At The World's Edge

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Flying was freedom. That was one of the truths that remained in their prison.

Tony Stark was no longer forcing his limbs into the suit, nor was he weighed down with fear of its imminent failure or the pain of maintaining it through will power and little else. No, it once again became his second skin. His thrusters propelled him on high as he approached the altitude of the barrier. Its dimensions were well documented and he had no fear of crashing into it. There wasn't even the lingering anxiety of tracking Thor to the ends of the fishbowl--the man had taken his tent, and Tony had taken care to install trackers well ahead of time in anticipation of this exact scenario. He could have found him at once, had he been so inclined. But three days was three days, and the time he had been granted on his own was time he could return in kind.

After all, time spent to oneself was sometimes the only medicine. But Tony wouldn't let too much time pass without at least checking in. So was his duty as Thor's friend and, well, everything he was to the man.

His resolve, his triumph, it all equaled out to a baseline of contentment that he indulged in to watch the scenery unfold with new eyes. When had the dry, cracked earth evolved into slopes of grass backlit by a distant, gleaming shore? Cedarwoods and cypresses were laid out in a patchwork of somber greens. As the water approached, so did the faint mists, muting the scenery. The clouds had rolled in, lingering and promising rain. Tony's contentment became sobriety.

As Tony descended upon a pointed cliffside, there he was. At the crest sat the lonely figure he sought meters away. Quietly, Tony's armor re-formed into a thick jacket. He looked at the distance behind him--the silhouettes of hills utterly obscured any sign of the hotel. He turned back ahead and approached in no particular hurry. His footsteps were made soft by the grass and the sounds of winds and crashing waves. Coming up on Thor's side, he took in the sight of his meditative profile and simply lowered to sit beside him.

Comments

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"Now that you've confirmed my stay, I'm getting the ingredients air dropped. Something scrambly. Something meaty. Thought you could use the protein and the GABA." Tony patted Thor's head, as if indicated how often he thought of the man.

"Tired? I can put you down for a nap first."

[st_ormbreaker]

"You spoil me," Thor says. "Really, Tony, I'm fine." Thor worries that Tony thinks he isn't.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"Uh. Yeah." As Tony made for the tent, he turned back and his dark eyes darted this way and that as if waiting for the follow up. "I love you. I do this stuff for people I love. Relax about it."

[st_ormbreaker]

That one single word is enough to draw a full-on grin from Thor. Tony is not nearly as generous with his use of the L-word as Thor is, so it's hard not to feel some sudden, almost child-like sense of pride and/or giddiness at having Tony call what it is what it is.

"Love, huh?" he says, as if it weren't already long completely obvious.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

With a sigh, Tony doubled back and took Thor by the hands, spinning a half-circle. A gust of wind made his hair and scarf flutter dramatically.

"'I wanna know what love is.
I want you to show me.
I wanna feel what love is.
I know you can show me.'"

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor is completely caught off-guard by all of this. While surprise briefly registers on his face, it is quickly replaced with the same broad grin as before.

He has never heard this song ever before in his entire life but Thor is absolutely certain that Tony's variation is the best of them all.

And not just because Tony is singing for him.

"You're a gifted singer," Thor insists. "Why don't you sing more often?"

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"Mood's gotta strike." Also, Tony lived a life of constant media scrutiny and wasn't keen on the idea of being subject to an unfortunate audio grab that got meme'd into oblivion. He was certain Peter already had his hands on more than a few.

"So. 'Gotta take a little time. A little time to think things over.' Isn't that right...?" When he sang, his voice dropped an octave, rolling like soft, seductive thunder.

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor thinks that the mood should strike Tony more often, but he doesn't say it. Instead, he attempts to hum along, at least until Tony stops.

"I don't know," Thor says, taking one of Tony's still-clasped hands up to his lips so he can plant a kiss on the joint of his fingers. "Sounds like it could be right."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Although Tony slowly edged backwards towards the tent, he was fully engrossed in their little moment, never breaking eye contact with the taller man.

"'Cause I wonder where you are,
And I wonder what you do.
Are you somewhere feeling lonely,
Or is someone loving you.'"

