A/N: This was edited somewhat hastily… so I apologize in advance for errors.
I have the most wonderful readers in the world. You are all amazing! Thank you for the reviews, the follows, the messages, the questions, the interest, the sexual tension and the love.
Oh, also, once again: I'm sorry in advance.
oooooooo
Tony wanted to make a good impression. He had put on a clean, button up shirt, showered, sprayed some cologne on and picked up a coffee for his partner before heading over toward the stadium to meet up with Loki.
Natasha and Pepper were sitting this game out, since Loki would have people to sit with, which meant that it would be just the four of them – and Tony was so excited.
But also so fucking nervous.
He had never met a partner's (or interested partner's) parents before, and while he was excellent at schmoozing and charming his way into people's hearts, he imagined it worked differently with a person you had feelings for.
As he ascended the steps toward their usual spot, he could see the family sitting together. Odin, the miserable grump, looked kind of scary. His clothes were simple enough: tan slacks, a long sleeve shirt and what could only be described as a 'dad sweater' – but he sported this mane of white hair and this full beard and mustache – and he had a fucking eye patch?! What was this shit?!
Frigga, on the other hand, looked warm and loving as she squeezed Loki's hand and gushed to him about something. Tony actually paused for a moment (blocking the flow of foot traffic) so he could admire the way Loki's mother fawned over him as she kept stroking her baby's hair and gesturing emphatically as she held onto his hand.
When she spotted Tony approaching, she gave an excited cry and stood up, pushing Loki out of the way. "You must be Tony!" she exclaimed as she pulled him into a hug.
Tony had to maneuver his arm so he didn't spill the coffee and tried to hug her back with his free arm. "Nice to meet you," he laughed back as she embraced him.
When she pulled back she kept her hands on his arms and looked him over with kind eyes and a warm smile. "It is lovely to meet you, Tony. Loki has said wonderful things about you," she said fondly.
"I really haven't," Loki grumbled beside them.
His mother playfully scowled and swatted at her son before turning a bit so Loki's father was revealed. "This is my husband, Odin," she said in a warning tone so that her spouse would get off his ass and politely greet Tony.
The man stood up and reached out his hand for Tony to shake as he just nodded at him before sitting down again. Apparently that was all Tony was going to get.
Frigga scowled again as she took her seat and leaned around Loki so she could talk to her son's partner. "Now Tony, Loki tells me you come with him to every football game and help cheer on Thor!" she said with that same loving smile that seemed glued to her face.
He grinned back before handing Loki the coffee. "Yeah, he's really good – I've actually kind of gotten into the game. Loki still has to explain the rules occasionally, but it's fun to watch Thor run around," he replied.
"You brought my son coffee? Oh Tony, you are a darling," she cooed.
"It's only polite, I kept him up pretty late last night."
He realized what he was saying as the words were coming out of his mouth but it was too late to stop them.
Her eyebrows shut up as Tony scrambled to explain himself. "I – I – I mean, oh my god, no – I had to observe the meteor shower last night for a class and I made him come. No! – oh my god! Wait –"
But Frigga just laughed, a sweet, genuine, amused laugh. "Tony, darling, don't worry. I am sure I know what you mean," she said warmly.
Loki on the other hand looked like he was going to claw his partner's eyes out. He was blushing furiously and glaring at Tony as he gripped the cup of coffee like a vice.
Tony smiled apologetically and dropped his face into his hands.
So much for making a good impression.
Thank god the drum line chose that moment to start playing and he was spared from any further humiliation, but just as he was beginning to mentally flog himself he felt Frigga reach behind her son to grab Tony's shoulder.
She didn't look at him, but he could see her smile as she gave him a comforting squeeze before removing her hand and beginning to rub Loki's back with it.
As the team ran onto the field the stadium erupted in screams. There were about three times as many people here today because it was the Homecoming Game, which meant alums who had been pre-gaming were all ready to scream and holler.
Tony actually felt pride sweep through him when he spotted Thor and was pleased to be sitting with the family of the team's star player. Or maybe only he and Loki thought Thor was the star… nope – the screams that were unleashed when the announcer called his name confirmed that.
"Oh, look at my baby!" Frigga cried as she beamed at the field. She turned to look at Tony before adding, "He was always bonking his head into things as a child and I would joke that I was going to make him wear a helmet to school," she shared.
He smiled at the story and could just imagine a tiny Thor running around and banging into walls while Loki judged him from a corner somewhere. The idea actually made him laugh out loud and that seemed to please Frigga.
The game was kind of amazing. Tony and Loki spent half of it screaming their heads off cheering as Thor made play after play and scored point after point. By the time it was over, the oldest Odinson was covered in dirt, sweat and grass stains and he looked so pleased with himself.
As the family waited for Thor to go change his clothes and come join them, Frigga rounded on Tony again. "So what are your plans for Thanksgiving?" she asked. "Are you going home on Monday?"
