December 18th, 2012

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Following the Battle of New York, Tony Stark and his brand were becoming many things. The days of being a no-accountability war profiteer were already well behind him, but he hardly anticipated playing landlord to a ragtag team of honest-to-god superheros. In the aftermath, that was one the first things he set about doing with Pepper. With her blessing, Tony had thrown himself into it. Never one to half-ass things, he oversaw the extensive remodeling to accommodate the specific needs of each and every Avenger. Several were essentially homeless and there was no initiative for the superpowerly-abled, even in a place as progressive as New York.

Including Steve. Even if he called Stark Tower ugly and immediately found an apartment somewhere in Brooklyn. Even though Tony set aside one of the top 12 floors for him like everyone else. Fine.

Today was all about adding that personal touch. He was giving free room and board, might as well be a gracious sugar daddy about it. Besides, who wanted to thwart crime with a guy or gal whose liquor of choice you couldn't name? Just bad form.

Stopping outside the luxury suite dedicated to the arguably most unique new friendly friend, Tony bounced on his heels. He contemplated just walking in for a split second, but he liked having his cranium hammer-free. And it was still about being gracious--as much as he could be. "JARVIS? Ping Point Break for me." Tony didn't feel like knocking. This was a compromise.

"Mr. Odinson, you have a visitor." JARVIS dutifully announced from within Thor's quarters.

Comments

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

A deep breath in. Tony savored it. A deep breath out.

The New York winter was bitter, but this would keep him warm for months. Tony cracked open another bottle of champagne, filling up Thor's glass, then his own with a flourish.

He took a sip and tapped the side of his head. "Once more, in Daddy's ear."

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor leans over so that his mouth is close enough that his breath can be felt on Tony's ear and his cheek.

"Boss Man Tony," he says, his voice low, as if telling Tony a secret.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Thor's husky words danced down his ear and made permanent residence in his brain. This was good enough to give Tony gout. He was sure of it.

"You, my friend," He tapped Thor's nose with his champagne flute as he sat back, "Are a commendably good sport. I'll let you make the next call."

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor settles his back against the seat, then takes a sip of his beverage against his better thinking. He's uncomfortably full and ready to burn off some restless energy.

"Would you take me ice skating?" he asks. "I've never been."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

'On a list of things I didn't expect...' "Yeah?" Tony reached into the cooler and pulled out a bottle of water.

"It's kind of a, ah... ...oh, who cares. Sure. JARVIS."

"Rerouting, Sir."

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor eyes Tony, curious.

"Kind of a what?"

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"Kind of a couples thing." Now that he said it, he wasn't sure if that was strictly true--that just seemed to be the common conception. But when something was in question, Tony's usual answer was Who Cares?

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor is mystified by this. "Why is it a couples thing?" he asks. He had seen plenty of people skating before -- even children -- and it had never once occurred to him that this might be part of some elaborate human custom. "Is it some human courtship ritual?"

Maybe he should bring Jane skating sometime.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"Sometimes? Couples, families, the usual suspects. It's not a rule just a, uh, trend." Oh, the joys of explaining all the many and varied gray areas of social expectations.

[st_ormbreaker]

"Are you worried that people will think we're together?"

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Tony uncapped the water with a chuckle. "Heavily doubt they will. If they do, eh, I could do worse." And he had.

[st_ormbreaker]

Cue another puzzled look.

"I would have no problem if they did," he says. "Jane would have no reason to suspect me of any sort of infidelity."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"So holding hands is still in the equation." Tony tossed him a water. "You may need it."

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor catches it with a single hand.

"I do not fear the ice, if that is what you're implying." When they were small, Loki often held his hand when he was scared or uncertain. Now as an adult, he held Jane's because he liked the way it perfectly fit into his own, like they were meant to be together. As an adult, he did not often hold hands with anyone else.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"For balance. It's like riding a bicycle. I'm the training wheels. Does Asgard...?" Tony squinted and gestured expectantly before waving that off. "Never mind. We'll get swarmed the moment people recognize us, doubt we'll make it two steps."

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor has no idea what Tony's talking about, but he is certain of one thing:

"We need a disguise, then!" he says, clapping his hands together.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"JARVIS? Nearest Value Village."

"Hawthorne, Sir. Shall I reroute?"

"Please and thanks." It was approaching seven in the evening and a second hand clothing shop was bound to be quiet enough. "Probably a good idea. You're spilling out of those pants a little, there."

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor gives his tummy a happy little pat. "Proof of a well-fought battle, though I would not object to more comfortable clothing."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

~~

It had been years since Tony had spent any time at the Rockefeller Center skating rink. The last time had been a mother-son outing--a rare spur of the moment escapade his mom had suggested in between some wholly unengaging museum trips. After a long day of feigning interest in relative values of art in the Northern Renaissance, he whinged he was too old to go skating only to end up enjoying himself.

'It was Christmas time then, too.' So many memories of his mother around this time of year. Ever since the incident, most of them had been colored with a grief so intense he long pretended that the holiday season barely existed. Celebrating year by year with Pepper had warmed him up to the idea once again.

"See the bunny ears?" Tony presented the two loops he created with the skate laces, gazing up at Thor from where he knelt in front of the man. He adjusted his second-hand Yankees cap to get a better look. He took a sip of the hot chocolate that had come complimentary as part of the package deal Tony purchased for them for morale. "We've crossed the bunny ears, we've had them run over each other, now they jump in the hole because they see the dog."

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor listens attentively the whole time, clearly absorbing Tony's explanation involving Earth's array of animals. Bunny ears. Check. Hiding from dog, check. Loki had showed him many knots in the past, but nothing as strange as this one.

"I do not understand why you do this," he says, gesturing to his feet. "It'd be considerably easier to simply wear skates that fashioned after boots. What would you do if your knot became unknotted on the ice?"

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"If you tie it right, it won't. Drink your hot chocolate, buddy." Tony stood and patted Thor's arm as he looked him up and down. Count on Value Village for hosting a patchwork of clothes in Thor's size.

Tony gestured at the rink at large. As twilight fell, the golden statue stood resplendent as it lit up the ice. "See him? Greek God Prometheus. Legends say he bestowed the gift of fire and metalwork to human kind. Understandably, I am a fan. Some say he's a, ah, bit of a trickster."

[st_ormbreaker]

A trickster. Like Loki. Though he had steeled himself since the attack on New York, he still had mixed feelings about his brother and what he had done.

"Have you met him?" Thor asks, nodding towards the Prometheus statue. He takes a sip of his hot cocoa, and looks at Tony for his answer.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"Last I heard he was bound to a rock while an eagle pecked out his liver on the daily. So no." Trying his luck, Tony offered his hand as he faced the ice. The throngs were still merrily oblivious to the two champions in their midst. "Let's impress him."

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor looks at Tony's hand and then takes it, clumsily walking on the blade of his skates. As soon as he steps on the ice, he's comes dangerously close to slipping; when he finally manages to steady himself, he clutches Tony's arm with both of his arms.

"How are you supposed to do this? How is it possible to balance on such a thin blade?"

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Tony was on a smooth roll for all of a second before he was having to right himself as Thor's considerable mass dragged on his. "Don't look down. Bend your knees and--keep your weight forward. Basically the opposite of everything you're doing." Tony's voice was a bit gruff with the effort of keeping them both on an even keel.

Tony spun on his heel, bracing both of Thor's hands in his own, stroking backward to keep their momentum. "Come on, don't lean back. Nice and easy."