Hey there everyone! Just wanted to introduce my new FrostIron story, Philosophy of Possession. It's a work in progress, but has grown beyond my wildest dreams, and I have more to come. Also wanted to thank TheDarkElement who has been wonderful in helping me with this story. Part of the credit goes to her for inspiring me and giving some scenes an extra oomph when they needed it ;) Sadly, I own nothing. If you notice any terrible mistakes please let me know. Enjoy!

"JARVIS, where's Loki?" Tony Stark asked as he entered the elevator that would take him to his suite at the top of the Avengers Tower.
"Mr. Laufeyson is currently in the kitchen, sir. I'm sure he'll be interested to learn how you got to this state."

"Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of," Tony grimaced, holding his side. He probably had a broken rib or two, and the way his arm was swelling up... Tony sighed, coughing wetly and pressed the button that would take him to his lab. He had a medical kit in there. Hopefully he could patch himself up and get rid of the bloody clothes before Loki saw him. He hissed as he realized the blackness clouding his vision wasn't the lights dimming and fought to suppress it. Perhaps his injuries were worse than he thought. Leaning against the wall, he listened to the quiet hum of the elevator until it dinged, announcing its arrival to the level that his lab was on.

Staggering out, he squinted, the lights seeming extraordinarily bright. "JARVIS, tone the lights down dammit. Where's that bloody medical kit?" He muttered mostly to himself.

"The medical kit is in the back of the cupboard near the kitchenette, sir. I don't believe it is bloody... yet." JARVIS intoned without any sort of inflection towards what he obviously believed was a bad situation.

Tony half heartedly flipped off a camera, then sighed in relief and stumbled over to the counter, grateful he had thought to install the kitchenette. Really, it had been at Pepper's insistence, but he was grateful for it now nonetheless. Holding himself upright by pure strength of will, he considered what had to be done.

He winced, and gripped what was left of his shirt with his good hand, lifting it over his head. Stars clouded his vision at the pain the movement caused as he slid down against the cupboard, desperately grasping at threads of consciousness.

His vision was dimming, but he faintly registered Loki appearing in the lab and looking around before seeing him and giving a shout. Loki was suddenly at his side, grabbing his face and seemed to be saying something, but Tony wasn't able to hear him, hanging on to consciousness with a desperate grip that was slipping. The movement of Loki's lips and words finally made a connection somewhere in Tony's head as the room temperature dropped.

"Tell me who did this to you, and I swear I'll make them pay," Loki snarled as his glowing hands hovered over Tony's body, checking his injuries. When he looked up, his eyes were murderous with red appearing at the edges. That roused Tony a bit, enough that he swayed drunkenly and Loki had to grab him to stop him from face planting into the floor.

Tony grimaced, knowing it would be worse once he found out who had actually done him harm. He felt a dim sense of pride at having lived through it, but the state his body was in wasn't saying much.

"Loki, I'm fine, don't worry about it. I'll be fine in a week or two, you'll see." Tony tried to reassure the god, but all that came out was a drunken sounding mumble that left him coughing up blood. Loki gazed down at his lover, the cold abating and his eyes going back to their masked appearance, with worry hovering at the forefront of his mind, and anger being moved to the back.

"Lover, you're in no shape to talk, I don't want to hear anything about being fine or not worrying. For as much as you care, I've got to worry for both of us it seems. You've got three broken ribs, five cracked, one punctured lung, a nasty concussion that's probably wreaking havoc on your head, and a couple of nasty gashes that are going to bleed you dry in the next couple of minutes if leave them unattended. Now, you can either behave while I heal you, or spend a couple weeks in the hospital while I tear apart the sonuvabitch who did this to you." This last part was hissed, a chill emitting from him to go along with his words.

Loki, sharp as ever, didn't miss the way Tony cringed when he spoke the last part of his threat. He sighed and lowered himself down to the same level as the inventor, not wanting to move him and puncture his other lung.

"Alright, lay down - carefully! I'm not patching you back together if your carelessness gets you killed before I do anything about it. This isn't going to be easy on either of us."

Taking a deep breath and settling himself into a semi comfortable position, Loki reached for his magic and got ready to work. He had emotionally invested himself in this human. One who had cracked the ice around his heart and soothed the angry red wound in his mind that falling from the Bifrost had left behind. Anyone who harmed Tony was asking for a slow and painful death. Loki vowed to see that threat through as he saw the bruises and gashes that were littered profusely along the other man's body, from his face to his legs. Thankfully, he thought, nothing had damaged the arc reactor.

Loki sent himself out of his body and into a healing trance, applying his magic to all the injured areas, ensuring that infection wouldn't set in, and giving everything a head start on healing, as well as healing the broken ribs. The screams from the man beside him when he healed his ribs broke through his trance and he gritted his teeth, barely managing to hang on long enough to be sure that they healed properly before he let himself out of the healing and back to the real world. Tony was still beside him, and Loki breathed a quiet sigh of relief as he saw Tony draw in a slow and hesitant breath. He must have passed out, barely hanging on as he was when I found him, Loki mused.

