Author's Note: I really wish, for my guest reviewers, to leave me at least, your aliases so I can refer to you when I reply. Gets really confusing when I type everyone as Guest 1 then Guest 2 and so on.
Warning/s: The usual and there's gonna be smut in this chapter. Not gonna tell where. This is a long one.
DISCLAIMER: NOT MINE! :D I'm a poor girl, so I have nothing to give.
Summary: Tony had always been careful with who he sleeps with. Man or woman, he always makes sure that there will be no accidents. Still, who really knew how potent a frost giant sorcerer was in bed? Well, now he had some idea. FROSTIRON MPREG. No like, no read.
REVIEW REPLIES:
BrokenToy: Hi! I hope you didn't get in trouble or anything! :D Yeah, Steve knows now and yeah, Steve in a dress is kinda hard to imagine. As for your question, you'll find out more about our villain in this chapter.
Guest 1: Actually, "Meru" is my nickname – or at least, it's part of it. I've been dubbed Meru-chan by my friends. And I kinda like writing it as my page break since it'll be clearer for me to see. :D
Hurrayyyyy: Oh, dear, of course, I'll continue. I hope you like this next one!
Guest 2: I'm glad you think so… I hope this chapter was also worth the wait for you!
Guest 3: I actually liked the preview, too. Hope it comes across as funny when we get to the whole scene. Yes, Steve came in at a bad time. Though, they might continue in this chapter. More things to come on the Iron Man suit.
Guest 4: You noticed! I thought no one would get the reference to that word! I know, he's such a sweetheart, isn't he?
IanPeriwinkle: Hope you're okay now. Yeah, I get the frustration… I'm betting Tony and Loki has it worse, not having any action for like… three months or so. I'll keep on writing, thank you!
Guest 5: You know, that's a very good question you gave me. In the movie (I can't remember if it was in the movie or a deleted scene), when Odin went to Odinsleep and Loki was going to take over as king, he was given a spear. I could be wrong but I always thought that was Gungnir. It's just in this fic that he could summon the spear (I think), having possessed it even for a short while.
All I can say is: "Great minds think alike!" If you write it as a fic, I'll be happy to read it!
Guest 6: Glad you like it!
Guest 7: Aw, I love you, too! And here is the next chapter for you!
Guest 8: Thanks for being patient, dear! Here you go!
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Dinner was going to be very awkward, to say the least. Imagine Bruce's surprise when Steve all but marched to the kitchen with his arms crossed followed by an unrepentantly grinning Tony who was looking over his shoulder at Loki who followed closely behind with a carefully blank look and a guiding hand pressed on Tony's lower back. He had felt a spike of anger somewhere in him, boiling just under the surface of his own consciousness that he had to fight to control or risk destroying Tony's mansion. Surprisingly, it had slowly ebbed away into speculation and caution when he'd noticed Loki's simple gesture and he wondered if the "other guy" was aware of what he knew and what he could see (the extent of the consciousness they shared was both intriguing and disturbing).
The "other guy" was just simply too protective of Tony and had no qualms with coming out (and destroying other people's property in the process) if it meant defending the billionaire. Bruce supposed it was because Tony wasn't scared or cautious of him (that might be attributed to Tony's happy and somewhat careless fascination of the Hulk's capabilities and testing his self-control without thinking of the consequences) and the fact that he treated him and the "other guy" like normal people (which also translated to testing their limits).
He took a quick glance around the table, saw Clint nearly choke on his soda, saw Natasha discreetly hold her fork and hide it under the table, her sharp eyes trained on Loki, and saw Thor, unsurprisingly, grinning from ear to ear.
"Come and join us for supper, Brother," Thor greeted jovially. "You will love Friend Steve's cooking. I can say with confidence that he cooks just as well as Mother does when she is inclined to."
And, really, who could deny Thor anything especially when he was so excited and eager like a puppy? That was how they ended up with Bruce sitting beside Natasha, then Clint, Thor, Loki, Tony and finally Steve, rounding up the table.
