True Nature

With haste in their step, Loki all but drags Frigga back to the palace. He pauses for the briefest of moments, stopping outside the heavy, mahogany door. Kissing her son's cheek affectionately, the queen leads him into her personal chambers once more. Passing through the doorway, Frigga's brow creases and Loki's heart plummets in his chest.

Where is Anthony?

Like a hawk, Loki's eyes quickly survey the room, but there is no possible place for him to be. A little less flustered out of the two, Frigga notices the door in the far corner slightly ajar with a glow of yellow candle light flooding around the edge.

"Darling," she pulls on his arm and nods her head towards the door.

They approach cautiously, all manner of things playing through Loki's mind. How could he be so careless to leave a mortal — his mortal — so unprotected in a land that doesn't think too highly of the race? The mate of the less-favoured prince who is barely a prince at all. The Iron Man was a potential target from the moment his feet landed on the Bifrost; Loki still has silent enemies throughout the nine realms, despite his recent good behaviour.

Loki’s panic is however wasted on this situation, and is replaced with confusion and quickly followed by anger. His jaw clenches closed, his teeth grinding in irritation when the sound of muffled laughter filters through the air. Frustration over his misplaced anxiety running wild, he thrusts the door open so hard it would have come off its hinges had it not been for Frigga's magic controlling the swing.

Cross-legged on the floor, Tony sits with a book cradled in his arms, laughing hard enough to almost lose his balance and roll backwards. The book to cause such hilarity looks more than just familiar to Loki, a new form of terror ripping through him. His eyes widen, embarrassment blushing pink over his high cheekbones knowing Tony has been delving through his personal journals that contain his deepest, most private thoughts.

"Anthony! What are you doing?" He cries and in the same breath, his head whips to look at Frigga with an accusatory glare, "Mother, what are they doing here?"

"I removed them from your chambers before Odin or Thor could find them." She sends an unimpressed look Tony's way, "I thought they would be safe here."

"I was just..." He fumbles quickly for an excuse, "Um. Just, satisfying my curiosity."

Loki pouts, deadpanned, "Satisfying your need to be unduly meddlesome."

"But I need to learn more about my mate, surely?" Tony winks.

Loki gawps incredulously, "Did it ever occur to you to ask me about those things instead?"

Tony all but raises a solitary eyebrow in return, "I wouldn't get all these juicy little details then, would I?"

"Hmph,” He thinks for a moment, only to realise he is fighting a losing battle, “No."

"Seriously though, what are these books?” Tony turns one round in his hands, opening it on a random page to examine the writing, “You didn't hand write them, it’s just too uniformed for that..."

Loki sighs; he closes his eyes and focuses his mind. A minute later he reopens them, and with a click of his fingers the books snaps open to the end page. He nods to it, "Read."

In the same script as the rest of the journal, Tony reads as he's told. After a few sentences scolding Tony’s unauthorised investigating, his eyebrows raise and look to his mate, "You didn’t even touch the book!"

"Magic." But Tony is obviously dissatisfied with that answer so he dutifully elaborates.

“I created a spell in my youth which transfers my thoughts to the page to help clear and organise my mind. It’s such a laborious process writing, it just wasn’t worth my time.” He flicks his wrist nonchalantly.

"What, like the Pensieve in Harry Potter? You know that thing Dumbledore uses to look at his memories..." Tony starts babbling but Loki quickly interrupts, exasperated with all this talking on subjects that just aren’t as important as what he discussed with Frigga.

"No, not like that thing in Harry Potter!" He roars, but begrudgingly pauses when his voice breaks into a squeak, "Okay, a bit like that thing in Harry Potter... Can you stop now?"

"Okay, yep, sorry,” He admits upon hearing Loki’s weary voice, “I guess I shouldn't have looked through them without your permission. But Lo’, I mostly read about your adventures with Thor, nothing more. You'll have to tell me more about that dress incident!"

Loki huffs a laugh at the memory, and slumps in his shoulders. Exhaustion suddenly wracking his body, he steps forward and all but collapses into Tony's lap; burying his head in the mortal's shoulder and his arms wrap around his torso to clutch his shirt.

