They sat curled around each other on the daybed against the French windows, quietly watching the sunrise as they pondered their latest…predicament.

"I'm sorry, Stephen."

Stephen lifted his head off the glass and looked down. "What? Whatever for?"

"You did say you wanted no more accidents." Loki looked slightly guilty. "I don't know how this happened. I was careful."

"Oh, darling." Stephen pressed his lips against his temple. "My sweet Loki."

He closed his eyes, as if remembering a memory that was not necessarily unpleasant. "I have a suspicion it was I that was at fault."

He could feel Loki stiffen in his arms, but he sounded his usual cool, regal self. "How so?"

"You forget, I had not seen you for some weeks," Stephen hesitated, "And last night you were so…well, you know –" Loki lifted an eyebrow, "That I may have unintentionally…wished…it."

"Unintentionally wished it?" Loki huffed in disbelief. "Must have been one Hel of a pilgrimage, Sorcerer Supreme."

"Well, in my defence I did say it was a journey to cleanse the soul, clarify the thoughts, centralise the chakras, fortify the – "

"Oh it fortified something, alright." Loki rolled his eyes. He elbowed Stephen's groin none too gently, eliciting a painful, "Ow!"

Loki grimaced when Stephen's hand momentarily fell away from his stomach to grab at his own crotch; Loki quickly palmed it in place against his belly once again with his own hand.

"Don't take it to heart, Stephen." He tried to muster a reassuring smile when he saw Stephen's stricken face, "The pain caught me by surprise, that's all."

"I'm sorry you had to hurt that much, Loki."

"At least I have you close this time."

"Yes…I remember how Thor looked when he came to get me the last time. He was scared shitless."

Loki smiled fondly at the memory. "Thor is such a Drama Queen sometimes."

Stephen snorted. "Seriously? Compared to you, he's a lowly understudy."

"Hey."

Instead of returning Loki's offended glare, Stephen looked out the window with a serious look of his own, turning the mood sombre once more. "Loki, I know we agreed to wait, but…" Stephen pulled back to gaze down at him. "Are you ready?"

Loki's green eyes stared back at him, unblinking.

"I will not lie to you, Strange. I am quite afraid."

"I am too." Stephen tightened his hold around Loki's waist. He remembered all too well the difficulties Loki had had to endure when he was carrying Stian. "Hence my question…I will never force this upon you, unless it is something you want."

Loki reflected on the hopeful tone in Stephen's voice. He interlaced his fingers with his husband's. When he spoke, his voice was soft. "You really want this."

"Forget about what I want, Loki." Stephen mumbled into Loki's temple, eyes staring out the window at the dawn fast breaking the horizon. "I want to know what you want."

"Stian does get lonely sometimes when you're not around."

"Yes…strictly speaking in human terms of course, but I read somewhere he's around the perfect age for us to give him a little brother."

"Or a little sister."

Stephen stared at him. Loki smiled weakly.

"This one's a Princess."

Stephen's eyes misted. Unable to hold himself back any longer, he seized Loki's lips in a deep, crushing kiss.

"You ready?" Stephen asked breathlessly once they broke apart. Loki nodded.

"Still not too late to back out." Stephen seemed to have lost himself in Loki's green eyes. "Last chance."

"You promised me five, Strange," Loki whispered. "One down, four to go."

Stephen growled, and swept Loki up in his arms, reappearing a split second later in their bedroom. "One Unification Spell coming up!"

"Is Pappa okay?"

"Yes, he's fine, he's only resting." Stephen ran a hand distractedly through his son's hair. "Pappa's just a little bit tired today, darling."

"I'll read to you tonight, okay?"

"Okay."

"What would you like to read?"

"Whatever you want, Daddy," Stian said softly.

Stephen stared at him for a few seconds. "How about…the Gingerbread Man?"

"Okay."

It did not take long for Stephen to notice that Stian was not paying attention to the story. He kept looking in the direction of his parents' bedroom.

"Stian, you okay, buddy?"

"I'm fine, Daddy."

He caught glimpse of Stian's hands trembling as they clutched the covers; he peered down at his son's face and was instantly alarmed when he saw tears glistening in his eyes.

"Stian, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, Daddy."

Stephen slowly closed the book and put it aside on the bedside table. He circled an arm around his son's body and pulled him into his lap. "Tell me what's wrong. I promise I won't get mad."

"Is Pappa going to be okay?"

Stephen frowned. "What do you mean?"

"He smells different." Stian sniffled, "And he looks different." Tears rolled down his snowy white cheeks in great blobs. "The colours, they're all different, Daddy."

Stephen knew just what his son was talking about, gifted as he was from the day he was born, but it never failed to astound him by just how much; Stian's seiðr grew by leaps and bounds each day, and to be able to discern Loki's changing aura at his young age was nothing short of extraordinary.

"Is Pappa going to die?"

Stephen buried his face in Stian's glossy hair and breathed in deeply. "No, he's not."

Stian peered at his father's face, stubborn tears still clinging to his hazel eyes, wide and frightened.

"Your Pappa is very strong." Stephen hugged him fiercely. "And so are you."

"You and I, we're a team, right?" Stian nodded furiously. "We will take care of him, won't we?"

Small arms wriggled and clung to him desperately. "I love you, Daddy."

"Love you too, buddy."

As Stephen stroked his son's back up and down to quell his tears, he leaned his back against the headboard and closed his eyes, trying not to think of the promise he had just made his son and the so many ways the universe could fuck them over to make him break it.