fossilised | It's AU time

It's AU time

Building 64 down in the East end of Brooklyn was not a fashionable place to live. The apartments were small, barely more than studio size, and the rent was pretty cheap. Not many people lived there permanently, most people only came and stayed a year or two to get enough money together to move onto somewhere better. But there were two residents who had been there a while.

Steven Grant Rogers, early twenties, who earned his rent doing tattoo designs part time to fund his college course, and occasionally dipped his toe into online art commissions. He'd moved in there when his mother had died four years previously, leaving him enough money to get by, but not enough that he could stop working. And right across the hall was Natalia Romanova, an aspiring ballerina from Russia. She was tough as hell, she had worked herself right through high school, paid her own way to America when she didn't even speak the language, and kept going through tenacity alone.

Somehow a friendship had struck up between them when Steve had been the first person not to look at her like she was an idiot or disgusting for not speaking the language. He'd helped her learn, and they'd been firm friends for the last three years. Everyone else was transient, coming and going, not really making an impact. Natalia had friends and a boyfriend outside of the apartment, but she sometimes worried that Steve never seemed to do anything but work and study.

Which was probably why he would be in his apartment when a loud crash sounded on the stairs outside. Said crash had come from a box of (now very broken) plates and bowls being dropped by the man just moving in to the apartment directly above Steve's, judging by the amount of cardboard boxes that were littering the hallway. He was tall, muscled, dressed in faded jeans and a hoodie with long slightly scruffy hair, leather gloves, and deep blue eyes.

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"Actually, I don't drink."

Bruce refused the scotch with a small smile so as not to cause offence. He didn't drink because he had anger management issues, not something most people would guess about him, and he didn't like to risk losing control. It was safer just to keep himself sober all the time.

"But please, go ahead, you don't have to abstain on my account. Although if you had some water, that would be helpful, I found this in an alley bleeding, I think it maybe got hit by a car."

He pulled out a small puppy from where he had been cuddling it under his sweater. It had brilliant green eyes and looked almost like a wolf pup rather than a dog. Steve groaned when he saw the puppy and held his hands out for it.

"Fenrir, seriously? Your Mom is going to kill you."

"You have a dog?" Tony was not impressed, watching as Bruce handed over the large puppy to Steve, who gently fondled one of its ears. "You've been here for over a day, Steve, and you e just left it tied up in the alley?"

He filled a bowl with filtered water and set it down on the floor on a cotton kitchen towel, extremely unimpressed by having a mutt in the place. Even if it felt familiar. Maybe he saw it around the neighborhood before?

"And you should really lead with the fact that you have an injured doc with you," he frowned at Bruce, hefting one of his drinks because wow. Wow he really needed this. "Does it have fleas? Or rabies?"

"Sorry, I'll remember that if I find any more dogs, but apparently I've found the owner so--?" Bruce didn't look at all apologetic, taking a glass of water and sipping it as he found a place to sit down.

Steve looked annoyed as he held the dog out in front of him, scowling down at it as though it had committed a personal slight against him. He didn't mind Loki's kids, really he didn't, but Fenrir was the most troublesome. None of the others could shapeshift yet, and Fenrir had inherited his mother's trickster nature, the last thing Steve wanted was to be responsible for him for days.

"I don't have a dog, and I didn't even know he was here. He must have followed me through the rip, which means his parents are going to be worried as hell. Sorry, sorry. This is Fenrir, one of Loki's sons."

The little pup lifted his head and howled excitedly, tail thumping on Steve's chest.

"Loki's kids are animals? Oh come on." Steve was not a liar though. That was the one thing he would never be. And though Tony didn't know him, he did know that. Luckily, Steve didn't have to defend himself, not when the wriggling puppy broke free from Steve's grasp and turned into a child about the age of six or eight or... Actually, Tony had no idea. He just set down his drink and picked up the one poured for Banner before he downed that too. "Okay." No. No it was not okay. Damn it.

