Iron Will, Iron Heart: Conductivity

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Blast. Recharge. Blast. Recharge. Blast Set up the fresh targets.

That had been Tony Stark's refrain for the last three days. The first day was dedicated solely to holding it as far from the hotel as humanly possible into the most remote desert location possible. Himself and his new toys, all alone. And the tent. There was no scenario where he wouldn't take that for the ride.

The plasma auto rifle--today's plaything--boasted rapid fire and plasma grenades. With nothing but sand, rock, and dust for miles, Tony was free to let loose. For the bigger blasts, Tony activated his armor--which was up to several minutes of stability at a time. With a sigh, the time limit ran out and he was left in his tank and fatigues bottoms. Adjusting it to the stun setting, he took aim at the few remaining targets.

Comments

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor had been searching for Tony for close to three days when he found him. He heard him before he saw him.

The sounds of Tony's plasma rifle drowned out the sound of his approach. He deliberated whether or not he should call out. Instead he sat down on the desert floor a distance away and just watched.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"Boss."

"Still awake, F.R.I.D.A.Y.? You're a trooper." Another shot, and the target bobbed.

"Foggy, Boss. Just wanted to let you know you've got company. Shall I activate the Pitching Tents protocol?"

Oh, so he was here. And probably now privy to the fact that Tony calibrated F.R.I.D.A.Y.'s AI to the mood settings of the tent. Nice. Tony adjusted his aim.

"Nope, just...eyes forward." In a literal sense. His glasses had taken the form of goggles to protect against the dust kickback.

[st_ormbreaker]

Tony had noticed him.

For a moment, Thor deliberated pushing himself off the ground and joining him, but it was clear that even after a few days, Tony probably didn't want his company.

When Thor pushed himself up from the ground, it was to return to the campsite to go through Tony's provisions and restock it with what he carried in his bag. He wasn't sure how much longer Tony was going to be out here, but he didn't have much left.

Satisfied, he dusted off his hands and watched Tony for a few moments linger. He adjusted one of the straps on his shoulder, then began to leave the same way he came.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"You will no longer have company, Boss."

Tony ground his teeth. His next shot clipped the last target. He adjusted the settings on the rifle and rotated his head just enough to make his voice project. "How long have you been on the scent, Air Bud? Thought for sure you'd try and put those retrieving skills to use." Another shot. Another clip. He swore and lowered the weapon. Thor merely being there was sapping all of his focus.

"Screw it. I'm taking a biscuit break. Join me. Or not."

[st_ormbreaker]

"I waited a half day before I started looking." Thor moves to join Tony. "I thought I was good at hide and seek, but now I'm having second thoughts."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"Wasn't hiding. Jogging." Tony plopped in front of the fire pit which had since been snuffed. He tore open a bag of salted nuts and jiggled the bag for Thor to take. "I'm a very enthusiastic jogger."

[st_ormbreaker]

"Very enthusiastic," Thor agrees, taking a handful of the nuts into hand. For a few long moments, he chews on two of them and gazes out at the space where Tony was firing off plasma blasts a few minutes before.

"You wanted to know how I knew," he says, turning to look at Tony. "Sometimes I have dreams of things I shouldn't possibly know. I had one of those dreams that night."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"Neat." Tony sat facing the fire pit, sucking the salt off an almond before chewing.

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor continues chomping on his nuts. Only once he has finished chewing does he look over at Tony.

"Do you want to discuss this right now?"

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"Not really. I'm still kind of--" Tony activated his gauntlet, summoning a nearby metal target to him via magnesis. He propped it up beside him, affectionately patting the thick frame, which was vaguely in the shape of a person's upper body. "Kind of--really pissed. Wanna meet Thor Jr.? I don't shoot this guy but I practice the taze function on him. He takes it like a champ. I let him cuddle up at night. Really takes up most of the sleeping bag, but I'm used to it."

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor looks at his metal counterpart and tries not to look amused. It's probably not appropriate.

"Why taze the knockoff when you can taze the original?"

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Somehow, Tony was at a loss for a proper follow up to the offer, clinging to the metal body. He fully expected to drive Thor off with that one.

"...I think he likes it. Thor Jr. by the way, he has a name." He nuzzled the area where the cheek would have roughly been with his own, letting the cold steel cool his bare arms. Maybe the black tank in the sun was a mistake but it was tradition. "Doesn't complain. Always gets back up for another round. Cute as a martensitic steel button."

[st_ormbreaker]

"I think the original is plenty cute and is always up for another round." A beat. "But maybe he could not complain so much."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"Fine. One condition. We get Thor Jr.'s consensus. He was here first." Tony hefted the metal frame around to his front, holding it at arm's length. "What say you, Thor Jr.? Should we take the beta version for a spin?"

A long pause. Tony fixed a dutiful stare at the object, nodding occasionally at the utter silence that followed.

"Hm. Alright." He shifted it back to the side. "He says I should, uh, probably stop projecting my emotions onto inanimate objects and using misdirected aggression to cope." Rolling his eyes, Tony let it flop down onto the rocky sands. "Should have named it after something less prone to lecturing."

[st_ormbreaker]

"Well, I can't say I don't disagree," Thor says, once again trying not to smile. "Or is that I can't say I don't agree?"

Thor pauses.

"At any rate, did you want to pack up camp or spend a few more lonely days with your surrogate?"

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"I want my shooting range, I like my shooting range." Tony stubbornly stayed seated, digging into the energy-packed nuts. "Is that okay? Or are you, ah, gonna drag this bunny back by the neck." More on-the-nose retriever comparisons.

[st_ormbreaker]

"Not unless you want to be," he says. "Which it sounds like you don't."

Thor shoves a few more nuts in his mouth and claps a hand on Tony's back and gives it an affectionate rub.

"Dropped off some food for you. No nuts, though. Plenty of pop tarts."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Tony's lips drew into a thin smirk as Thor's hand jostled him. "You are making it really hard to stay angry and I do not appreciate it."

[st_ormbreaker]

"Would it help if I told you I missed you?"

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Tony shoved another handful of nuts into his mouth, making his cheeks puff out. "No."

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor moves his hand away from Tony's back and up to his neck, where he lightly wiggles them in a tickle.

"And this?"

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Thor's fingers brushed over the sensitive hairs covering the skin of the back of his neck and Tony's throat lurched in a barely suppressed laugh--and out came the barely-chewed nuts in a chunky waterfall.

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor lets out a bark of laughter at Tony's reaction.

"You're ticklish?"

Thor is clearly delighted by this discover, and, being the good friend he is to Stark, immediately brings his hands to Tony's sides to continue waggling his fingers to find all of his sensitive spots.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Doubling over, Tony tried to proclaim that Thor was as good as mounted on his headboard but it came out as a helplessly frustrated gurgle as the nuts continue to spill out onto the sand. When he was sure there were all gone, more came. He curled up, bucking and pushing.

"I will--" A nut went flying to bounce off of Thor's forehead, "stretch your foreskin like a balloon--!"

[st_ormbreaker]

Tony's reaction just makes Thor laugh louder. Thor found all humans adorable, but this one, even spewing up nuts into the sand like there's no tomorrow --

-- is definitely the most adorable of them all.

Especially when he makes threats.

"Good luck with that," he challenges, still tickling Tony. And since he can't trust more nuts (were there more? Thor wasn't sure) to spew from Tony's mouth, he plants an affectionate kiss on Tony's forehead instead of his lips.