The food was great (lasagne, roast chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, almond-avocado tossed salad and, in the fridge for dessert, apple pie to be served with a huge dollop of vanilla ice cream – Steve really outdid himself tonight) but they could have just eaten charred paper and no one would notice the taste with how severely tense and quiet it was. Usually, it was Steve who started the conversation, asking everyone what they did during the day or what they all saw on TV. Bruce couldn't blame Steve's stony silence though, the way he systematically picked through his dinner without a single word and the way he kept his eyes from looking anywhere else outside his plate. He'd bet that he'd be even more pissed off when he found out more than half the team knew about Loki and Tony and he didn't know how he'd react when they tell him about the baby.
The only ones who seemed unaffected by the tension were Thor, who was happily stuffing his face with roast chicken and lasagne (he didn't want to try the potatoes or the salad), and Tony, who was sneaking food off of Loki's plate. Bruce thought them both fortunate that they could easily brush off the awkwardness. Thor most likely decided to ignore it – there was no way he couldn't feel the tension and Bruce refused to believe that he was as oblivious as he was projecting and Tony was being… Tony. Loki was unreadable but he was more focused on Tony, was aware of Tony's fork randomly picking out bits of pasta and cheese (pasteurized – he made sure to check) and was encouraging it as he pushed his dinner closer to Tony's fork, their eyes meeting for a quick, meaningful second before darting away again and looking like nothing happened.
Bruce eyes widened. He would have to be blind and all kinds of stupid if he couldn't see what his eyes were showing him. He didn't like Loki, didn't trust him a bit, but if Tony, who was actually the most cynical and acerbic out of all of them, could learn to, then maybe he wasn't that bad. It's gonna take a while though for everyone to get used to it, especially with a new member coming along. At least, it was promising to be very interesting in the future.
Steve was mechanically eating his dinner, his thoughts focused elsewhere. He was trying to make sense of things in his head before they had a discussion on this because right now, he was feeling disappointed and angry with Tony. This – them, together – breached regulations. It was potentially putting the team at risk and Tony himself could be compromised and would become a liability. Not to mention the possible repercussions of consorting with known criminals in two different worlds.
If it wasn't for Steve's mouth running off and the manners his mother had drilled into him when he was younger, he might have attacked and asked questions later – preferably in an interrogation room. But, he was still Thor's brother and despite everything, he still loved him (he was still family, after all, Steve could understand) and Steve really didn't want to hurt anyone at all if he could help it.
So yeah, invite a criminal to dinner, Rogers, it's not the worst thing you've done in your life.
The fact that they were both men was not even something he'd dwelled on so much in light of the possible consequences.
He was born in a time when homosexuality had been considered a mental condition or the sign of the devil, something to be condemned and hidden. His mother had never said anything outwardly hostile about it and his father was all about cursing it, especially when he had too much to drink (going as far as accusing Steve of being one). Personally, Steve didn't know what to think about it back then. It did sound strange to his ears when he was younger but it never bothered him and he was a little concerned about it. He had always thought that hiding who or what you were could become extremely tiring and the way they were treated was against the American ideal of freedom that his country promoted.
When he'd joined the military, it had opened his eyes to secret trysts or rendezvous between soldiers that he had almost walked in on accidentally (Bucky had always said he had bad luck). Sometimes, he'd be propositioned or, worse, nearly assaulted but Bucky had helped him the first time it happened and had never left his side for even a moment or he'd be "prey to the wolves". But true to his optimistic personality, even with that kind of experience, Steve had never once thought that homosexuals were all that bad – although he had become slightly wary of them (groping in the showers had been quite an… experience).