Tony sort of awkwardly shrugged at that. Being an orphan meant that he really didn't do holidays. Last Thanksgiving he had gotten drunk, accidentally started a small fire in the lab in his home and tried to put it out with shampoo. "I really don't have anything special planned," he answered.
"Whom do you eat dinner with?" she asked as she adjusted her purse and fussed over Loki's shirt. He must have told her his partner was an orphan.
"Myself usually, although this year I might just skip dinner altogether," he replied in the same awkward way. He sounded so pathetic! But he didn't want to lie.
She looked horrified by that. "You eat by yourself?! Well, that won't do. You'll come to our home and have dinner with us," she insisted in a very matter-of-fact tone.
Odin didn't seem to be listening, as he was still sweeping his eyes over the field, clearly waiting for Thor – but Loki turned to his mother with a surprised look.
"Really?" Tony asked, very unsure of himself as she nodded vigorously. "That would…that would be amazing, thank you," he grinned.
Loki smirked at him. "But we're all vegans," he said very seriously.
Tony knew better, but the immediate reaction of horror must have registered on his face because Loki started laughing. "Very funny, punk," Tony said fondly.
Frigga smiled as she looked between the two boys. "If you'll excuse me Tony, I believe I can see my son, but it was lovely to meet you and I will see you next week!" she exclaimed happily as she shook his hand a final time before hurrying off to meet Thor who was walking out of the entrance to the locker rooms.
Odin simply nodded at him again as he passed by and went to join his wife.
Loki remained, though, and smirked at Tony again. "I told you she would like you," he said.
The engineer grinned at that. "Does she normally invite friends to spend holidays with your family?" he asked, wanting to make sure he knew what was up before he got too excited.
But his partner actually looked a bit surprised and shook his head. "Actually, no. She usually has a pretty strict family only policy, so that Thor can't bring his girlfriends over," he replied.
Aw, hell yeah. Tony grinned, pleased with himself. "It must have been all that talk about keeping you up late and making you come," he teased as Loki glared at him. "I must have made an astounding impression."
Snow White just continued glaring until his smile cracked the angry look. "You're an idiot," he said, but with no real trace of malice. "I have to go say goodbye to my parents, they're going back home in a few minutes," he mumbled, but before leaving, added, "Do you want to get dinner with Thor and the girls in like, an hour?"
The warmth that flooded Tony's heart was unbelievable. His entire body felt simultaneously at peace, and tingled with delight. There was an established group that was going to get dinner together and Tony was part of it.
It felt wonderful.
He nodded his assent and offered to take the empty coffee cup from Loki. "I'll throw that away," he offered. "Where should I meet you?"
"Just pick me up outside my dorm in an hour," he called back as he walked over to his family to give Thor a hug.
Tony smiled to himself as he looked at the empty cup.
It also tickled him to death that Fandral was not invited.
oooooooo
When Tony texted Loki the night before Thanksgiving, asking what time he should be there and if he should bring anything, he was instructed to come over in the morning to he could help cook. Then he received another text a few minutes later saying that Frigga insisted Tony not be forced to help cook, and that was followed up with another text saying:
If you don't help me cook I'm not letting you eat.
So at ten a.m. the next morning, Tony arrived at the Odinson household with a Pecan pie and a bottle of wine for Loki's parents.
He was very impressed by their house, and that was speaking as someone who lived in a mansion. It was…semi-modest, clearly in a good neighborhood surrounded by equally lovely homes with well-manicured lawns that were probably tended to by a gardener. There's was a two story, relatively new looking home, with a sidewalk lined with flowers and porch with an actual porch swing on it. Tony paused his walk up to the home to stare at that swing and imagined sitting there with Loki; holding hands and looking for fireflies.
When he finally came to stand outside the door he could hear lots of noise coming from inside. There was muffled music playing and the sound of people singing along loudly. He rang the bell once and hoped they would actually be able to hear it. Standing outside people's doors is awkward.
Thor answered the door, happy and smiling as ever. He was wearing jeans, sneakers, and a t-shirt that looked covered in stains and food – probably from cooking (Tony hoped). "Tony!" he greeted brightly as he stepped aside to let the engineer in. "Happy Thanksgiving! How are you?"
The shorter man smiled back as he looked around the space. "Happy Thanksgiving, Thor. Hey I don't know if your family its pecan pie or…" he began as he held out his offerings.
The blond's face lit up again. "Oh Loki and my mom will eat the crap out of this," he replied as he took it from Tony's hands. "And you brought wine? I'll give this to my mom, she will be thrilled!"
So far, Tony just wanted to eat this house it was so cute. There were pictures everywhere of the family, especially the boys, and Tony decided he could spare a few minutes to admire them before he went and found Loki.
Right in the entryway, above a small table holding mail and keys, was a family photo that must have been taken more than a decade ago (based on how small the brothers were). Odin, with the same scary, white mane, stood in the back with one hand on his wife's shoulder and one hand on Thor's; Frigga stood in front of him, beaming with her 90's hair and faded red lipstick, with one hand holding her husband's and the other placed on Thor's other shoulder; Thor, was a beautiful, blond child with bright blue eyes and a smile so big he must have been thinking of puppies. His arms were wrapped tightly around his little brother, who was –
The cutest fucking little kid ever.
