Bend Around the Wind by Scyllaya

Chapter 18: Gift of Gods

Chapter Eighteen

Gift of Gods

Andromeda Galaxy

Huz'deyr System

Open Space

Stark recovered quickly from the events on Ki'eend. With the elixir working its course through his body he was back to normal in no time. Well, maybe better than normal. The day after the incident he was quite vocal about his recovery and a certain... side effect.

'You said it did not change anything I would notice,' Stark said as he walked out of the bathroom with a scowl on his face.

'Yes?' Loki asked without looking up from the blade he was sharpening. He lost the one he was using before on Ki'eend and he needed something until his alyndor blade was made. This was just a small knife he found in the kitchen, but it would do.

'Are you fucking kidding me? I look like five years younger... or more!' the human exclaimed. Loki looked up at him. The mortal was freshly shaved, only his small goatee remained on his face that annoyingly reminded Loki of Fandral. His hair was wet too, falling before his eyes a little. Now that he really looked at him, the skin on his face did look a little smoother. Some of the crow's feet were gone from around his eyes as well. He did not look considerably younger though.

'Or maybe this is how you're supposed to look like. If you'd live healthier that is,' Loki told him. There was a small chance that the elixir might have "fixed" things like some of the sings of ageing. Ageing was the accumulation of damage in the cells and organs, almost like a disease really, and the elixir was meant to help the body repair damage.

'No. I know how I'm supposed to look like. This is not how I'm supposed to look like. This is how I looked like a few years ago.'

Loki shrugged. 'Ageing is a type of damage in the body, so I suppose the elixir repaired some of that. I have never seen it used on beings that actually age so quickly as you humans do, so I do not know.'

'Right, you don't age.'

'We age, just very very slowly,' Loki told him.

'So you're really a thousand years old?' Tony asked. He assumed that it was correct, but he never bothered to ask.

'In Midgardian years? A 1040 or so, it's not like I know my actual birth date.'

'How come?'

Loki looked up at him and hoped his expression was easily understood. 'I do not wish to discuss that.'

Stark frowned at him. 'Is this about the adoption thing?'

Loki slammed his blade down to the table and glared at the mortal.

'I will not discuss that!' Not now, not ever and especially not with some stupid mortal. Stark put up his hands up in a placating manner.

'Fine, okay. It's just weird like hell.'

'There was no other option, Stark. Do not forget that. You're alive, so you have no reason to complain.'

'Yeah, I know. I wouldn't mind a full list of possible side effects though.'

'Unless you start noticing negative side effects, I could care less.'

'Fine,' Stark huffed.

'Surely losing a few wrinkles is not something so terribly bothersome.'

'No, not really,' Stark shrugged and started towelling his hair dry.

'Then stop bothering me,' with that Loki went back to sharpening the knife.