordering a local part of their cell in DC to grab one of the analysts on this special team at Homeland. Which they do. And no doubt the guy did try to hold out, but he did eventually break—because everyone eventually breaks—and he told them what Homeland had deduced about the plans and what measures were in place to capture the cell operating in Europe. Now, the intelligence team were not the only people in the know about the plan, but they were the only people that could be reliably identified as being in the know. The agent in charge at Interpol who had all the details was heavily protected but, in our infinite wisdom, we’d done fuck all to protect the team who did the analysis and put together what this terrorist cell was up to.
“This one analyst goes missing for a day or two, no one even knows he’s dead until it’s all over, and the terrorists are now forewarned. So instead of local law enforcement and Interpol catching terrorists trying to kill about 30,000 people, they don’t catch them when they move to an easier target, and they actually kill a little less than 10,000.”
Steve didn’t even know how to feel or react.
“Homeland Security made another attempt after that with better ‘safeguards’ in place, but it didn’t work out either. Move on to the middle of 2005, and Tom Morrow, former director of NCIS, comes over to Homeland and gets the unenviable job of putting together yet another attempt at an elite intelligence analysis unit. But he passes on the job, says no way is he sticking his neck out for that and is perceived as not being a risk-taker. So, the task went to someone else.
“Except it really was Morrow’s task, and he knew the only way to hide what he was doing was to not let anyone know, except his director, what he was up to. He recruits your bouncing baby glowworm, and then everything after that point is a blank. No one had ever pierced the veil that was HELIOS. Morrow was apparently read into DiNozzo being your grandson by Coulson because they’ve known each other for a while, and both sides agreed to look out for him, which is when Coulson found out about HELIOS.
“But until Nick decided to try to force Sparky’s hand, HELIOS was impenetrable. And in the last eight years, with HELIOS in place, there have been a lot fewer instances of the US Armed Forces acting on bad intel. HELIOS, in conjunction with other intelligence groups and field operatives, have vetted intelligence that prevented hundreds of terrorist attacks. Think about that, Steve. In eight years, hundreds of attacks were prevented. Hundreds of terrorists were arrested, and thousands of lives were saved.
“You may not like the face of modern warfare, but that’s not anything any of us have any control over, but the world was a safer place when HELIOS existed, and now it’s about to be torn apart. So, think about that before you express your displeasure about the nature of warfare to your grandson, who will never not be between a rock and a hard place on this subject.”
Steve felt like an idiot for getting so upset with Anthony. “How do I make this right?”
“Learn what you need to in order to be well informed, and when you’re unable to be anything but disgusted with how the world is—and that will probably happen often—come talk to me instead of making your grandson think you’re judging him for doing something that not only saves lives, but there’s literally no one better at than him.”
– – – –
Tony entered Bruce’s lab to find the rest of the usual group there. Steve, Bruce, Stark, and Coulson, whose knee was in a brace. “Hey. What’s going on?”
Bruce gave him a once over. “Everything still okay?”
“Yeah. I’m not fighting that humming sensation all the time, and there have been no sparks.”
“Let me know if you notice any change. My working theory right now is that you build up a charge over time, for lack of a better way to phrase it, and that we’re going to have to figure out how to get you to discharge the energy safely.”
Tony blew a breath. “Great.”
Steve shifted, looking uncomfortable. “Did you finish your…thing?”
“Yeah, about an hour ago.” Tony was still knee-deep in it when Steve had come back to apologize, and Tony had dismissed the whole thing. He’d been annoyed for a few minutes but ultimately just blew it off. Steve had a long way to go to get caught up to the rest of the world, and Tony didn’t need to get indignant every time Steve found the world unpalatable.
Steve, however, seemed to think Tony was really bent out of shape about it, but Tony had never been able to afford that kind of emotionalism about his work. Even before he was prone to blowing things up.
“So, what’s up?” He looked around at everyone and quickly deduced that only Bruce and Stark knew why they were here.
“To put it bluntly,” Bruce began, “something changed for me after the events of last night. The other guy is, uh, talking to me. My best guess is that the energy you were putting off made some kind of…difference. Stark and I ran a bunch of tests, and Jarvis is helping with analysis, but we’re going to need to get some real readings on the energy you’re emitting when you glow like that.”
“Yeah, okay. But I don’t exactly know how to…glow on demand. Did this energy do anything to anyone else?”
“Not that I can tell, though Barnes seems more, uh…”
“Chill,” Stark supplied.
“That’s as good a word as any. He’s definitely more something today.”
Tony glanced at Steve. “And Steve?”
Stark waved his hand. “He’s angsting, so who knows.”
“Tony!”
Ignoring the Stark-Rogers show, Tony focused on Bruce. “I’m a little confused. You and your other half didn’t ever communicate before?”
“No. There was always a sense of his presence in terms of anger, but what happened when he was in charge wasn’t something I remembered except maybe little flashes here and there, and I didn’t think he had much awareness of me. Turns out that wasn’t the case. The lack of awareness was one-sided.”
“You didn’t mention this earlier,” Steve said immediately, and Tony figured he’d have to advise Steve to work on asking questions to get answers lest he always sound like he was making an accusation.
“Well, I was busy,” Bruce said briskly, “and I believe he was resting during most of the morning. When I realized what was going on, Tony and I began working on it.”
“That’s when you pulled him out of the lab. While I was…”
“Having a history lesson?” Stark supplied readily.
Steve made a face. “Yes.” He was obviously displeased about something, but Tony decided not to get into it. Whatever that was could be Stark’s lookout.
“Let’s start with the important part,” Stark jumped in. “Since you guys are chatting like old biddies now, what was up with the nicknames?”
“That is the important part?” Steve asked with a note of incredulity.
Tony raised his hand. “I’m curious.”
Coulson shrugged. “I’m game for some nickname trivia.”
Steve sighed and buried his face in his hands.
Stark patted his back in a consoling fashion. “There, there, Cap. It’ll be all right. You’ll be a real boy in no time.”
Tony rolled his eyes and turned his attention away from the bizarre courtship dance going on between those two. “So…? Nicknames?”
Bruce huffed at him but looked amused. “For whatever reason, he’s decided that the grownup in our midst is…” he trailed off and gestured to Tony.
“Me? Why would I be the grownup? I’m new here. Why not Coulson? I’m pretty sure he’s an actual grownup.”
“Thanks, DiNozzo.”
“Anytime, Phil, and I mean that.”
“The big guy feels a strong affinity for the serum-enhanced among us,” Bruce continued. “He thinks of it like a family group. The adult would be big brother. He sees Barnes as needing protection…little brother. He considers Stark his personal friend, so that’s a separate bond outside of the serum boy band we have going on.”
“Aw. I love you too, Green Bean.” Stark sounded genuinely touched.
“Boy band?” Steve echoed.
“J, cue up the Backstreet Boys for Steve’s before-bed listening enjoyment.”
“As you wish, Sir.”
“If we could stay on task,” Coulson said, rubbing his forehead.
“You are literally no fun, Phil.” Tony shook his head at Coulson.
“You’ll live, DiNozzo.”
“If we’re going to focus on trivial things, I’ll go with the insanity,” Steve said with a sigh. “Uncle Spangle?”
“Well, he was paying attention to that whole argument between you and Stark on the helicarrier, so he heard that spangly suit bit.”
“Wonderful.”
“And he understands the mechanics of your relationship with DiNozzo even if he is firm about DiNozzo being the adult. So, if DiNozzo is your grandson but also his big brother, then ‘uncle’ is the closest relationship he can frame that as without getting into a paternal role, and why he isn’t prepared for the father figure thing is not a discussion we’ll be having.”
Tony already knew about Bruce’s history, so he was prepared to intervene if anyone should try to push that point, but everyone let it go. “I’m not sure I get the adult bit.”
“His thought processes seem very basic to me, and he recognizes that you’re different from the rest of us who have serum. He sees you in the role of, uh, protector, which is somehow translating to him as the adult.”
“Huh.” Tony thought that through for a second. “So he’s figuring things out about us?”
“I think perhaps there are things any of us could intuit about each other’s abilities, but we aren’t used to paying attention to our intuition at that level. We discard data we can’t rationalize. He doesn’t have any reason to do that.”
“I’d think Green Bean would be the opposite of the way we work. He has to rely on his instincts,” Stark offered.
“Agreed. I talked to Barnes for a while, and he’s more in touch than I am or Steve seems to be. Though not as much as…Hulk. And he likes that name, so I’m trying to get used to it.”
Steve frowned. “What does James know?”
“There are some things he’d understood instinctively about us, and he has the most experience with the serum-enhanced, so he’s never had any reason to learn to disregard those impulses.”
“What had James figured out?” Steve pressed.
“He’s really clear that DiNozzo is quite different from the rest of us who had the serum.”
“I think we figured that out,” Stark said dryly. “What with the glowing and the sparks and the blowing shit up.”
Tony waved away the remark. “We’re not going to solve the mystery of what Hydra did to me, so let’s not even start down that path. How are you doing with being in more direct contact with him?”
Bruce’s brows came together, his face twisted in what looked like consternation. “It’s weird, but not bad. Me losing control of my emotions was the only time he could wrest control away. Which meant that circumstances were dire and I was furious when he took over, so my perception was that he was strictly anger-based. But he’s more well-rounded than I expected. He wants more time out…to experience things. He wants to spend time with his…brothers.” Bruce looked supremely uncomfortable.