Loki didn't look like the rest of his family, with their fair hair and warm complexions, but his smile looked just like Thor's. His wide, green eyes were lit up and his mouth was open like the picture had been taken mid-laugh. Perhaps Thor had said something funny or just tickled Loki's side, whatever the case had been it was a happy moment forever captured in a photo and it gave Tony feels.
He made his way toward the kitchen, following the smell of food and the sound of music, deciding that he would look at the rest of the photos later when he had Loki with him to explain the stories behind them.
In about a year or so, when he would try to recall the first time he knew he was in love with Loki, he would recall this moment: when he stepped into their kitchen for the first time and saw Loki and his mother dancing and singing as they cooked dinner together.
Mother and son were facing the counter as Frigga mashed cranberries with her hands and Loki looked like he was stirring something. They were both shaking their butts to the music, Hall & Oates' 'You Make My Dreams Come True', and singing along loudly. When they reached "yeah, yeah well you," they both turned and pointed at each other and sang "you make my dreams come true!" to one another as though it were a rehearsed dance they knew.
Tony's heart fell right out of his body and melted into a puddle on the floor.
"Hey, Potter," he greeted, because as much as he wanted to just watch the display in front of him the longer he stood there without saying anything the more likely it was that Loki would beat him to death when he did spot him.
As predicted, Loki whipped around with a blush on his cheeks and immediately ceased his dancing. Frigga, on the other hand, turned around with an "oh!" of surprise and immediately cried out, "Oh, Tony! I'm so glad you could make it!" before coming over and giving him a hug with her elbows since her hands were covered in the cranberries. "Happy Thanksgiving!" she greeted before notching the volume way, way down on the speakers and turning back toward her food.
"Happy Thanksgiving Mrs.-"
"Oh no, no please call me Frigga," she insisted. "'Mrs.' makes me feel old," she said over her shoulder to him. "Can I get you anything to snack on?"
Tony, who was marveling over being asked to call her by her first name while he looked around their kitchen, shook himself out of his daze and said, "Oh, no thank you I'm fine. Can I help with the cooking?"
"Are you sure? I can get you something to drink? And don't be shy about asking for or accepting food because I will pester you about it," she said as she went to the sink to wash her hands.
He laughed and grinned at Loki who was smirking at whatever he was stirring. "I promise I'm fine, but thank you. Really, though, can I help?" he asked as he looked around the counter at all of the food preparation. It looked like chaos with food spills (which he was going to blame on Thor), bowls and baking pans and one – oh my god that's a big ass turkey.
"Well, if you want to help Loki with the desert the dough for the sweet bread needs to be kneaded and the pie crust needs to be rolled," she answered sweetly as she moved to collect his necessary cookware. "It's already made, just knead it a bit – yes just like that – and here's rolling pin, here let's put some flower on this baking sheet so it doesn't stick, and there we go! If you boys will excuse me just for a moment I'm going to go return a call to my sister," she said with a smile before squeezing Loki's arm and departing the kitchen.
Tony grinned at his partner as he kneaded the dough. "You know you and your mom are fucking adorable, right?" he teased.
"Shut up," Loki said as he rolled his eyes. "You're kneading the dough wrong," he commented with a little too much haughtiness for someone who was just caught shaking his butt to Hall & Oates.
"How could I possibly be doing it wrong?! It's just rubbing dough," Tony grumbled as he stepped back so Loki could show him the 'correct way'.
"First, make a ball with it and you press like this," Loki demonstrated as he placed his palm on top of the ball and rolled forward instead of breaking it apart a lot like Tony had been doing. He removed his hands and gestured toward the ball so his partner could try again.
Tony flattened it like a pancake.
"NO. You roll your hand forward," Loki said with a scowl. He reassembled the dough into a ball again and physically placed Tony's palm on top of it and then – by the grace of god – placed his own hand on top of that. "Now knead it, don't squash it," he explained as he rolled their hands forward together.
Tony briefly considered squashing it again so that Loki would have to keep semi holding his hand, but Thor chose that moment to enter the kitchen.
"Loki I cannot find the silver polish," he declared as he went over to pluck a roll from a bag on the counter.
The younger of the brothers just cocked an eyebrow. "And naturally you assume that I'm hoarding it in my bedroom?" he sassed before going back to stirring his pie filling.
Thor laughed and almost choked on his roll. "I just wondered if you knew where it was. Mother really wants to use the good silver," he said before turning to Tony and grinning. "I think she's showing off for you."
Um, fuck yeah.
But Loki just shrugged. "Sorry, Thor, I haven't seen it. It might be in father's office," he suggested.
Thor made a face at that. "Alright I'll look there," he grumbled before departing again.
"What's wrong with your father's office?" Tony asked curiously as he continued to lay the surprisingly gentle smack down on the dough.
Loki, without looking up from his stirring, smiled mischievously at that. "Did your father have an office in your home when you were growing up?" he asked.
