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When he heard the explosion, his body reacted automatically. He stopped and spun around, eyes flickering between the information the HUD provided and the disaster that unfolded before his eyes. He was ready to fire off his repulsors and speed up, already calculating how many people he could get out of the building before it collapsed.
And then he did not move.
A second passed, then two, then three. Tony was still watching. The green fire consumed the building, eating through stone and glass as if they were soft flesh. He could almost hear its teeth gnawing at the bones, eager to get even the last, tiniest bit of meat. People were screaming. There were sirens. Greenish smoke rose up and filled the sky. The fire kept enjoying its meal.
Thirteen seconds. Thirteen seconds ticked by until he moved, and later, when a reporter asked him about it because reporters were greedy vultures with bloodied beaks, Tony took off his sunglasses and slid them into the breast pocket of his jacket, a grim expression on his face. The room fell silent. Tony Stark is not a serious man, was a part of the article that was already coming to life in the reporter’s head while he waited for a reply in the sudden, loaded silence. Not a serious man, but he looked serious then, and there was no quip, no joke to ease the tension, not even a sharp, defensive dismissal. People were holding their breath. Clothes rustled, there were the clicking noises of someone playing with their pen, Tony Stark cleared his throat. When you talk to him, you get the impression that he doesn’t leave his tower without putting on that charming mask of his. Well, at that moment, there was no mask.
He was an excellent actor.
He blamed it on the shock and, more importantly, he blamed it on Loki - Loki, who had once tried to invade the planet, of course, but that had been years ago, and since he had returned to Earth he was known for being a small nuisance, nothing more. Tony had not expected him to cause that big of a destruction, he had underestimated him, and for that, he said, he was deeply, truly sorry.
The vultures swallowed it right down and didn’t care about how long their food had been lying in the sun, attracting flies. Tony didn’t mind lying to them, to the public. He didn’t feel bad. Perhaps he felt bad about not feeling bad, but even that was fleeting.
When he was in the penthouse, alone, he had FRIDAY replay the footage. The explosion, the fire - yes, the fire.
There was a hole in his chest, and seeing the flames filled it with a hot, searing satisfaction.
*
Tony had thought the first time had been - well, not an accident, perhaps, but an exception, a prank that had gotten out of control. But when another building was ablaze a few weeks later, Tony came to the conclusion that Loki must have discovered his inner arsonist.
This time, Tony reacted immediately, he swooped in and saved the day as usual, but the better part of his brain was distracted by his desire to stop and watch. He didn't give into it, though, not yet, instead he saved everyone he could like a good little Avenger - hah - and then flew home to lick his wounds and watch every video of the fire he could find, even the blurry, shaky ones that had been shot with terrible phone cameras.
He started looking for Loki the next day. Actually looking for him, now, not like he had been doing the months before.
Yes, fine, maybe he had given Loki a bit of a free reign. Maybe Tony hadn’t really cared about what the hell Loki was doing on Earth again after - according to Thor - faking his death on a planet Tony couldn’t even pronounce properly. Tony had to deal with other things, things like Steve Rogers, things like a video that showed his father being shot, his mother being strangled. Loki was Thor’s problem, and Tony didn’t have the nerves to solve other people’s problems anymore. He was done with it, with all of it.
So when Thor hadn’t been able to get his hands on Loki and had finally given up, when Loki had started playing pranks on New York - what of it? Had that been Tony’s problem? No. He hadn't cared about it.
He cared about it now. He didn’t even try to tell himself that it was because he wanted to stop Loki, god, no; he wasn’t blind, not even when it came to things that were happening somewhere that was hidden from sight, inside of him. He found Loki not because he wanted to put an end to his actions. He found Loki because he wanted to know everything about everything Loki was planning.
Because he wanted to be there.
*
The civilians - those who had survived, at least - were out of the way, the fire department and the police were busy elsewhere, it was just them. Tony could barely breathe. The fire was all around them, green and hungry as always, eating the remains of the building Loki had blown up.