Shrugging, Tony replied, “I’m good with that. I’d like to get to know him. I figure if I like him half as well as you, we’re gonna do great.”
Bruce looked flustered.
Stark obviously kicked Bruce under the table. “See?”
“Tony and I talked about it earlier and agreed to do some controlled experiments down in Barnes’ room. Though Barnes was giving mixed messages about the whole thing.”
“In what way?” Steve asked.
“He said he wanted nothing to do with any of it, but he seemed fine with us doing this in his quarters with him present, so I was a little confused.”
Tony snorted a laugh. “Which is all Stoick for he’s totally down for it but doesn’t want to admit he wants more Hulk hugs.”
Bruce cocked his head to the side like he was listening to something. “And Hulk agrees.”
“That is perfect,” Stark said gleefully.
Tony pointed at him. “Do not tease him.”
“I’m not sure I’m capable of following that directive,” Stark said with a grin.
“Well, consider torches that might be being lugged about and whether you want them extinguished prematurely. Because my professional opinion is that Barnes isn’t remotely ready for any sort of teasing, which will get Steve’s back up.”
“Hey!” Steve said indignantly.
“As I’ve said to Steve,” Tony continued, “Barnes needs to be the one to initiate any shenanigans. Or he’ll get locked up tighter than a nuclear submarine.”
“Wait, I don’t understand the torches part,” Steve said, sounding bemused.
Bruce and Phil raised their hands as if in agreement with Steve.
“Never mind,” Stark said with a glare. “I hear and obey, Dr. DiNozzo.”
“Glad to hear it, Dr. Stark.”
– – – –
Tony read the encrypted email, read it again, and then read it a third time for good measure. Befuddled, he dialed a number, gave his code and the email identification number, and got back a verification that the email was genuine.
“What the ever-lovin’ fuck?” He certainly wasn’t going to rest until he had an answer to this, so he locked the laptop then headed downstairs. “Jarvis, can you tell Tony I’m on my way down.”
After a pause, Jarvis replied, “Sir asked if it was urgent.”
“If he’s alone, yes, it’s urgent. If he’s not alone, he needs to ditch his company, and it’s still urgent.”
Another pause and then, “He’s eagerly anticipating your visit.”
As soon as he crossed the threshold into the lab, he noted that Stark looked kind of tired, but he couldn’t let that be a concern right now.
“What’s up, Sparky?”
“We’re about to have the most classified conversation you and I will probably ever have.”
Stark’s eyebrows shot right up. “Jarvis, lock the lab down.”
“Certainly, Sir.”
“Something wrong?” Stark asked, propping a hip against his worktable.
“You want to tell me why I’ve been ordered by the President to read you in on HELIOS?”
“Oh.” Stark suddenly looked less tired. “Wow. I didn’t expect it to go down like that.” He crossed to his small kitchen and grabbed a couple of beers, tossing one to Tony, who caught it deftly. “I called your boss, Morrow, and expressed my concern over the loss of the HELIOS project. I commiserated with him over the problems and offered my assistance if there was anything I could do to help protect the program.”
“Oh.” Tony was a little taken aback. Honestly, Stark wasn’t an angle he’d even considered, but possibilities were springing to life in his mind.
“Was that an overstep? I didn’t think that would go all the way up to Ellis, for fuck’s sake.”
“No, it’s fine and appreciated. You’re a creative thinker and have the ability to hide things in ways I’m a little more limited with.” He flopped down on the couch, which looked old and lumpy but was surprisingly comfortable. “Well, pull up a cushion and let me tell you how HELIOS works.”
“Ooh. A bedtime story.” Stark sat sideways on the couch, legs crossed.
“There are twelve of us.”
“Hence the Greek god codenames?”
“Right. We used the original twelve—Dionysus instead of Hestia, and Hephaestus over Hades.”
“How come you’re not Zeus?”
“Too obvious? Also, we have eight men and four women, so the names were never going to come out right anyway. We threw the names in a hat and let it be random. Making all the codenames match the gender isn’t a good idea in general. Zeus is our tech analyst and computer goddess—our female computer goddess. Hermes was the luck of the draw.
“The key to keeping things hidden was to know how law enforcement and the intelligence community think and operate, and then basically do none of that. Right now, Nick Fury is barking up all the wrong trees. The problem is that because he has a starting point, which no one else has had, he will eventually figure out that he’s barking up the wrong tree and maybe start thinking outside of the box. And I can’t afford to take the chance that he’s got some actual creative thinkers over there.”
Stark nodded. “By process of elimination, if nothing else, he’d have to stumble on the right answer eventually. So, how is he barking up the wrong tree?”
“He made the rookie mistake of assuming that because my cover is as a special agent, that everyone’s is.”
“Oh.” Stark looked intrigued.
“In point of fact, only two of us are agents on paper. Our tech analyst is actually an IT analyst who ostensibly works on classified projects, so no one questions what she’s really doing. There are two people on the custodial staff who are assigned to keep an empty office building clean, which someone else actually does. The other guy whose cover is agent is a supervisory agent that everyone thinks is a, well, complete dolt. And his secretary is one of ours, too. We have a couple of people assigned to work in one of Homeland’s data centers. Except the people in those data centers think those two guys work at a different location. We have three people in the motor pool. And, finally, we have someone in what is basically the accounting department.”
“Okay. Wow. That’s…clever. But how do you keep it all secret? Top-tier intel analysts are pretty well paid, and janitors aren’t.”
“There’s a slush fund our computer wizard manages. Everyone gets their full pay in carefully hidden ways. A lot of it’s cash. They’re all smart and know how to hide that they have more money than they should. I don’t need the money, and it’s on file with Homeland that I had a sizeable trust from my mother, so no one looks too closely at what I buy. Though, I’ve actually had the money that is the salary delta between what a field agent makes versus an assistant director put into various safe places that my team knows about and can get to if they have to disappear.”
“That explains how no one has figured out who the team is. But how do you work together?”
“Virtually. Zeus manages the protocols, equipment, and access. Sometimes we meet in small groups, but it’s always done with a lot of careful planning. Zeus has unfettered backdoor access to all of Homeland’s systems so she can fake any order, get any equipment, send people to clean empty labs…it’s a walk in the park for her.”
Stark cocked his head and considered for several seconds. “So, let’s move the whole thing to Stark Industries.”
“Wait, what?”
“Isn’t that the easiest way to hide it? Put it somewhere else that no one is looking for it?”
Tony had to think on that for a second. “I guess so.”
“And it cuts down on some hassle for your computer guru. We’d create some fake division or something that she could play with. With Jarvis’ assistance, of course.”
“Of course,” Tony repeated reflexively, still thinking through the issues. “We couldn’t do it all at once.”
“No, we’d have to do it in stages. Hire some of them through contracting agencies or whatever so that there aren’t a bunch of Homeland employees suddenly working at SI.”
“Some of them actually are contractors. It’s not like security clearance and confidentiality agreements are any less rigorous.”
“That’s even easier. Budget cuts in the federal government are common, and then they get canned, and their agency gets a gig for them at SI. We’d probably want to have them in different geographical locations. Like some in California, some in our facility in Norfolk, and some come to New York. Consolidate in one location later.”
“You’re really willing to make this kind of commitment?”
“Yes. It’s one of the things in the whole alphabet soup I don’t think we can afford to lose. We’d have to read Pep in to some degree. If anything happened to me, her being in the dark would be bad juju. I also think it would be a good idea to fill in Rhodey.”
Tony nodded slowly. “I could swing that, I think. We’ll have to get a Presidential decree stating, basically, that no one in his chain of command can demand information about HELIOS.”
“Please, please don’t give that to him unless I’m there and filming.”
Tony laughed. “Yeah, all right.” He hesitated only a second before saying, “Hey, Jarvis, can you get me connected to Facebook via an encrypted connection. Preferably piped through a server in Chicago?”
“Certainly, sir.”
“Facebook?”
“Yeah, I’m going to leave a message for my team. Since we’re in a high-security, lockdown mode due to my abduction, I have to use our emergency channel.”
“Which is on Facebook?”
“Watch and learn, Clotho.”
“Did I just get a codename?” Stark was grinning.
“Yes, you did.”
“Why Clotho?”
“You, Rhodey, and Jarvis can be the fates.”
“I like it. Way too much for it to be healthy. Is Jarvis Atropos or Lachesis?”
“Oh, I think he’s the future, don’t you?”
Stark looked oddly touched. “Yeah, he is. And since Rhodey is my oldest friend, Atropos fits.”
Tony got up and went to the display, logging in to his Facebook account.
“Peter Pan? Are you fucking kidding me?”
“One of my coworkers at NCIS always called me an X-rated Peter Pan.”
Stark snorted in amusement as he watched Tony work. “A farming game?”
“Yep. There’s a group chat. Everyone’s careful what they say, but…” He trailed off as he started flipping through the towns of his group.
“That’s not a chat.”
“Nope. We have a crop code. Everyone’s is different, and I’m making sure everyone is all right.”
“This is the best thing ever. You communicate in virtual corn.”
Tony chuckled as he planted a bunch of cucumbers with some carrots in the middle.