"Ah, say no more," Tony replied.
Yes, he father did used to have an office and it was like a quarantined section of the house. Tony was not supposed to be there – ever. Maybe fathers build rooms like that on purpose, so that their sons will grow to fear them.
"How do I know when it's ready to be baked?" he asked as he examined the dough in his hands.
Loki stopped to examine it. "I think it's ready. Here I'll take it," he said as he lifted the dough and went to put it in the proper baking pan. "Can you roll the pie crust?" he called over his shoulder.
"I can roll the shit out of some pie crust," he whispered back. When Loki slowly turned around to look at him with a raised eyebrow Tony waved the rolling pin at him playfully.
"Are you drunk?" Loki asked as he put the dough away to turn into bread.
"Yes."
Loki laughed and gave him a look. "I thought you wanted to impress my parents," he teased as he pulled open a bag of potatoes.
"Drunk people tell the best jokes," Tony reasoned, half seriously, as he rolled the dough.
"Only if they're telling them to other drunk people," Loki countered as he began peeling the potatoes. "Do you know what to do with the crust with your done?" he asked.
Tony just pursed his lips and shook his head, so Loki once again ceased his movement and came over to help. Once the crust had been crimped and the filling had been poured in, Loki put the pie in the oven and went back to his potatoes. "You want to help me with this?" he said as more of a command then a question.
But Tony obliged all the same. He grabbed another peeler sitting on the counter and helped Loki shred the skins into a trashcan. "So what kinds of Thanksgiving traditions does your family have?" he posed before putting a freshly skinned potato in the bowl Loki was putting his in and grabbing another.
His partner hummed thoughtfully. "Well, I always make a pie and Thor always eats it," he answered before grabbing another potato. "We always say what we are thankful for, my father and my brother watch an NFL game…" he continued.
Tony grinned. "And do you always dance with your mother while you cook?"
Loki looked like he might swipe at Tony with the potato peeler. "It's something we've done ever since I was very young," he replied quietly, and Tony noticed the blush that crept up on his cheeks again.
"That is too cute," he commented. "Little baby Loki in here dancing with his mommy while they bake pie?"
Loki glared at him, but with too much of an amused twinkle in his eyes for Tony to actually fear for his life. "I told you my mother and I are close," he growled.
Tony just smiled at him. "How many of these do we need to peel?" he asked as he put another potato away and shook out his hand so it wouldn't cramp.
"The whole bag, tough guy," Loki mocked.
They were jokingly snarling at each other when Frigga came back in the room. "Sorry for the delay boys, I had to go find the silver polish for your brother," she said to Loki as she opened the fridge and began pulling things out.
Tony accidentally let out a laugh at that and Frigga gave him a knowing smile. "He can be hopeless. Oh, Loki you are just too cute when you smile!" she exclaimed as she put down the food and came over to pinch her son's cheek. "My sweet, little, baby boy," she cooed as though she were talking to an infant or an animal before pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Isn't he cute, Tony?"
His heart might have stopped altogether and his eyes widened, but he caught himself quickly and assumed a casual face as he replied, "Eh, he's okay," with a teasing grin.
She playfully scoffed and swatted at his arm. "He's adorable. I have exceptionally cute sons," she said lovingly before returning to her food preparations.
Tony wanted to agree, but at the risk of sounding like a weirdo he kept his opinions to himself and just laughed.
She turned the music back up, and though Loki was probably reticent to do so, he resumed his dancing.
That was how it went for the next several hours: cooking in the kitchen, listening to music and dancing with Frigga occasionally stopping to get the boys to taste something and check its deliciousness. Thor and his father were already set up in the living room watching the football game, and though Frigga asked Tony if he wanted to join them, he politely declined saying that he didn't give a crap about football unless Thor was playing.
He genuinely wasn't trying to impress her when he said that, but the way she beamed at him said it for her.
Once everything had been either wrapped up to stay warm or was cooking in the oven, and what could be cleaned of the dishes and counters had been, Frigga opened up a bottle of wine and poured herself a glass. "Tony, would you like one?" she said offering hers to him.
He was never one to turn down alcohol, but when your boyfriend's mother asks if you want some wine it feels like a test. He politely shook his head and thanked her anyway as he finished washing his hands.
"Loki, why don't you give Tony a tour?" she suggested brightly. "Show him how cute your bedroom is!"
Loki scowled at that before turning to his partner. "Do you want a tour?" he asked in what was probably attempt at bitterness.
The engineer nodded vigorously and winked at Frigga before following Loki out of the kitchen.
"This is the dining room," Loki said as they stepped into a beautiful space with a long, wooden table covered in a clean white tablecloth and set with elegant silver and flatware. There was an ornate China cabinet against one wall, filled with expensive looking dishes, and another glass cabinet on the wall next to it filled with different drinking glasses with decorative designs. There were two giant paintings on the wall of beautiful, detailed flowers. "We only really eat dinner in here, otherwise Thor and I usually eat at the kitchen table," he explained.