Tony slowly landed on the ground. The flames licked at his boots a well but surprisingly did no harm; he guessed Loki was keeping it in check. He was right there, just a few feet away, and the sight of him tugged at something in Tony’s guts. He let his faceplate slide up. Loki was walking through the ashes toward him, seemingly without a single care in the world. His eyes were dark, blazing, there was blood on his cheek, a drop running down toward his jaw. That had been Tony’s doing, and seeing it was almost as good as watching the fire. His magic was buzzing around him, making the air crackle and flicker. Tony could almost taste it, raw power on his tongue.
“You’ve been holding back.”
Loki came to a halt. He raised a brow. “Have I?”
“You didn’t do stuff like this during the invasion.”
“Stuff?” Loki repeats, like it’s an insult, an unfitting description for the destruction around them.
Tony agrees.
“If you had,” he said, “you might’ve won. Or can you just blow up one building at a time?”
Loki’s hands twitch at his sides. His mouth does, too, into a smirk that threatens to make Tony’s knees go weak. “If I wanted to, I could blow up the entirety of this pitiful island you call Manhattan.”
Tony grins, he can’t help it, the thought alone makes his heart beat faster. “Yeah? Why don’t you?”
“I usually keep my toys until they bore me.”
“And you’re not bored yet, I take it.”
“No.”
“You destroyed six buildings in four weeks.”
“I’m aware.”
“Can I ask why? Or is that a secret?”
“It is no secret.” Loki took another step toward Tony; if he hadn’t been in his suit, Tony would have had to look up at him by now. “But I don’t think someone like you will understand.”
“Someone like me?”
“An Avenger,” Loki said and that, too, sounded like an insult. “A hero. A good man.”
Tony smiled at him. It felt almost sweet on his lips. “Try me.”
Loki studied him for a moment, and Tony could watch as Loki went through a few emotions in quick succession. Annoyance, confusion, curiosity. Tony wasn’t sure what Loki had spotted in Tony’s eyes, but it probably wasn’t a good thing.
“I simply enjoy watching them burn,” Loki said, finally, his gaze fixed on Tony’s face. Briefly, it flickered down to his lips. “It’s not a noble motivation.”
“I don’t give a damn about noble.”
Loki tilted his head to the side, thoughtful. “Are you planning to attack me anytime soon?”
“Only if you attack me first.”
“I see. May I ask why?”
Tony let his smile widen into a grin, showing his teeth. “It’s not a noble motivation.”
Loki kept looking at him. There was a new intensity to hit, something attentive and greedy, as if he was considering cracking Tony’s skull open just to see what was going on in it. “You have been terribly inefficient as of late.”
"If you really think that, you haven't been paying enough attention."
Loki frowned. "You didn't manage to stop me a single time. People have died."
"Being efficient means reaching one's goal in the fastest and most thorough way that's possible."
Sirens. They didn't look away from each other, and Tony didn't move even when FRIDAY informed him that they wouldn't be alone for much longer.
"You'd better get away," Tony said. "Oh, and watch the news. I'll be so annoyed because I didn't manage to catch you."
Loki didn't reply. A last one look at Tony, then he was gone.
*
Loki disappeared for two weeks. Tony wasn't impatient, there was no reason to be in a hurry. Loki wouldn't be able to stay away from him, he was too curious for that; Tony was absolutely sure of that. Takes one to know one, after all.
Admittedly, he was a little surprised that when Loki showed up again, it wasn't somewhere in New York wreaking havoc, but in Tony's bedroom.
Tony woke up because something in the room had changed. He couldn't tell what it was at first. His sleep had been light, he had gone to bed five hours ago and three of them he had spent tossing and turning. He didn't sleep much these days.
He blinked at the ceiling for a few seconds, wondering idly why everything was looking slightly green. As soon as that actually registered, he propped himself up on his elbows.
Loki was sitting at the lower end of the bed, one knee drawn up, the other leg stretched out. His foot was only inches away from Tony's leg. Everything in the room looked slightly green because Loki was, literally, playing with fire - his elbow was resting on his knee, and a green flame was wandering from one finger to the next without burning his skin.
"I have been wondering," he said.
"That's nice," Tony replied, his voice a little rough. He raised a hand to rub the sleep out of his eyes. "Can you keep wondering until after sunrise or is this urgent?"
"I'm not good at waiting."
"Valid. How did you get in here?"
"I skywalked, naturally."
"FRIDAY?" No reply. "What did you do to her?"
Loki didn't seem impressed by Tony's sharp tone. "You mean your artificial servant?"