So, in truth, two men being together didn't bother him, in the least, so long as no one was getting hurt and they were not doing anything against the law. What bothered him with this situation was it was Tony and Loki – two men he'd never thought would be together. One was a self-proclaimed "genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist", who had, according to Miss Pepper, an unending trail of women ready to fall on his lap while the other was the God of Mischief, the one who'd nearly had Earth invaded by an alien race and caused millions worth of damage and many lives. No matter how Steve looked at it, he just couldn't see it happening.
All he could see here was the potential for chaos – from the bad to the destruction of the world kind.
He knew Tony was a grown man and he could make decisions for himself. Still, he couldn't help but worry and he knew Howard would probably be rolling in his grave if he knew.
He sighed, looking up from his plate and straight at Tony. "We're going to have a discussion about this."
Tony shrugged with a wan smile. "I figured we will."
When dinner was over and the table was cleared, Steve led everyone to the living room. Loki and Tony took the couch with Thor sitting on its arm beside Loki and Steve taking the chair adjacent to it. Everyone else kept themselves away from the line of fire.
"Okay," Steve started, turning to Tony. "Now that we're here, I don't really know what to ask."
Tony resisted laughing. "What's there to say? Long story short, he went here six months ago, things happened and three months later, we started dating. Right now, we're still dating each other."
"Exclusively," Loki added softly.
"Yeah, exclusively," Tony agreed with a fond roll of his eyes. Unable to resist, he turned to look at the god with a brow raised. "You know, that really goes without saying."
"Of course," Loki agreed readily.
"So you two have been together since three months ago?" asked Steve, eyes wide and disbelieving.
Clint could totally understand where he was coming from. He had been as shocked – probably worse, really – as Steve when he'd just learned that little tidbit. Well, this was only a start though. He still didn't know anything about the baby.
Boy, that would be a sight to see.
"Pretty much," Tony quipped with a casual lift of a shoulder. He grinned at Steve but there was no humor in his eyes, only unease and apprehension. "While we're at it, I guess I should tell you one other thing."
"You're gonna tell him now?" Clint blurted out before he could stop himself, shutting his mouth with an audible click as eyes turned to him, especially a pair of suspicious green eyes that were glaring daggers at his head. From the corner of his eye, he saw Bruce clap a hand over his forehead, shaking his head while Thor, who was sitting across from him, clapped a hand on his brother's shoulder with a proud, beaming smile.
"Yeah, I'm gonna tell everyone now. Might as well since we're all here," said Tony with a resigned sigh.
"Are you sure?" Loki asked.
"Tell me what?" Steve asked warily, switching his gaze from Tony to Clint.
"Loki and I are gonna be parents," Tony announced cheerfully only to be met by silence. He looked around before settling his gaze on Steve. "What? No congratulations?"
Steve blinked, the words echoing in his head over and over until he'd somehow made sense of things. "You adopted a kid? Tony, a kid is a huge responsibility! It's not like your gadgets that you can just fix when they're broken! You can't just back out of being a parent!" His voice continued to rise until he hadn't even noticed he was shouting. "You can't be serious about this! You can hardly take care of yourself as it is!"
Tony knew all that Steve said was true but it didn't stop it from feeling like a punch in the gut. All the fears he had brushed off, all his insecurities that he set aside with bravado, the forced nonchalance when he'd first found out the possibility that he could be pregnant were pushed to the front of his mind when all he'd wanted was to just forget about it and focus on the now. Seriously, what was it about Steve that made him so fucking defensive? Was it because he was so fucking perfect?
He couldn't deny his faults but, goddamn it, it made him so fucking angry that Steve would judge him like this when before, he couldn't have cared less when he found out he and Loki were together.
"Do you really think I don't know that?" he snapped. "If only it was an adoption. All you need to do is actually want to have a kid, sign some papers, get your kid and go home. Well, sorry, pal, it didn't work that way for me." He laughed dryly, the harsh sound making the soldier flinch. "Mine just happened and I don't care what you or anybody else says. I'm going to keep my kid."
