fossilised | I come from a land of ice and snow

I come from a land of ice and snow

Asgard sat atop the branches of Yggdrasil since time began, and little had changed in their society in the years since. Each Asgardian was long-lived into the millennia, their lands were fertile, their people brave and strong. They had their vassals, their allies, and their enemies. Yet even those who opposed them respected the might of the Golden Dias, and the royalty who sat upon it. Currently that was Odin Borson, though he grew weary more easily now and had begun to consider passing the throne to his eldest son.

He had been blessed with many children, but only two that he considered worthy of his lineage and status. His firstborn, Thor, strong and honourable and everything an Asgardian warrior should be. His second son, Loki, was not natural born, though none knew that but his wife. He was different, a creature of magic and mayhem, of sharp intelligence. Both were worthy, but together they would take Asgard to a new prosperity, he was certain of it.

Midgard, where the mortals dwelt, was a land raided every few centuries for stock. It was seen as a breeding ground, much like a corral for cattle. Mortals were lesser, short-lived and weak, they were fit only as slaves. The last raid had taken place when Loki had been but a baby, nearly a thousand years ago, but the mortals that had been taken had been bred and cared for so that a healthy slave population still thrived. Slaves were given a weakened mixture of Idunn's crop with their food, to extend their natural lives to at least a few centuries in order to make them worth the effort to train. They had no rights, but they were taught well that this was their natural position.

All slave children were raised in a central pen and taught the same when small, those that then displayed talent at cooking, riding, hunting, housework, artisan skills, or singing were then measured off to be specially trained for higher masters. Every five years those who could afford to buy a slave, or those of high enough status to simply demand them, came to the corral and chose. Those who were chosen were special, were envied, and those who were not ended up working the fields out in the far reaches of Asgard, the most menial of work.

Anthony and Steven had been friends since they were little and being raised in the large pens together. Both had excelled, Anthony at crafting and Steven at warrior's skills, but neither were chosen when they were five, nor ten, nor even fifteen. Now, at twenty, it was their final chance to be chosen before they would be assigned to one of the meanest farmers beyond the borders of the great capital. Steven woke Anthony as the dawn rose, mingled excitement and nerves on his face.

"Anthony! Wake up, I've got news! I heard the overseer talking to one of the passing guards, and Princes Thor and Loki are coming to the corral today."

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"You can make sure that nobody comes in here, I need complete silence to operate."

He knew it wasn't fair to ask them to stand on the door like common bodyguards, but all it would take would be one patient wandering in at the wrong moment, or someone coming to help, and his concentration would go. He was hanging on by a thread as it was, still shaking like a leaf because he hadn't managed to decompress since the Hulk had been put back under control.

But damn it, he would make himself capable of this.

He waited until the two were out of the room before he began, channelling his everything into finding all the internal injuries and patching them up. Until he had done all he could do and all there was left to do was wait. If Tony woke up, then odds were good he'd survive as long as he took it easy, but he could just as quickly fall into a coma he'd never wake up from.

With his back to the wall, Steve crossed his arms and stood looking down at his feet. He was that way for the entire operation, until Bruce, wearing a lab coat and a towel, pulled open the doors so that he could get some fresh air. Tony was still unconscious on the table, looking pale and terrible, more gray and ashy and made of wax instead of flesh.

Steve only glanced in before he turned his eyes back to the floor.

“What time is it?” he asked his stoic husband, and Steve frowned to hear that they were about to be late for their own meeting. He didn’t ask if Banner would be coming. And he knew Tony would not be. Being a leader was difficult, but Steve was almost glad to leave the medical wing, still smelling of sweat from his work out. He didn’t have time to change to meet the prince and princess of Jotunheim.

Bucky knew that they were late to meet the prince and princess of Jotunheim, along with the rest of the council who would need to be told that Tony had suffered an accident, for they were concealing Code Greens at the moment. Nobody would handle it well if they knew the Hulk was among them. He had no idea, of course, that the princess was still trapped inside faulty armour and would not be showing up, nor had any way of letting anyone know where she was.