"Uncle Anthony, how did your hair get black again?" The boy threw his arms, one bloody, around Tony, who took another drink, before he set his cheek against his hip and frowned at Bruce. "Don't tell my mum okay, Uncle Bruce?"

The boy had an accent much like the one Loki had in his dreams. Tony tipped the glass back for a third time but it was empty. Great.

"Tony, stop drinking. Fenrir, come here, you know those aren't your uncles and you know we're in another reality. Pretending ignorance isn't going to get you out of me telling your Mom and Dad about this."

Fenrir scowled for a moment, before his eyes went wide and filled with tears, his bottom lip wibbling as he buried further into Tony's side.

"Uncle Anthony, please don't let him tell Dad. He'll tell me off, and I just wanted to come and see the new world, that's not bad, right? You're here to look after me, and you're my shield-guardian."

Bruce was just staring because... come on, he just watched a dog turn into a boy. He wanted a dog turn into a boy.

"If I stop drinking will the world make sense again," Tony asked, not touching the kid. Grown men did not touch strange children because that was how problems happened. He put the glass down but didn't refill it because he couldn't reach with the anchor around his legs. "Yeah. Didn't think so," he snorted at Steve before he thought to ask who the kid's dad was.

Fenrir looked skeptical. "You jest.

"None of this is funny, kid. None of it. So no. I don't."

"I am get of the All-Father and his consort. Thor All-Father is sworn compatriot in battle to you, is he not?"

Thor. And Loki.

Bullshit.

Steve reached over and literally grabbed Fenrir round the waist, but the little boy clung onto Tony and he had the strength of an Asgardian/Jotun hybrid, so even young he was more than strong enough to hold onto what he wanted and not let a super soldier take him away from this weird not-Uncle.

"He's telling the truth," said Steve, sounding weary. "Apparently incest really isn't such a big deal on Asgard, they're kind of-- old fashioned, and that they're not even blood related made it acceptable for them to get married and have kids."

Believe him, it's something that he's still not comfortable with. He knows how to hide it now, because he cares about Thor and he understands that his own societal norms can't be pushed on someone else, but incest will always be an abomination to him.

"Fenrir, let go! This isn't the time for this, these people aren't like you and I, and you're not being fair on them. Now sit next to me and stay quiet, before you get into even more trouble when we get back."

The boy reverted back to his wolf form, where he was more comfortable so he could bare his teeth in displeasure, gave Tony a sniff and then headed back to sit by Steve as if the whole thing was a big deal for no reason. He snorted and then plopped down, curling his tail over his nose.

Tony ignored Steve's look and poured himself another drink. "Sure you don't want one, Banner? No? Double for me."

He did not want Loren to find out about Fenrir. Or Fenrir's parents. Hopefully the kid would stay a wolf for the next four days. Hopefully. God. What the hell was his life?

He felt the alcohol grip him and he left the glass in the sink, stepped over the dish, and pointed at Banner. "You. With me." And at Steve. "You make sure he goes on newspaper."

That was an awful lot of alcohol for a short period of time, but Bruce found that he couldn't really blame Tony because this was a lot to take in. There was an actual shapeshifting alien in this apartment, and he was the love-child of a marriage between siblings. Male siblings. It didn't really get much weirder than that, so he was happy to leave the buff Steve with the wolf and follow Tony into the kitchen.

"...I'm kind of wishing that I did drink now."

Just saying.

"I think it might be better for all of our mental health if we try and avoid talking to them as much as possible until this is all over, because otherwise I don't see how we're going to live normal lives again."

"So we just ignore them? While they are staying with me? Did your mom raise you in a barn, Banner? A little manners go a long way." Tony was just bristled. He didn't actually mean to be accommodating. Thst just wasn't the sort of guy he was. Right now he was just being annoyed at everything. And that included the guy he married in another life who was being so... Interesting. Jesus.

He liked Banner before now, had the guy on speed dial really, but they tended to meet professionally only. Now he kind of wanted to see if Banner liked Thai.

Yes. Specifically Thai.

"Just.. Let's not tell Loren okay? If possible?"