He took deep, calming breaths, only beginning to register the hand that was wrapped around his wrist. He tugged his arm away from Loki's grasp and stalked away without meeting his worried gaze. Before he went past the door, he looked over his shoulder with a cold smirk on his face. "If you haven't figured it out yet, I'll spell it out for you. I'm pregnant."
With that, he stomped off, leaving the others in tense silence. Loki pinned Steve with a sharp glare that was as cold and furious as a blizzard before he turned and stalked after Tony.
Bruce let out a long sigh. "I'll have to check on him later. Stress is bad for the baby."
"You knew about this?" Steve asked in surprise.
"Yeah," Bruce replied simply, shrugging at him before leaving them.
"Well, that just went great," Clint muttered unhelpfully.
"Shut up, Clint," Natasha hissed, her arms crossed over her chest.
Clint raised a brow at her. "You don't look surprised."
The redhead rolled her eyes at him. "I had my suspicions – just call it woman's intuition. The mechanics are a little sketchy to me but what bothers me is that you didn't tell me."
"It wasn't my secret to tell," said Clint, throwing his hands up.
"So is half the stuff we find out on a daily basis," she countered. "But that doesn't stop us from talking about it."
"That's different and you know it," Clint retorted, meeting her icy gaze. "We don't screw with friends."
Meanwhile, confused and full of shame, Steve buried his face in his hands and rubbed his face furiously. "Oh, God, what have I done?" he said regretfully.
"It is alright, Steve," said a deep, comforting voice, a hand falling on his shoulder in a gentle grasp. Steve looked up and didn't expect Thor to be the one calming him down when, by all rights, he should be beating him up by now. "You are a good friend. I am sure once Tony calms down, he would come to understand your concerns. I wouldn't be surprised if this was brought on by the pregnancy." He chuckled lightly, though it didn't quite show in his eyes. "I've heard quite a lot of stories from our warriors about it. Just give him and yourself some time and I am sure everything will be fine."
Steve took a deep breath and tried a small smile. "Thanks, Thor."
"And as for us knowing before you did, do not take offense to it," Thor implored. "In truth we were not supposed to know either."
"It's okay, Thor, I get it. I'll just try to talk to Tony later," he said reassuringly. "I just hope he'd want to."
Loki walked through the halls in search of Tony, unwilling to ask JARVIS for information as he still felt stupid consulting a disembodied voice that he only referred to by looking at the ceiling for his lover's whereabouts. He'd been walking for a while but it seemed that Tony had practically vanished with no sign of where he might have headed. It made him wonder idly if it was natural for him to run that fast in his delicate condition before it crossed his mind that such strenuous activity might be bad for him and the babe. He rounded the corner of the hall, looking about and spotted that contraption Tony often used to go up or down to the other levels in the house. He froze in the middle of the hall upon a sudden realization, nearly hitting his head on the wall repeatedly. There really was only one place that Tony would barricade himself in.
"That fucking son of a bitch!" Crash! The sound of glass shattering against a concrete wall made Loki wince as soon as he transported himself into the workshop. "Don't you fucking move, Dummy, or I swear to God, you're next!"
He was just in time to see the peculiar looking machine hang its head or arm in shame just as something flew past it and crashed on the wall. He had to stop this before Tony could hurt himself.
Tony threw another random thing he'd found in the workshop at the wall, waiting for the inevitable crash but the thing, whatever it was, stopped in midair and landed on the floor with barely a sound. He scowled, immediately turning to Loki who was approaching him slowly.
Loki merely raised an eyebrow at him, crossing his arms over his chest. "I do not see how destroying your things and threatening that machine can solve our problems."
"It won't," Tony assured, his voice almost a growl. "But it sure as hell is making me feel better."
Loki sighed, striding over to him. He held tightly clenched fists in his hands and smoothed them open in his, feeling the calluses against his fingers as he laced their fingers together. "Come now, enough of this. You are upsetting yourself and that is not good for you and the baby," he said softly, soothingly.