But even despite being late, Bucky still stopped short about halfway there, brow furrowed slightly.

"Steve, come here," he said, voice low. "I just realised something. I walk behind you, half a step, like you're my commanding officer or my handler, not my husband. I want you to hold my hand."

There wasn't anything that Bucky couldn't cheer Steve up about, the blond realized in that moment, immediately holding his hand out for Bucky to take. His smile was soft, his eyes bright. "I'll never let go if that's what you want," he promised. He'd been taking the lack of sex issue pretty well. He wanted it, sometimes he was sure that he really needed it when Bucky was pressed up against him so tightly that they were just about one person. He understood boundaries though. And he was willing to let those boundaries persist until Bucky was ready.

Until then, he'd take any and all contact he could possibly be given, and he lightly lifted their newly joined hands up to his lips to kiss his husband's knuckles.

"There's no commanding officers or handlers here. Just us. And we're equals. We all are here. I want everyone to feel that way. So this is a real good start, Buck, if I can help you feel it."

"I know, that's why I want this." By 'this' he meant their hands being twined tightly together, he wanted Steve to be able to be an anchor against all the things that HYDRA had put into his head. "I don't always know when things aren't right, but you help."

A part of him still felt as if holding hands in public with another man was a scandal and, despite everyone being really understanding and making sure to refer to Steve as 'Captain Barnes', it was as if he were waiting for the other shoe to drop. Surely people wouldn't really accept this relationship, it just seemed too good to be true.

"You know that centuries from now, kids are gonna learn your name like we learned about the Founding Fathers. Captain Barnes saving humanity to a whole new world."

"No it's going to say Steven and Bucky Barnes. You made all of this possible." Becsuse no one at this point would know that Names was his proper name. It would go into the histories as Bucky being his true and actual name. "Every last part of this is because of you. You saved us. You got us from that moon. It's all you, Buck."

A call came in through his Bluetooth from Suresh and Steve signed. They always knew when to bust in on the best moments. He pulled Bucky somewhat forcefully into his arms and kissed him soundly.

"Duty calls, Sargeant Barnes," Steve grinned.

He would not be grinning upon arrival to see a few annoyed faces and only one Jotun waiting for them. Helblindi tried to explain that Loki often times had flights of fancy that called her from duty and he apologized, but he looked more nervous than annoyed. Steve shook his head.

"Tony Stark was injured this afternoon. He and the princess are good friends. Maybe she was with him around the time-- FRIDAY? Oh. That's right, she's not working here yet-- I'm sorry but I have to go to Stark's lab. FRIDAY might be able to tell us better what happened. Buck, can you stay here in my stead? Keep me patched in through the communicator. I'll be right back."

In truth, however, he wouldn't. And Helblindi and the Council wouldn't be staying around either once Steve reported to his husband where Loki actually was and said he was going to get her.

Loki was an odd mixture of impressed, terrified, and furious as she stood immobile within the armour for hours. She was impressed at the sheer impressive construction of the armour, being able to hold her even with her considerable seidr abilities was no small feat. But it also terrified her. She was not used to being constrained, and the longer this went on with no escape, the more the confines of the metal encasement seemed to press down on her until she could scarcely breathe. It was that which made her angry; she was Loki, daughter of Laufey, she should not be afraid merely by being caught in armour.

She did not fear for Tony, for she believed that he was experienced with this creature that Banner turned into, having no clue that this was his first time meeting the beast himself, and so she thought that he would know what he was doing and would not be injured. Especially not by one he called friend and brother-in-arms.

When eventually the armour opened to reveal Steven Barnes on the other side, she barely gave him a word of thanks. She turned immediately into a bird that looked almost like a falcon, but twice as large with jet black feathers, an ocean dwelling bird of Jotunheim that was the fastest in flight she knew, and shot off into the sky away from her imprisonment.