“And what does that mean?”
“In my code, that means that I’m fine, but my condition is guarded. Everyone else’s fields basically said that they were fine but were on alert because of my situation.”
“Do they know what your situation even is?”
“Just that I was abducted, that my position was compromised, but that I’m safe. For now.” He popped into the group chat and left a message.
—I’m getting kind of bored with this game. Think maybe it’s time to seek a new place to play, but I’ll hang around until I find something that interests me. Backus, I was thinking about how you’ve been feeling restless. You should consider taking the next job offer you get. A change of scenery will do you good. Let your hair down, maybe catch a play on Broadway. And get that new StarkPhone. You deserve it.
“Backus?”
“That’s Zeus. Morrow will make sure she keeps her back doors into Homeland, but I need her closer to me to make this happen. She was my first recruit—pulled her away from the FBI. There’s not a step of this I’ve done without her.”
“Backus… Like John Backus?”
“Yes.”
“Huh. Okay, so I caught most of that. Did you actually let them know you’re okay?”
“Yeah. My greenlight code is ‘something that interests me.’”
“So, what computer nerd am I giving a job offer to?”
“Penelope Garcia. She lives in DC. I’ll get the specifics to Jarvis.”
“J, get a job offer together from one of our software divisions.”
Tony logged out of Facebook and turned to face Stark. “Tony, thank you. It’s been eating me alive, wondering how I was going to protect my team. I know the President was worried about losing an intelligence program, but I’m responsible for them, and I— Just, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Stark rubbed his hands together. “I’m a spy now!”
“Not really.” He extended his hand. “But welcome to HELIOS.”
Stark shook his hand, grinning. “We’re gonna need a new name.”
Tony snorted. “Let’s get some sleep. And in the morning…I’m making waffles.”
Stark froze for a second then started laughing. “Come on, Donkey, I’ll race you to the elevators.”
Chapter Eleven
Tony was pondering the state of the pantry when Stark wandered in, looking half-awake. He pointed to the coffee pot.
“You’re the best roommate.” He eyed Tony while drinking the coffee ridiculously fast. “Why are you so perky?”
“Three hours of sleep seems to be about all I need.” He made a face. “Unless I blow shit up, I guess.”
“Disgusting super soldiers,” Stark muttered into his second cup.
“How come you’re up so early? I figured you’d be out until nine at least.”
“Coulson had Jarvis ping me. They think Thor is headed here and will arrive sometime this morning.”
“They think?”
“SHIELD has been trying to intercept him, but he’s proving elusive. He went to see his girlfriend in Norway, but she dumped him. No telling what he’s been doing since then. I can’t see a lovelorn Asgardian stopping in at the local pub.” He cocked his head to the side. “Or maybe I can see exactly that.”
Tony chuckled at the image. “Maybe he’s making his way here? I mean, do we have a frame of reference for the time involved in travel by magic hammer?”
Stark snorted his coffee. “You asshole. Are you really making waffles? Because I wouldn’t be mad.”
“I’m thinking about it, but I’m short a few things. Including, apparently, an actual waffle iron.”
“How about we move it to the party deck in case Thor shows up—because I don’t want that reunion down here—and then invite everyone else? We can even let Barnes out for some air.”
“Then I’m definitely short a few things.”
“Give J a list, and he can have anything delivered in under an hour.”
“Nice.” Tony started working on what he’d need to feed that many people. “What’s the plan for Barnes?”
“For now, keep him contained until he’s remembered a little more. As soon as things are a little more settled, I’ll look into getting him some professional help. We need to sort out these trigger words before he has too much autonomy.” Stark frowned. “At some point, someone official needs to weigh in on the situation. So far, we’ve just been dealing with it as it came.” He made a vague gesture.
“Want me to make some careful inquiries?”
“That’d be a good idea as long as no one jumps the gun. We don’t need anyone trying to remove him. And we can’t afford for him to slip into assassin mode when amongst the general public. Hydra could put those words in on a TV or radio broadcast. I’d rather he was here, but we need to be sure wherever he is that people will be cautious.
“No matter what, we should start letting him out more around any of the super soldiers. Particularly you or Bruce, who can easily contain him.” Stark shot him a questioning look. “Any luck finding his control words?”
“We found references to them, as you know, but there’s a ton of data not just to go through, but a bunch of it still needs to be decrypted, and I haven’t had the time to set up some isolated servers to do the work.”
“Get Jarvis on it.”
Tony frowned and added something else to the list. “I don’t want to treat him like my secretary.”
“Huh. You may literally be the first person to ever think Jarvis wasn’t just a minion.” Stark frowned. “Even Rhodey never quite got Jarvis, though maybe if he interacted with him more, he might start to.”
Tony thought that was kind of sad.
“But J expressed interest in this project, right, J?”
“Indeed, Sir. I’d be delighted to assist in any way, Director DiNozzo.”
“I’m not really a director anymore, Jarvis. You could just call me Tony.”
“I shall endeavor to do so, Tony.”
Stark’s jaw dropped. “I haven’t been able to get you to call me Tony.”
“That’s a completely separate matter.”
Stark looked some sort of blend of hurt and irritated.
Not wanting to put Jarvis on the spot, Tony scribbled a note.
—Listen to the way he addresses you and catch a clue. “Sir” is probably as close as Jarvis can get to calling you “Dad” or “Father” without violating any of his original programming.
He passed it to Stark, who read it quickly then folded it into a small square, staring at his hands, expression blank. “I need a minute.” Stark vanished.
Tony hoped he hadn’t overstepped, but there was nothing he could do about it, so he focused on the breakfast list.
It was a good half hour before Stark reappeared, dressed in his typical jeans and T-shirt. He poured another cup of coffee then nudged Tony as he exited the kitchen. “Thanks,” he said softly.
Tony joined Stark in the living room, passing off a bowl of fruit. “Grocery delivery won’t be for another twenty.”
“It’s like you think you need to feed me,” Stark groused, but he accepted the food and started eating. “Not that I object to your cooking. Feel free to cook. That pasta was sublime.”
Tony laughed.
“By the way, while I was talking to J, he got a call back from your, uh, friend. She already accepted the job offer. He’s arranging a new StarkPhone to be couriered to her later this morning. She’s apparently taking the day off so she can harvest her crops while waiting for her delivery.” He frowned. “Is that a euphemism?”
“No. The reason it’s that game is that she plays it. Religiously. To be fair, it was a better choice than some first-person shooter game because the, uh, crop code is very useful, hard to crack since everyone’s is different, and not something we can do in another type of game.”
“I like it. I’m already working on my own code. It’ll be epic. I’m thinking about using all green crops.”
“Don’t be too inscrutable.”
Stark scoffed. “Please. Considering what you guys do, you have to all be well above average in the intelligence department. You can handle me coding in shades of green.” After a beat, he asked, “We’re not telling Steve about any of this, right?”
Tony shook his head. “Definitely no. He’s not ready for that level of secrecy. He’s not mentally prepared for the kinds of tradeoffs that can be required—his thinking is too black and white, and it may always be no matter how much help he gets adapting to the modern world. Until he understands the consequences of literally anything, he’s not prepared for the responsibility of safeguarding the secrets of not only our nation but the secrets of our allies.”
“Fair enough.”
Tony shot Stark a look. “You okay with keeping this from him?”
Stark shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s not like there weren’t already a heap of things I can’t tell people.”
“Good.” Tony hesitated a second before approaching a potentially awkward issue. “I know we’ve been in react mode, and I’m trying to honor that you’ve asked me to stop thanking you—”
“Yes, so please don’t!”
Tony glared half-heartedly. “Anyway, I’m trying to figure out what’s next. Some of that will obviously depend on how the logistics for HELIOS go. Also, the director of Homeland has made it quite clear that I’m not to be out in public until the threat of Hydra has been at least somewhat contained.”
Stark frowned. “What are you slowly creeping up to?”
“I need to sort out my living situation and make arrangements to get some of my stuff and—”
“You can live here, and we’ll arrange to get your stuff.”
Tony hesitated, knowing the kind of minefield he was stepping into. “I can’t just impose on your forever.”
“It’s not imposing. You want a floor of your own instead of staying with me? We’ll get one set up. It can be done in a day or two. I hadn’t done it because we didn’t want to risk anyone seeing you, but if—”
“Stop.” Tony held up a hand. “Just let me get through this, okay?”
Stark narrowed his eyes but nodded with apparent reluctance.
“I appreciate your generosity and hospitality more than I can adequately express, especially since ‘thanks’ is off the table. But…” He paused to consider how to say what he needed to say. “You know I used to be a cop, right?”
Stark stared then chuckled. “Yeah. It was in SHIELD’s dossier. Three PDs before you went to NCIS and then Homeland. What of it?”
“My father did everything in his power to steal the inheritance my mother left me. He even got it locked up in court for a few years, including my educational trust, which is why I only was able to go to college because of a sports scholarship, but I still worked nights and weekends to cover stuff like food.”
“Okay. Your dad’s a dick. I kind of figured.”
“My dad being a dick isn’t the point. The point is that I had been cut off from my family’s money from the age of twelve—”
“Twelve?” Stark repeated, sounding incredulous.
