Surprisingly enough, NOT a challenge. :) A (late) Christmas Special!

Hope you like it- i think i was REALLY far off on Loki...oh well!

Enjoy!

"Here."

Loki turned, green eyes narrowed to dangerous slits as they reflected glassily on the street lights and neon lights that glowed all around him.

He looked at the glass of thick custardy looking liquid, nose wrinkling slightly at the strong smell it gave off, off-putting with the exception of the sharp spice of nutmeg.

"Why, are you giving me this, Stark?" Loki drawled, and turned, lights from the nearby walls and buildings, casting spindly long florescent shadows on the silver metallic shackles firmly pressed against the cool exposed skin.

"Figures you'd want it. Probably not as strong as the stuff you have up at Asgong, or whatever." Tony shrugged, and the slightest twitch on Loki's lips as he responded back distractedly.

"Asgard."

Tony shrugged, setting the amber liquid on the black iron railing separating the balcony they stood on, from the seven hundred foot drop to the honking traffic below.

They said nothing, Loki not even sparing the glass a look while after a while, Goosebumps rose on Tony's arms, and he shivered slightly, retreating a foot towards the building to stay out of the light dusting.

"Why are you out here?" Loki asked in the branch of silence, and he turned, green eyes meeting Tony, who shrugged, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall.

"You know, making sure you aren't planning to kill a few festive pigeons or something. Clint's convinced you're going to throw something at those poor alley cats a few hundred feet below." Tony shrugged, and Loki didn't budge, eyes staying narrowed while the lights flickered, casting odd shadows and colouring.

"What a shame that would be." Loki drawled, and Tony managed to just resist a snort.

"…So, not a festive sort of guy? Not feeling so holly and jolly?" Tony mused, taking a sip of the mirror glass he had brought for Loki, watching as Loki's face drew blank.

"I find this holiday a foolish reason to exchange and receive goods from strangers." Loki coolly added, and Tony rolled his eyes.

"It's not all about the gifts. There's sleigh rides, skating in the park, and just catching two people under mistletoe." Tony managed a wicked grin at the last bit, while Loki still looked just as blank.

"I once killed a man using mistletoe." He informed Tony, causing him to blink and take a few steps back slightly

"Okay…I don't know what to say about that, but, why are you out here? It's cold and too quiet." Tony wined quietly.

"I do not feel the cold the same way as you do, Stark. And I would rather be in silence then have to suffer and withstand the bumbling idiots you call company." Loki growled, and Tony nodded sympathetically.

"Oddly enough, I get what you mean…that's why I get drunk; don't have to listen to anyone anymore." Tony added and Loki just stared, giving a small blink.

"You are odd for a mortal."1

"No, I'm advanced for a mortal. I say I'm the next step for human kind." He added with a snicker.

It was a comfortable silence again, Loki's eyes drifting to the flashing lights and the muffles bass of the music thumping loudly inside, the bulbs and bright lights of the festive holiday keeping the sky aglow with the bright spectrum, bringing an odd, yet respectable sort of beauty.

"…These lights, what are there significance?" Loki asked, head turning to Stark, who was observing the view also.

"The lights? Not really sure, I think it's just an excuse for neighbors and idiots to boast and show off their cheep cheesy decorations and sing corny Christmas carols." Tony shrugged.

"And I assume you reside on the most grandiose of these decorations?" Loki smoothly commented, and Tony blinked in surprise.

"Hey! I may own large decorations, but they are not cheesy!" Tony defended, and Loki nodded pointedly to a inflatable man in a large red suit inside the main room, next to a gigantic tree with just as many sparkling gold ornaments, the tree bowed slightly to support them.

"…Fine, they may be a little cheesy."

"And the purpose of this holiday? To drink yourself into submission as Thor would on Mabon, Harvest End?" Loki scowled, and Tony drunk.

"Uh, no actually…I think. Apparently, this is for the Christians out there, celebrating the 'savior of the world's birthday, or something. I'm not really religious, so I don't really know most of this stuff." Tony shrugged, and Loki looked slightly alarmed.

"This realm has more than a single religion?" He asked, partly amused and the other in surprise.

"Hey, don't bag on our realm. Our religions are perfectly fine, may I say…well, except for the Aztecs- they killed 10,000 people a year for blood sacrifices- but they're all dead now!" Tony jumped in defending as Loki looked disgusted.

"You are repulsive. Sacrificing your own kind for the attention of fake gods, your religions are foolish and corruptive." Loki snorted, and Tony blinked.

"…Wasn't old Norse mythology a religion at one point?" Tony pointed out, and Loki scowled, pointedly not answering.

After a while, Tony just hummed, looking out at the view and Loki sniffed, annoyed.

"Are you going to stay in my presence for this entire evening?" Loki sighed, and Tony shrugged.

"Well, I could go back inside, but then I'd probably have to listen to drunken singing, and the most putrid smell of aged eggnog. I like it out here anyways." Tony shrugged, and the silence blossomed once more, the sound most certainly not silent, but the honking and screaming of traffic below was oddly calming.