"Sorry." Tony let out a frustrated sigh. "I know Steve's right. What he said about me hit the nail right on the head. I'm irresponsible, I don't take anything seriously, I'm a bad role model – I know all that already! But I am going to do my best, you know?"
"I know," he answered soothingly. "He is only concerned for you."
Loki hated Rogers more than ever right then. Never had he seen Tony so distraught and vulnerable, so unlike his usual self. He understood what the soldier was trying to tell him, had agreed that those were valid concerns. Still, to raise his voice at Tony... it was not something he could easily forgive.
But they need to talk about this on their own. From what Thor had mentioned back in Asgard, Tony and Rogers had become as close as if they were brothers. Their opinions matter to each other just as it would for him and Thor. However, if Rogers posed any threat to Tony, Loki would freeze him up and throw him back into the ocean from whence he came.
'Sir, Mister Rogers is asking to speak with you privately. Should I allow him in?'
Tony looked more distressed than angry, biting his lip subconsciously.
"Talk to him," Loki urged, squeezing his hands. "I am sure he'd like to make peace with you."
Steve didn't expect that Tony would want to speak with him yet and was grateful that they could talk this out now instead of letting the matter fester. When the door opened for him, he found himself eye to eye with Loki, his body tensing almost instinctively for any sign of danger. All he received was a warning glare before the god went past him and disappeared up a flight of stairs that led to the kitchen.
"JARVIS?"
'Yes, Mister Odinson?'
"You will call me if Rogers upsets Tony."
'Of course, Sir.'
Steve took a deep breath, steadying himself, before he went in. He found Tony sitting at his work table, fingers fiddling through a multi-sided cube with different colored blocks.
He approached slowly, noticing that the speed of Tony's fingers lessened the closer he came and he berated himself.
"I'm sorry," he said, his voice sincere. "I shouldn't have said those things."
Tony barked a laugh, the sound harsh and making Steve flinch. "What are you sorry for? It's not like you said anything that wasn't true, Cap."
Steve shook his head frantically. "No, that's not – I mean, sure, you can get carried away sometimes and you don't take most things seriously but... Look, I'm probably messing this up more, Tony, but I... I worry about you and I'm sorry I shouted at you... I really didn't mean to do that...
"It's just that this all came as a shock and then you said you're going to have a kid. I mean, Loki's one thing but a kid is... I got worried for you and how you're going to handle everything."
Steve let out a frustrated sigh. He really couldn't say anything else, couldn't express himself the way he wanted to. When he looked at Tony, the billionaire's eyes were unreadable but they gradually softened.
"I'm sorry, too, I guess. I'm sure you're going to lecture me about it later but I know you do it 'cause you love me," he said teasingly. "Fraternizing with the enemy and all that crap."
"It's a serious offense but we'll get to that later," said Steve, half serious. Then he smiled again, this time full of pride. "For what it's worth, I'm glad you decided to keep the baby, Tony. That's a really brave thing to do. Most women get scared and I can only imagine what it was like for you.
"I'm sorry for all the ignorant things I said."
Tony shook his head. "It's done, forgotten. I don't keep grudges, Stevie-pie, you know that." He paused, thinking. "Actually, I do," he corrected, "but never against you. No matter how much you irritate the hell out of me sometimes."
"I should be the one saying that," said Steve, shaking his head but with a hopeless smile on his face.
The atmosphere became more relaxed and Steve was just so easy to talk to that Tony found himself answering his questions to the best he could. Most were like Clint and Bruce's questions – more about Loki and how they came to be what they were now. He asked how he'd gotten pregnant in the first place and Tony simply said magic. Steve didn't understand but he was sure he could get someone to fill him in so he let it go for now. He was quite surprised that he was taking this so well, happy and a little sad, too, because Howard was going to have a grandkid that he would never get to meet.