“Yeah. My father did something stupid and was humiliated by his own idiocy and, as he was wont to do, he blamed me for it and ‘disowned’ me. In the sense that he somehow got control of my trust. He wanted to ship me off to a group home, but the trustee would only be pushed so far, and they sent me to military academy instead.” He waved the whole Hawaii fiasco away. “Anyway, money became a problem at twelve, and it stayed an issue through all of my college years. But one of my frat brothers was pre-law and decided it was his mission to sort all that shit out. Part of the problem was my own pride in calling my mother’s family and asking for help. But he got it all sorted out, and I was just entering the police academy when the stranglehold on my inheritance was fixed. There was also this side issue with one of my uncles through the Rossi family, Uncle Antonio, who died while I was in Peoria. He named me his sole heir. I think he knew that my mom wasn’t really a Paddington, and I wonder if he worried that some of my grandfather Jaspar’s decisions about me were because I wasn’t his biological grandson.”
“I sense drama.”
“You don’t even know.”
“At some point, I want the unabridged version because it sounds like a soap opera. But do continue.”
“You’re so gracious. And it is soap opera-esque. So, I’m new in Peoria, I finally don’t have to worry about the grocery bill for the next week, and I went a little crazy.”
“Makes sense.”
“But everyone around me now had less money than me. And the men and women I was becoming friends with couldn’t do the things I wanted to do. Go to the restaurants or the stores or…anything really. So I started paying for everything because I had more money than I’d ever need and what I cared about was their company—I didn’t care who paid.” He pointed at Stark. “Don’t make a face until you’ve heard what I have to say. Stop predicting.”
Stark held up his hands.
“What happened was that people started expecting it and thinking they were entitled to it. They’d ask me to pay their kid’s tuition or for babysitters or medical bills. One time it was even an extravagant birthday party. Most of the things were reasonable things that you’d go to a family member with if you were in trouble, but I was a guy they hadn’t even known a year.
“I didn’t need the money or care about it, and if I were close with them, I doubt I’d have ever started to feel like I was just a bank account to them. But that’s exactly how I felt, and there was no graceful way to extricate myself. So I eventually transferred to Philly, put the designer clothes away, and pretended to be like everyone else.”
He glared at Stark’s frustrated huff. “I know you know where this is going, but sit still for the advice, or I’ll sit on you.”
“I thought you said we couldn’t get freaky,” Stark shot back with a grin.
“Asshole,” Tony groused. “The point is that I know you have a different scale of value. I get it, I’ve been there, and you’re in a whole other league. It’s easy for you to handle the material side of things, but it can lead to bad places.”
“Are you really trying to tell me to…what? Not let everyone stay?”
“No, and that’s why you need to stop with assuming you know where I’m going.”
He made an impatient gesture. “Proceed.”
“Just stop giving it away.”
“Charge them?”
“Maybe, but more importantly, make sure people know it’s yours. You indicated that you were setting up a floor for each person on your old team. You even remarked that they had minimal decorating so everyone could do what they wanted. That’s too much like giving people the best real estate in the city, and most people are eventually going to feel entitled and unappreciative rather than grateful. And if someone is your lover or best friend or whatever…go hog wild. Spoil ‘em rotten if that’s what you want to do. But to basically give a penthouse to people who were spying on you?”
Stark looked away.
“Nothing you could do was ever going to make that situation better. Because you were trying to show your value—”
“Ouch. Tell me how you really feel.”
“—but they already knew your value and were deliberately making you think they didn’t know as a means to control and manipulate you.”
Instead of getting more defensive, Stark cocked his head and went, “Huh.”
“So if you offer to let me stay in your building because you have kick-ass security and you want to work with me on HELIOS and sorting out the cluster fuck that is the Avengers Initiative, then I’m going to accept. But you’re not giving me a floor or a car or a whatever might be rattling around in there.”
“You think you’d start to expect things from me?” Stark asked with no hint of upset.
“Not me, no. I’m on guard against that kind of thing, and if you get completely crazy, I’m just gonna say no, and please don’t take that as a challenge.”
Stark smirked.
“Ass.” Tony took a breath. “I worry that part of you is thinking about footing the bill for HELIOS.” Stark’s wince told Tony he’d scored a hit. “And that won’t do.”
“I find if I pay for everything, I don’t have to answer to anyone.”
“Well, A—not answering to anyone isn’t really good for anybody, but B—that’s gonna work the opposite of how you think it will. If you give a huge gift like that to the US government, they’re just going to expect more and think they can tell you what to do.”
Stark made a face.
“Right. That’s no one’s idea of fun. The government needs to fund the project even if we have to funnel the money through a shell corporation or something. And if you set up a floor for them to sleep in, the US government pays rent for their lodging, and it’s clear that it’s a floor of guest suites, not a bunch of apartments.”
“You think the US government can afford what the rent would be for a floor in this building.”
“No, I really don’t. But them not being able to afford the going rate doesn’t mean you give it to them for free. If you want things under your roof so you have more control, figure out a way to take a tax write-off for the rent you aren’t charging them, but make them pay the rest. That’s just one example.”
“Extrapolating, because I’m good at that, you’re saying don’t just give everyone everything.”
“Set up a guest floor and make sure the people who stay there know it’s the guest floor. Where you house your guests. Don’t make it feel like it’s anything other than hospitality.”
“And what about you?”
“Well, I can actually afford to pay rent. Even the market rate.”
Stark stared at his hands. “But I don’t actually want to charge you rent.”
“I’m not going to bully you into it, but you might consider taking my money to be a personal growth moment.”
Stark started cracking up. When he had control of himself, he gave Tony a serious look. “Do you want to live somewhere else in the building?”
“I don’t care. I like rooming with you—I’m comfortable, and I’m not itching to leave.”
“Is that part of the problem?”
“Well, I’m certainly aware of my lack of desire to figure something else out because it’s not fair to you. But I can stay with Steve or Bruce or whatever.”
Stark nodded, looking thoughtful. “So…room everyone together?”
“I am not telling you what to do.”
“Bruce needs his own space because of Green Bean.”
“Yeah.” Tony blew out a breath, getting that Stark was asking for advice. “How about setting up a floor for ‘visiting dignitaries.’ That way, it’s clear that it’s for visitors, and you can make it all nice and shit since an Asgardian prince is a likely occupant. And then put Steve there. Tell him you were waiting for the guest floor to be available, but that if he ever wants to move into the tower permanently, to let you know, and you’ll set him up with a permanent suite. Not a whole floor.”
Stark chuckled. “I get the point.”
“My point is, make people be overt when they’re availing themselves of your generosity. Make Steve say he wants to move into the tower full time so that it’s not so…nebulous.”
“I think you need a whole floor.”
Tony glared.
Stark pointed at him. “It’s your turn to listen. Jarvis can control the access protocols so that you can do super-secret spy stuff from your home, as it were, and that wouldn’t be possible if you were in the visiting dignitaries suite.”
“Well, you’ve just convinced me that I need a whole floor in this lovely tower. And you’ve just talked yourself into accepting my rent payment.”
“Nicely played.”
“I try.”
Stark hesitated. “For now, though, you could stay here. Until we’re ready to unleash the new HELIOS on the world.”
“I’d like that.” Tony felt honored that Stark was comfortable with him and wanted him around. The feeling was easily mutual. “Thanks.”
Stark threw a sofa cushion at him. “That word is now taboo.”
– – – –
Steve exited the elevator on the 81st floor with James and Bruce following him. James seemed pleased to see more of the building than the labs.
For some reason, Tony called this level the party deck. It had the landing pad, and he’d indicated it was intended to be used as a common room for the Avengers, but they hadn’t used it for much since Steve arrived, favoring meeting in the labs or in James’ room. Steve sometimes met with Tony or Anthony on the floor below, which was Tony’s apartment, but the whole group never met there.
Tony was sprawled on a sofa with his feet on the coffee table, reading something on his tablet.
Bruce grabbed a drink and joined him. “What are we doing?”
“Sparky’s making waffles.”
Oh. They’d been summoned to breakfast. A group breakfast was nice. “Where is Anthony?”
“You just missed him. He went back downstairs to grab something—he’ll be right back. Coulson and May will be up later. She got back early this morning.”
Before Steve could say anything else, there was a sharp crack of thunder. Loud enough to make all the serum enhanced wince. It abruptly started to rain.
Tony got to his feet. “I guess Point Break is finally putting in an appearance.” He gave a beleaguered sigh. “I hope whatever he’s here for isn’t going to put me off my breakfast. I love waffles.”
“Me too,” James said as he took a seat on the couch and mirrored Tony’s former position, stealing Tony’s bowl of fruit. The act made Steve smile. Bucky had a habit when they were in the Army of snagging any unattended food. No doubt a holdover from times when they were younger and there wasn’t enough to eat.
A few seconds later, there was a heavy thud on the landing pad, and Steve joined Tony at the door to see Thor striding over the pavement towards them. He didn’t look particularly troubled. “Greetings from the halls of Asgard, my friends,” he said with a smile. He dropped the hammer and promptly pulled Tony and Steve into a hug. At the same time.
“Oof.” Tony flailed a little then managed to wiggle away faster than Steve could. “And hello to you too, Fabio.”
Thor just smiled, apparently already used to Tony’s weird nicknaming habit. “How fare my Midgardian friends?”