When his heels brushed the tent flap, he stopped and tugged Thor's fingers down to his own lips.

"'Tell me how to win your heart,
For I haven't got a clue.'"

[st_ormbreaker]

When Tony catches his hand and kisses his fingers, Thor lets out a soundless laugh. Even now, he can't tell if Tony means anything by the lyrics he sings or not, but Thor likes it all the same.

"You already have my heart," Thor informs him.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"'Then let me start by saying...I love you.'" Upon the completed verse, Tony pressed the rough, warm fingers against his cheek.

"There. You know me a little more--I sing. Sometimes."

[st_ormbreaker]

"And wonderfully," Thor says, scritching Tony's cheek. "Do I owe you a secret now? Think I can come up with one."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"Rain check that. If you're offering, I need to make it worth the while to ask." Patting his hand, Tony was clad in a thermal shirt, sweat pants and socks as he backed into the tent. "You know what else this thing has? Self-cleaning functions. Dirt particles are a thing of the past with the freshness directive. Light hits it, excites the nanoparticles and they degrade organic matter just like that."

[st_ormbreaker]

"So I guess I won't be doing your laundry," Thor says, following him in.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Tony made a nest in the spare blankets, pulling one over his head like a hood where he sat. The drone was a good thirty minutes out.

"Just hold me up to the sun."

[st_ormbreaker]

"You're going to regret saying that, Stark," Thor says with a grin. He would love the opportunity to pick up Thor and him up like a lion cub at the edge of a cliff.

And they already had the cliff.

While Tony settles into his self-made nest, Thor settles down next to his bag and begins rummaging through it.

"So about that project," Thor says. "It's a gift for you and Loki." Did he mention that before? He can't remember.

Thor pulls the book from his bag, then turns around to gently tap it against Tony's forehead.

"Here."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Blinking and squinting in a cat-like fashion, Tony plucked it from Thor's grip. He thumbed the dark, smooth surface and tested its weight.

"Journal? Ancient artifact? Both?"

[st_ormbreaker]

"Everything you should need to know about the few weeks before Thanos got the last Infinity Stone. There'll probably be more we'll need to go over later, but it's at least a start."

Thor shifts himself so he's sitting next to Tony instead of in front of the bag.

"When you're done with it, please give it to Loki."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Tony's body language shifted noticeably, handling it with more reverence. His mind begged to crack it open on the spot, but a touch of anxiety welled up from within his stomach that kept him from doing so. Besides, there would be plenty of time after he departed the next day.

"Understood. Thank you." He lowered the priceless journal to his lap, warming it against his thighs.

[st_ormbreaker]

"I put together a little primer in the front about the Infinity Stones up in the front," Thor says, spinning a finger in the book's direction. "I wrote it for you."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Alright, just a peek. No obsessive pouring over. Tony made himself promise not to. Dinner was coming up. He cracked it open, skimming the 'prologue'--teasing out key details on the spot.

'Power stone--planet. ...Liquid form? Dr. Strange? That's a name?' He forced his fingers to shut it, turning a focused look at Thor. "How long this take?"

[st_ormbreaker]

"I started on it awhile ago," he says. "Didn't get very far, came out here, decided I'd finish it. Been working on it off-and-on the last three days."

It's probably not the exact answer Tony's looking for, but it's the best answer Thor can give right now.

"There's some stuff in there written in Asgardian, after the part about The Statesman -- the ship we were on when Thanos attacked," he says. "It has everything laid out in a little more detail. I'm not trying to keep secrets. I just thought Loki should know that before anyone else."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Tony nodded once, eyes scanning over the foreign script briefly before moving on. Once Loki had absorbed the information, he could do work learning the characters alongside the Norse he was autodictating.

"I'll work hard to see your efforts through. All of them."

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor smiles.

"As long as someone is able to stop Thanos, it will have been worth it," he says. "I think we should bring other people in when they're ready and formulate a plan together in the case everyone remembers when we return home."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"Agreed, Fearless Leader." From his cocoon, Tony braced a hand on Thor's shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze.