Steve had no idea how this was happening. Had no idea how it had happened. One minute, Steve and Loki had been in the his floor's living room of the Avengers Tower, just quietly enjoying each other's company while he sketched and Loki read, and the next minute Loki had flown into a rage, throwing his book down to the carpet and cornering Steve.

Steve had jumped up from his chair in shock but could only stare at Loki as he tried to figure out what the hec- no, this was definitely a "What the hell?" moment- what the hell he had just done to make Loki so angry and yet so inconsolable at the same time.

"Loki, Sweetheart, what happened? Are you hurt?"

"No, you, Steven Grant Rogers, you don't get to call me "Sweetheart" or "Darling" right now! I am so, so-" he seethed a few moments in silence, unable to find the words, "angry at you right now! I can't even look at you! Get out!"

"Lok, I'm not even sure what I did. Just calm down and we can talk this out. I'll do whatever I can to fix it, I-"

"No, don't make promises you won't keep! Get out!"

"All right, all right, Sweetheart, I'm going," and Steve ran from his floor all the way to Tony's lab, panicked beyond comprehension, "Tony, I need your help!"

"What's up, Capsicle?"

"It's Loki! He's gone bonkers!"

Tony smiled at the term, trying and failing to suppress a chuckle, "First of all, Cap, no one says "bonkers" anymore, okay? Second of all, that's not physically possible," but Steve was frantically nodding his head in disagreement already.

"He did though!"

"Okay, look- you know what? We need more help. Bruce! Come in here!"

Steve heard a sigh of resignation before Bruce appeared in the doorway that connected his and Tony's labs, "What is it, Tony? I was on the edge of a breakthrough."

"Loki's upset. Steve says he's gone "bonkers," he made air quotes.

"He got really, really mad at me all of a sudden! I didn't even do anything! If I did do something, he didn't tell me what it was!" Steve quickly explained.

"Steve," Bruce remained as calm as always, "Exactly what happened?"

"I was at the table in the living room on my floor drawing and Loki was on the couch reading when he suddenly jumped up, threw his book to the carpet and whirled on me, screaming at me, saying he was angry at me. But I hadn't said or done anything to him. We were just sitting in comfortable silence. Or I thought we were."

"Sounds like Loki's on the rag again," Tony quipped without thinking, as was typical. As it was, the statement earned him a swat on the arm and a stern, "Be nice," from Bruce.

Turning back to Steve, Bruce continued asking the frazzled captain questions, "How long have you two been comfortable? Have you been doing things together? Dates and things?"

"He says he doesn't want to go out when I ask him."

"Wait a minute!" Tony exclaimed loudly, getting a "Eureka!" look in his eye, "How long have you two been together again?"

"Two years, four months, and fifteen days," was the answer, "Why? And why are you staring at me like I've grown an extra head?"

It was true; the exactness of Steve's answer had stupefied Tony for a few moments.

"No reason," Tony shook himself back to reality, "Have you moved the relationship forward any?"

The captain rolled his eyes, "If you're asking if we've had sex yet, the answer is yes, Tony."

Tony shook his head, counting off on his fingers, "Three things: One: no. Two: ew. And three: TMI."

"To be fair Tony, you give us all a case of TMI when you and Natasha go at it," Bruce said.

"Woman's got fire. I like it, sue me. Anyway, not my point. No, that's not what I mean. I mean, have you given him the idea that the relationship is going anywhere? A key to your floor, even though you don't really need one, a drawer from your dresser, that sort of thing?"

"That's not how we did things in the forties, Tony. It's too… invasive and expectant."

"But that's what he wants! He wants to know that the relationship is going somewhere. Right now, he feels like he has little, if that, to offer you anymore-" and then as an afterthought, "My old man really screwed you over, didn't he?"

Steve ignored that last comment, "But I love him! He knows that. And I haven't felt this way since Peggy, and- I'm so confused…" he hid his face in his hands.

Bruce put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder, "Show him how much you love him. That's all he really wants."

"But don't go overboard!" Tony butted in, "No ring, at least not until you're ready."

Steve gave them a small smile as he got up to leave, "Thanks, guys. This helped a lot. Wish me luck."

As the lab door opened and closed, he heard Tony call, "Anytime, Spangles! Oh, and uh, luck!" along with a swat and a quiet "Tony!" from Bruce. Walking away and to the elevator back up to his floor, he knew they would always have his back.

As he entered his suite once more, he found it dark and quiet thanks to the black shades that covered the windows. Taking a deep breath, he went in further, looking for Loki.

"Sweetheart?" He whispered, only to find Loki curled up on the couch staring at him a second later, his eyes pink from crying but still shining a vibrant green in the dark. Steve immediately asked Jarvis to bring up the lights a little bit while rushing to hold Loki.

"Don't touch me, Rogers," Loki shouldered his way out of Steve's grasp, sniffling and wiping his eyes.

"Fine, I just need you to listen right now anyway. Loki, I am so sorry I haven't been as attentive to you lately. I guess I just got comfortable-"

"Is that all I am to you? Comfortable? Is that all there is for us?"

"No, of course-" Steve paused as he processed Loki's last question, "Wait. Do you think about our future?"

Loki blushed, embarrassed, "Don't you? But that's not my question. Do you think marrying me and having a life with me will just be "comfortable?" Because if that's what you think, this relationship is over-"

"No, please, wait!" as Loki went to stand, Steve grabbed his hand, the gesture entreating him to stay.

"I don't know what you want, Steven Rogers, but I for one can not and will not settle for "comfortable!" upset again, Loki tried to fight as Steve grabbed him by the waist and guided him to sit back on the couch, "Let me go, let me go! I'm done! It's over! Hela rain corpses on you, Rogers!" he cursed.

"I actually quite adore Hela," one arm still around Loki's waist, Steve took his free hand and swept a lock of Loki's black hair behind his ear, calming him down, "And Jörmungandr, Fenrir… I love them all, almost as much as I love you. And do you know why?

"Why?" Loki's voice sounded so small, so out of character as he glanced up at Steve from the corner of his eye.

"Because they are part of you. Would you and the children like to move in with me?"

"Oh hell no!" came the twin shouts of Tony and Clint from a vent in the far left corner of the ceiling.

"Hang on. Guys, I can hear you. Do I have to have Phil give you a lecture on spying outside a mission setting? Again?"

Then was an exclamation of "Oh shit!" from both voices in the vent and then the sound of limbs banging on the inside of the vent as they scrambled away.

"You were saying, my Darling?" Steve turned back to Loki.

"Well, um… All right. But will we have enough room? Three children are a lot to handle in such a small space."

"We can blackmail Tony to add more space for us," Steve smiled against Loki's lips as he kissed him, "I'm so happy."

"Me too. Now we can start a new, fresh chapter."

"Exactly. A new, fresh chapter of our lives. Together."