Tony didn't sleep while they were in Asgard. He laid there in his mate's big bed and stayed curled up against him, but he didn't sleep. No matter what Odin had said, there was no part of Tony that was stupid enough to completely trust the man. Oh, sure, Odin knew better than to risk truly pissing Tony off. No one wanted a dragon as an enemy. However, that didn't mean that Tony was comfortable relaxing here. He wouldn't relax again until they were back home in his territory. The one place he knew for sure he'd be able to protect his mate.

It was likely they weren't going to go straight there. Not only did Tony imagine Frigga would want to visit her son, Tony knew that there was a good chance Loki would want to go directly to his kids. Just as there was an even better chance he was going to want to go alone.

That was fine. That was to be expected, really. Tony was just going to have to get creative and figure out a way to send some sort of protection along with Loki that he could leave with his kids until they were comfortable enough for Tony to come out and properly ward them. Bracelets, maybe? Necklaces? Something they could keep with them, and maybe even something that could be used to call Tony. Just in case they were in trouble.

Hmm. Tony turned that thought around a few times in his mind before he finally settled on what felt right. A grin stretched his face as the idea took root.

The rest of the night was spent getting it all ready. This needed to be perfect. Without his tools, he was reduced to using just magic, and while that wasn't what he preferred to do it was still possible. Plus, he had a feeling Loki would like that, and making Loki happy was a nice, added bonus to things.

Sunlight was just starting to creep into the room when Tony finished.

The light that stole across their bed was enough to start stirring Loki from the deep sleep that he'd been in. There'd been times through the night that his sleep was slightly restless, but Tony had taken care of that. He'd used just a little bit of magic to sweep away the nightmares that had wanted to come and to nudge Loki down to a deeper, more dreamless kind of sleep. Tony didn't do anything to stop him from waking up now, though. He drew his magic back and let Loki wake slowly and naturally.

They'd moved around a few times, never truly separating from one another. When Tony had really needed his hands to work, he'd simply shifted around until he was able to sit up in bed, propping himself up with a bunch of pillows against the headboard. Loki had rolled with him and ended up with his head resting on the blankets over Tony's lap, one arm and one leg thrown over Tony.

That was how they lay now as Loki woke. Tony brought one hand up to gently card his fingers through Loki's hair, smiling a little to himself as his mate arched into the touch.

He felt Loki turn in a little more to press his face against Tony's thigh. "How long have you been awake?"

"A lot longer than you'd probably like," Tony answered easily. Considering he hadn't slept at all, that was a pretty safe assumption.

Loki's hand tightened briefly over where it rested on Tony's knee. It was clear he understood exactly what Tony had meant by that. "Anthony."

Amusement curved Tony's lips. He gave a small tug to Loki's hair. "What? You really thought I was gonna sleep here? Here?" Just the idea of it was enough to make Tony snort. He lightly patted Loki's head in a gesture he knew was patronizing, yet couldn't quite resist. "Don't be stupid, gorgeous, it doesn't suit you."

This time there was a clear huff from Loki. Then he was rolling himself so that his face was towards Tony now instead of away from him. He wore a baleful look that did nothing to stop Tony from smiling. Seeing that, Loki's expression shifted to something that Tony wondered if he realized was very clearly a pout. "You are an exceedingly frustrating man."

"Ah! See, Lokes, there's your problem." Tony reached down and tapped Loki's nose with his finger. His own eyes were twinkling with good mirth, and there was a smile on Tony's lips that he couldn't quite erase. "Quit thinking of me as an ordinary man."

It was more amusing than it probably should've been to listen to Lok's grumbles. Tony just sat back on the bed and enjoyed watching his mate gradually wake, pushing up on the bed and straightening himself up. It was quite a sight to watch. Tony let his eyes travel over every inch of Loki; the curve of his body, the very visible mark still on Loki's neck, the smooth line of his arms as he stretched his hands above his head, the look of pleasure on his face as the stretch obviously relaxed some tense muscles. Having him here, being free to watch him, made Tony's magic rumble happily deep down low in his chest.

When Loki dropped his arms back down, he found Tony staring at him, and a small smile ghosted over his lips. "Admiring the view?"

"Who wouldn't?" Tony shot back instantly. "Later, I'll happily take the time to show you just how much I appreciate the view. For now, we've got more important things to take care of." Without giving Loki time to comment on that, Tony began to nudge him forward, getting the both of them out of bed.

The urge to be in dragon form while here was extremely strong. Tony had to fight to keep his body from rippling and shifting into the form he preferred. The fact that they had such a great threat here to deal with only made it that much harder. Somehow, he managed to keep in his human form, which didn't really help him in his mission to poke and prod Loki into moving. The mage simply planted his feet once they were both upright and turned those sharp, piercing eyes to Tony. "What is going on?"

Their bond showed his annoyance, but also his worry, and that dual sensation had Tony sighing. He stopped trying to push Loki around for a moment and instead moved up to the front of him until he could press their bodies in close. Tony wrapped his arms around Loki's neck and was pleased when the mage automatically wrapped arms around his waist in turn. "Everyone is safe," Tony started with, because that was the most important thing. "I've been keeping watch through the night. No one went near the stables, and Odin never once tried to leave Asgard or even stretch out his powers. In fact, no one's left Asgard at all. I would've woke you if they had. I won't risk your children, Sky-Walker."

Leaning up, Tony nuzzled in against the mark he'd left just yesterday – had it only been yesterday? It felt like days ago! – and he let his scent push against it, let Loki's scent fill his nose.

The hands on his hips tightened briefly and then shifted until they could tug Tony in just a little bit closer. Yesterday had broken down yet another barrier between the two of them. Loki leaned in now without fear. He allowed himself to appear weak, and to take the comfort that Tony was offering.

For his part, Tony happily burrowed in closer, breathing in Loki's scent. There, pressed against Loki's neck, he murmured. "I made something for them." Tony turned his head in and nuzzled Loki's throat again. Flicking his tongue out, he tasted just the edge of his mark, enjoying the way it had Loki shivering. That reaction had Tony grinning. He did it again just to feel another shiver run through his mate.

"Anthony," Loki breathed out, warning and plea both in there.

Tony chuckled and kissed the edge of his bite. Then he tilted his head, running his nose along Loki's jawline. At the same time, he drew his hand up and showed the bracelets he'd made. Charms that would be able to be worn anywhere and hidden on the person wearing them. He felt Loki go still and knew that his mage had seen them.

Still smiling, never even bothering to open his eyes, Tony told him "They're mine." He pushed his nose in towards Loki's neck and drew deeply on his scent, giving his own shiver of enjoyment. That pleasure showed in his voice as he continued to speak. "My scales, I mean. I just, changed the shape around a little. With this, your kids will have the best protection I can offer, and if they get in trouble, all they'll have to do is deliberately send their thoughts to me."

"They are beautiful." Awe was clear to hear in Loki's voice.

Tony shrugged. He'd made them to look nice, sure, but that hadn't been the main goal, and they definitely weren't as nice as they'd be if he'd had more time. "They're practical. My scales are the easiest link to me, so they'll offer the most protection. I almost made them a necklace, but necklaces break. Then I figured these cause, well, with your own enhancements laid over them, you can make sure that no one sees them if your kids or grandkids or whoever want to keep them hidden. Plus, I already enchanted them to make sure they'll grow and shrink with any size changes, just in case you've got a few more shapeshifters. And no one but them or us can take these off." Again, Tony shrugged. "It's not much, but it should do to keep them safe for now."

A hand caught Tony's chin and cut off his rambling. Before he could find his voice again, he was drawn up into a fierce and heated kiss that had Tony's chest rumbling happily. He leaned in and let his weight press into Loki, let himself be held up. It was nice to be with someone of the size to be able to do it.

When they broke apart, Loki was smiling down at him. "They are amazing – as are you, my Great One."

Tony flashed him a bright grin. "Flatterer." Then, just because he could, he leaned up and stole another kiss, just as heated as the last. When they pulled apart this time, they were both grinning, and Loki's scent had gotten spicier. Tony laughed lightly. Oh yeah, still got it.

Unfortunately, no matter how much Tony wanted to stand here and play around with his mate a little, they had too much on their plates to indulge themselves. Later, he mentally promised them both, sending a wave of heat and promise down their bond and cementing the promise with another kiss. When the two pulled back, they were smiling.

It didn't take the two long to get themselves together and in clean clothes. Once they did, Loki faltered just a little, clearly unsure about what to do first. Tony – still in human form – smiled at him and leaned in to bump his shoulder against Loki's bicep. "What do you say we call up your Mom and take a walk down to gather up your son? I'm sure she'd love to walk with us. Oh!" Tony's face lit up, and he grabbed hold of Loki's arm, subtly tugging him forward. "That reminds me. I was thinking about it last night while I was making things, and I realized that you'd probably wanna get your son out of here, but I wasn't sure if you had somewhere in mind or if maybe you wanted him with you. Cause if you want him with you, we gotta figure out someplace to set him up. What kind of accommodations would he need? I can start getting things together in the tower while you go visit the rest of your kids."

"You would… bring him with us?" Loki asked incredulously.

Tony had to fight not to let his amusement show too much. If he wasn't careful, he knew Loki would pick up on it in their growing bond, and that would ruin everything Tony was trying to do. He didn't want to give Loki a chance to think or question too much. If he did, he'd get himself psyched up again, and that was the last thing Tony wanted to let happen.

He kept on tugging Loki along as he started to nod. With Tony pulling at him, the two made their way out of his chambers and into the hall. "Oh yeah. I mean, if you want him to. I wasn't sure what you had planned, and I didn't want to just take over. They're your kids and all. Plus, well, this one's a horse, right?"

The slight glare that Loki slanted his way told Tony that he probably hadn't phrased that in the most tactful of ways. "Indeed, most of the time. He has the ability for a human shape, though, should he wish."

He… he had the ability for a human shape… and Odin was using him as a royal steed? Tony stumbled, just barely catching himself on Loki's arm. The temper that he'd been fighting back since this whole thing had started was trying to push its way forward again. Tony ducked his head down and flexed his fingers against Loki's arm, fighting to not allow them to start shifting into claws.

Loki brought his free hand up and laid it over Tony's. He gave a soft squeeze that was backed by the touch of his seidr. It was full of warmth and appreciation.

It took a full hallway before Tony was able to speak calmly again. "Well, whatever form he likes, we could find some way to make it work. I mean, I'm not sure how happy he'd be inside the tower while he's a horse, but I'm sure we could magic up a pretty awesome floor for him." Ideas for it were already starting to spin through Tony's head. Really, making a floor suited for a horse wouldn't be all that difficult. "You know, with a bit of magic to change the floor itself, we could make it more open to natural light and air, get some self-replenishing grass and food…"