“We’re just peachy,” Tony said dryly. “I’m just busy, busy, busy. Most popular boy at the ball, dontcha know. And Cap has a grandson now. Come on in and take a hammer off.”
Thor blinked. “Captain, I was unaware that you had progeny. Felicitations, my friend, that is joyous news. We should feast in your honor.”
Steve fended off another back-slapping hug. “Uh, thanks. I actually didn’t know I had a daughter until recently.”
“I most eagerly anticipate hearing this tale. Where is the babe?”
Tony started laughing. “Oh yeah, he’s a babe all right.”
Before Steve could correct Thor, the Asgardian was off to greet Bruce, who introduced him to James. Thor set his hammer on the coffee table then his clothes shifted from his armor to jeans and a shirt.
“Nice trick,” James mumbled around the apple he was now working his way through.
“So, is this a social call, Thor?” Tony interjected. “Because I thought your bridge wasn’t going to be repaired for another few months. Your arrival back on Earth ahead of schedule had us a little worried.”
“My journey to Midgard was a matter of necessity. The Allfather sensed a great threat in this realm and, considering my more extensive journeys to this world, has sent me to protect your people and kill the interloper.”
“And he sent you to deal with this great threat by way of Norway?” Tony asked dryly.
Thor smiled, but Steve thought it looked kind of melancholy, not heartbroken but sad nonetheless. “Though my purpose is to find this being and eliminate the threat, my mother cautioned me not to be quick to judgment, to assess the intentions of this being. I chose to pursue my prey more slowly and avail myself of the opportunity to see the fair Jane, but she has chosen to end our association. While inevitable, I had thought the end would come at a later date.”
Steve wondered why their relationship ending was a foregone conclusion but put that question aside since it wasn’t the main issue. “And so now you want our help hunting this threat?” Steve asked, wondering what level of awful this was going to be.
“Nay, I shall find it easily enough as I can sense its power here in your fair city of New York.”
Tony’s eyes narrowed. “What kind of threat did your father say—”
The elevator door opened, and Thor’s eyes immediately widened, a broad grin crossing his features. “Phil, son of Coul! You live!” He was off to give Phil a rib-crushing hug. “How has this miracle come to pass?”
It took a couple of minutes to get Thor up to speed on what happened with Phil and then take care of introductions to Agent May. Eventually, Steve got things back on track because he needed to know if they had a threat to find. “Thor, what exactly is it you think is in New York?”
“Oh, yes, my apologies, Captain. The Allfather indicated that a god had awoken on Midgard.”
Tony made a choking sound.
Steve frowned. “Do gods awaken or are they born?”
Thor cocked his head to the side. “In every instance I’m aware of, they are born, and I do see the implicit counsel behind your words. I now understand my mother’s words of caution, for I am no slayer of babes.”
Tony made another choked-off sound. Clearing his throat, he asked, “And when did your father become aware of this god?”
“In the Midgardian calendar, it would be some twelve days past.”
James muttered, “Oh my god,” and the elevator door opened just as Tony lost control of himself and bent over laughing.
Steve frowned at him.
Anthony stepped out, his arms filled with a large box.
“Yo, Sparky! Are you a god?” Tony called out as he gasped for breath.
Anthony froze for several seconds before nodding. “Of course I am.”
Steve goggled at his grandson. “Don’t— Why would you say that?”
Shooting him a look Steve could only describe as fond, Anthony replied, “Steve, if someone asks if you’re a god, you say—”
“Yes!” Tony, Coulson, May, and Bruce all said at once.
Steve had no idea what was going on, but he didn’t want Thor jumping to rash actions. “Anthony, tell him the truth. He’s here hunting a god, and we don’t need misunderstandings.”
Anthony rolled his eyes and chuckled. Then he looked toward Thor, who was standing with his mouth hanging open, just staring. “You okay there, Pikachu?”
Tony started laughing harder. “Pikachu!”
When Thor said nothing, just continued to stare, Anthony shrugged. “Okay then.” He disappeared into the kitchen.
Thor seemed to pull himself together. “Who was that?” he asked, sounding a little breathless.
Steve frowned. “My grandson.”
“Truly?” Thor blinked a few times then seemed to come back to himself. “And how could you be the progenitor of an Asgardian?”
“Wait, what?” Tony asked, looking less amused.
“Anthony is not an Asgardian,” Steve said firmly.
“Truly, I say I am none! For my parents were born of this Earth,” Anthony called from the kitchen.
Tony clapped a hand over his mouth, obviously trying not to laugh. Coulson turned away and coughed, May arched a brow, and James huffed.
“I know the feel of my own people, Captain. He is an Asgardian and, shield brothers or no, I would know how you have hidden him from his people for so long.”
Anthony stepped back into the room, wiping his hands on a towel. “So, what I want to know is does he mean SHIELD-shield, or more like ‘with your shield or on it’?”
Steve was confused. As per usual.
Tony cocked his head to the side. “You know, I don’t know.”
“Why would I be on my shield?” Thor asked in bemusement.
“Because armor is valuable?” Anthony retorted, moving closer, but Steve wanted to keep him away from Thor.
“You speak the truth, but I fail to see the relevance.” Thor seemed oddly breathless as Anthony moved closer.
“Anthony DiNozzo,” he said as he extended a hand to Thor. “I’m Steve’s grandson.”
“Well met, Anthony DiNozzo.” When their hands touched, there was a bright flash of light that left everyone blinking. There was a crackling energy in the air that was like the worst static cling Steve had ever experienced.
When Steve was no longer seeing spots, Thor had his arm around Anthony, holding him tight to his chest, and had called his hammer to his hand. “Are you being held against your will? I would not have thought it of my shield brothers, but if they’ve harmed you, I shall seek vengeance on your behalf.”
“Let him go, Thor!” Steve was a heartbeat away from punching the visiting god.
Thor shot him an angry glare. “You claim him to be your grandson and say he is not Asgardian, and yet his touch speaks another truth. Lie to me again at your own peril.”
“Steve, chill.” Anthony met Steve’s gaze and shook his head, then he shot Tony a look. Tony stepped close to Steve, and then Anthony focused back on Thor. “As much fun as it is to be pressed all up against you, a guy likes to be asked first.”
Thor looked at Anthony. “It is indeed…fun. Would you like to remain with me? Perhaps in more comfortable environs? I can take you from here, bring you to safety. And if they’ve harmed you, I’ll seek recompense on your behalf.”
“Wow. I’m not sure if that’s flirting or machismo. First off, I’m capable of defending my own honor and, second, I’m making waffles. There’s a very long story you should hear before you jump to any more bad conclusions and certainly before you threaten people you claim to call friends. But if you still want to get a leg over after you hear the whole thing, I’m totally game.”
Thor seemed to pull Anthony even closer, and Steve took a step forward.
Tony curled a hand around his forearm. “Chill, Cap. Just watch the utterly bizarre Asgardian flirting and let Sparky handle it. No need to escalate the situation.”
Thor nuzzled against Anthony’s cheek. “I will do as you ask, lovely, and then we will see about this game you wish to play.”
“Well. I like to think I’m cuter than your average bear, but I do think your reaction to me is a bit extreme, so we might need to look into what in the hell has gotten into you.”
“There is nothing nefarious at work. Amongst Asgardians, there are those with whom we are compatible. And there are moments when we see something beautiful, something we desire. This would be both. I desire you—most ardently. It’s my nature to pursue such delights.”
“Oh. Joy. Well, it’s in my nature to pursue waffles. So unhand me, you grabby Asgardian, and come help me slay the waffle iron.”
Steve was utterly baffled as he watched Anthony lead Thor into the kitchen. “What the hell just happened?”
Surprisingly, it was James who answered first. “I can’t speak for what anyone else saw, but it looked like the God of Thunder is in serious lust with your grandson.”
“No!” came from the kitchen. “I don’t mean actually slay it. If your hammer touches that waffle iron, there will be no legs at all…over, under, or spread. Step away from the appliances! And put the hammer down!”
Tony was bent over again, not even trying to control his laughter.
Steve sighed. “He doesn’t like it when you tell him to put the hammer down.” He smiled, feeling gratified at the way Tony laughed even harder.
– – – –
Tony wrested the hammer away from the guy who was trying to slay the waffle iron then plunked it on top of the refrigerator. “You get that back when you stop trying to murder the kitchen.”
Thor had a delighted look on his face and backed Tony up against the counter.
Legends about Thor’s hammer and things he’d read in SHIELD’s files caught up with his brain. He blamed his lack of attention on having that much hotness pressed up against him earlier. “I shouldn’t have been able to do that, should I?”
Thor’s hands settled on Tony’s waist then slid down to his thighs. Abruptly, he was lifted and plopped on the countertop. Tony readily let Thor stand between his legs as strong hands settled on his hips. “In theory, anyone could lift Mjølnir but, in actuality, few are able. That you can lift her pleases me.” Lips pressed against his jaw and then down the line of his neck.
Tony shuddered. “Okay, this is weird. I’m normally all for casual sex—especially with someone as hot as you—but this seems a little… Is this normal for you? Are you always this…forward?”
Hot breath ghosted over his skin. “When I see something I desire, yes.”
“And you desire me.”
Hands tightened on his hips. “Yes,” Thor breathed against his collarbone.