"Yes."
"I merely put her to sleep, so to say. I will wake her up when I leave."
"Wake her up now."
"So she can call your friends? I don't think so."
"What friends?"
Loki frowned. "Excuse me?"
"What," Tony said again, speaking very slowly, "friends?"
"Your little team of -"
"My little team is nonexistent." Tony sat up. "Steve and Natasha are on the run. Bruce is fuck knows where. Your brother is realm hopping because he's had a few bad dreams."
"There were others."
"Oh, right, yes. The others." He thought about Vision, and the king of Wakanda, and Hank Pym's errand boy. Sam Wilson, who was on the run as well. Rhodey and his messed up legs. "No, they won't come running."
"Not even that small spider?" Loki asked. The flame licked at his palm, he turned his hand and let it move back up to his fingertips. "From what I've seen, he is very eager to work with you."
"You think I'd let him anyway near you?"
Loki's hand stilled for a second. "Are you scared of me, Stark?"
"No."
"I could kill you right now. If I don't reactivate your servant - well, everybody would think you were hiding in your work as usual. It might take a week until they find the body."
Tony rolled his eyes, even though he knew that it was true. "You're not going to kill me."
"Where is that woman of yours?"
The question caught Tony by surprise. "You've been doing a lot of research in the past two weeks, huh?"
"Where is she?"
Tony pointedly looked around the room. "Not here, obviously. She left."
"Why?"
"I'm too much, apparently." Tony held Loki's gaze, smiling. "And too cold. Turns out that there are things you can't come back from, you know?"
"Yes," Loki said. "I know."
Yes, Tony had known that he would. "So, you've been wondering?"
"Oh, yes." Loki let his hand sink and looked down at where his fingers were hovering inches above the bed. The green flame was flickering. "You do not have magic, do you?"
"Uh, no. I'm team science."
"Then you are probably not aware that you have an affinity for fire magic."
Tony looked at him for a long moment. “Look,” he said then, “if you came here to burn the tower down, fine, by all means, go ahead. But it’s, what - 2am? And I haven’t slept in four days and I am not in the mood for mind games.”
“I am not playing mind games.”
“Can you get that away from my sheets? They were pretty expensive, not like you'd care.”
Loki smirked and lifted his hand, bringing some distance between the bed and the fire. “You just said I could burn the tower down if I wanted to.”
“Yes, the tower, not all my stuff that’s in it. You’ll have to whisk it all and me away before committing arson.”
“Are you asking me to do that?”
“If I was, would you do it?”
“Yes.”
He hadn’t even hesitated. Tony hadn't expected that, and now that Loki was raising a brow at him, he thought that Loki had only said it because he had known that it would catch Tony off guard. They both liked to prove people wrong.
"I'm not asking," Tony said. Yet. "No mind games, you say?"
"Not at the moment, no."
"You're telling me I can do magic. Are you insane?"
"Doubtlessly. I didn't tell you that you could 'do magic', I said you had an affinity for it."
Tony looked at him, and Loki looked back at him, and after a moment Tony shook his head. "I've no idea what that means, so if you want to get something akin to the reaction you're obviously waiting for, you've got to explain."
"Explain what?"
"What the hell fire magic is, dipshit."
"Isn't that obvious?"
"Well, yeah, but there's got to be more to it, right? So?"
Loki turned his hand and let the fire dance on his palm. It got a little bigger. "I will see you tomorrow."
"What? Hey -"
But Loki was already gone, and Tony was alone in the dark. He missed the green shine of the flame immediately. He laid back down and stared up at the ceiling, absentmindedly rubbing his chest where the arc reactor had been.
"Friday?"
"Yes, boss?"
"Oh, good, you're back. Sorry about that. If he does it again, I'll kill him."
*
In one second, Tony was sitting at his desk in the workshop. In the next, he was nearly falling on his ass because there suddenly wasn't a chair under him anymore. Thankfully, someone grabbed his arms and kept him on his feet, the grip too strong for Tony to free himself from it even when he had caught his balance.
"Come now," Loki said, voice low, putting an end to Tony's tirade of curses and threats. "It's just me. I told you about this."