"Christmas is supposed to be a day of festive and family- not that I believe in all that crap. Most people are just in it for the gifts- try to sneak their way into my parties just to drink my fancy liquor, or try their hand at my few thousand dollar free gifts." Tony sighed, leaning against the railing while Loki seemingly continued to ignore him.

"The team's nice, don't really know them well enough to give them a good gift though, and they sure as hell aren't my family, if I can even classify anybody that anymore." Tony sniffed, apparently rambling on while Loki sighed, spider hands pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Why… are you tainting the air I breathe with you insane ramblings?" Loki sighed, not angrily but more…tired…

"Eh, well…Christmas is supposed to be a day of family." Tony shrugged, and Loki stared at him bewildered.

"…And you do not force Thor's presence onto me?" He spoke slowly, and Tony shrugged, setting the empty glass on the railing.

"Well, he's not your brother…is he?" Tony hummed, tone rhetorical while Loki stared, not saying anything and just looking at Tony.

"So, I figured, I should at least give you some company on Christmas, I mean…It's not like you have old daddy dearest giving you some Christmas cheer." Tony shrugged, and Loki blinked.

"…Why are you here." Loki sighed, not angry or in his slightly mocking regal tone, instead the tired one he rarely ever adopted in Tony's presence…He had heard rumors of it, apparently Bruce heard it twice, while everyone else heard it only once, if that.

"…Because inside seems just as empty and as cold as out here does." Tony wistfully stated, Loki drawing his eye to the bright lights and drunken laughs as fools stumbled around, spilling wine and beer with every step.

"Oh?"

"Except…" Tony stated, hesitating before continuing, "Out here, there's at least one person who understands how much I freaking hate this holiday." Tony mused, and Loki stared, rotating fully around, a loud wincing clang! As one of his magic binding metal shackles bumped into the rough iron railing.

"You think I find this 'holiday' amusing? You think I enjoy the prospect of family and gift exchanging- showing others your emotional attachments through petty gifts and fake words? Are you here to mock me Stark- in your words 'rub in my face' what you obviously have and to flaunt it around mindlessly? Your Midgardian religions, and your precious little holidays are simple minded idiotic attempts, at keeping your disgusting race at a happy standpoint." Loki hissed, and Tony looked at him, not swaying after the long rant.

"…Like I said. Out here, there's one person who understands how much I freaking hate this holiday." Tony hummed, and Loki took a stumbling step back in surprise, but this time, Tony was speaking.

"Everyone bases this off of love and all those cliché things everybody wants. I mean, sure, there's good people out there with families and all that, but not to mention the fricken crap we have to go through. Shit dad, weak mom who didn't want to do anything, and the entire world looking at your plastic smile and only wanting a mishap for the papers." Tony sniffed, and Loki blinked, staring at him while Tony sighed, a slight grin on his face.

"Sorry about that- anyways, I actually came out here for a reason if you can believe." Tony grinned, opening the door and snatching something wrapped in tacky green paper with little- were those reindeer?- dancing on the paper.

"Now, it's probably either really good, or really crappy depending if I got my info right- which I should have, because I did a crap-ton of work for this." Tony scolded, setting the heavy package on the ground while Loki looked at it slightly confused.

Tony looked at him pointedly, and Loki slowly picked up the package- this is what was looked upon, yes? The exchanging of gifts?

"Well? Are you going to open it?" Tony asked with a sigh, and Loki's eyes narrowed, before he cautiously tugged the fake covering off- not weakening his efforts as the covering tore loudly.

"The box isn't shut, so just tug and it should open." Tony shrugged, watching impatiently as Loki slowly pulled the flaps open, plucking the crumpled newspaper out and scattering it upon the ground, letting the breeze pull it off into the forest of metal buildings.

"Any day now." Tony groaned, and Loki's lips turned into a slight grin of amusement, tugging the last of the paper off and eyes widening as he simply…stared.

Tony bounced on the ball's of his feet, looking excitedly at the near frozen god, who reached into the box, pulling out the corroded stone with surprising gentleness.

"…Why." Loki spoke quietly, and Tony's excitement dulled slightly, smile faltering, fearing he had gotten the wrong thing…

"Why, did you get this? I killed your people." He stated, and Tony felt a slight sigh of relief.

"Why? Well…I don't really know." Tony shrugged, awkwardly folding his hands. "I mean- I got gifts for everyone else, but surprisingly enough, you were actually the easiest…They're all excited for Christmas, I mean, Natasha put up the tree, but I don't really…do…this." Tony sighed, arm waving to everything, and Loki shook his head.

"That doesn't answer my question, St- Anthony. Why would you go out of your way to give a Psychopathic murder a gift?" Loki questioned, and Tony's voice faltered.

"…You're not insane." Tony added, and Loki snorted. He opened his mouth to complain, and frowned at Tony's slightly confident expression.

"See- that's my point. You're not defending yourself. You're fully saying your insane- encouraging it, because that's what everybody wants you to be." Tony used his arms to try and point to all of Loki, still confusing him.