That left Bucky staring after her with a mildly surprised expression.

"Was that her? Should we tell Helblindi his sister is a bird now?"

"Not it," Steve said, once again grabbing at Bucky's hand. "Not until I've showered. I don't... I try not too thibk too hard about this stuff becsuse I'm pretty sure that if I do, you might as well just lock me up in the looney bin." That was not at all PC but if only Bucky heard him, it could be their little secret.

This all left Mohinder to wander back to the medical wing of the hospital building. He and Bruce had not properly made up after the mess that had happened with the death of the children, but he knew that when it came to Tony Stark being hurt or sick, he would be working feverishly without regard to himself... And wouldn't know when or if to ask for help.

He knocked gently on the door, not looking at the ashen skinned man on the table.

"Doctor Banner...?" He was sort of expecting to be snapped at agsin.

At least the actual operation itself was done, or Mohinder surely would have been shouted at for disturbing him when he needed his concentration the most. But all there was to do now was wait and monitor Tony's vital signs, which is what he was doing. FRIDAY was obligingly piping classical music through the headpiece of Tony's ruined armour, since that was the only way she could really communicate now.

He had no idea what Steve and Bucky had told the others of what had happened to Tony. An 'accident' setting off an Asgardian trap, or a malfunction in the suit, or-- but he knew that they wouldn't out him. It was a relief and then he felt sick with guilt for being relieved when this is what he had done.

He looked pretty ashen himself when the door opened and Mohinder came in, eyes tired and sad behind his glasses.

"What is it?" Not a shout, just a weary question.

"Princess Loki was found on the other side of the planet, practically," Mohinder said, not knowing how much information Bruce was getting with FRIDAY being so sporadic. "She's safe. Captain and Sargeant Barnes went to fetch her. How is Mr. Stark? How can I help?"

He constantly felt as if Bruce elbowed him out of the way but the man worked alone. He knew all about the reasons for that.

And he was honestly surprised that Steve hadnt mentioned the Hulk at all that afternoon. Surely he knew. And surely that was why Tony looked like he'd had his let half removed. No one survived the Hulk, though. So this was amazing. And no wonder Bruce looked at his last end.

Even though Mohinder knew about the Hulk in theory, he would be aghast to know that the scientist had figured out that Tony's current condition was due to the Other Guy. With how dangerous this moon could be and the amount of unpredictable things that could happen, surely it wasn't so out of the realms of possibility to assume he might have sprung a trap or encountered a more deadly beast than they had previously known lived here.

He took his glasses off and rubbed thumb and forefinger over tired eyes. He felt near to breaking or collapse but he couldn't possibly leave Tony's bedside until the man either woke up or died; after what he'd done, he owed his friend that much.

"Is she hurt?" God, he had attacked the princess as well hadn't he? This got worse, he might have cost them the help they would have got from Jotunheim and maybe even made an enemy of them. "As for here? No... no, there's nothing else to be done now but wait."

He wasn't pushing Mohinder away in this instance, there really wasn't anything to be done now that the surgery was complete.

Setting a hand to the exhausted man's shoulder, Mohibder guided him to a seat. He was going to collapse if he didn't sit soon. "The princess is all right. We would have heard otherwise." He might not have a lot of common sense, but Mohinder was astute when it came right down to it. He was a terrible read of people and even situations but he was still incredibly smart. And that left him capable of deducing certain things.

For instance, Bruce wasn't dressed as he had been earlier that day. He was barely dressed at all. Tony was injured with concussive force. His armor was dented. The princess had been locked inside his other suit of armor, for safe keeping. There was classical music playing, which had been in Bruce's file as a preferred method for Keeping calm. All of these things told Mohinder that Bruce had lost control.

And that he was suffering too.

"I'll make us some tea. Mr. Stark will pull through. He's much too stubborn not to."

Maybe uninjured, which was a blessing, but how long would she keep silent? Surely she would tell her brother and father about the monster that attacked her, hiding inside one of the humans, and then where would they be? He looked old, tired, and hopeless as Mohinder guided him to a chair and made him sit down in it.

"I hope you're right."

If he didn't, it wouldn't be the first death on his conscience by a long way. It wouldn't even be the first death of someone he cared about, but every one of them reminded him why it was a bitter travesty that he could be allowed to live while others died.

"Has there been any other word from the Jotunheim delegation? Any-- are we still in peaceful negotiations?"

Mohinder shook his head. "The negotiations were put on hold when Captain Barnes put his husband in charge and the Sargent followed him out anyway." Mohinder couldn't help the smile. He liked those two. It was romantic and real and they didn't have a whole lot of stories like that anymore. "I believe the Prince followed them out? I'm not sure. I came to find you."

They had not been getting along well since the last planet they had been on when Bruce almost killed himself looking for a cure for the man sleeping on the table.

Mohinder watched his chest rise and fall. He was so frail for being Iron Man. He found that ironic.

"What happened? It's not like you to have an incident."

Bruce's eyes snapped up in fear and surprise, before he assumed (wrongly) that Loki must have already spread the news about what happened. His shoulders hunched in as if to defend himself against the hatred that would surely come his way - not from Mohinder, but from everyone else - and he sighed.

"I sprung some kind of trap, it filled me with enough toxin to kill most people several times over, it-- that made him angry."

Stupid thing to say, really. Everything made the Hulk angry, most things made Bruce angry, he was just good at pushing it down and pretending that it didn't.

"Tony got in the way. Loki did too."

"I assume it was less getting in the way and more attempting to help you," Mohinder said. "I was not on his side of the Avengers Program, but everyone who was spoke about how selfish and difficult of a man he was." The Indian looked over at Tony. "You can give half of your wealth to charity and the other half striving to make the world better and if you happen to be abrasive, you're labeled as difficult by the people who are meant to handle you," he shook his head.

It probably wasn't well known that each of the members of the Avengers Program happened to have a set of SHIELD handlers that monitored them. Or gently nudged them towards information. Natasha Romanoff tended to be the face that they always saw first but it was people like Mohinder that allowed her to be.

"Someone once said at a mixer that Stark is too stubborn to die. And I think that's true. But I also think he wanted to save you. He can be a difficult man, but he is also a good one. He wanted to save you. And he wanted to save all of us. And I think he did. Your Other Guy didn't do much damage in the grand scheme of the universe this time. And all because of that man. You did well by him. Don't let yourself feel guilt too. He would never want that. Instead, let's work on a solution for how to sweep for Asgardian traps. We can't risk bringing them with us to our new home."

Somehow it seemed as if he and Mohinder were destined to always rub against each other in the wrong way and misunderstand what the other was trying to say or do. Such was the case now, Bruce had not meant that Tony had been in the way in an insulting or derogatory manner, only that anyone who got in the way of the Hulk's fists was bound to get injured. But it seemed he would get a lecture on Tony's merits for his troubles.

He was too tired to make any corrections and too heartsore to care, nor would he listen when he was told not to feel guilty. But that didn't mean he would wallow, he was capable of being productive and guilty, he had many years of experience in that.

"I don't think there's much danger of us bringing them with us, this was just laid out in some ruins waiting for an unwary traveller. We should just limit the amount of exploration and keep to paths we already know are safe."

He replaced his glasses, but his eyes still felt grainy with sleep. "I'll be waiting here until Tony wakes up." Or dies.

Mohinder was just an endless mess of rubbish when it came to making a person feel better. He meant well but it didn't end up well.

"I would have thought that it would dishonourable to set traps like this," Mohinder said, sitting back for a moment before he used a lean forward to lend momentum to his getting up. "You ought to stay. You're the best doctor we have. I'm going to fetch you something to eat. You could use it."

He didn't touch Bruce on the Way out even if it was sort of his MO. Instead, he just lightly touched his own chest. A man who had been living in India as long as Bruce would understand that it stood for well wishes and solidarity. Even if Bruce didn't want it.

Much as they kept misreading each other, Bruce still appreciated the gesture. It was a small reminder that not everyone blamed him for his mistakes, not always a good thing, but comforting nonetheless. Somehow he thought that Tony might try and excuse away what happened as well, but Loki-- he had attacked a foreign dignitary, they were lucky that Jotunheim hadn't already retaliated.

He sank back down into a chair when Mohinder had left for food, and began to speak to Tony, uncaring that he couldn't hear what he said for unconsciousness.

"You have to survive. I've killed so many people that I care about, I don't think that I could see it through again. You're my only friend, please-- please don't say that I've murdered you."

Though there was silence for a moment, followed by a beep of a machine doing its job, a groan escaped from Tony's throat and he inhaled sharply. "Waiting for a love confession," he whispered. "Guess this will do."

He didn't open his eyes. The dim lights hurt enough all ready.

"Everyone all right? You okay?" he asked, worried about Bruce because he was there, because he would always be there. And that had to really do something to a guy. "Someone might have to get Loki. Not sure where I sent her. She's in my armor though." Leave it to Tony to have to tell a whole story the moment he wakes up!

Bruce didn't believe in God, but he still offered up a silent and thankful prayer of relief that Tony had regained consciousness. He was still badly hurt, but that was the big hurdle crossed, he would likely survive as long as he obeyed the orders of doctors and kept resting. He was prepared to use restraints if necessary.

"...she's been found, I think, or they're on their way to find her. Steve and Bucky and Helblindi, I mean."

He reached out as if to rest a hand on Tony's shoulder comfortingly, but then withdrew it before he made contact.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"How's it your fault?" Seriously Banner? "It was an accident. It was a good thing you found that and we didn't end up losing someone else to the Ass-guardians." Yep. Immature. Nope. Didn't give one shit. He tried to sit up, which ended up being a really bad idea but he had already committed to it and Bruce wasn't trying to actively restrain him. "No one was too badly--"

Was that his leg? The gauze was brown and purple that wrapped it. How could that be his?/I>

Trying not to panic, trying not to let this get to him, Tony reached out to grasp at Bruce's something. He didn't care what, he just needed to grasp something alive and whole.

"How bad's it?" Because it looked really bad.

How was it his fault?! Tony was an idiot, pure and simple, all that engineering genius must have sapped him of genius in all other regards, because there was no way that this was anything but Bruce's fault. But he didn't have to argue it, because Tony almost immediately moved onto a much more pressing concern.

"Lie back down, you have to rest."

He didn't reach out to actively push him back yet, but if Tony didn't listen then he would, his doctor instincts overtaking his guilt and need to not touch someone he had hurt so badly.

"It's pretty bad, several breaks and a compound fracture, but the leg is saved. You just have to take it easy, do some physical therapy when it's healed enough, and you should be okay."

"Okay-- Okay good," Tony said, breathing hard. It was hard to tell if it was from the pain of the thought of what he might be losing. Probably both. He wasn't about to lay back down though. Even if he was dizzy, he was already tired of being flat on his back. And he had to find Loki.

If she wasn't here or Banner hadn't mentioned seeing her and instead said that she had to be fetched, then Tony needed to get to her before they all destroyed his armor. The prototype armor that saved him was already a bucket of junk but he needed the other one!

"Help me down from here. I'm not laying around all day. Stuff to do. Is there a wheel chair?"

"No."

Bruce's eyebrows drew together in a frown and he managed to look extremely forbidding despite being in rumpled clothing and looking as if he might fall over to sleep any second.

"I told you to lie down and I swear to God, Tony, you will listen to me. You nearly died and you're not going to play fast and loose with your recovery, and I will sedate you if you test me on this."

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