"Tired, honey?" Tony asks, his hands rubbing soothing circles over the God’s back.

Groaning gently as some of the tension relinquishes, Loki nods his head, "Well this whole month has been a long and arduous process."

"Speak for yourself, sweet cheeks..." He smirks.

"Is that a remark on our month on Midgard?” Loki scoffs, “By the end I was doing most of the work myself!"

Tony can’t help but bark a laugh at that, knowing the real truth, "Hey, we didn’t stop screwing the entire month,and unlike you, I'm not a God with all your supposed godly stamina! Anyway I don't recall you doing much apart from screaming my name that last time in the shower..."

From the doorway, a loud cough startles them.

"Anthony,” Loki’s hands grip tighter into his shirt, head nestling deeper, hoping the universe will just swallow him up, “Before I look up, please tell me that was you and not my mother?"

"Um, sorry..." Tony doesn’t know whether he’s apologizing to Loki or to Frigga who is pointedly staring him down.

"Let this night just end," Loki’s strangled voice whines.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear those last comments for everyone’s sake,” Frigga thankfully says. “And I've had word that your chambers have been prepared." She floats over to the pair to kiss both of the heads, "Stay here as long as you like, but I am retiring for the night."

“Goodnight,” the couple say in unison and she laughs to herself as she waltzes from the room.

They remain for a moment longer in a companionable silence. Loki sits sideways in Tony’s lap, his head resting over his heart, listening intently to the mortal beat; a stark reminder at the fleeting life holding him.

He smiles softly when Tony kisses his head and gently asks, “Comfortable, Love?” Loki hums in return, blissed out in Tony’s arms, “Fancy making a move?”

He shakes his head, “There’s something we need to talk about, but I don’t know how to begin…”

“Well that sounds ominous.”

“But it is important,” Loki yawns.

Cuddling Loki closer in his arms, “Can it wait till morning? I think I need to get my blushing Omega to bed.”

“I am no maiden, Stark!” But Loki can’t deny the heat in his cheeks and tingle in his stomach as Tony calls him his Omega.

“No, you most certainly are not,” he teases. “But that won’t stop you falling asleep on your mother’s floor,” he chuckles, jiggling the God gently, “Come on, hon, we’ve had a long day and you deserve a goodnight’s sleep.”

Loki looks up, “I don’t know if this can wait.”

“Is it a matter of life or death?” Tony holds Loki’s face in his hands.

“In sort…” He starts, thinking back to his conversation with Frigga.

“Tonight though. Will anyone die tonight if we delay this conversation a little?” Tony stares him directly in the eye.

“No…” His gaze drops.

“Then it’s time for bed,” Tony nods and moves to get up, but Loki refuses to budge, “Babe, I’m not carrying you when you’re perfectly capable of walking. Up.”

Puffing out his breath like a petulant child, Loki finally crawls off Tony’s legs. It’s probably the least graceful Tony’s ever seen him, but won’t mock or tease, biting back his snigger. When finally on his feet, Loki is still on the floor. He cracks his back and walks over and wraps his arms around Loki and pulls him tightly into his embrace. “I’m so glad this happened, Loki. I never thought I would find a mate, especially one who gets me like you do.”

“I think I may have to gift Doom a fruit basket as thanks,” he grins, arms gripping Tony tight.

“I don’t think that’ll go down well, he wanted you for himself.” His fingers wind into Loki’s hair and tug his head back, the God going rigid in his hold. His breath is hot on Loki’s cheek, as his voice drops possessively, “But you’re mine now.”

“Yours,” Loki gasps as Tony’s teeth graze his neck. The lust coursing through him awakens his senses and banishes all fatigue. Unable to control himself, he rubs up against Tony, his body alight, “Take me to bed, Anthony.”

“Lead the way.”

Notes

I'm sorry again about the wait, and for such a short chapter.
Hope you enjoy though.

Heads up, very short chapter next, then smut the chapter after ;)