"Uh, no, you said 'I'll see you tomorrow' like the mysterious lunatic you strive to be, big fucking difference. You could've sent a text or an email or, I don't know, a raven for all I care. Where the hell are we?"
Loki let go of him and took a step back. "New York. You have been living here for a while, you should be able to recognize it."
“Duh.” He could see his tower from here; they were still in Manhattan. It was night, which was surprising; Tony had been so busy in his workshop that he hadn't even noticed that the day was nearly over. He frowned when he realized that they were standing on a roof. “And here I thought we were done with the throwing each other off buildings phase of our relationship. If you want to kill me, can't you do it differently?”
“I’m not planning to kill you,” Loki said, a little impatient. “I have something for you.”
Tony turned away from the skyline to look at Loki, raising a brow. “What, we’re giving each other gifts now? What’s next, candlelight and rose petals?”
“If you’re good, maybe.” Loki came to stand behind Tony and put his hands on his shoulders.
He pushed him forward. Not strong enough to make him stumble, but Tony’s heart still skipped a few beats when he saw the edge of the roof coming nearer. “Hey, what the -”
“Hush.” Loki made Tony take another step forward, now there were only a few inches between Tony and a plunge that would result in a very quick death. Loki leaned forward, pressing his chest against Tony’s back. His hair tickled Tony’s neck. “Just watch.”
“Stop this bullshit, Loki, I’m not -”
“I said watch.”
Something about the tone Loki used made Tony swallow. He looked forward, unsure what he was supposed to be looking at. Loki's hands felt cold through the fabric of Tony's shirt, but his breath that brushed Tony's jaw was warm. It was distracting.
Until something happened that was even more distracting.
All lights went out. Windows, street lanterns, billboards. And then, a building on the other side of the street caught fire. Reflexively, Tony wanted to move toward it, but Loki's hands held him tightly in place, which was a good thing given how close they were standing to the ledge.
It seemed to be an office building, one of hundreds in New York, a giant made of glass and stone and steel. The flames spread out on the roof, sparks flying up into the night. Everything was bathed in green light - the green of Loki's eyes, the green of Loki's magic.
Tony forgot how to breathe.
"There are no people in it at this time of the day," Loki said, his voice a calm murmur next to Tony's ear, "so you don't need to pretend that saving the civilians is your first priority."
Maybe Tony would have told him to shut up if he hadn't been so entranced by the sight of the flames. They moved down the building slowly, as if they were taking their time to savor it, and left only a black skeleton in their wake. He wasn't close enough to feel the heat of the fire, but his chest felt warm nonetheless.
"Does this answer your question, then?"
Tony was too distracted by the fire - and Loki's proximity - to think clearly. "My question?"
Since Loki's lips were brushing against Tony's jaw, he could feel them stretching into a smile. "You asked me what fire magic is. I placed a spark on the roof and, all on its own, it grew and will have consumed the whole building before the night is over - that is fire magic."
Tony blinked at that. "Wait, you're not controlling this right now? Is that what you're saying?"
"That is what I'm saying, yes."
"So the fire will spread and -"
"No, it will not," Loki interrupted before Tony could move away from him and figure out a way to keep the whole city from burning down. "I placed a barrier around the building to keep the flames in check. They're not pleased when I do that, mind you, but they've come to terms with it in the past few months."
Tony turned his head to look at Loki, whose face was much, much too close. And still not close enough. "So there was a barrier every time?"
Loki smiles at him. “I told you that I wasn’t done with New York just yet, didn’t I?”
"Yeah." Tony looked back at the fire. "It's beautiful."
"Indeed it is. Where do you feel it?"
"What?"
Loki's hand slowly moves away from Tony's side. He spreads his fingers over Tony's stomach, and Tony wishes he wasn't wearing his shirt, even though it's thin enough that he can feel that Loki's hand is cold.
"Many feel it here," Loki says. His voice sends a shiver down Tony's spine. "I don't. It's my skin, which is quite funny, actually. Maybe at some point I'll let you know why."
"Your skin?"
"Yes. When I created my first fire, I was a few decades old, still a child. I nearly burned down the palace." Loki's other hand strokes up Tony's arm. "My skin was still tingling days after. It's electrifying, and nearly impossible to resist. I managed, but after the Void and everything that has happened since then… well, let's say that I have grown weary of holding back. I think you know the feeling."
