Still Holding On

Chapter 25

Loki steps out of the changing room in his potential new outfit and spreads his arms, a smile on his lips.

Tony nods, grinning right back at him. "Would you look at that?" he quips. "You almost look like a person!"

Loki chuckles, dropping his arms to his side and looking down at himself. "It certainly is more comfortable."

"You can never go wrong with sweatpants," Tony says. "In the house, I mean; it's kind of taboo to wear them out."

"Why?"

"Hell if I know," Tony says with a shrug. Fashion is weird. "Guess we could get you some jeans, though. That's something you can wear out." It's what Tony's wearing right now. Loki can get away with it, too.

"I would like that," Loki says. "Thank you."

"Finding your size in jeans is way harder than sweatpants and t-shirts, by the way," Tony says. "And I don't have a tape measure, so it's gonna be a whole big process."

"That's alright," Loki says. "I don't mind if you don't."

"Alright, let's find you some jeans," Tony says. "We'll grab you another pair or two of sweatpants before we leave, and you can just grab whatever shirts you want."

"Wonderful."

Tony pauses. "Wait, hold on. Do you guys do capitalism in Asgard?"

Loki stares at him blankly. "Do we what?"

"Capitalism," Tony repeats. "You know you gotta pay for things on Earth? You can't literally just take things?"

"Yes, I do know that," Loki says, "but I do appreciate you reminding me." He looks at Tony curiously. "I have no money. Are you...?"

"Yeah, no, I know," Tony says. "I got it. I'm kind of one of the richest people in the world, so..."

"Really?" Loki raises his brows. "That's impressive. How does one become 'super rich?' I assume it's not a birthright like the Asgardian equivalent would be."

"Well, kind of," Tony says. "My dad started his own company that got big. I took it over when he died. So it's kinda luck 'cause I had that going for me, but it's also been a lot of my work and my inventions that have kept the company running."

"Ah, that makes sense," Loki says. "I still have a lot to learn about your world. I do appreciate your help with it."

"Yeah, sure, no problem," Tony says dismissively. He glances around just to make sure nobody else can hear them. Fortunately, the fitting room is miraculously empty, but it doesn't solve the crux of the problem. "You think we can keep this whole 'other world' thing under wraps 'til we get home?"

"Oh, absolutely," Loki says. "My apologies." A wistful smile creeps up on his face. "Home," he repeats thoughtfully. "I've missed having a home."

"Well, you don't have to miss it anymore," Tony says. "I really think you're gonna like it here.".

"I already do."

~~~

"Well, don't you look comfy?" Tony says with an amused smile, eyeing Loki's outfit for the night.

"I certainly am," Loki replies. He pulls his arms into his hoodie, leaving his now-empty sleeves to flop around. "I wish this building was colder. I would wear this all day."

"Give it a few months," Tony says. "Once October hits, it'll be hoodie weather for half a year straight."

Loki's eyes light up at that. "It will?"

"One-hundred percent," Tony says. "You're gonna love it."

"I can't wait," Loki says.

"For the record," Tony adds, "talking to blonde, bearded you is very weird. I like this you more."

Loki chuckles. "I know; it's strange," he agrees. He puts his arms back through his sleeves again. "I've truly never felt this comfortable in my life," he says. "I love this realm."

"I'm glad to hear it," Tony says, amused. "You know, if you want to wear your hoodie to bed, I can drop the temperature in your room for you." He's not sure the arc reactor can handle cooling the whole building down to 60 degrees in the middle of summer. It's still new; he hasn't had the chance to experiment with it and see what it's capable of. But one room? He can do that.

Loki's smile falters. "My room?"

"Yeah, y'know, the room you slept in the first couple days?" Tony says, knowing damn well he won't remember it. He really should have thought about that before just coming out and saying it. "I figure, if you're gonna be here permanently, you might as well go back to your bed; have your own space in the tower."

"Oh." Loki forces a smile. "Alright. I suppose that makes sense."

"And I'll make sure you know how to get to my room if you need me," Tony adds, just because he can tell Loki's not entirely sold on the idea.

That doesn't seem to help. "I'm not a child, Stark," he says. "I can sleep on my own."

"I know you can," Tony says. "But I'm going to show you how to get from your room to my room anyway, just in case. Even if it's just because you've been up for hours and I'm still in bed and it's pissing you off."

"I really do not think I—"

"Okay, but we're going to do it anyway," Tony interrupts. "Because I will feel better, okay?"

Loki hesitates, then reluctantly nods. "Alright," he says. "But you really do not need to worry about me. I am not a child. You do not need to treat me like one."

"I'm not," Tony says quickly. "I know you're not a child. I just want to make sure you know how to get a hold of me if you need me, just like I always make sure I know how to get a hold of someone if I need them. It's not because I think you're a child. I just don't think anyone should be completely alone."

Loki just looks at him for a few moments, then sighs. "Alright," he says. "Can I ask one favor?"

"'Course," Tony says. "Hit me."

"Can I keep the blanket I've been using?"

Tony raises his brows. "You want the snowflake blanket?"

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble," Loki says sheepishly.

"Of course you can have the blanket," Tony says. "You can have whatever blankets you want. I got a million of 'em."

"I only want the one," Loki says. "It's very comfortable."

"Yeah, no, take it," Tony says dismissively. "I don't care. Whatever keeps ya comfy."

"Thank you," Loki says with a smile. "I appreciate it very much."

"No problem," Tony says. He genuinely could not care less about this blanket he's hardly ever used. "But enough about that. We've still got a few hours 'til bed. What should we do now?"