"I think the only way not to tell Loren is to have them stay somewhere else."

He didn't argue that Loren had a right to know, because this was the sort of news that could screw someone up for life. He knew that if he had a sibling, and he learned that he was in a strange marriage with them in another life, it would probably make him feel dirty and disgusted with himself.

"I could take them to my place, I have a spare room that they could share."

It would be a tax on his patience, but he could handle it. He smiled at Tony, ever calm and ever level-headed.

"We'll work it out."

Don't you smile at me you stupid bastard, Tony thought to himself. Bruce was charming when he smiled, tired but self assure in ways that Tony had never been. He was so patient and inwardly calm and though they had known each other for only a few years, Tony liked to think that he and Bruce were friends. Generally. In that working relationship sort of way that people with office jobs had. "I would hate to put you out. But yeah. Yeah that would be great. I owe you dinner sometime. Do you like Thai?"

Why was his mouth and his brain against him? Tony turned to scowl at nothing as he led Bruce up the stairs and knocked on the door to the bedroom where Loren was napping.

"Lore?" He didn't want to just let Bruce in if Loren was occupied. "Are you decent? The doctor made a house call. He just wants to double check your back."

You know. That place where Banner and Tony had spent hours working on that no longer even had a scar?

Yeah. That.

"Thai sounds good, I like all spicy food. I actually travelled in India on my gap year, not quite Thai curries, but I got used to spices and a different sort of palate. So dinner in exchange for two weird aliens sounds great."

He grinned at Tony, having no idea that the poor man was having conflicting thoughts about him. He had never even considered Tony in that way, or any man, he had been with Betty for a long time before that went south thanks to his anger issues and her father. He hadn't been with anyone since, but he was pretty sure that he was straight.

Loren was like a cat a lot of the time, he napped curled up on top of anything comfortable with no shame for if he happened to be clothed or not. He grumbled and pulled on some boxers before allowing Anthony and Banner into the room to poke at his back. Bruce was astonished, but less so now that he had met an actual shapeshifter.

"Yes, thank you, I am aware that I am lucky and this is a great improvement. However, you fingers are less pleasant than those of my fiance, so even though I am grateful to you for saving my life, I would appreciate you stepping back now."

Oh of course Bruce traveled and was funny and liked curry. Of course he did. And he was selfless too, agreeing to take Steve and Loki's kid home. Because why not? He might as well just be perfect. Tony's mind was very angry at itself right now because a two minute conversation shouldn't lead to thoughts like these. But that was why it was so dangerous to discuss other worlds. Especially with an obsessive mind like Tony's.

He fetched Loren a robe to cover up with and lightly tucked some dark hair behind his ear. "Banner's going to take our big blond house guest in so you can get in some more relaxing," Tony said, the worry in his eyes genuine, the reason for that worry a little different than what Loren might expect. "Are you hungry? We have a pizza coming," since Steve ate the other two, "and I'll bring you up a few slices?"

Loren liked to be pampered. He hoped that would keep him from finding the dog kid downstairs.

"Actually, I have to be up early for a shift tomorrow."

Bruce managed to look convincingly apologetic, but Tony would probably realise that he just wanted to make sure that Steve and the damning wolf puppy were both gone out of this apartment as fast as possible. He knew that Loren was quicksilver in his temper, though he seemed to care for Tony a lot, and he didn't want to see that ruined for the sake of another world.

"Why don't you two just enjoy the pizza, and you can call me about the arrangements for the end of the week?"

Loren rolled over under the robe to look up at them both, something was still wrong with Anthony. Did he still wish to be 'better' because of what he knew of his other self?

"Yes, that would be well. I would spend some time with Anthony alone."

Relief. All of his problems were about to get out of his apartment. Thank God. "I'll go downstairs and wait for the pizza," he promised as he leaned over to kiss Loren on the forehead. His thumb lingered against his cheek before he followed Bruce out of the room and down the stairs.