"To be honest, I still have no fucking clue what you're going on about."
"No?" Loki said, amused. "Tell me, then - what does the fire do to you? Do you feel drawn to it? Do you want it to spread?"
"I -"
"Don't lie to me. We both know the answer. I saw it in your eyes when we talked in the burning building."
Tony turned around, but he didn't take a step back to bring some distance between them, and Loki didn't, either. They were standing nearly chest to chest; Tony had to look up at Loki. He couldn't stop looking at Loki's lips, the slight hint of color in his cheeks.
"You said something about an affinity for fire magic," Tony said slowly.
"Yes."
"And that means what, exactly?"
"That fire burns brighter when you are around." Loki brought his hand up to Tony's jaw, thumb tracing the edge of his beard. "That it will eat through metal and stone but will not do damage to you."
"I've burned myself before."
Loki shook his head. "I am not talking about regular fire. I am talking about mine. My flames could melt even your suit easily, but they won't, because it's yours." Suddenly, something green reflected in his eyes, and they widened a fraction. "See?"
The hand on Tony's jaw was warm now - hot, in fact, like a stove top that had cooled off just enough that you could touch it without burning your skin off. Tony didn't flinch. He was too distracted by the look on Loki's face. He was gorgeous even when his mask was in place, when he was all intimidating glares and smug smirks, but like this? Awe and desire in his eyes, his lips parted, breaths a little shallow - like this, he was a vision, something that Tony wanted to stare at for the rest of his life.
"If you were a mage…" Loki trailed off, shaking his head. His tone lacked his usual control, less velvet, more gravel. "You would be brilliant."
"I am brilliant, thanks."
"You are," Loki agreed, and it didn't come with an eye roll. There was no sure you are, now give me some money, now build me something, now shut up and, for once in your life, do what you're supposed to be doing without getting on everyone's nerves.
No, there was none of that in Loki's voice. There were many words Tony could think of to describe Loki and honest wasn't one of them, and he looked honest now, sincere and raw, as if the fire had burned off the first few layers of his well-crafted masks.
They leaned in the same second. Loki's lips were surprisingly cold, but he kissed like he was hungry for it, and that was something Tony could get behind. It made him lightheaded.
He pulled back to get some air and let his hands glide down Loki's chest, smooth leather under his fingers. He wanted it gone. The smell of fire was in the air, and smoke darkened the stars.
"Back to the tower," Tony said. "Now."
Loki raised a brow. His eyes were still a little wide, his lips red. "Don't you want to keep watching?"
"I want to fuck you senseless," Tony corrected. "And I'm too old to do that on a floor like this. You can burn something else down when we're done."
Loki sighed, probably intending to look terribly annoyed, but that didn't work because he was smirking. Barely so, but it was definitely there.
"I could probably find a younger mortal with an affinity like yours," he said, lofty. "But it might take centuries, and I'm not that patient."
"Is that a yes or a no to the fucking each other senseless thing?"
The next thing Tony knew, they were back in his bedroom in the penthouse, so he had his answer. The fire was further away now, but Tony saw it through the windows, only partly hidden by other buildings. He wondered if Loki had chosen the building specifically because it could be seen from Tony's bedroom. He didn't get a chance to ask about that, though, because Loki's mouth was on his again and his hands were tugging at Tony's clothes.
Tony let it happen; he wasn't about to play hard to get. Maybe they would take their time on another day - or maybe they wouldn't - but right now, Tony found what he needed right there in the frantic way Loki touched him, and in the greed in his eyes and the surprisingly high-pitched noise he made when Tony got the angle just right.
Tony ended up lying on his back, watching as Loki stretched out next to him, taking up far too much space on the bed. His hair was messy and a small smile was pulling one corner of his mouth upward, smug and self-satisfied and so addicting that Tony was already idly coming up with a plan to make him stay. He wasn't good at making people stay.
He looked away and peered down at himself, narrowing his eyes. He could have sworn Loki's hands had been hot earlier, but if there had been any flames, they hadn't left any traces on his skin.
There were burn marks on the sheets, though.
"Is this where regret comes in?" Loki asked, his voice honeysweet. "The sense of duty? The shame?"
Tony snorted. "Why would I be ashamed?"
"You just slept with an enemy."