On the other side of the kitchen was the family room which had two large, plush looking couches and an ornate chair, with throw pillows and fancy blankets draped over the backs. The curtains were a think woven material that could probably serve as blackout if they were not pulled back with gold tassels. There was a glass table on the rug in the center of the sitting areas with some coffee table books on it, and a bar in the corner with a very stuffed wine rack.
"You have a bar?" Tony asked as he moved over to inspect it.
Loki sighed. "There' s another one on the patio, too," he mumbled. "My mom entertains her friends her a lot and they like cocktails."
Tony wanted to go through every bottle of liquor here, but he was also eager to see Loki's bedroom.
"You sort of saw the living room when you walked in, and there's a downstairs guestroom and a second bathroom down that hallway," Loki pointed as he guided Tony toward the stairs. "The bedrooms are all up here," he began explaining, obviously not noticing that Tony had stopped to look at pictures.
It had to have been taken recently, the brothers looked about the same age maybe a year or two younger than they were now. Thor had his arms wrapped around Loki's waist from behind and it looked like he was lifting him up and spinning him around while they both laughed. Right next to it was a formal picture of Thor, by himself, wearing a suit with his hair a bit shorter. He had a cheeky grin and the lighting brought out the tanned glow in his cheeks as he beamed for the camera. Next to his picture was the thing Tony really couldn't get his eyes off of.
Much like Thor's beside it, Loki was by himself and wearing a suit, but his hair was longer, curling a bit lower past his ears than it did now. His skin had that same porcelain glow and his green eyes were so bright and wide as he smiled shyly for the camera. He looked so handsome…
Tony needed a copy of this picture.
"Oh, ugh," Loki groaned when he finally noticed what his partner was distracted by. "Those are our high school graduation photos," he explained as he walked back down the stairs to stand next to Tony. After a moment of his partner just staring at it and saying nothing, he asked, "What…"
Without taking his eyes off of the photo, Tony answered, "This is a great picture of you."
Loki blinked at him. "Very funny, you ass. Now come on, this tour offer will expire," he replied as he headed back up the stairs.
The landing at the top was a small space with a large window (featuring similar curtains as downstairs), with a tiny couch and an entertainment center with a large television and lots of DVD's. There was a mini fridge on one side of it and a large potted plant on the other. Next to the couch was a small end table and the other end of the couch had a floor lamp next to it. There was soft white carpet, instead of a rug, and a brown wooden coffee table in front of it.
"Thor and I used to watch movies in here a lot as kids," Loki explained as Tony stepped into the space. "It made it easy for our mother or my nanny to supervise us," he added.
Tony was surprised at that. "You had a nanny?" he asked as he inspected the DVD collection.
Loki nodded. "That's where my weird accent comes from. I had a British nanny until I was five, because I got sick a lot as a baby and my mother was home alone with both of us. I was also homeschooled until first grade because of it," he mumbled as he gazed at a picture on the wall.
"I've always wondered about that, because it doesn't sound completely British… but there's definitely something," Tony commented as he tore his eyes away from the entertainment center.
Loki smiled. "It's because I was raised by, and learned to speak in both accents," he clarified.
Tony nodded. "Cute. Now I know why you say "sahndwich" instead of "syandwich," he teased.
His partner rolled his eyes at him. "Down that hallway is my father's office and those double doors are my parent's bedroom, but you don't need to go in there, and down here," he said as he walked down the hallway, "This room used to be the playroom when Thor and I were children."
Now it sported exercise equipment in front of a television. "My mother turned it into a gym when we reached high school," he explained before continuing down the hallway. "This is Thor's room, but don't go in there – it smells," he warned.
Tony respectfully stood outside the door and observed it from there. It looked very messy, which was surprising since the break had only begun a few days earlier. "Okay, now show me your room," he ordered with a cheerful smile.
Loki scowled at him and shut his brother's door before turning to his own. "Don't break anything," he warned to his partner before letting them in.
As he expected, Loki's room was neat and clean. His little bed was made, and Tony noticed that the green blanket from school had been brought home for the break, his desk was organized and there were not clothes strewn all over the floor like in his brother's room. The most impressive thing, though, was the floor to ceiling bookcase that was completely stuffed with books. Novels, textbooks, manga, classics, and all kinds of literature filled the shelves. Thor's bookshelf had been stuffed with tchotchkes and miscellaneous crap – but Loki was all about the reading.
Tony went to admire his selection as Loki moved to check his phone, which was charging on his desk next to his laptop.
When he heard Loki sigh he turned back and raised an eyebrow. "Are you expecting a call from someone? Natasha?" he asked before plucking a manga from the shelf and leafing through it.
Loki chewed the inside of his lip awkwardly. "I thought I might hear from Fandral," he muttered dejectedly, more to himself than to answer Tony's question.
Be there for him as a friend.
Tony gave him a sympathetic look and replaced the manga. "You will, it's still pretty early," he said, even though trying to defend that smarmy letch made him want to vomit all over Loki's bed – and that wouldn't go over well.
Loki smiled at him for a moment, before dropping his gaze again. "You want to go drink with my mom?" he asked quietly.
"Well if you're going to then hell yeah," Tony replied enthusiastically as he followed Loki back downstairs.
oooooooo
Dinner was delicious. Thor had eaten all of Loki's pie, thank goodness Tony had brought another, and even attempted to finish the turkey by himself after the meal was over. As Loki had promised, they had all been instructed to go around the table and say what they were thankful for, including Tony. The charmer had actually said, "I'm so thankful to be here to share this holiday with your family," and Loki was almost certain Frigga would have traded in him or Thor for Tony as a son at that moment.
Thor had recalled the details of the football game, not that anyone cared, but the three cooks just smiled and nodded patiently as they munched on their elaborate feast.
Tony had stayed for a while after dinner to watch the traditional cheesy movie with Frigga and her sons while Odin smoked a cigar on the patio (this year it was Dracula: Dead and Loving It!). His partner had been impressed by the way the family knew all of the lines and quoted them to each other throughout the film. Afterwards, Tony had gone back into Loki's room to go through his things, the way Loki did in his lab, while they chatted for a while, and around ten p.m. he had hugged Loki's mother, Thor and tickled Loki (like a punk) and then headed back home.
Frigga had invited him to stay the night but Loki could tell that Tony was wary of over staying his welcome, although it really wouldn't have been a big deal. The rest of the family's evening plans included potential eating more and then digesting it like slugs. His father also told him he needed to sign his new health insurance card, but that would take five seconds.
That's where Loki was now, though, waiting for his father in the scary office.
It was a rather impressive and imposing room with leather furniture, floor to ceiling bookshelves stuffed with ornate encyclopedias and a number of decorative antiques (like a globe that he and Thor had once knocked over as children. It was a mark of how little the objects actually mattered to their father that he had never turned the globe and seen the scuff marks).
It was an exciting room as a child because they were forbidden to go in it (see the globe incident) and so it always held an air of mystery and terror. Now, as a young adult, Loki could enter the room without fear of consequence, as he had instructed Thor to do earlier, but still avoided it on principle. It was still a room he expected to be punished in.
Loki absentmindedly ran his fingers over the edge of the globe until he felt the area that had been damaged all those years ago. The memory brought a small smile to his lips as he lightly thumbed the scratches.
One thing he did like about the room was sitting in his father's chair. As a child he and Thor would sneak in and pretend they were kings sitting on a throne when they sat there. They would take turns wearing an ornate bowl of their mother's on their heads as a crown and ordering each other around. The one time their mother caught them in the act she thought it was the cutest thing in the world, and there were photos to prove it.
Why not do it again for old time's sake?
Loki grinned excitedly to himself as he walked around the desk to sit in the chair.
Oh yeah, that's the stuff.
He frowned at the room, pretending to be his father, and then laughed at how foolish he was before slowly spinning it around.
His ankle caught on an open file cabinet behind the desk, and as he loudly swore and grabbed the injured area he noticed that there was a rather thick file in the cabinet titled Loki.
It was probably too much to hope for that it contained any pictures he had drawn for his father as a child, but he decided to look anyway; quickly though, before his father could catch him.
As predicted, it was mostly school and medical records that he sifted through with the occasional bank statement. He sighed and flipped the other end open, since it seemed to be organized chronologically, to search for pictures.
Ooh, his birth certificate!
He smiled at the piece of paper and then looked to the one in front of it.
The child adopted by Odin –
Hold up.
Loki shook his head. He must be seeing things.
Hereby state on this date: May 11th, 1993 that Loki Odinson is the child adopted by –
His heart had stopped beating.
He was adopted.
The whole world froze in that moment and he felt like he was falling even as he sat there, completely lost for breath. His brain could not make sense of what he was seeing, of what the hell this certificate was telling him.
He had spent his entire life being Odin and Frigga's son and Thor's little brother. He was part of their family. This had to be a joke or something; some weird gag gift that his father kept because it was so well forged and looked so dated because…
Loki didn't notice that his breathing had become ragged and he had started to shake as his brain whirled and his stomach churned. His father chose that moment to walk into the office saying, "The cards are just on my desk somewhere – Loki, are you all right?"
But he wasn't all right. He wasn't even kind of all right. "What is this?" he choked out on a whisper as he held up the certificate.
His father frowned at him. "I've told you not to go through my things-" he started before he realized what Loki was holding. "Oh…" his father closed his mouth and immediately his entire demeanor changed. His eyebrows furrowed and he shifted uncomfortably as he looked back at the door as though someone was going to burst through it and make everything okay.
"What. Is. This." Loki repeated, this time with anger.
"Loki, you have to understand-" his father started.
"Understand what?! Is this real or not!" he screamed, somewhat surprised by his own volume and intensity. He had never spoken to his father like this before; he had never had reason too…
Odin paused and looked over his child with a sad expression before taking a deep breath. "It's real," he answered solemnly.