Steve was already packing, the wolf pup trying to find a place to crawl under so that he could somehow stow away here but Steve Rogers had eyes like few others and every time he managed to get halfway beneath a piece of furniture, he would hear his name grumbled in warning.

Rogers was no fun. Uncle Anthony always let him get away with anything because he was about the same age as his Midgardian cousin and Ola could do nothing wrong in the eyes of her father. But she wasn't here. Not even another version of her.

Fenrir didn't like that one bit.

From the muzzle of a wolf pup, after Steve pulled him out from the closet by his tail, Fenrir lamented the lack of a playmate. "Why is it that my uncles do not have a daughter?! Why is there no Ola in this Realm, Captain Rogers?"

Steve didn't mind being the disciplinarian, he was the uncle that all the kids on all sides both wanted desperately to impress because he was a genuinely nice guy, and feared spending time with because he actually imposed rules. Fenrir was among the most difficult to control, he had too much of his mother in him, and Loki had never done well when going up against hard rules.

But that didn't mean that he didn't feel sorry for him. Fenrir was just a kid, at the end of the day, and didn't understand the implications of the decisions that he had made. He bent down to stroke a hand gently over soft fur.

"Because this isn't our world, Fenrir, things have played out differently here. Tony is going to marry your Mom here, and your Dad is with Auntie Nat. Ola is probably still living with her birth parents, that's all. But that's why you weren't supposed to come, everything is different here and we don't have a right to interfere, we're just trying to fix things."

Fenrir pricked his ears forward and then tumbled out into a kid shape again. "That is horribly gross," he lamented, that latter word picked up from his cousin. "If mum doesn't become the All-Father's consort, does that mean that there is no version of myself here?" Fenrir climbed on top of the bed as Steve packed but his brilliant green eyes were fixed solely on his current guardian. "This is a stupid Realm. Horrible. Uncle Bruce and Uncle Anfhony should be together. As they have always been together and were before even my older brother was born. This Realm will fair poorly. I foresee it."

Tony did not glance at Bruce as he cleared his throat and knocked on the open door. They had heard everything as they walked up the hall and that was bad enough. Acknowledging it in any way would be so much worse.

"Got your stuff?"

"I want to stay with you," Fenrir howled in response, head thrown back and everything. "I want to stay with you and my mum! I want my mum! Bring me to him now!"

"Oh my god," Tony groaned. Who did he piss off to deserve this?

Bruce blinked in shock, but he managed to keep that as his only outward reaction. Alright, apparently his alternate self was gay and had a child with Tony Stark, he could handle that knowledge. It was better than finding out that he was somehow incestuous as well, though that would be impossible as he had no siblings and his parents were both dead and gone.

Steve reached out and smacked Fenrir pretty sharply around the back of the head. He was still old fashioned in a lot of ways, and smacking a child had been perfectly common in his time. Besides, it was also common on Asgard and Jotunheim for children to be punished in physical manners.

"Fenrir," he said sternly after the smack. "Stop it. I've told you that your Mom isn't here, and we can't get him here. It's just me and you, and Dr. Banner is going to very kindly let us stay with him, so you need to be on your best behaviour. You're the only representative that Asgard and Jotunheim have ever had here, do you really want this to be the impression they're left with? You want me to tell your Dad and older brother that you behaved like this as an official delegate?"

Please let this work, dear God, please.

At least Banner was now, as always, his very professional self, calm and sure and not outwardly judging. Tony appreciated that considering how insufferable this little kid was being. And Fenrir, for his part, scowled and then shifted back to the little gray wolf puppy, putting his muzzle between his paws and looking up somewhat submissively to Steve. There was a little flick of his bushy tail and then nothing but stillness.

Evidently Steve had a way with kids. Or dogs. And that was funny. “Yanno, when I walked in on your smaller self’s therapy session with Bucky, they were both talking about getting a dog.” He needed to say something, didn’t he? Especially since he was pretending that Bruce Banner was just a cut out of himself and didn’t need to be looked at or spoken to in any way.

He shoved his hands into his pockets and tried to back out of the room and around Banner without touching him.