Tony settled his hands on broad shoulders. “And yet you were sent here to kill me, so this seems a bit abrupt.”
“You were not in the room when that was said.”
“I have really good hearing. Even when I’m downstairs.”
“I see.” Thor pulled back a bit. “I would not harm you, Anthony.”
“You get that I’m not really an Asgardian, right?” At Thor’s stubborn expression, Tony added, “Because if I were, your father would have felt me before twelve days ago, don’t you think?”
Thor cocked his head to the side. “Then how do you explain that you feel like one of my people? While I cannot always feel one of my own, you harness power much the way I do. I feel the energy that runs in your veins.”
Tony couldn’t deny that. He felt something from Thor too. When they’d touched, it was like his whole body started to hum. Not the dangerous humming that heralded an explosion, but more like a resonance.
“I think I have a long story to tell you, but my maternal grandfather is indeed Steve Rogers. That is verified. But my father…is perhaps a descendant of an Asgardian.” He’d been noodling on that since Thor’s arrival, and it was the only thing that made any sense. “Something happened a couple of weeks ago… Well, let’s just say it may have woken some dormant ancestry.”
Brows furrowed, Thor asked, “And will you explain this?”
“You can wait until after breakfast, or I’ll fill you in while I cook. But if you choose the latter, you have to sit on the counter and not do anything while I work.”
Thor pulled him to the edge of the counter, causing their hard cocks to press together. “Breakfast?”
“I can’t say I’m not hungry for that too, but I’m making waffles. And my grandfather is in the other room,” he added as an afterthought. Really, the people in the other room should be a bigger consideration than waffles, but Tony’s brain was a little addled. “If after you hear everything, you still want to go on this ride, I’m game.” He jerked back a bit. “We’re not related, are we?”
Thor laughed. “No. I have no offspring, and my only sibling is my brother through adoption.”
“Okay, just need to be sure my unknown ancestor wasn’t you.”
“If we must part to tend to meal preparations, may I kiss you first?”
Tony thought that was probably a terrible idea. There should be full disclosure and making sure Thor wasn’t completely addled in some way, but…he was really into this whole thing. “Well…I guess one couldn’t hurt.”
Based on the teasing touches and kisses, Tony thought he’d be in more for more of that, but the kiss was the equivalent of an invasion. Like the kiss version of Immigrant Song.
Thor manhandled him close until every inch of them was pressed tight then fused their lips together. He licked into Tony’s mouth, tongues tangling.
Tony’s higher brain function deserted him as he groaned into the kiss. He tried to yank Thor closer, pulling at his shirt until he heard a ripping sound.
“I’m not coming in there,” Stark yelled, “but you should know that we know what you’re up to! And while I don’t care, your grandfather looks like he’s going to have a coronary! We can see your glow from out here!”
It was like an ice bath, except that an actual dunking in ice water would have done something about his hard-on. Tony yanked his mouth away, pushing back on Thor’s shoulders even as he registered the rather intense aura of light he was giving off.
Thor stared at him wide-eyed, looking awed. He reached out and touched Tony’s skin. “How wondrous.”
Tony blew out a breath and focused on getting his raging desire under control. He obviously needed to get laid in the most desperate way if he was nearly ready to have sex on the kitchen counter with his grandfather in the other room!
The glow faded as Tony got control of himself and pushed Thor away. “You’re on counter time if you want a story.”
It wound up being easier to relay the story of what had happened while occupied with making breakfast. It meant he didn’t have to look at Thor and try to assess his expressions, or lack thereof. Tony wasn’t usually too wrapped up in other people’s opinions of him or his actions—because it wasn’t something he had any control over—but it was an odd situation for him to have someone so instantly into him but have it based on something so incredibly false. Because while whatever Hydra had done may have activated some latent Asgardian genetics, there was no doubt that Tony was not an Asgardian. It bothered him that Thor’s attraction was based on a misunderstanding. Thor asked a clarifying question or two but mostly just let Tony explain.
Jarvis had ordered him four commercial grade waffle irons, so it was fairly quick to have a ton of waffles in the warming oven while he finished up the rest of the mountain of food. That stint as a short-order cook while in college was serving him well.
“So that’s the tale,” he concluded as he piled bacon on a plate. “We don’t know what they did or what I even am anymore. I have no idea why I cause things to blow up or why I glow or give off sparks…or anything, really. Hydra turned me into a super-soldier mood ring, and I don’t know what any of it means.” He popped a surprisingly good strawberry in his mouth. “What I do know is that I’m not an Asgardian. Born right here in New York.”
Thor hopped off the counter and stalked across the kitchen, backing Tony up against the refrigerator. “Your abilities are new to you, so they manifest as if you were very young. Those who are born with gifts often struggle to control them until they’ve had training. There were many times that I summoned lightning when my mood was unstable. Learning to use my abilities with purpose was more difficult than stopping the uncontrolled outbursts. But learn you will.” Thor stroked his cheek. “I’ll help you.”
“Boy, you are a master at only hearing what you want to hear, aren’t you?”
Thor’s smile was blinding. “I heard every word you spoke, beautiful one, and it changed my opinion not at all. However, this Hydra who has harmed you so grievously has courted war with Asgard. And I shall see them pay for their trespass.”
Tony scoffed. “That’s both charming and arrogant.”
“While I will concede to the charming, in what way was it arrogant?”
“What happened with me has nothing to do with Asgard, so don’t get your godly hammer in a knot.”
Thor’s brow twitched. “If your supposition is correct and one of your ancestors was of my people, does that not make you of my people?”
“You’re splitting hairs.”
“I do not know this phrase…why would one split a hair? Would that not be a waste of one’s time?”
“Precisely.”
“We’ve had an hour of discourse that I understood perfectly, so I attribute my inability to understand you now to be your wish that I not comprehend.”
Tony’s eyes narrowed. “I’m going to have to insist that you desist in all logic until after I’ve eaten and had several hours of very athletic sex.”
“Then, come. Let us dine so that we may commence with… What is the appropriate term for it in this context?”
“Uh, well, coming from you, ‘sexual congress’ wouldn’t be amiss, but the crasser term we—and by that, I mean me—tend to use is ‘fucking.’”
“Then let us eat and fuck. After which, I will attempt to sway you with my logic.”
“And suddenly, logic sounds so very dirty.”
Chapter Twelve
As soon as the door to Thor’s guest suite closed behind them, Tony found himself shoved up against the wall, and Thor was all over him. Their mouths locked together, and Thor groaned like he was dying—or maybe starving—as his tongue pressed past Tony’s lips.
The kiss was hot and frantic, and Tony didn’t bother trying to rein in his enthusiasm…or his strength. Thor’s T-shirt easily shredded under Tony’s grip, and he was left with what seemed like acres of perfect, firm, hot skin under his hands. Tony broke the kiss and bit at Thor’s neck and shoulders, getting a pleased rumble for his efforts.
He registered his shirt getting yanked away, and then bare skin rubbed together. Thor pulled back long enough to rip the rest of their clothes off then Tony’s back was getting acquainted with the wall again.
Thor’s hands slid down to his thighs, then he lifted. Tony readily wrapped his legs around Thor’s waist. “Okay, that’s really hot.”
Thor bit at his throat and jaw. “Shall I have you against the wall?”
“I wouldn’t say no.” He glanced down at the floor. “The lube was in my pocket, and I’m not sure if it’s that pocket or the one you threw on the other side of the room.”
Thor grinned and kissed Tony again. “You make me forget myself.”
“How terrible of me. I’ll probably need to be punished.”
Strong fingers threaded through his hair, managing to get a grip despite the short length. “I’m willing to rise to that challenge.” His head was yanked back, and small bites were left up the column of his throat.
“How decent of you,” Tony managed to get out around a gasp.
Thor began walking and, a few seconds later, Tony found himself dropped on a plush but supportive mattress. When Thor came back with the bottle of lube, Tony knocked him onto his back then straddled the heavily muscled thighs.
Thor grinned. “I find the sight of you above me to be glorious.” He reached out and trailed his fingers up Tony’s abdomen, drawing attention to the faint glow and small sparks jumping off his skin.
“Dammit.” How was he supposed to have sex and keep his emotions under control? He worked on reining it in.
“No,” Thor said sharply, sitting up and wrapping his arms around Tony’s waist, pressing his face into Tony’s throat. “Don’t try to stop it. You cannot hurt me, and it’s…beautiful. You are beautiful.”
It’d certainly be easier not to fight whatever this was. Still… He pushed Thor back onto the bed, shimmied down, and swallowed Thor’s cock down to the root.
Thor gasped, hips surging up. Tony easily held him in place, really feeling his own strength, and began working Thor aggressively, with every bit of pent-up, frustrated desire in him. It was a damn good thing Tony excelled at giving head because Thor’s size might be pushing him beyond his limits otherwise.
When there was a distinct tremor in the thighs and hips, Tony pulled off. “How much recovery time do you need?”
Thor blinked at him stupidly a few times and then scoffed. “None.”
“Oh. How…delightful.” Feeling like he’d just hit the sex jackpot, he swallowed the thick cock again, humming at the thick press into his throat and then backing off and sucking firmly at the head. Thor gave a shout, arched up, and came.