Everything inside Loki cracked at that moment. The spine of his psyche snapped in two as a flood of emotions completely overtook him. He felt hot and cold all at once, like he was sweating and shivering as he tried desperately to catch his breath. There was a roaring of white noise and it felt like if he listened closely enough he could hear his heart shattering into a million little pieces. He physically couldn't handle all of the things going through him at this moment as each feelings attempted to take control of him; rage, despair, confusion, hopelessness…
This fucking couldn't be happening. It had to be a joke. Please daddy, come over here, pick me up and tell me it was a cruel trick and that I am your son. Please tell me you haven't been lying to me my entire life. Please, please, please don't tell me I'm an outsider in the one place I'm supposed to call home.
Odin took a step forward toward Loki and the teen felt everything crash again.
"You lied to me!" he screamed as he stood up and threw the folder down. All of his years of repressed anger and pain began oozing out of him, curling along his mind and infecting his tendency towards dramatics. This was all worse than it had to be because he was a pressurized missile just waiting to go off on his father. He had never been able to talk to him about being treated differently than Thor, or how he felt like his father didn't like him and only love him out of a sense of paternal obligation. He never got to have an honest conversation about their relationship because he never felt like he could.
"Loki-" his father tried again.
"Why?! Why would you let me live my entire life without telling me!?" he shouted as hot, angry tears began to roll down his cheeks. "And what if I hadn't found this?" he hissed, "Would you have kept it to yourself forever?!"
Frigga burst into the room a second later. "I heard shouting – oh, Loki, baby what's wrong?" she asked, her entire expression shifting from the concerned housemate to the protective parent as she moved forward to comfort her crying child.
He didn't say anything to her, just held up the certificate and glared.
She stopped right in her tracks and her hands flew up to cover her mouth as she let out a tiny cry. She looked over Loki's face for a moment and took a deep breath before pulling both of her hands to her heart and trying to console him once more. "Loki, we were going to tell you-"
"Oh really?! What when I graduated college?" he spat sarcastically with as much venom as he felt. "Thought you would wait a few more years to really make it sting!?"
Tears appeared in her eyes as her bottom lip trembled. "Loki, you are our son, you're my baby-" she started.
"Oh? Because this says otherwise!" he screamed at her, violently whipping the accursed piece of paper next to him.
"That certificate says that we are your parents!" she sobbed.
"This certificate says that you are liars!"
Frigga dropped her head into her hands and started sobbing in earnest now as Odin moved up from behind to comfort her. Clearly they were both unprepared for this moment because neither of them could think of anything to say as his mother cried and his father just stared at him.
"Is this why you've always favored Thor?" he asked shakily as his bottom lip quivered and he stared right back at his father. "Why, no matter what I did, I could never measure up to him?" he choked out as his voice cracked.
Frigga looked up with a horrified expression. "Loki, we love you both equally, you have to believe-"
"I believe you always have mother," Loki interrupted in a much softer tone, because even in his rage he hated to see his mother cry. "But him?" he continued, gesturing to the man he had been raised to call his father, "He has never treated me as anything more than a financial burden that he happens to be raising!" he shouted.
Thor chose that moment to run into the room, much the same was his mother had. "What's going on?" he asked frantically as he spotted his mother sobbing and Loki's crying, shaking frame.
"Loki found his adoption papers," Odin answered quietly over his wife's muffled sobbing.
"Oh…"
Loki didn't think it was possible to feel worse than he already did, but somehow that did the trick.
For a moment, the rage and the pain evaporated and he was left with this chillingly evil feeling that threatened to drown him. He completely froze his trembling body as he slowly turned just his head to Thor with a psychotic look in his eyes as his upper lip started to curl.
"Oh?" he repeated in a deadly tone.
It was the first time his family had ever been afraid of him, including Thor, and none of them could find a way to respond as they stood there huddled together – this pack of liars he was supposed to call his kin.
Thor realized his mistake and after a few moments of Loki glaring at them like he was going to start stabbing everybody he began sputtering. "Loki- I – I was going to tell you, we all were - it's – we didn't, Loki, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry please don't hate me-"
And all the rage crashed right back into him again. "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!?" he exploded. "You knew – you fucking KNEW!?"
Thor, much like his mother, started leaking tears as his lip trembled and he fought for words to make his brother realize that this was not an act of malice, but one of misguided good intentions. "Loki – Loki, please, I'm sorry-"
"I have to get out of here," Loki interrupted as he threw the paper on the desk and moved to get around his family but Thor grabbed his shoulder to try and stop him.
"Loki, please-"
"Don't you fucking dare."
The command was given in that same deadly tone, and when there eyes met Loki knew that Thor could feel the same snap that he had before, except this time – it was there relationship breaking.
With a final glare to his family, Loki stalked to his room, grabbed his cell phone and his school bag with his keys and then ran back out and down the stairs before anyone could come after him.
When he got in his car he didn't pause or wait to get the key in the ignition and start driving, because he knew that if he let himself sit and think he was going to lose it – he probably shouldn't even be driving like this anyway.