“You guys have my number. But try to hesitate before you call me, all right? There’s a thing on Friday night-- Steve, you’ve got to come because you need to explain everything. Just uh… Muzzle. I’d suggest a muzzle.”

Fenrir growled when a muzzle was mentioned. He'd only worn one once, and that was because his stupid older brother had got hold of one and decided that it would be a funny joke to make him wear it. He had panicked for over an hour before his father had rescued him, and his brother had been punished by wearing the muzzle in return. Thor would not have his children fall into the same traps as he had. He would not have resentment grow between them.

Steve picked up his things and Fenrir under one arm, before he shot Tony an apologetic and abashed sort of smile, also not really wanting to look at poor Bruce even though he was about to follow him.

"Right-- yeah. I'll see you on Friday at-- well, at the street we discussed, okay?"

Bruce was quick to usher them out of the apartment after that, leaving Tony alone with his fiance upstairs and the unwelcome knowledge of just how different their lives could have been.

At least Loren had no idea about the boy. Tony aimed to keep it that way. He did his best to cover up his own doubts and thoughts that night but it was about as impossible as poor Bruce's ability to sleep that night considering how quick Fenrir was to escape Steve Rogers.

He jumped up on Bruce's bed and made himself comfortable, laying at the foot, staring st the original occupant of the bed.

"Uncle Bruce?" Yes. He was talking through a dog's mouth. No. He didn't find that weird at all. "Where is your consort if you have chosen not to make a home with Uncle Anthony?" Steve could very well find him missing at any time and so Fenrir had to made this quick so that all of his questions were answered. "You did save me from the alleyway. For that I am grateful and can reward you fittingly." Of course, he'd already self healed. He was Asgardian and Jotun. He had cells that could repair themselves without intervention.

Bruce took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly, making sure to find his inner calm before he sat up and looked down at the wolf puppy. He would be adorable if he were an actual puppy, but knowing that he was much more than that kept Bruce from reaching out and fondling between his ears gently.

He was just thankful that he had gone to bed in pyjamas that night instead of naked.

"Uh..." Was he really going to have this conversation? "I don't have anyone right now, and that's okay. Not everyone needs a-- consort, and I don't think of Tony like that. He's a friend of mine, and a patient more often than not, but there's nothing between us. And I'm a doctor, it's my job to look after people who are hurt, animals too, so you don't need to thank me or reward me."

“How are your peers meant to know of your good deeds and achievements otherwise?”” Fenrir wouldn’t have minded the petting actually. He had become very fond of his ears being stroked and while his father oft said he should not spend so much time in this form, he had come to love it. His older brother had become adept at moving through the Void but he was the shapeshifter and he clung to that particular talent with both tiny hands until they were white knuckled. He never felt pitted against his siblings, but there was still competition. It was just natural in families. Shapeshifting was his connection to his mother just as Modi’s was teleportation.

Fenrir did not understand this society. Bruce was not his uncle. Anthony was not his father. And all smelled mortal without the fruit of Idun in their veins or… well, Uncle Bruce always smelled eternal to him. Until now.

Where was the Hulk? He had come to enjoy his time with the alter ego of his uncle when he allowed the beast out in controlled situations. He was amazing to watch in battle. Truly amazing.

“I do not like it here. This Midgard is no fun. I do not even have Ola as companion. My parents know me not. Captain Rogers is the worst uncle to have fun with too.” Down went his little ears. So sad.

"Then maybe you should have listened when you were told not to come along here, hm?"

Bruce didn't say it in a nasty way, just as if that were the reasonable suggestion. He felt for the little kid, he liked children and he could tell that this was a young child even if he had some bizarre powers. It didn't mean that he got to absolve himself of responsibility for coming along.

"You don't have to stay for long, just a few more days and then you can go home. If you're homesick then why don't you tell me about the sorts of things that you do with your parents?"

He might not feel too homesick, not when he realised that both Loki and Thor would know he had gone missing and would not be pleased with him.

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