Loki gathered the man up in his arms and teleported them to his bedroom, laying him down as gently as possible, but unable to avoid the whimpers of pain that escaped Tony, unconscious as he was. The spark of cold fury that had ignited within Loki when he found Stark only grew colder as his hands hovered over all the damage that had been done. Even as well into the healing stage as they now were, he could only progress their state forward a few weeks. With the extent of damage done, healing everything completely was too much. So Loki settled for finishing by making sure the flesh wounds were sealed and turning pink with the formation of new skin before releasing some of the tensions that had been building up. Sitting on the bed beside his lover of almost a year, his mind flashed back on the last few months. The rather twisted affair they had struck up after Loki returned from Asgard had healed the broken shell of a man that was Tony, and given Loki someone who hadn't cared if Loki was a monster masquerading as a god. Stark had kept digging, picking away at the cracks and crevices until he had collapsed the facade Loki had kept up around others for countless years, and accepted, even fallen in love with who Loki really was.

The memory of the shape his lover had been in rekindled the rage again, even though it had remained simmering quietly under the surface the entire time. Healing bone was always the most painful and the most draining. Exhausted, Loki slumped beside the now quiet mortal who had snared him. He had passed out from the agony, but there were tears still leaking from the corner of his eyes. Closing his eyes in pain at what he had done, even if it were necessary, Loki curled protectively around the prone body beside him and slept.

Loki woke up slowly, blinking at the faint light coming in through the window. It was evening, meaning only a few hours had passed since he had fallen asleep. Turning to the man beside him, he sat up and gazed down at him anxiously. He was breathing better, a peaceful expression on his face. As if sensing the god, Tony shifted with a grunt of pain, throwing an arm across the others legs.

Shaking his head at this, Loki quietly settled Tony's arm back at his side so he could get out of bed, absently waving a hand to neaten his appearance as he did so. He had to find who had done this and why. There was a lesson to be taught; no one messed with what he considered his. There had been no callout for the Avengers, he would've heard it, so who would dare accost one of Earth's mightiest heroes?

Loki's face darkened as he remembered Stark's earlier reaction when he found him lying on the floor in his lab. The way he had cringed when Loki threatened harm whoever had done this to him set him thinking. Loki wasn't one to hesitate at harming another, especially if said other had harmed what he loved. The fact that Stark would cringe at that, as if he were afraid Loki definitely wouldn't hesitate, knowing the darker side of Loki, gave way to a thought, a very dark one that almost matched the expression currently taking over Loki's face. Stark would only think he wouldn't hesitate to murder one person. Giving a low snarl, Loki wrapped his magic around himself, quickly instructing JARVIS to call him should the need arise, and vanished.

New Mexico

"I would have words with you, Thor Odinson." The low, coldly furious voice of his brother cut through Thor's reverie about how wonderful Midgard's food was. He really needed to convince someone to go to Asgard and show their cooks how to make certain things.

"Loki, my brother! How fare you this fine morning?"

"You idiot!" Loki snarled and stalked up to Thor, summoning a knife from seemingly nowhere and throwing it at Thor, pinning him to the table he had been sitting at. "You insolent dull minded lout! Do not try to pretend that everything is fine! All was well until something of mine stumbled in, damaged and bleeding. Apparently you hadn't been updated on a certain issue, Tony Stark is mine. Hurting him is something I will not allow, even from one who considers himself a relation to me."

Thor rumbled in protest, face darkening. "Loki! I did what was in your best interests! The Man of Iron dared to ask permission to court you! He is not worthy of you brother, I advise you to stop seeing the man now!"

Thor's face remained stubborn, fixed in his belief, causing Loki to go pale and quiet with rage. He wasn't quite sure how he hadn't blasted Thor to the ends of the Nine, but he was firm in one line of thought.

"Tony Stark has made me a better man than anyone or anything ever did back in Asgard. I admire him for going as far as to even ask you, when we've already been together for several months. You have him to thank for the fact that I'm not killing you now. It seems he's more honorable than you are in more ways than one. Think on it Thor, and while you're at it, stay out of the lives of me and mine. If you ever dare put a finger on Tony Stark again, I will make it my personal mission to see you experience double the pain I was put through when I fell from the Bifrost."

Thor stared at his brother, whose eyes were red, flesh tinged blue, and hands crackling with green energy.

"Brother, I did not know of your affection for this mortal. The Man of Iron approached me and asked permission to court you. No one is worthy to court you, but if he has your heart, he may... he may stay by your side. I won't stand for him hurting you brother. I understand Tony Stark hasn't committed to any one being, and do not wish to see you harmed under this knowledge."

Loki sighed, the red fading from his eyes, skin no longer turning Jotun blue.

"Thor, he has so much more then my heart. He mended what was broken inside me, and while I can't ever understand why, he still loves me despite seeing who I truly am. Who I used to be, before he came along."
Thor grinned and stood up from the table, not minding the tear in his cloak from the knife pinning it as he did so. "I am glad to hear this. Even though I do not fully approve, if the Man of Iron holds your heart close, I give him my permission to continue courting you."
Loki hissed at him, still furious. "The Man of Iron never needed your permission, nor did I need your interference. Stay away from us until I can stand the sight of you without showing you the pain of one fallen from the Bifrost. I do not think you would far as well as I have under it's bite." He said darkly. With that he vanished, leaving in a cloud of green smoke and appearing next to Tony's bed.

Staring down fondly at the little mortal who had claimed his heart, Loki couldn't help but thank the Norns for giving him a chance to meet this man under different circumstances. He walked around the bed and slid in next to Tony as gently as possible. Looking at Tony and the way he was whimpering brought back memories of the first time Loki met him, back in the alley way.

That's all for now, folks! Shall update soon, reviews are greatly appreciated! *nudge nudge, wink wink*