He had told Tony that they had to tell someone, preferably Fury, even if he'd blow a gasket, because Steve knew he'd be able to protect him and the baby. Tony was not so convinced because while Fury led the operation, there was no telling what would happen if the Council got involved. He'd reminded Steve that they had almost nuked New York during the invasion. Making someone "disappear", even someone as high profile as Tony could be done.
Tony pointed out the use of illusions but Steve didn't want him to put himself and the baby at risk when they got called in for an operation like the one in the Hindu Kush and he doubted that Loki would allow it anyway. He got lectured for that, too, when Steve realized he'd gotten himself in the middle of the fight while pregnant.
They hadn't come to a decision but Tony promised he'd think about it and talk about it with Loki. The conversation lasted a couple of hours and when Tony began yawning (it was odd because Tony was a night owl to begin with and his sleeping habits going back to normal meant, to a regular human, ten hours of sleep with afternoon siestas in between), they decided that it was time for him to get some rest. Steve's last question though threw Tony off the loop, making him visibly stricken.
"Do you love him, Tony?"
"What?"
"You heard me."
Tony blinked, eyes wide like a deer caught in the headlights. "I, uh, you know what? I really don't know how to answer that. Can I get back to you?"
Long after their talk and everyone had gotten to bed (Bruce came by to check on his blood pressure and gave him his own lecture), Tony laid on fluffed up pillows, staring at the ceiling in silence. Did he love Loki?
Loki was a great guy if you could get through the cold façade. He was smart and witty and they share the same humor. He wasn't the easiest person to talk with, his sarcasm and blunt comments could easily break the fainthearted but there were a lot of things to learn from them. He was arrogant, dramatic and obsessively attentive to the smallest detail and his work was guaranteed to be perfect. He was also very attractive (the black hair, his unbelievably green eyes, his mischievous smirk – God, he was gushing worse than a teenager) and great in bed (he liked to be in control and he liked seeing Tony come apart which was perfectly okay with Tony).
Huh. They had a lot more things in common than he thought, he mused. Beyond that, Loki was considerate, gentle (underneath all those thorns), helpful (after he mocked you for your stupidity) and surprisingly easy to please (a kiss here, a touch there worked wonders to improve his mood). He was a handful, with a lot of emotional baggage that could probably rival Tony's but they made it work somehow and they understand each other.
He'd never had anyone he felt comfortable with enough to share his fears, someone who truly understood what it felt like to be alone and to rise on their own abilities, someone who challenged him every step of the way. Loki was a very complex puzzle that he wanted to spend the rest of his short, mortal life solving.
A thought resounded in his head with a force that made him lightheaded and nearly took his breath away. Fuck, he really was in love with the bastard.
His thoughts were cut short when Loki's face drifted into view and he couldn't help the silly grin on his face.
"I am guessing your talk with Rogers went smoothly," he whispered, bending down to peck his lips. "You are in a better mood."
"Yeah, you could say that. I learned some things," he said back, lifting a hand to run his fingers through soft, black hair. "We had a few bumps but we're doing alright now, I guess." He tugged lightly at the hair on Loki's nape, his free hand sliding under Loki's shirt and gliding up his back. "You know, we never got to continue where we left off," he said wistfully, his voice dropping into a low purr as he waggled his eyebrows.
Loki snorted before he took Tony's lips in a lingering kiss that made the billionaire's toes curl appreciatively. When he pulled back, his eyes were smoldering with heat, his smirk anything but innocent.
"Much as I would like to, you are tired and you need to rest," he said almost reluctantly with a wry smirk. Tony opened his mouth to protest but Loki beat it back with another kiss, his words drowned in a pleased moan. "Go to sleep, Tony."
Tony scoffed. "Easy for you to say. You try to sleep after being kissed like that after not having any action for almost three months." Then, his eyes widened and Loki grew immediately concerned for him. "On second thought, nevermind."
He turned on his side, facing away from Loki and burying himself further under the covers. Loki merely rolled his eyes before using his superior strength. He easily reached for Tony and turned him so they could face each other.
"Tony, what are you thinking about?" he asked partly curious, partly exasperated and partly troubled.
"We can't have sex anymore."
"What?" When he had refused sex, it was only for one night, not for all eternity.
"I have reason to believe that your magic gave me extra parts. I don't want to wake up one day with a vagina," Tony clarified. "Or breasts."
The thought made Loki wrinkle his nose in distaste. While he liked both men and women, he didn't really like the idea of mixing their body parts together. Except in this instance, of course. "That will not happen."
Tony laughed heartily. "You know, I was under the same impression until I found out I got an oven and – surprise! – there's a bun in there, too."
"What does your human technology and bread have to with my magic?"
The billionaire rolled his eyes and promptly smacked him with a pillow. "Nice try. You and I both know you understood exactly what I just said."
The god allowed a small chuckle to escape his lips. "Still, that will not happen. I will not allow my magic to go out of control like it did the last time," said Loki resolutely.
Tony looked away, smirking to himself. "You'll have to get used to wearing condoms," he mused innocently.
"I am not going to wear those disgusting things," Loki instantly replied. "How you humans tolerate such indignity, I do not understand."
Tony snorted inelegantly. He remembered the look on Loki's face the first time he'd used one and he'd laughed and laughed when Loki'd sworn never to use them ever again. He couldn't resist teasing him about that. "Well, you're not getting your dick anywhere near my ass then."
"We'll see," said Loki with a suggestive leer.
Tony opened his mouth to reply but it came out as a yawn.
"Go to sleep, Tony."
"Yeah, yeah, I heard you," he replied with another yawn. A beat of silence and then, "hey, did you notice that you just called Steve by his name? I mean, sure, you called him Rogers but that's a start –"
"Sleep, Tony."
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The briefing was scheduled three days after the night Steve caught them or what Tony affectionately called, "The Night Steven Rogers Lost His Innocence". Clint and Thor had burst out laughing as Tony wrote it down on the calendar they had hanging off the fridge and even Bruce and Natasha couldn't resist giggling whenever they saw Steve. Steve was not amused, at first, blushing to the roots of his hair, but, in time, he began to lighten up and chuckle about it, too.
The briefing was going to be held in one of SHIELD HQ's conference rooms, guaranteed to have no bugs, no cameras and just across the hall from Fury's office. Tony didn't really believe that there weren't any kind of surveillance equipment. Anyone who did probably was a few screws short of sane.
The room resembled Fury's office, all dark walls and darker furniture. He liked the leather but then the room appeared too cold for him. A splash of green would be nice but he doubted Fury would appreciate him giving it some semblance of color. The man just couldn't lighten up.
They sat around the circular table in the room with Fury standing at the front, his own chair tucked under the table, and Phil and Maria were seated on one side. He looked at each of them, his hawkish eye sharp and unreadable.
Tony just rolled his eyes and stifled a yawn. He was sleepy and he didn't know if it was because of JB sapping his energy. Either way, he really wanted to go home and take a nap. He felt an invisible, gentle touch on his nape and he relaxed slightly, letting a breath out.
"I'd like to congratulate all of you for a job well done. Despite the unwanted visitors, you managed to keep the place from blowing up and kept the casualties to a minimum. I'd like to especially commend Barton and Stark for keeping Romanov and Sahar alive. We wouldn't have any clear view of what's going on if he died back there." He paused, crossing his arms over his chest. "Now that that's out of the way, you'll be glad to know that Sahar gave us more than a little information."
Phil scoffed from the background. "Guy cracked even before we got started."
Fury rolled his eye and continued, "it appears that his group is only one in a solid network of terrorists operating from the Middle East to Southern Africa. Fortunately, our guy remembers who he's been dealing with and gave us more than a few names. Interpol is already investigating as we speak and information will be given only on a need-to-know basis."
Tony hummed pensively, his chin resting on his palm as he eyed Fury. "So, are you saying we're out of the picture?"
