Run Before You Can Walk

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

~~

“They should call you God of Miserliness.” Tony piped up the very second he and Thor were left to their own devices by Maria Hill and company, gesturing after them. “See? They’re going where the party is. I’m gonna follow.” From the moment Thor mentioned smuggling some brew aged for god knows how long from god knows where made from god knows what...JUST to rub it in Tony Stark’s face that he didn’t possess the mettle for it, but Steve Rogers did?

Unforgivable. He could forgive the remarks about Pepper due to how laughably and pathetically misinformed they were, but holding out on the host was just an utter insult.

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[st_arkravinghazelnut]

With a little humming noise, Tony straightened himself up, batting a few strands of blonde hair from Thor’s eyes with a finger. “Life’s too short to tread in fear of a few bumps.”

[st_ormbreaker]

"Agreed," Thor says, giving Tony's arm a little squeeze. He pats the side of it a few times when he's somewhat confident that Tony can hold himself steady. "But I think it is far better to get through life hurting as few people as possible, including yourself."

Thor holds out his hand for the cap for his flask.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

“I agree.” Tony gave Thor a look of faux-innocence, stealing away towards the balcony.

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor shakes his head, takes a long swig from the still-uncapped flask, then follows Tony out to the balcony.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

“Level with me, Point Break.” Tony flicked the metal cap up into the air by his thumb, undaunted by the endless fall it was due for should he flub the landing. The sights of the City That Never Slept was glorious from Stark Tower, and the party boasted very nearly the highest view. Tony caught the cap, leaning well over the clear railing.

“Having an ageless god around—not always great for the terror management.”

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor leans against the parapet and breathes in the cold night air. When Tony finishes speaking he turns to look at him, his frown slight, but unmistakable.

"What do you mean?"

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

“It’s nothing against you.” His own smile faded somewhat, the seductive touch of the Asgardian liquor washing away his guard. “I’ve kissed death on the nose too many times to count. Seeing others alive one moment and gone the next, and I never took that for granted again. For most, that’s as good as it gets. You can’t top fighting your honorary uncle in a death mech battle.” He toyed with the cap, running his thumb over the stiff grooves etched into its exterior.

“And then I met a deity who can grapple monsters the size of my hometown bare-handed.” He flicked the cap towards Thor, bracing both hands on the edge. “And then...well.” His eyes were drawn to the very spot in the sky the wormhole had once darkened.

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor hums at that. For a moment, he says nothing.

"You know," he begins. "There's no need to go off fighting your uncle in a death mech battle by yourself anymore. You have a team now."

Thor gestures at Tony with the flash and for a second, Thor feels himself on the verge of say something else. In the end, he thinks better of it and downs the rest of his beverage.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"No need, period. May he rest in peace." Tony's lips pressed together in a thin smile that disappeared as soon as it had appeared.

[st_ormbreaker]

"There may no longer be an uncle, but there may be someone else. The Avengers will be there by your side when that time comes, so long as you let them."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Tony would have said they were speaking different languages, but it was more likely that Thor was reassuring him, at least in his own way. Rather than digging even deeper into the heart of it, Tony turned on the railing and tossed him a little wink. "Doubt it. Can't even talk most of them into being roomies, save for Banner."

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor grins back. "You're not taking it personally, are you?"

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"I would, but I'll take the one that speaks English." Tony winked. "Knows when to behave, knows when to get into some mischief."

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor laughs silently at that, his massive shoulders shaking.

"You know, I can't tell you what to do, Stark --" Thor's not sure Tony is truly listening to him about any of this, anyway "-- but I hope you will take care of yourself and not do anything too stupid."

Thor holds his hand out for the cap for his flask again.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Tony pushed off the railing, pressing his fingers into Thor's palm as he continued towards the door. "With any luck, I'm on my way to retirement."

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor shoots him a curious look, but doesn't press any further. Instead, he grabs his flask, pockets it without the cap and follows after him.

"Well, I'll just be about four or five thousand years behind you."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"Not four or five thousand years too late. Check your pocket, Big Boy." Tony snapped his fingers, passing the threshold that lead back inside.

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor reaches into his pocket and is simultaneously surprised and delighted to find that sometime in the last minute or two, the cap has mysterious migrated from Tony's person into his coat pocket.

Thor takes it between his fingers and wordlessly shakes it in Tony's direction with an expression of amusement, then finally recaps the flask.

"Thank you," he says, once the cap is back in place. "Back to the revels, then?"

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

~~

"I wish." Tony murmured in a voice too low to be heard as turned the handle to their room. Both the cheery flower that greeted him first and the memory were tinged with too much bitter irony to appreciate. Though Thor's temper flare ups came and went like storms, he still raised his hands as if signalling not to be shot.

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor is sitting on the sofa paging through his notebook when Tony enters. He looks up, shuts the notebook, and sets it down on the arm of the couch.

"Hey," he calls out to Tony.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"Hey." Tony pressed the door closed with his back, remaining there once the latch had clicked shut. Getting a read on the other man wasn't difficult, usually, but Thor was full of surprises...him brushing up on the risks of whole brain emulation apropos of nothing being just the latest one.

And, while he'd never admit it out loud, he felt unbearably vulnerable without his arc reactor, what with it being on lease to Peter. Even if he reminded himself he was at no risk of bodily harm, his sympathetic nervous system was merrily beating away at his thoughts.

"Well. It's me." He tossed up his arms. "Tony Stark in the meatspace."

[st_ormbreaker]

"Welcome back," he says. He nods his head to the empty space next to him. "You going to come in?"

Sure, Tony was physically in the room, but with his back against the door, he might as well be standing in the threshold.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

'I beat the death odds, why not test 'em again?' Despite the sentiment, Tony pushed off without a peep and lowered himself slowly onto the other half of the sofa. Save for the soft clap of flesh as he slowly rubbed life back into his clammy hands, he said nothing.

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor looks down at Tony, rubbing his hands, then wordlessly stands and heads for the closet. He returns with a blanket and carefully drapes it over him.

"There," he says, settling back down next to him.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Tony opened his mouth to utter an appreciative word, but it just came out as a crooning, humorless chuckle—the kind he only dredged up when he knew how well and truly terribly he’d screwed the pooch.

“I’m not—not having buyers remorse. It’s not that, it’s not that at all.” His words were slow to leave his mouth before they grew rapid. “This is more me just kinda—kinda letting it all sink in.”