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]

“You’ll like it.” Tony idly brought up the blonde bristles of Thor’s head to stand, stroking his head as if the man were still a dog. “My good boy.” He mumbled.

[st_ormbreaker]

And not entirely unlike a dog, Thor tilts his head so Tony's hands can lay waste to an itch.

"I'll look forward to it," Thor says. "You do anything special for the holiday that I should know about?"

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

“I celebrate with the kids. The robotic ones. First time with some made of flesh and blood.” Of course, Tony had another robot he’d fashioned to keep him company in his room. It just needed the ceremonial Santa hat.

Tony’s fingers slowed once Thor seemed satisfied, his body going lax upon the couch. “It...” Another sigh. “It’s kind of a...”

[st_ormbreaker]

"Kind of a what?"

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

God, why was it so difficult to say? Tony nearly backed out with some mealy-mouthed reassurance but Thor would have smacked him.

"A...hard time of year. My parents died shortly before Christmas. Truth is, I only started getting into the spirit once Pep started staying over."

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor rolls them over and pulls Tony into a tight (but not too tight) hug.

"Whatever you need, just tell me."

Jane was far easier to comfort; he'd long learned the appropriate things to do and to say to help, but with Tony --

-- like everything with Tony, it was a mystery, and Thor didn't want it to be.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"Tha-nks." He wheezed, giving his lungs a moment to adjust in his ribs as his head was pulled down to nest in the crook of the larger man's neck. "I don't even know what I need most days, I'll...be honest. But knowing you're thinking of me...if it's not nice then I don't know what is."

[st_ormbreaker]

Tony's breath is pleasantly warm on his neck. He loosens his hold on the other man, letting his hands fold loosely over him.

"The offer still stands if you decide you need it," he says. Thor knew Christmas was likely going to be harder than most, with Pepper absent and Bucky present.

"You know. You really should use that Stark tech of yours and dress up like Santa."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Reaching over for a forgotten box of blueberries balancing on the intact chair of the sofa, Tony grabbed a few to nibble on.

"Have people round up, sit on my lap, and beg for gifts?" He smirked. "Yeah. I can do that."

[st_ormbreaker]

"How would you feel if I asked Santa for a snake?"

Thor opens his mouth expectantly for Tony to feed him a blueberry of his own.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Tony thought for a moment--there had to be an index of snakes native to this region of California.

"I'd say...Santa would prepare his traps and cross his fingers." He dropped a berry in Thor's waiting lips.

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor's eyes widen in surprise at Tony's answer; he was expecting some protest -- most people hated snakes, and a part of him was sure he could count Tony among that number.

Maybe he wasn't fond of them, but was willing to tolerate it. Thor wasn't sure. But regardless of the reason, Thor finds himself smiling as he chews away on his blueberry.

"What are you going to ask for from Santa?"

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Tony lowered another berry only to balance it on Thor's nose, recalling a trick he saw Rhodey's rottweiler do once. "Patience. Forgiveness. All those lame universal principles Kohlberg says I should've developed by now."

[st_ormbreaker]

"Santa can't give you those things," Thor says, trying to move his lips carefully so the blueberry stays right where Tony put it. It's in vain. Just as he gets the last syllable out, the berry falls and Thor only just manages to catch it before it hits the carpet.

Thor pops it into his mouth.

"I only started to learn the patience when father cast me down to Earth." He still had moments where his anger took hold and patience was thrown out of the window -- like that time he held Tony up by his throat. Those impulses had faded considerably over the two years he spent traveling the universe and Thor wasn't quite sure when it happened.

"Hopefully it doesn't take you as long as I did."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

“You’re...however many years old in human years again? Come on. I’m still behind the curve.” Tony shot back, balancing a berry on his lips, only to claim it with his own anyway.

[st_ormbreaker]

"You're going to tell me after nearly 1500 years alive that you're behind the curve when compared to me?"

Thor opens his mouth for another berry. He hadn't been able to claim the last one before Tony took it for his own.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Making some kind of affirming sound, Tony placed one between his lips and nodded for Thor to lean up and claim it.

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor takes the bait. He rises up and catches the berry with his teeth.

He bites into it and quickly swallows before pressing his lips against Tony's again, his mouth slightly parted.

Tony smalls faintly of blueberries.

[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."