"Oh, god!" Tony sneered once Loki and Natasha came into view, walking side by side. "If it isn't everyone's favourite god… Romanoff's, at least." He playfully slapped Loki's shoulder as he brushed past the couple.
"I beg your pardon?" Loki blinked, genuinely confused.
Natasha simply rolled her eyes as she let Tony walk away. "He's been doing that all week to me," the red-head shrugged. "He does those god jokes. I haven't figured out what he's up to yet."
Tony smiled widely as he overheard his co-worker's remark. If only Natasha knew what he knew…
The Starks were in the middle of babysitting young Alexei Lokison when Tony's inside jokes had begun. "So does your dad still have that whole 'god complex' thing going on?" Tony wondered, eager to reminisce about the old days. "That guy was a diva back in the day."
"Only Mom is allowed to call him a god," Alexei informed Tony matter-of-factly.
Tony began to laugh. "He's got Romanoff whipped," he giddily told himself. "Who knew?"
Pepper nudged her husband in the ribs. "I can't see your mom calling him that," she told Alexei. Natasha had always been too proud to let a man get the better of her.
Alexei looked up at his babysitters with wide, innocent eyes. "She does, though. I hear her yelling it when they go to their room."
Tony's grin quickly fell as he watched the child. He knew that adult territory was being crossed and he wasn't sure whether to laugh or be shocked.
"Dad says he wants her to worship him 'cuz he's a god," Alexei continued. "They like playing that game."
"Oh my god!" Pepper gasped and quickly slapped her hand over the child's mouth.
"I bet that's what Romanoff says," Tony snorted. He was suddenly finding the situation very amusing.
Pepper slapped a hand over the child's mouth. "Let's stop talking now." She shot Tony a glare. "Both of you."
Alexei started to incoherently mumble beneath her palm.
"I think we know whose getting voted for parents of the year. I'm gonna have fun messing with those two," the billionaire continued, rubbing his hands together.
"Tonyyy," Pepper drawled, shooting him a warning stare. She pulled her hand away, allowing for Alexei to speak again.
"Did I say something bad?" the boy worriedly asked.
"What goes on in a bedroom should stay in the bedroom." Those were the only words Tony had to offer to a naïve seven-year-old.
After that evening of babysitting, Tony made sure tomake some kind of god reference whenever Natasha or her husband was near. He wasn't going to tell Natasha what her son told him-if that happened, there was no way Tony would be allowed to live.