"You don't know any-"

"Look…" Tony sighed, pinching his nose. "How about- okay…imagine, if your dad was the big bad blacksmith person on your planet-realm, thing. If he made the best swords in all the land, would you make them, try and get his attention? Try and show him you can do something too?" Tony sighed, and Loki flinched slightly, not saying anything.

"My point- right there in that flinch. You're doing this, because you're doing your own thing , you're doing what everyone wants you to do because you have no more reason to try and impress your dad." Tony sighed, and Loki spun, one hand clasping the stone tightly, holding it gingerly with his left hand while the other was coiled tightly into a fist.

"You dare think th-"

"Loki, I know." Tony spoke firmly, voice low, and his eyes flickered to the stone, "That's why I found that. Now, you tell me what it is." Tony noted, and Loki felt like choking him.

Once again, silence between the two fell again.

"…I found it in Norway, in a small town named 'Sirius', like the constellation. It sat on some lake- one of the largest and deepest in Norway, Lake Mjᴓsa." Tony hummed, and looked at Loki, watching his expression carefully.

"Never really thought much of it- until I found out that 'Sirius' was known to the Norse as 'Lokabrenna' . Which apparently means 'Loki's Brand.' Ironic, huh?" Tony hummed, and Loki looked up, guarded green eyes meeting his.

"So, I look around a little, some odd freaky locals lead me to a cave, and what do I find? The whole thing marked up with freaky little carvings. So, I find one, do a little research, and cut it out- of course, this one was the most intact out of all of them, probably the oldest too. So, do me a favor and tell me, what is it?"

Loki turned the heavy stone in his hand, Christmas lights painting it an odd mixture of glowing red, green, purple, blue, and an off white. Tony managed to see the similar markings he had first spotted while in the small town, and smiled slightly when Loki's fingers trailed so carefully over the old surface, they barely touched.

"So, how old is it? 500 years ago? Eh- not likely, because I doubt you ever saw St. Peter's Basilica- 800? 900?" Tony blinked, and Loki chuckled, softly, tracing it again.

"In your mortal years, this was roughly 1910 years ago, give or take a decade." Loki mused, and Tony blinked, looking around.

"…Dang, I finished my Gin, didn't I?" He groaned as Loki laughed, honestly and fully laughed aloud as he traced the odd runes in the stone.

"Okay, fine…You were around during the Roman Empire; they were building the Pantheon around that time, right?" He blinked, and Loki's smile faltered slightly.

"Oh, I was visiting Midgard long before then. I traveled the branches of Yggdrasil before Thor even knew the names of all the realms. I've met a few Midgardians with…questionable traits, and helped in the killing of a rather…disturbed ruler." Loki hummed, not paying attention while he was tilting the statue.

"Wait- you killed an emperor? A freaking Roman Emperor?" Tony yelped, and Loki gave a huff, rolling his eyes.

"And your dear friend call's me insane. Horrible mortal, he was. Caligula I believe his name was." Loki hummed, and Tony blinked, looking away and into the streets.

Okay, Loki took part in the assassination of Caligula…

Actually, that wasn't so bad.

"Okay- fine…I'll ignore that, so…funny statue- where from?" Tony blinked, and Loki paused, jaw tensing as if weighing his options to speak or not.

"I had yet reached adulthood, and was traveling the branches. This was around my seventh visit to Midgard, and the mortals of the land already spread tales of my appearance and Seidr." He spoke quietly, and Tony didn't question anything.

"I had yet to be caught for my wanderings, however Heimdal saw of my journey, and informed the Allfather. He sent Thor to this realm, to pull me back to Asgard, and punish me for my open use the forgotten paths of Yggdrasil, however I had grown fond of your little planet." Loki continued, and eyes fixed upon the markings.

"Thor and I fought upon many a night, striking hard and blunt. He had yet to gain Mjolnir, fit with a heavy club while I used several staffs I had furnished myself. Eventually, Thor's storms grew strong on the village, and I claimed it as my own, forcing Thor back to Asgard, and me my peace for a meanwhile." Loki sighed, tracing the carved runes.

"ágætr áss hann hestr-inn hvat hjalpa vér" He spoke quietly, but loud enough for Tony to hear, and mentally assume that was what the carved lines and apparently, words, spelt.

"'What does it say?" He asked, and Loki said nothing.

"In common tongue of Midgard, it roughly translates to 'Great God is he, the who helps us.'" Loki states, and Tony swallowed thickly, looking at Loki who suddenly looked so much…different.

"…If at this time- when these people or whoever made that. Okay- 1910 years ago, at that moment, if there was such a thing as Christmas, you would enjoy it, wouldn't you?" Tony asked, and Loki paused, tracing the small religious prayer stone before a small bitter smile.

"I suspect we would have no reason for this conversation, Anthony. Merry Christmas."

"Yeah." Tony croaked back, lifting his empty glass. "Merry Christmas, now, I'm going to go get drunk. You?"

Loki sighed, shaking his head and looked at the stone once more before shaking his head.

"No. Be gone, Anthony."

"Great god is he, the who protects us- the who helps us."

Thanks! Review!

~Oceanbreeze7