"Whose enemy?"
"The Avengers, naturally."
"I'm not an Avenger. Not anymore." There was no bitterness in his voice, none. And he hadn't even needed to practice it in front of a mirror.
"No, I suppose you aren't," Loki agreed, thoughtful. He ran a hand through his hair, looking at the ceiling, drawing attention to the pale curve of his throat. "I like you better this way."
Of course he did. A few years ago, Tony would never have played along, no matter how enticing Loki's fires were.
Me too, Tony wanted to say. I like myself better now too. But that would have been a lie. He hadn't liked himself back then and he didn't like himself now, but at least he had given up trying to be something he wasn't. His thoughts flickered to Steve and the piercing cold air in Siberia. No, he was done trying to fix things, whether it was a dysfunctional team of superheroes or his own rotten psyche.
He was doing things his way, now.
"You have to stop," he said.
Loki turned his head and looked at him, unimpressed. He folded his hands on his stomach. "Stop what, pray tell?"
"The arson, Bambi. If you keep going at this rate, there won't be anything left of Manhattan by the end of the year."
Loki made a face that would have looked more fitting on a defiant teenager. "You just got considerably less interesting."
"I'm not saying you can't burn down other stuff. Just not my stuff."
"Do you consider the entire city your 'stuff', then?"
"In a way, yes."
Loki rolled onto his side, supporting himself on one elbow. There was a small, already fading mark on his shoulder where Tony had bitten down earlier. "What do you want me to burn down?"
Tony frowned. "Is that an offer?"
"In a way, yes. Surely there is something you would like to see go up in flames." Loki smirked. "Or someone."
Tony thought about Steve again. It would be nice to watch, definitely. But the satisfaction would be short-lived, and Tony wouldn't gain anything else from it - only more problems.
"You'd do it, wouldn't you?" he said. "If I asked."
"Yes."
"Yes? Just like that?"
"Why so surprised? I've told you this before."
"I don't know. I just felt like you were done being someone else's tool."
Loki rolled his eyes and sat up, stretching his arms above his head. "Do you think you can point at something and I will leap at it like a well-trained dog? Please. I am offering a partnership, not more and not less."
"Why?"
Loki looked at him over his shoulder. There was an odd warmth in his eyes. No, nothing warm and friendly, nothing soft. Just heat and hunger.
"I could lay Asgard in ashes with you by my side," he said.
The thought wasn't a bad one, Tony had to admit. He wasn't a fan of Asgard. "And that's the goal?"
Loki was quiet for a moment. "It would be nice to watch," he said then, quietly, and looked away. "But no. The goal is a space fleet. Perhaps a planet or two."
A space fleet. Tony remembered a wormhole, and the haunted look in Loki's eyes when they had spoken in the penthouse.
"Right," he said, his tone light. "Let's burn down an entire planet. Or two."
"Yes," Loki said. "Let's."
He turned to Tony again and leaned down to kiss him, brief and firm, and then he vanished. Tony huffed and got out of bed to take a shower before he went down to the workshop.
*
The next time they met, Loki brought them to a forest fuck knows where. It was pretty, picturesque, a clearing with bright green trees all around and wildflowers everywhere. The sun was disappearing behind the treetops, tinging the sky red and orange.
"Is there a picnic?" Tony asked. "I want a picnic."
"I'm not here to woo you like a pretty maiden, Stark." Loki's hand disappeared from Tony's back. He walked away, glancing at Tony just briefly. "Stay there."
"I'm not a dog either, you know," Tony said.
But he stayed where he was, watching Loki's back - and his ass, of course - until Loki stopped walking and turned around again. He wasn't wearing his full armour, only leather pants and boots, and a tunic that nearly reached his knees. Tony had considered bringing a suit and decided against it.
"What are we doing here, exactly?"
"We're trying something." Loki rubbed his hands against each other, and soon there were a few green sparks flying through the air. "I know you're eager to get me out of my clothes, but I trust you can wait a little while longer."
"I'd be fine with just pulling your pants down, too."
Loki gave him a flat look.
Tony grinned at him. "Would save some time."
"It would, yes. Over one of the desks in your workshop would work best, don't you think?"
"I like the way you think."
"How nice of you to say that."
