Perfectly Suited

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Tony Stark was too old to play games. Every time he ran hot and cold with his partner was never a calculated power play so much as a deeply embedded habit built around mitigating whatever anxiety he’d built up. Even the old days full of ninja crawling out of bed just to avoid the morning after spiel were motivated by the intimidation (in part) of having them at all.

He’d gotten better at that part, though. Far better. Tony was curled up on the side of the long-suffering pink couch that wasn’t bearing a warped arm rest caused by some make-up rapporto sessuale from earlier in the evening, followed by a shower and the ceremonial poptart.

“You know—“ Tony brushed off some crumbs from his dark sweater, “You are terrible for my diet.”

Comments

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Tony wasn’t a touchy-feely type, but the intimacy always soothed his nerves, even when it was the closest and willing pretty face. Trading breath and more, Tony tasted the faint sweetness on Thor’s tongue and was suddenly thankful he’d chosen fruit in favor of the shrimp chips.

“Where’s the honeymoon...?” Not getting ahead of himself at all, Tony shot Thor with an imploring look, making ready use of his expressive dark eyes.

[st_ormbreaker]

"Forest, desert, beach, or mountains," he lists off. There's astonishingly few options in their little pocket dimension and all of them involve camping. "I think the mountains would be too cold for you."

Depending on the time of year, the beach might not be much better with the cool ocean winds. They could conceivably camp a little further inland, Thor supposes. Earth's deserts could get pretty cool at night as well.

Thor lets out a thoughtful "mmm", but provides no other options or answers.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"You know I can suit myself in thermoregulated clothing, right?" Tony balanced another blueberry between Thor's eyes and rose, sliding off the couch. "I just choose not to. It's cute when you fuss."

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor looks at the blueberry as best he can, cross-eyed as he attempts to balance it there on his face. "Do you?" he asks. "I thought you tired of my mothering."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"Yeah. But if you stopped I'd take offense. The duality of man." Tony pulled a granola bar out of his kangaroo pouch pocket and gestured at Thor with it before tearing it open. "I like knowing you're thinking of me."

[st_ormbreaker]

The blueberry was still perched on Thor's face as his eyes flicker over to Tony just in time to see Tony gesture at him with the granola bar.

"You're too busy taking care of everyone else," he says at the ceiling. "You need someone to take care of you."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"Have you seen it out there?" Tony swallowed and gestured at the flowery door with his half-eaten bar. "Children running amok with no parents in sight. Life's hard enough in development without all the adults writing you off."

[st_ormbreaker]

"See?" Thor asks."Children. Earth. The Future. You're taking care of everything except yourself."

Though now that Tony was making a commitment to take better care of himself, it was probably going to be everything soon enough.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"I can't just do nothing. You know that." Tony paced about, woolen socks dragging on the plush carpet and creating little sparks of static electricity. "I can't distract myself. I see a situation, I've gotta..." He made little tinkering motions with his fingers before shoving the rest of the dry, sticky oats through his teeth.

[st_ormbreaker]

"You see too many problems," Thor says, somehow managing to keep the blueberry in place."There are some things that would sort themselves out if you didn't involve yourself. And I'm not talking about the kids."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Tony turned to face the Asgardian leisurely reclining, arms folded and brow furrowed expectantly.

"Well. Don't hold back on my account."

[st_ormbreaker]

"What?" Thor asks, the word coming out more like a statement than a question.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Tony took a deep breath and stepped back, tossing up his hands. ‘It’s in good faith. It’s in good faith.’

“Nothing. You might have a point.”

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor finally gives up balancing the blueberry; he plucks it off, sits up, and pops it into his mouth.

Thor munches away, thinking of how he wants to phrase this. He'd rather Tony fret over children then fret over the fate of the universe. He knows Tony would do the latter regardless, but maybe -- maybe he'd take some comfort in knowing there was a backup plan.

Quill seemed to.

"Quill and I have been talking," he says, once he's swallowed. "He thinks he knows where Thanos might have gone after..."

Thor gestures vaguely.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Tony squinted as he paced around to end up at the couch, bouncing as he fell rear-end first onto it. "What are you gonna do?"

[st_ormbreaker]

"If he's truly there, take the others and kill him," Thor lies easily. There probably wasn't going to be any others there. He had already been set on that path before his chat with Valkyrie, but her comments about Odin and leaving others to clean up the mess had cemented it for him.

It was his mess to clean up.

"Then, if possible, use the Infinity Stones to change the way things turned out."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Tony's jaw tightened. He felt as if he had something to say, but no words to say it.

"Alright."

[st_ormbreaker]

If Thor is at all bothered about Tony's response (or lack of it), it doesn't register on his face or in the tone of his voice.

"I just wanted you to know it's not all going to come down to you."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Tony angled his head to regard the colorful wallpaper on the distant wall. He didn't share it's cheerfulness, nor did he appreciate it for trying.

"I'm feeling kinda--" He began, pushing up to stand, "--kinda hungry lately. Chalking it up to Mercury being in alignment."

[st_ormbreaker]

"You want me to go make you something?"

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

In lieu of answering, Tony made a slow but straight shot for the couch, lowering to sit beside Thor's waist. His hand found the other man's, gripping it firmly.

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor gives Tony's hand a squeeze, then looks at him as if hoping that his face might give him some clue to what's churning inside.

"Change your mind?"

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Tony shook his head, intertwining their grip. “...There are no secrets. From me. From now on.”

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor isn't exactly sure what brought this on or why Tony so swiftly segued from the topic of food back to whatever this was.

Thor welcomed the touch of Tony's hand on his own. He even welcomes the promise that he wouldn't keep secrets. But Tony was so inscrutable that Thor was left trying to fill in the gaps that led Tony from point A to point Z.

"I wasn't keeping it a secret from you," he says. "The plan's changed since I first arrived here."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Tony granted him that much with a brief smile, running his thumb along the side of Thor’s palm. “I’m scared. Out of my mind. Sometimes I can barely take it.”