"How did you get that?"

"Wait, Odin let you have it?"

"I thought it wasn't on Asgard anymore."

Questions flooded the God of thunder as he entered the tower.

"Sif and Fandral managed to get it for me." The god told them. He saw Loki sitting on the couch, Leiknir staring up at him as if he were studying Loki. "Loki, you weren't supposed to move today."

"Tony let me come down to see you." Loki still sounded a little weak.

Thor sighed, handed Tony the Tesseract and approached his brother and the small bundle he was holding. "How is he?"

Loki smiled slightly, rocking his child gently. "He's tired. He keeps falling asleep and then waking up and making noise."

"Yeah, cuz being born is such hard work." Clint joked. "You should be the one who's tired."

"I am." The younger god confessed. "I just have trouble sleeping without Thor present."

"Still think we're after you don't ya?" Tony sighed. "Look Reindeer Games, what's in the past is in the past. Can't do anything about it, and the longer this country holds a grudge, the longer it's going to take to move on."

Leiknir sighed, and cooed at his parent. Drawing smiles from the team.

"He's talking to you, Loki." Cypra told him, giggling.

"Yes, that lamp is exceedingly hideous I know." Loki answered his child. "I'd burn it too."

"Hey! My late grandmother gave me that lamp!" Tony exclaimed.

The team cracked up laughing, experiencing the first light hearted moment they'd had in days.


24 hours later:

"Hi Thor!" Darcy shrieked and ran to hug him. "Wow, you're still so strong!"

"He's not going to change anytime soon Dar." Jane smirked as her boyfriend smiled at her in amusement.

"Wait so you guys stopped fighting?" She let go of Thor who released his grip on her too.

"Yeah I told you that yesterday." Jane said after she had kissed Thor.

"Was I playing 2048?" Darcy asked.

"Yeah I think so."

"Well that's why I didn't hear you." She mused and handed her coat to Thor, "Be a gentlemen and hang this up will you? Cypra! It's been forever!" She skipped over to the director and threw her arms around her.

"Wait, how do you know everybody?" Clint asked as he walked in with Bruce, Selvig and Tony. "And where's Cap?"

"Cap is at the gym doing who knows what and I used to work with Jane back in college." She choked out as Darcy squeezed her tightly.

"Oh. We have a gym in the tower." Clint said.

"He's trying to stay away from me." Tony announced. "He's scared."

"I highly doubt that." Natasha added as she got out of the elevator and walked casually into the lab. "I think he's pissed at you and doesn't want to kick your ass in front of company."

Jane looked over at Natasha; this was the first time she had seen the Black Widow in person, or any of the avengers for that matter. They were all taller than she had expected, but then again, she was just a short person in general. 5'3*, that wasn't tall.

"What is this 'ass kicking' you speak of? Why is Steve angry with Tony?" Thor asked.

"Oh yeah, you weren't here for that were you." Clint commented. "Well it turns out-"

"AHEM." Tony cleared his throat loudly. "I'll explain; thanks."

"Alright, chill." Clint raised his hands in surrender and sat on one of the lab tables.

"So Steve and I have been having some personal issues that involve lots of feelings and…other stuff." Tony spit out.

"Feelings?" Thor raised an eyebrow.

"Tony has feelings for Steve and Steve's not too sure what to do with that." Cypra blurted.

"I was getting to that!" Tony exclaimed.

"No you weren't." Nat and Cypra said together.

"What kind of feelings? Jealousy?" Thor asked.

"Oh my god Thor, Tony is in love with Steve!" Clint told him.

"So? That happens all the time in my realms." Thor shrugged.

"Yeah, we know what goes on in your realms Thor." Clint casted a quick sideways glance at Loki who was sitting quietly playing with Leiknir in the room next door. He was separated from the rest of the group with a sliding glass door.

"Oh my god." Jane exclaimed under her breath. "He really is alive."

"I told you." Thor stroked her hair gently. "Don't worry, he can't do a whole lot right now, he's still recovering."

She slowly walked towards the door, studying the baby in his arms, "Is it really Thanos'?"

Darcy and Selvig came up behind her, just as awestruck as she was.

