A/N: More Loki/Gabby, a first kiss, and some serious talks between Tony and Loki. Also, I have a planned sequel for this story, because I felt putting too many plot points in one story would overload it.
And now, muchos luvs to the following!
LivLifeForever, Autobot Firekat, coleypane, cara-tanaka, Sweet Sweet Hedwig, MeLaNY8, and Ash! Seeing how much you guys love this makes me fansquee and start writing more!
I don't own The Avengers, Loki, Iron Man, or anything of the like. Just the thoughts inside my head. And taking some personal freedoms with mythology and lore.
Loki and Gabby sat on the couch, staring at each other. Tony and the twins sat on their own respective stools watching the encounter. They knew that Pepper and Phil would be back any minute, but they wanted to see if it would really happen.
"You said my name twice," Loki said to the little girl. She pressed her lips together and shook her head.
"He won't be able to do it," Jak said quietly.
"They've been sitting there for twenty minutes." Markus added.
"Give him the benefit of the doubt," Tony tried to assure the boys. He was hoping Loki would succeed so he could make sure that he had dreamed Gabby's voice. And so he could rub it in Pepper's face a little.
Loki suddenly leaned forward and started to whisper something in her ear as the elevator doors opened and Pepper and Phil walked in. "What's going-"
"Shhh!" All three boys held up their hands, not looking away from the two on the couch.
Gabby suddenly gasped as Loki sat back down. Her eyes had widened and she looked at Loki. "Really?" Five sets of eyes widened, but Loki merely smirked, then nodded once. "Yay!" She threw her herself at Loki and wrapped her arms around his neck. "It's about time." She puffed out and Loki let out a chuckle. Then just as suddenly she started to pout and let go, crossing her arms.
"One day, when you are older, I will tell you how I made you talk," Loki stood up and placed her on her feet. "It will be a grand story, and when you hear it you should not feel ashamed as to why you succumbed to my wiles." Gabby merely blew air out of her nose in defeat.
"Loki," Phil was the first to speak up. "Don't you think that you should use, well, smaller words?"
"I understand them," Gabby replied in a small voice. "He said that I should not feel bad for falling for his tricks." There was a sudden thud and they looked over to see that the twins had fallen off of their stools at the same time. Tony started to laugh, almost falling off of the stool himself.
Tony slid off of the stool and picked up the two boys setting them on their feet. "Alright kiddos, it's time that we return you to your natural habitat." Jak and Markus tightly hugged their uncle Tony and Gabby ran over to join them. While they had promised not to tell their parents, or Pepper, of what had happened right away, he knew they wouldn't keep it a secret for long. Tony just hoped he was made out to be the hero when they did spill the beans.
Loki blinked and was almost thrown off the balance when the three children latched themselves onto him next. He smiled and wrapped an arm around them. "Yes, remember your manners and perhaps you can play your games again after breakfast next time you come." The boys whooped and grabbed their bags. Gabby shook her head and grabbed her own bag. She shared a knowing smile with Loki and the kids took Pepper and Phil's hands.
Once they all had left Loki fell onto the couch and let out a puff of air. "That was utterly exhausting."
"Which part?" Loki dropped his head onto Tony's shoulder and the shorter man chuckled a little. "We all made it through alive though." He planted a soft kiss on Loki's lips. "So what did you tell Gabby that got her to talk?"
"I asked her if she wanted a cousin," Loki said non-nonchalantly.
"I don't think Pepper and Agent are going to have kids any time soon, not just yet," Tony commented.
"I know they won't," Loki nodded slightly. He waited for things to click.
"As far as I know Pepper doesn't have any more siblings," Tony raised an eyebrow. "I think Coulson said he was an only child. He would probably have to be or those Captain America cards would have been stolen." He paused, thinking, then stopped.
"Ah yes, there it is," Loki chuckled slightly.
"Are you talking about us?" For his credit, Tony didn't let his voice rise an octave, like it had in his head.
"Let me tell you a short story," Loki started. "Things are very different in Asgard than they are here. Children can be born onto any and every couple, no matter their pairing, unlike here on Earth."