He couldn't call Natasha, she was in another state, and Fandral probably would care…
Loki pulled out his phone and called the one number he could count on.
Ringing. Ringing.
"Hey, Princess, you miss me?"
"Tony, are you at home?" Loki asked, and god did his voice sound wrecked. He hadn't even realized what his screaming had done to it.
"Holy shit, Loki are you okay?"
He shook his head as he choked back his tears, even though Tony couldn't see. "Are you at home?" he asked again, fighting to keep his voice even.
"Yeah, I'm at home. Do you need me to come back over? I can be there-"
"No, no," Loki interrupted as he paused to clear his throat and swallow. "Can I come over?" he choked just before his voice broke. He bit the inside of his lip hard and willed himself 'Do not fucking cry'.
"Of course you can! Do you need me to come get you?" Tony asked with a voice full of concern.
Loki shook his head for no one again. "No-" he whispered and had to pause to catch his breath as his throat shook from the effort of holding in his sobs. "I'm already on my way."
"Do you want me to stay on the phone with you while you drive?"
But he couldn't. The adoration in Tony's voice was actually making it so much harder to hold it together. "Nothat'sokay," he said in one rushed breath before biting his lip again. "I'm gonna go I'll see you soon," he said, hanging up before Tony could protest.
He turned on the radio at full blast, not caring or listening to what was playing as he tried to control his breathing. It was about a twenty minute drive to Tony's from his house, and by the time he got there he had actually managed to get his heart rate to calm down to what some might consider 'normal'.
But the moment Tony opened up his door, that feeling of 'I'm safe here' absolutely flooded Loki and he broke down right there on Tony's doorstep.
Not half a second later and he was being swept into a tight embrace and felt strong arms wrap around him as the smell of Tony's cologne filled his senses.
Loki sobbed and choked onto the engineer's shirt, not saying a word as he gasped for air. He no longer cared about holding back or holding it in – he just let loose on Tony and cried while his partner squeezed him.
He had no idea how long they stood like that, but it felt like a long time, before he pulled back to look at Tony's face.
Loki was certain that his own must look horrible, with tear-streaked cheeks, red, puffy eyes and a sniffly nose, but the expression on Tony's face was nothing but love and concern. He had relaxed his grip around Loki so the princess could pull away, but had kept his hands on Loki's arms as a stabilizer for the boy.
"Okay we can go in now," Loki joked through his tears with a forced smile before he started crying again.
Tony took his hand and pulled him inside so he could shut the door, and then guided Loki to the usual couch.
Once he was seated, Tony placed his hands on Loki's shoulders and said quietly, "I'm going to get you some water. I will be right back," before hurrying to fetch the beverage.
Loki just pathetically leaked his tears and sniffled over choke sobs as he waited for his partner to return. Everything hurt, everything hurt so much…
When the engineer returned with a bottle of water, Loki accepted it with a weak smile and took a small sip before looking back at Tony's face and falling to pieces again.
Tony immediately moved to sit next to him on the couch and pulled Loki against him so he could hold the boy while he cried.
They must have sat like that for hours, and Tony never asked what was wrong, never said 'it's going to be all right', never shushed him or encouraged him to stop crying – just held him tight, rubbed his back soothingly and pressed his lips to the top of Loki's head and held them there like the world's longest prelude to a kiss.
oooooooo
Long after Loki had cried himself to sleep, without explaining anything, Tony continued to hold his friend and lovingly rub his back. His heart ached to know what was wrong, but it didn't seem appropriate to ask.
When he was sure that Loki was asleep, though it was fitful since he kept hiccupping and sniffling, Tony shifted so he could pick his partner up and carry him to bed. He curled one arm around Loki's back and maneuvered the other one underneath his knees before lifting him, bridal style, and taking him to his bedroom.
Once he had gently deposited the boy on the bed, he tried to pull off Loki's shoes so he wouldn't have to sleep with them, but it jostled the boy awake.
"Tony?" he asked weakly on his shredded vocal chords.
"Hey, you," Tony whispered as he ceased his movements and placed a gentle hand on his arm. "I'm just taking off your shoes so you can go to sleep, okay? Do you want some pajamas?" he offered before removing the intended articles and depositing them next to the bed.
Loki shook his head and sniffled again.
"I'm going to let you sleep, okay?" Tony whispered again. "But I'll get you some more water, first."
"Aren't you going to stay with me?" Loki asked, sounding like a frightened child.
It broke Tony's heart for the umpteenth time that night. "Of course I am," he replied as he climbed into bed next to his partner.
Once they were both stretched out, Tony grabbed the blanket at the foot of his bed and pulled it over them as Loki curled into his chest again. After Loki was properly tucked in, as much as he could be with Tony's movements restricted from the body laying against him, he wrapped his arms around Loki's body and continued rubbing his back.
Tomorrow he would wake up and make Loki breakfast again, and then, if Loki wanted to, they could talk about what was troubling him.
For tonight, Tony didn't ask questions or try to fix anything; he just let himself be the anchor that Loki needed.
oooooooo
A/N: :3