"Yeah, it's Thanos' alright, look at his eyes." Bruce told them.

"Woah! He has purple eyes!" Darcy exclaimed loudly, startling Loki. He looked up and froze, silently signaling his discomfort to Thor who opened the door and entered the room.

"It's alright, Loki." Thor soothed. Leiknir was brought close to his father's chest with protective hands wrapped around him. "They just want to say hello and see the baby."

Loki still looked untrusting. "Is she going to punch me again?" He asked, eyeing Jane.

"No-Loki, I'm sorry about that, I was just…mad still about what you did. But you saved me on Svartalfheim; me and Thor." She glanced over at her boyfriend. "Thank you, I know it's a little late." Jane told him softly.

Selvig inspected Loki further, not sensing any danger he said. "Yeah sorry about you…dying. That must have sucked, but hey! You're back."

Loki chuckled a little at the effort Selvig made to sound happy about his existence. "Thank you doctor."

"Can I hold your baby?" Darcy asked, smiling at the small baby. "I love babies!"

Loki glanced at Thor who nodded in assurance.

"Sure." Loki handed the young adult his child.

Darcy cradled him in her arms and smiled, speaking soft words to the baby as she rocked him side to side. "He even smells like new baby! Look Jane, isn't he adorable?" She looked up at her boss.

"He's very cute." Jane took Leiknir from her and kissed him as she brought him close to her. "Hi." She greeted the infant. "You're little." Leiknir cood and reached for her nose. Jane laughed lightly as the infant grabbed hold of her nose briefly.

"Wow, most infants don't reach for stuff at a day old." Selvig commented.

"He's not Midgardian." Thor reminded him. "He'll be walking and talking at an earlier age as well."

"Wait this baby is an alien?" Darcy asked.

"Technically, yes." Jane answered.

"Awesome!" Darcy commented. "His eyes are so gorgeous!"

Loki couldn't help but to grin at the females complimenting his child, even it was Thanos'.


Steve picked up his punching bag and returned it to its place on the ceiling as he headed over to the locker rooms. He had decided that he wasn't mad at Tony, actually on certain days he had wanted to embrace him, hold him in his arms…

Steve punched the wall, knocking some picture frames off. Why was he thinking that? "You're losing it Steve." He told himself.

"Sir," One of the employees called. "Sir are you okay?"

"Yeah, sorry about that." The Captain apologized. He quickly picked up the frames and hung them back up, not even sure why there were pictures in the locker room in the first place.

He walked outside the gym into the warm air. He didn't want to return to the tower but he knew he had to because Selvig and company had probably already come. Plus, he needed an update from Thor whether he could get the Tesseract.

Why did he think these things? Why did he want to fall for Tony? Maybe he already had…maybe-

A taxi slammed on the horn before hitting the breaks after slamming into Steve and knocking him hard into the asphalt. A normal person would've gotten knocked unconscious but Steve wasn't a normal person, he got back up and shook it off. "Are you okay? Watch where you're going!" The taxi driver yelled at him. "Shit, that's the 6th person this week!"

Steve ignored him and the thousands of drivers who were in awe of his survival and kept walking.

He stalked into the tower, trying not to be heard or seen but to no avail. He heard JARVIS say "Master Steve has entered the building, sir."

Steve was about to walk into his room when Tony ran over. "Steve! Thor got the Tesseract!"

"What? How?" The super soldier asked as he threw his towel into his room.

"Sif and Fandral got it for him, I don't know. Hey look, I'm sorry about yelling at you like that. That was kinda uncalled for."

"It's alright, I'm sorry I didn't acknowledge your feelings, I guess I just didn't know what to say." Steve scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah I know." Tony replied. "I get it. Hugs?"

Steve wrapped his arms around his teammate, feeling a sense of bliss he hadn't felt in a while. He wished he could feel it more often. Tony smelled of scotch and expensive cologne, a mix that most people wouldn't like, but Steve did.

"Hey Cap, are you okay?" Tony blurted.

Steve realized he had been standing there for a while, gripping Tony tightly. He let go immediately. "Uh, yeah. Sorry."


*Natalie Portman really is 5'3 and so am I. We live short people lives lol.