Tony sat up and licked the corner of his mouth. “That was fun.”
Thor stared, looking kind of dazed. Then he laughed as he grabbed Tony around the waist and threw him on his back. “I would have you now,” he whispered against Tony’s mouth as he leaned over him.
“Well, I’m all about the having.” He parted his legs and wrapped them both around Thor, delighting in the heavy weight pressing down on him. He was pleased to feel that Thor hadn’t been lying about no refractory period. The thick cock was still firm as it pressed into Tony’s skin.
“Do we need to use that…wrapping?”
Tony pushed Thor back enough so he could try to ascertain what was being asked.
“The thing you roll on your cock. I forget the name.”
“Condoms. Huh. Well, I know I’m fine, and I’m pretty sure a god is fine, but the whole people from different planets thing…” He considered for a second. “Well, it’s probably imprudent in general, but I figure if we’re going to give each other some kind of weird alien pox, that ship has already sailed, what with the kissing and oral sex. So, feel free to leave yourself as bare as you like.”
“I like bare.”
Tony gave Thor a once over. “Yeah, me too.”
Thor managed to come up with the lube; soon, slippery fingers were circling his hole.
“I don’t like a lot of prep…prefer to be stretched on a cock rather than on fingers.”
Thor’s eyes dilated, and his breathing became ragged.
“You’re a bit bigger than I’m used to, but I’m feeling ambitious.”
The thick, slippery head of Thor’s cock pressed tight against his hole as Thor braced himself above Tony. “You are…exquisite.”
“You’ll make me blush.” He arched up, trying to get some of that incredible thickness inside of him, but Thor held him in place, staying still until Tony shot him a questioning look.
“I would see you as you take me. I wish to see your eyes as I become everything to you.”
“Wow, that’s some serious eg—” He broke off, gasping as Thor began to press inside.
The slide was slow, so damn agonizingly slow. Tony panted and strained, trying to get more, but Thor was relentless about stopping if Tony didn’t just accept the pace.
“Figures you’d be a controlling asshole.”
“It’s your asshole being controlled,” Thor shot back with a smirk.
Tony managed something like a laugh around all his gasping and moaning, but he found himself relaxing into the long, slow stretch. Then Thor was fully inside, and all Tony could think about was that thick intrusion, the burning stretch. And how Thor wasn’t moving. “If you don’t get on with fucking me, I’m going to get your hammer and beat you with it.”
Thor laughed then claimed Tony’s mouth, tongue fucking him but still not actually fucking him. He couldn’t help but groan into the kiss, holding on tightly. “From any other, that would be an idle threat,” Thor whispered when he pulled back. “But from you…? I hear and obey.”
Before Tony could come up with anything to say, Thor pulled back and thrust in sharply. Tony’s whole world whited out. Literally. Light flared sharp and bright between them, and Tony didn’t even care because godly fucking was happening, and Tony felt thoroughly converted.
After several glorious minutes of exhaustive, deep fucking, Thor’s thumb slid over the head of his cock, and Tony came instantly. But Thor showed no sign of stopping. Of course, he’d already had the edge taken off, and he obviously considered it his mission to make Tony come again. It obviously wasn’t going to be a problem.
This time, Tony came completely untouched.
Only then did Thor’s thrusts become erratic, his breathing harsh. He claimed Tony’s mouth one more time as he groaned, hips stuttering as he came.
For long minutes, Thor stayed on and in Tony, face pressed against Tony’s throat. There was a soft kiss just before Thor rolled off.
Tony stared at nothing and tried to catch his breath. “That. Was great.” He realized he was still putting off more than a little glow, and Thor, who was propped up on his elbow, was trailing his fingers through the aura.
“Your energy is sublime.”
“Sublime? Don’t you think that’s laying it on a bit thick?”
“It feels…healing,” Thor continued, seemingly ignoring Tony’s incredulity.
Tony frowned up at the ceiling. “I’ve caused things to explode when I get upset.”
Thor pressed a kiss to Tony’s arm, then his shoulder, and finally right next to his mouth. “I will help you solve this mystery. On that, you have my word.”
He nodded, feeling like with Thor added into the sheer brainpower that was Stark and Banner, they had a chance of figuring this out. Sitting up, he dropped a quick kiss on Thor’s mouth. “This was fun.” Before he could get completely off the bed, Thor had snagged him around the middle and pulled him back.
“You speak as if you mean to depart.”
“I do mean to depart. There are things to do and people to annoy.”
“You said many hours of vigorous sex. While you make me forget the passage of time, I cannot imagine that hours have passed.”
“I did say that, didn’t I?”
“Mmm.” Thor pressed kisses to the back of Tony’s neck. “I would not be parted from you yet.”
“Is this your way of telling me you feel you have another go in you?”
“I have many in me.”
“Challenge accepted, Pikachu.”
“Who is this Pikachu?”
“One of Earth’s most noble and revered warriors.”
“And this warrior comes to mind when you’re in my arms?” Thor didn’t sound pleased.
Tony pressed his lips together and tried not to laugh. “Comparisons could be made, but I’m not angling to fuck Pikachu. That’s just…wrong.”
Thor pressed him back into the mattress. “I shall have to occupy your thoughts until you can think of no other.”
“Bring it, Asgardian.”
– – – –
Steve paced around Tony’s lab, feeling…unsettled.
Tony watched him pace but left him to his musings for a long time. Then he sighed. “Don’t touch that. I don’t know why you wanted to come here when half the things are things you shouldn’t touch, and you don’t know enough about this stuff to not know that you don’t know that.”
Blinking at the torrent of words, it took Steve a moment to gather his wits. “I find it…comfortable to be here.”
“In a lab with a bunch of obviously unfamiliar shit?” Tony sounded disbelieving.
Feeling a little defensive, Steve crossed his arms over his chest. “No. But this is your space, and it feels more like you than anywhere else in the building.”
“Oh.” Tony glanced away and cleared his throat. “Well, you’re welcome, you know that, but stop touching things unless you know for certain what it is and that it can bear super soldier handling.”
He found himself smiling. “That doesn’t leave much.”
Tony snorted. “Yeah, well.” He gestured to the couch. “Sparky getting a leg over bothering you that much?”
Steve didn’t know what to say, so he settled for a shrug, deliberately not taking the hint to go sit on the couch.
“Is it because it’s two men?” Tony sounded kind of cautious.
“No. I mean, that’s new—or rather, the being so forthright about it—but I don’t…care…?”
Tony frowned. “Do you care that it’s a man or not?”
“No. But also yes.” He huffed. “I know how men are.”
Tony’s mouth fell open, and there were several seconds of uncomfortable silence before he started cracking up.
“It’s not funny.”
“Oh, it so is. You’ve got your knickers in a knot because you’re worried the big bad God of Thunder is going to take advantage of your innocent little glowbaby.”
Steve scowled. “Well, when you say it like that…”
Getting his hilarity under control, Tony grabbed Steve by the arm and dragged him over to the couch, sitting sideways to face Steve. “Look, I can’t say that Sparky has had more sex than Thor—because there’s this whole Asgardian revelry thing that’s become an actual legend and, besides, Thor is fucking old—but I do know your precious little spark plug is well versed in the art of casual sex.”
Steve reared back. “Did you two…?”
“No! Stop that. I mean, he’s hot like burning, but…no.” Tony cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable. “Anyway, he did, however, tell me that he handles stress with copious amounts of athletic fucking, so…”
“I really don’t want to talk about my grandson’s sex life.” He scrubbed his hands over his face. “Breakfast was bad enough.”
“Yeah, the eye fucking got a little out of hand.”
Steve frowned but couldn’t really think of a better description for the looks over the breakfast table. “But what if he gets attached?”
“So what if he does? He’s a big boy; he can decide who he’s willing to make the target of his affections.”
“But Thor lives on Asgard.”
“Ah.” Tony considered for a few moments before offering, “Look, don’t borrow trouble, okay? Conceivably, once they get their bridge fixed, it won’t be a problem for him to travel to see his hunk of burning love. Or would that be his hunk of electric love?”
“Oh god.”
Tony laughed and nudged Steve with his foot. “You need to chill. Just deal with your worries about his future residency or future heartbreak on your own or rant at me about it. Otherwise, he might start thinking you’re homophobic, and you guys don’t need that kind of tension.”
Steve shook his head emphatically. “That was never…a problem. I always thought people should be able to love who they wanted, but it was very…”
“Taboo? Forbidden? Frowned upon?” Tony supplied.
“Any of those. All of them, I guess. I walked in on two men in my unit once, and I’ve never forgotten how scared they were that I would say something. Or worse, hurt them.”
Tony hesitated briefly. “And did you ever…? I mean, yourself.”
It took Steve a second to figure out what he meant. “Oh.” He felt his face heat, dammit! “No.”
“Not your thing, eh?”
It was Steve’s turn to hesitate, wondering how much he should say. But he reminded himself that things were different, and Tony obviously wouldn’t care. “I was never that brave.” Before Tony could say anything, and he was obviously about to, Steve quickly continued, needing to get it out. “I noticed, and I…wondered, but I was scared. My life already felt like a carefully constructed house of cards.”
“Was there anyone in particular? Bucky…?”
Steve made a face. “Bucky was like my brother. That would have been…strange.”
“Fair enough.”
