Cottage Cheese

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

As lively as he felt these days, it felt right to give his beloved a lively greeting. A little light show from above to get his attention and a rapid descent to join his side. He wasn’t one to be completely outdone when it sounded as if Thor had something special in mind.

“Don’t keep me in suspense.” Before he could descend completely, he positioned himself to sit on the massive man’s shoulder.

Comments

[st_ormbreaker]

"I read a bunch of books on it," he says, "I wanted to make sure I had the style down. I'm not really sure that I do. Maybe you were envisioning something else." Thor's not sure. "I thought about keeping it all a surprise until your birthday, but I thought it was more important that I be sure it was something you liked."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"Oh, yeah?" Tony's heart thumped a bit in his chest at the realization he was being literally carried off into the unknown. Play it cool. "How big you making it?"

[st_ormbreaker]

"Pretty big," Thor says. "But not too big. I didn't want it to take up too much space. The bigger it is, the more likely someone will find it." He journeys further into the forest, arm still holding Tony in place as he hops over a recently-felled tree.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Ah, the ways Tony Stark forgot he could feel like such an asshole.

"I'll love anything made with those hands of yours, Big Guy." He sighed with an affectionate lilt.

[st_ormbreaker]

"You know, I figured out how to absorb moisture to speed up the process," he says, preening. "With my powers, I mean. I was already kind of doing it with the whole rain thing to begin with, I just didn't know how to focus it on one area."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

“That’s my boy.” Ducking beneath a branch, Tony contented himself with resting atop Thor’s head long after the threat was gone. “Can’t believe you’d do all that for me.”

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor grins so hard his face begins to ache at holding it. "We're almost there," he tells him. "Close your eyes. I'll tell you when to open them."

Thor waits until they're right in front of the cabin to lift Tony from his shoulder and set him down on the Earth. Before the two of them is a log cabin; from the outside, it looks mostly finished: four sides and roof are all intact; a stone fireplace rises up one side of the building in various shades of gray. The cabin's few windows are curtained, keeping either one of them from getting a glimpse of the interior without first stepping inside.

"You can open them."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

With a little nanite blindfold assistance that came and went at Thor’s prompting, Tony stood before the surprise in all its glory.

A cabin. An entire cabin. What? He’d been thinking even a boulder carved into the shape of his face would have made more sense as a forgotten request.

He opened his mouth and simply let it hang.

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor's grin continues to hold at Tony's reaction. He sets a hand on Tony's shoulder. "I chopped down the trees myself," he says, as if that required any sort of explanation, "then stripped them. You're supposed to let your logs dry for a very long time before you treat them and use them, but I wanted to figure out a way to speed up the process that didn't involve making a kiln. Air drying is supposed to be best."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"Have you--" Tony circled a finger at it all, still beside himself, "--done construction before?"

[st_ormbreaker]

"Nope," Thor says, giving Tony's shoulder a friendly pat before moving ahead of him. "I messed up a few times trying to figure it out."

Thor folds his arms over his chest and surveys their little cabin with a little smile.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

“How long?” Parsing our the details covertly, Tony glanced between the man’s broad back and the broad cottage.

[st_ormbreaker]

"Since the day after you told me you wanted one," he says. "I found some books in the library, then went out scouting for a good location. There were a few other contenders, but I liked this place best."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

At least a few months, right? But he wouldn’t have put busting out an entire cabin in even a week past The God of Thunder. But taking into account how lucidity was slow to return...

“I’m speechless, Big Guy.” Tony approached, head falling against the back of his shoulder.

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor's grin returns. "I'm glad you like it," he says, wrapping an arm around him. "I think this is something good for me to learn. Practical skills to have when rebuilding an entire nation."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

“You know,” Tony began while gesturing up at his husband, “If you settled on earth we could contract out help. I could help integrate sustainable energy into the concepts.”

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor shifts his hand up to Tony's head and tousles his hair with affection. "I can't build everything by myself," he says. "I'll take all the help I can get." This one cabin had taken long enough by itself.

"I've never built anything before until now."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

“Don’t keep me in suspense.” Tony embarked right out from Thor’s embrace, eager to get a peek inside.

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor makes a little laughing sound and heads towards the entrance. "It's not close to being finished," he warns him as he swings open the door and steps inside. Immediately, he goes about pulling open their makeshift curtains, bringing sunlight into an otherwise dim cabin.

The interior is far less finished than the exterior, and its design is a stark contrast to the more traditional cabin exterior; tools are set in one corner of the room and a boom box sits near it. A tarp is laid out on the floor for some unknown purpose. An unvarnished chair sits near the fireplace is smooth and clean and curved. A painting -- Steve's -- hangs just over it. The beginnings of a table is turned over on one side; it's missing its base.

"I'm not sure how to wire the place," he says. "So no electricity. No plumbing, either." At least for now. "I'm just working on the furniture for now. It's far more relaxing and I can work on it outside."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

The smell of the air, bearing woodsy and newly furnished notes, filled Tony’s lungs as he took it all in. The interior full of curves and modern palettes was certainly...inspired.

By what, Tony had a hard time guessing.

“Thor?”

[st_ormbreaker]

"Mmm?" Thor looks over at Tony.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

“It’s...” Trailing off as he began to wander, Tony began touching every object in sight, giving them investigatory little feels and spinning as if building a panoramic snapshot in his mind.

“It’s...perfect. Like you opened up my head and gave it life.”

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor grins even harder. "There's a lot more to do," he says, trying to sound more humble than he feels, "so it'll take some time before it's finally, truly done. I really want this to be our home away from home."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

'Our home away from home, he says.' Tony rubbed his upper lip, chest foolishly warming at the utterance. He was weak.

"Am I allowed to lend a hand?"

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor shoots Tony a curious look. "What would you want to do?"