A life together

Truths

"I don't want you to go"

Three months had passed since the 'I am Iron Man' incident. Tony was snuggled under Loki's arm, his head on the god's chest, both of them lying on their bed.

"You know I have to, the preparations for Thor's coronation are going to begin and I need time to make our father understand that my brother is not ready to be king. Not yet"

"What's wrong with Thor being king? The guy takes care of Asgard and you can spend more time here with me. There are no downsides."

"The downside is that my people are left following a cocky, capricious, and foolish oaf. A man that loves fighting and going into battle with a hundred soldiers"

"Is he really that bad?"

Loki sighed, "Yes, but I know he can improve. He just needs time to see the things he needs to change."

"You would be a good king"

"I know," he replied smugly. "But I do not want to be one. When I was a child, yes, it was everything I wanted. Over time I understood that I am not good enough to rule. I cannot sit on the throne all day, how can I cause mischief from there?"

They were silent for a while, both thinking about the month that was coming up.

"I'm going to miss you," Tony said, moving a little to give him a kiss under the ear. He hid his face in Loki's neck and felt him plant a kiss on his head. "Promise you'll come back"

"I promise, Anthony. I too will miss you. A lot"

"You better. And try not to take too long"

"Regardless of how long it takes me, when I return we will have all the time in the world to be together"

Tony tensed, "Right. You're right. All the time in the world."

Meanwhile, down in his workshop, JARVIS continued to search for a suitable item to replace the palladium that was saving and killing his creator.

A week since Loki left and Tony already felt like crawling up the walls.

He was always looking for something to occupy his mind with, a distraction. That's why the expo suited him so well. He immersed himself in planning the event and put everything else low on the priority list.

His health was slowly but surely deteriorating. Black lines began to appear surrounding the reactor on his chest and, only when he remembered them, Tony appreciated the absence of his boyfriend.

He was trying to organize his life. Especially when JARVIS had not yet found a suitable element for the reactor. Rewriting his will, investigating everything he had to do with his inheritance, who was going to take over the company and a hundred other things. Everything was done under wraps, lest someone find out what was really happening.

One week. Loki had been in Asgard for a week and already wanted to go home.

Don't get him wrong. Seeing his mother was a joy in itself, but dealing with the stubborn Allfather who refused to see reason about Thor's coronation was exhausting.

His brother was in Alfheim doing errands for the queen, for which Loki was relieved. He could handle Odin without a problem, but Odin and his brother weren't a combination he missed.

Who he did miss like crazy was Anthony.

Every morning he would wake up expecting to see those sweet brown eyes next to him only to find himself alone in bed. He had breakfast expecting to see him come in disheveled and with a cup of coffee in hand. Everything made him think about the genius.