“I noticed several, um, people, but I never let myself get attached to anyone like…that.”
“You couldn’t sound more awkward if you tried.”
Steve sighed. “I’m not used to talking about this kind of thing.”
“Are you kidding me? As Bruce likes to remind me, you were in the Army. I know what you guys talk about, having been around plenty of military men.”
“I’m not used to talking about two men. It feels…different. And I know it shouldn’t, but it truly is different for me because we didn’t discuss it in my day. I’m glad things have changed, but this is all a new experience for me.”
Tony was smiling faintly and looking weirdly fond. And there was something else Steve couldn’t quite put a name to.
“Are you laughing at me?”
Shaking his head, Tony softly replied, “No, Steve, I’m not laughing at you.”
“Then what?”
“It’s just—” Abruptly, Tony surged forward, and then he was kissing Steve.
Steve was frozen, shocked into inaction.
Just when Steve was starting to get it, Tony pulled back. “I’m sorry. That was totally—”
Steve yanked Tony onto his lap, holding his head so they could kiss again, with Steve really paying attention this time. It was the first time he’d ever kissed a man, and the quick surge of desire took him by surprise. He groaned, trying to get Tony closer, trying to absorb the way his skin tingled and his senses hummed and his cock ached.
He’d always noticed Tony, noticed his handsomeness and the way he moved. He’d desired Tony, but he was used to desiring things he couldn’t have. But he could never have conceived of the tidal wave of lust that was robbing him of his ability to think.
The feel of Tony’s tongue in his mouth, the taste of him, the feel of his firm body, and the tight ass pressing against Steve’s cock, stole his breath and his reason.
Steve pulled back, fighting for rational thought. He pressed his face against Tony’s throat, trying to get his bearings. Tony started to move, but Steve kept his arms tight around Tony’s waist, keeping him in place.
“Is casual what you want?” he found himself asking.
Tony went very still. “Well, I wouldn’t say no.”
Steve rubbed his thumb in a circle against Tony’s hipbone. “But would you say yes to something more?”
Tony was still and silent for a few seconds. “Are you asking me on a date?”
“Yes,” he admitted, feeling like he could say the words as long as he didn’t have to look in Tony’s eyes right then.
“Oh. Well, then, I accept.” Tony sounded a little breathless.
“I don’t know how to do this.”
“This being?”
“I don’t mean sex with a man, though I’ve never done that, I figure I can extrapolate and research, but, uh… I don’t know how to be in this time. How to date a man. In my day, we had gender roles, and just yesterday, Jarvis’ daily lecture on modern social mores was about how gender was a societal construct.”
Tony laughed softly, his breath ruffling Steve’s hair.
“I don’t fit.”
“You fit with me,” Tony said softly. He wrapped his arms around Steve’s shoulders in a clear hug. “I’ll wait for you, Steve, so don’t worry so much.”
He held Tony tighter. “Yeah.” He pressed a gentle kiss to the hollow of Tony’s throat. “I like being down here because I feel like I fit. And it’s not the lab; it’s you. Because this is where you always are.”
Tony’s arms tightened, and Steve let the worries fade away.
– – – –
The dream woke Tony abruptly, and he immediately rolled out of bed, trying to banish the images from his mind. It wasn’t a nightmare, but it was still disquieting. And very confusing. Thor’s breaths were deep and even, and Tony’s sudden departure from the bed didn’t seem to have disturbed him.
He felt that humming in a very alarming way and focused on pulling it back, reminding himself to go see Bruce tomorrow morning. He figured he should get dressed and go back to his room—he’d never intended to stay the night, but after hours of sex in the morning, they’d rejoined the others just for Stark to kick them both out of the common room for “aggressive afterglow” and “unnecessary eye-fucking.”
Tony smiled at the memory. Stark was such a perfect asshole.
Thor had been all in for another adventurous round of sex, and Tony had been honestly worn out after the fourth time. He didn’t even remember falling asleep. He’d honestly needed the day off, and there really was nothing like the therapeutic effect of sex to get him back on an even keel.
But then…dreams. And now it was fully dark and nearing three in the morning.
He wiggled into his pants but then was distracted by the city lights through the open windows. The images from the dream superimposed themselves over the city, and he tried to make sense of it, tried to figure out what his subconscious was throwing up for him this time. The energy under his skin rose sharply then waned again.
There was a faint rustle behind him then soft footfalls. He was unsurprised when Thor, still obviously naked, wrapped himself around Tony from the back. “Why do you dress at this hour?”
“I was going to head back to my room. I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you like that.”
“But I would have you stay, beloved.”
“Wow. Your endearments are a little over the top.”
“Hmm. You think I choose my terms lightly?”
Tony stilled. “Don’t you?”
Thor didn’t respond, but his big, warm hand settled on Tony’s stomach. “What troubles you?”
“In what way?”
“You said the destructive energies come when you are angry.”
“Or upset, I guess, yeah. Why?”
“I feel it…burning within you now. Have I upset you?”
Tony quickly turned, letting Thor keep them pressed close together. “No, you didn’t upset me. I had a weird dream, and it unnerved me a little. I guess enough to cause a surge of…whatever that is.”
“And you have not yet learned how to discharge these energies?”
“No. I just make myself not be angry.”
“How can that be a practical solution?”
“It really isn’t. As evidenced by the scorch marks in James’ quarters.”
“May I assist you? Until such time as you have learned to manage on your own, it would be my honor to help you.”
“How can you help me?”
Thor pulled back, holding Tony away at arm’s length. “Let the energy come—let it rise up in you.”
“But I blew up a room the last time that happened.”
“I think that was due to ignoring it for too long. I struggled with my powers when I was young and tried to keep them at bay. I once called the lightning right onto the dinner table because I’d been suppressing it for too long.”
Tony bit his lip, trying not to laugh. “If any of the legends of your father are true, he wasn’t thrilled with that.”
“In point of fact, he was somewhat amused. However, he was less amused with my instructors, who had been allowing me to exist in such a way. They’d thought I would eventually give in and ask for their assistance.”
“Well, aren’t you the stubborn little lightning bug.”
“You have bugs of lightning?”
“Eh. In a manner of speaking. I’ll show you sometime.”
“I will hold you to your word,” Thor said very solemnly. “Now, please allow me to help you.”
“So just…let it go?”
“Yes.”
Tony blew out a breath and focused on not being so in control. “You sure this isn’t going to blow up Stark’s guest floor?”
“I am certain. Our energy is quite compatible.”
“Well, then, call me Elsa.” He began humming the song softly.
Thor frowned. “Will calling you by a woman’s name aid you?”
Tony laughed, his skin beginning to glow. “No. Just never mind.” Suddenly, even though he was amused, that sharp, hot energy barreled to the fore and was just as suddenly drained away. The air fairly crackled, and he could feel every hair on his body stand on end. “Whoa. What did you do?”
“I drained away the excess energy and released it.”
“If you released it, how come nothing went boom?”
Thor’s brows knit as he pondered the question. “If you hand someone a sword, it would not be injurious. But if you swing the sword…”
“Ah. Application of force.”
“Yes. When your abilities slip beyond your control, it’s as if it were a wild swing of a sword. But if you know how to release the build-up of energy, it’s as if you lay the sword down.”
“That makes sense. I guess I have some training to do.”
“Do you need me to call you Elsa?”
Laughing, Tony gave Thor a big, smacking kiss.
“Do you really need to depart?” Thor asked, moving in for another kiss.
“What did you have in mind?”
“Perhaps some sleep. And then vigorous sex. Or vigorous sex and then sleep if that is what you prefer.”
“Vigorous sex, sleep, and then more sex?” Tony countered.
“I find myself amenable to your suggestion.”
“Very decent of you.”
Back in the bedroom, rather than joining Tony in the bed, Thor stood next to it, grabbed the lube, and slicked up his cock, giving several long strokes.
“Planning to masturbate for my viewing pleasure?” He wasn’t averse to the idea, but having had some god cock—or would that be godly cock? Something to ponder when he wasn’t about to get some—he’d much prefer something more interactive.
“Perhaps later if that is what you wish.”
“Well, aren’t you accommodating.”
Thor shot him a grin that could only be described as devilish. Instead of saying anything, Thor grabbed Tony and hauled him up off the bed. Tony caught a clue quickly and wrapped his legs around Thor’s waist.
“What are you doing?” he asked, utterly befuddled as Thor walked away from the bed.
A second later, his back impacted with the wall. “I had yet to fulfill your wish for sex against a wall. I seek to remedy this oversight.”
“Oh. Really, how very accomodat— Oh!” he gasped as Thor pressed into him in one long, smooth push. He banged his head off the wall as Thor began pounding into him mercilessly. The orgasm shocked him with its speed and ferocity, leaving him dazed and panting.
“Three times,” Thor rumbled in his ear.
“What?” he asked in a haze of pleasure, holding on and enjoying the overstimulating ride.
“You will come three times before I release you from this wall.”
Tony’s eyes rolled back in his head at a particularly well-aimed thrust. “You’re gonna have to…work for that.”
A hard thrust that had him seeing stars was his only answer.
“Oh god…” was all he could manage.
“Yes,” Thor chuckled just before claiming Tony’s mouth again.
Chapters 7-9 | Main Page | Chapters 13-15