Tony had something even nicer to say, but he forgot about it when Loki flicked his fingers and sent a spark flying to the ground. The tiny green light hit the grass and set it ablaze at once. The fire darted over the ground in a zig-zag line, eating its way through grass and flowers. It needed only a few seconds to cross the distance between them. Tony had frozen in his place, staring as the grass under his feet caught fire, forming a perfect circle. The green flames licked at his shoes, but all he felt was bearable heat, and the by now familiar buzzing feeling in his chest, right where the arc reactor had been.
"Are you doing this?" Tony said, turning, watching while the fire spread in all directions, with him as the center of the circle.
"No."
"Wait, am I doing this?"
"No," Loki said again. He slowly came over to Tony, watching the fire as well. "Well, not quite. The fire only reacts to your presence."
Tony tried to come up with a scientific explanation and failed miserably. "Why? How?"
"It's magic," Loki said simply. "I can't explain it to you in a way you would find satisfying. Not yet, at least - you will understand it better in time."
By now, the fire had almost reached the edge of the clearing. Tony swallowed. "I don't want the forest to burn down."
"It won't," Loki said. "You built your first suit yourself, did you not?"
"What? Yeah. I build all my suits myself."
"But you forged the first one with your bare hands. Barton told me about it."
"Mostly, yes."
Loki stopped in front of Tony. The fire nearly went up to their knees now, but Loki wasn't watching it anymore, he was looking at Tony now. "If you had been born in Asgard, you would have made a fantastic smith. Did you know that I used to visit the forges and bless the fires when I was still considered a prince?"
Tony blinked. "Bless the fires?"
"Oh, yes. Fire magic might be taboo because it's so difficult to control, but natural flames usually do as I say, and that is a handy skill." He studied Tony for a moment, the fire reflecting throwing shadows on his face. "You have a similar talent, although you have no real control over it. My magic is active, yours is passive. You are an amplifier rather than an operator."
"And how come I've never noticed this before?"
"You never came into contact with real fire magic before."
"Right." Tony turned his attention back to the fire. It had reached the edges of the clearing, but didn't touch the trees; Loki must have put a barrier up before he had brought Tony here. "This is really fucking weird."
"How does it feel?"
Tony rubbed his chest. It felt like he could finally breathe again, like something was finally working out the way it should. The flowers would all turn to ash, and destruction was so terribly gratifying.
With his gaze focused on Tony's chest, Loki put his hand flat over Tony's, keeping it on the spot where the reactor had been. There was only thick scar tissue left, but under that, something was humming - or that was what it felt like, anyway.
"Here?" Loki asked, curious.
"Yeah."
"Fitting." Loki took his hand away again. "You could learn to control it. With the right tool."
"There are tools for this kind of stuff?"
"Only one that I know of. You are familiar with it, too."
"Me? But -" Tony paused and thought about it, frowning. Finally, it clicked. "Thor. Thor and his hammer."
Loki bared his teeth. "Indeed."
"I don't want a hammer," Tony said. "I want - I don't know. Something more practical. And cooler, because if we're really doing this whole partnership thing, we need to surpass Thor's level of coolness, just to drive the point home. Where do I get something like that, anyway? "
Loki's sharp grin had turned into something warmer. "You and I can build one. Together."
Tony smiled back. "Yeah, I think we can. We shouldn't use the tower, probably, there are too many people there. Do you have a lair or something?"
"I call it an apartment, but yes."
"Is there a spare bedroom?"
"Do we need one?"
"No." Tony looked at him for a few seconds, then he nodded. "Give me a week to sort out my stuff. I probably need your help to get it all out of the tower, then we can burn it down."
Loki's eyes glinted. "Oh?"
"I wanted to sell it, anyway."
"I see." Loki put his hands on Tony's hips and pulled him close. "And will Tony Stark die in the flames?"
That would surely lift a weight off Tony's shoulders. He would tell Pepper and Rhodey, of course. Maybe even Peter, although the guy was incapable of keeping secrets. And then, well. No more press conferences, no more discussions with SHIELD, no more pretending. And eventually, maybe no more nightmares about a spaceship behind a wormhole.
"Yeah," Tony said. "Maybe he should."
Loki kissed him. They stayed to watch the fire - it kept burning until there was nothing left to feed on.