"Well, anyone can have a kid," Tony said. "There are just different ways of handling it."
"You are missing my point, Anthony." Loki only ever used his full name when he was angry with him, or trying to keep his attention in one place. "A child may be born into any relationship, not adopted, born." Tony didn't say anything and Loki sat up and took Tony's head, turning him to look at Loki. "I am with child you utter dimwit."
Tony's mouth opened a little as his brain processed Loki's words. He looked down at his stomach then back up at Loki. Pointing a finger at his lover, then down at his stomach, he made an unintelligible nose, but Loki nodded. Tony sat leaned back against the couch, a contemplative look on his face as he thought about the words and their meanings. Loki merely waited.
After several minutes Tony finally blinked then looked over at Loki, back to his stomach then back up to Loki's face. "So you're saying, that we're going to have a little one?"
"A small bundle of crying half mortal flesh?" Loki added.
"Yeah, one of those."
"That is exactly what I'm saying." Loki made a nose when Tony grabbed his face suddenly, kissing him with an intensity he had never experienced from the man before. He grinned into the kiss and wrapped his arms around Tony's neck.
"Ha," Tony pulled away, keep his arms on Loki's shoulders. "There's gonna be a little Stark running around." He giggled, actually giggled, and grinned. "Wait," Tony had a sudden thought and Loki cursed his ever thinking mind. "Is that why you went to the Healers? Please tell me you didn't know when we were fighting Doom."
"Then I shan't tell you," Loki said easily. Tony's eyes seemed to widen a little.
"Hey now, you got two lives to think of now." Loki was glad that Tony had taken the news well, even if it did take him several minutes to ponder on it. He wasn't enjoying the overprotective part. "You can't just recklessly wander into a battle anymore."
"Much like you do as Iron Man?" Loki raised an eyebrow.
"Exactly!" Tony nodded. "You have to do the exact opposite of what I do!"
"This is going to be a long carrying period," Loki mumbled under his breath.
"Is that why you were whining last week about our sex life?" Tony asked, suddenly remembering part of the conversation they had before the kids had come.
"I was not the one who was whining. You were the one who whined about want to do something drastically different." Loki had to correct him. Gods did not whine.
"That was it though, wasn't it? I thought it a little weird that two months later you would start to complain about how we switched places." Tony tapped his chin in thought.
"I had my suspicions, but was unable to confirm them at that time, but I felt the need to let you know that it would never happen again, just in case," Loki tried not to smirk and failed miserably.
As Tony started to lecture him, Tony Stark, lecturing him, he idly thought that he hadn't been comfortable enough around anymore to be this open. When he was younger it was easier, it was just him and his brother. Then came Sif and the Warrior's Three and he started to feel more and more like and extra cog that did not fit in the machine, so he threw himself more into his studies of magic. He built up his walls and solidified his title of Silvertongue, and God of Mischief.
With Tony though, it felt so easy again. To let his walls come down, for just the briefest of moments, and be himself. He was still able to retain that part of him that was Loki, and Tony was okay with that, he put up with it with pleasure. Loki supposed the same could be said about Tony, the mortal was not without his flaws, barring his mortality. By all accounts the relationship shouldn't have worked, they should have been too much alike for it to work in any sense.
"Do you find much solace down here in this workshop?" Loki walked into said workshop at three in the morning to catch Tony working on one his newest vehicle projects.
"It's helps me clear my mind," Tony answered, half of his body hidden underneath a car.
Loki raised an eyebrows as he walked over in his barefeet. He had been growing comfortable to the mortal clothing, and especially like his black silk pajama pants and loose green sleeping shirt. Tony couldn't deny that he didn't like sneaking a peek at the god when he was trudging to the shower in the morning, if only just to catch a look of what his bed hair would look like.
"Do you have to clear your mind often?" Loki had heard him multiple times in the past few weeks make his way down to the workshop.
"No."
"Jarvis?" Loki looked up.
"Mr Stark comes down here more than he would like to admit, sir," The AI responded immediately. Loki heard a muttered 'traitor' from underneath the car.
Loki sat down on the floor next to the pair of legs that were visible. "Tell me what ails you." He heard the tinkering stop for a second. "Is it not the mortal answer to talk about what troubles you? I was under the illusion that when one was able to talk about their troubles it actually helped to alleviate them."
Tony slide out enough so that Loki could see the bottom of his face that was still under the car. "You guys don't talk up in Asgard?"
"There is a not problem that can not be faced in battle," Loki explained. "And if there is such a problem, then no, it is not to be talked about."
"That must lead to a lot of ulcers." Loki frowned a little. "Holes in the stomach, usually caused by stress and worry, if not what you eat." Loki shook his head and Tony sighed a little. Sliding back under the car he couldn't believe that he was about to talk to Loki. "What I tell you never this room. JARVIS will know if you of this to anyone else, and I swear if you use this-"
"Your worries are unfounded, I merely offer to help, and an ear to listen. It's too late at night to think about plotting against you." He smirked a little when Tony snorted.
"Nightmares are usually what sends me down here," Tony started. Maybe he imagined that he was talking to JARVIS it would be a little easier. And why couldn't he talk to the Loki? The man had been there five weeks and nothing too horrible had happened, just a couple of chairs turning out to be illusions. He couldn't exactly stop being Loki. "Working down here, or rather not letting my brain think, helps me get through the night. It's not uncommon to fall asleep down here."
Tony's hand reached out for a tool and Loki grabbed it and handed it to him. "The nightmares are usually different, got enough past experiences and dirty laundry to keep a man up for a lifetime."
"What was the nightmare this night?" He knew that Tony was being vague, it was a tactic he often used.
"A little of a year ago now the very thing that was saving me, was also killing me," Tony started. "This kind of invention, the arc reactor, wasn't exactly designed to go inside of a human, but I had needed it to. That didn't mean that it was without consequences. I had to, most likely, break the rules of science itself to create a new element just to save myself." Loki listened aptly as Tony described his battle with the palladium poisoning.
The two sat there for hours as Tony talked. He eventually felt at ease talking to Loki, telling him about his time with the terrorists, even talking to him about his father. It was that night that Loki in turned opened up and Tony felt something in his chest. He had pulled himself out from under the car and was leaning against it next to Loki as they talked.
The two fell into a comfortable silence, brains pondering on what each had revealed that night, or rather morning by then. Tony looked over at Loki and opened his mouth to say something when Loki's hand suddenly went out, cupping the side of his neck, and pulling him closer until their lips met. Tony blinked but didn't pull away. In fact he found he rather enjoyed the kiss. As Loki pulled away Tony's hand went out to hold Loki's hand where it was.
"I think that the workshop just got a little more enjoyable."
Tony had made sure that JARVIS wasn't recording anything in their room that night as he lay next to Loki. After he had gotten done lecturing Loki about going into battle with child, (and really, who does that?) he told the god that he should talk to him later. Tony had a knack of taking serious, life changing, news all at once and then attaching everyone emotion to it before he actually processed what it meant. Tony thought that midnight was a good time to have a talk.
Loki turned over in the bed, an arm going out and resting comfortably on Tony's shoulder. "I feel like a teenager that knocked up his first High School girlfriend right before the prom, and now everyone's gonna know about it." Loki blinked awake when Tony started talking. "And now I'm not sure if I gotta propose to the girl, or run and hide."
"If I knew what exactly you were talking about I'd be able to say that I don't think you're the one to run and hide," Loki yawned a little and rolled onto his back. "Granted I was not expecting a mortal to be the one to conceive a child with, I have some kind of faith in you." Tony turned his head to look at him with a raised eyebrow. "I forgot how oblivious your humans can be sometimes."
"Please enlighten this mortal," Tony mocked.
"Forgetting the fact that you willingly remodeled your Tower to house five others that you hardly knew, you take care of your inventions like there were children." Loki put his hands behind his head. "And let's not forget the way you act with Markus, Jak and Gabby, the way you take care of them."
Tony blinked a little and looked up at the ceiling. "Do you think I'm ready for this?"
"I think you already want this."