Fury nodded slightly. "For now."
"I'm guessing until they need someone to clean their mess up," said Tony dryly, smirking humorlessly.
"More or less," Fury replied with a wry smirk. He cleared his throat, glancing at Maria. "Anyway, on more important matters." With a slight nod of his head, a video began to play in front of them, running in fast forward.
The video stopped on a group of frost giants running in one direction.
"I don't think I have to tell you that this matter is confidential. No one outside of SHIELD is aware that Earth was attacked by oversized smurfs and we want to keep it that way or we're gonna have pandemonium in our hands. Do we have any ideas how they got on Earth?" Fury asked, gesturing to the video with his hand.
No one but Loki knew how they got to Earth. Tony had a vague idea it had something to do with the weird butterfly thing that had looked nothing like the ones Loki had sent him. Of course, Tony wouldn't say anything about it. Let Fury make his own assumptions, at least until Tony would man up and tell the man what was going on.
"From the video, most of these giants were heading in one direction and that's with Romanov's group. I can think of only one reason why most of them would target you three," he pointedly glanced from Clint to Tony to Natasha, "and thinking that Sahar could have anything to do with them is absolutely stupid."
The video picked up then froze with a close up of Loki's face in a snarl (a hot, sexy snarl, Tony's brain added helpfully). It was from when he'd jump-kicked the frost giant to the head, Tony remembered, thinking it a great shot and debating whether or not to ask Fury for a copy. Or better yet, maybe he'd tease him long enough until JARVIS could snap a picture.
"Then, there's Loki," said Fury as he sat with the team, back hunched forward and elbows perched on the table with his fingers laced in front of his face, his one eye looking about the room. "I want to know how he got here, on Earth, when he's supposed to be in Asgard, doing who-knows-what."
His sharp gaze flitted over to Thor. "He's supposed to be your responsibility and I refuse to believe he suddenly had a change of heart. What do you know about this?"
"He is free to move around as he pleases," said Thor, his voice deep and unwavering as he met Fury's eyes straight, "but his magic is bound by the Allfather and he will be aware of Loki's actions and stop him should he wish to harm anyone on this planet."
"Well, that's not what I saw here. He obviously can harm anyone on this planet or does that mean he's free to kick other aliens' asses? Is that about right?" Fury asked with a brow raised. "Frankly speaking, that doesn't reassure me at all. In fact, I have a suspicion that this could all be planned somehow. I wouldn't put it past him."
"To suggest that he would have so much freedom to scheme with the frost giants while under the Allfather's watch is an insult, Director Fury," said Thor with thinly veiled anger, his fists curled taut under the table. "One that I also find offense in. Loki does not like the frost giants – I know that for a fact. Why would he work with them?"
"Hell, if I know how your brother's brain works." Fury let out a breath, rubbing his temple. "We have to be open to the possibilities, Thor. Your brother might just be smart or crazy enough to pull this off.
"And if that's the case, I would think he's trying to get on our good side by rescuing people he offended: Barton with that mind control shit, insulting Romanov and throwing Stark out a fucking window. This is probably just a start and what I'm afraid of is what comes after."
Ah, the window thing. It wasn't a bad subject between the two of them now but Loki still felt guilty when it was brought up.
"You have to give the man credit. He can be quite… imaginative. I do not know whether I should be flattered or insulted that he thinks me capable of going against Father," a voice whispered in Tony's ear. Tony nearly jumped, wincing and cursing as his knee hit the thick table. "You and our child are the only reasons why I did what I did."
When everyone's eyes turned to him, he glanced around with a shameless grin. "Sorry about that." He turned to Clint's questioning gaze and leered. "I think Clint wants to play footsie with Natasha but got me instead." He jabbed a thumb at Natasha who was sitting beside him. "She's a little more to the left, Clint."
"What? I was not – "
Fury cleared his throat loudly, his penetrating gaze switching from Tony to Clint. "Children, I don't want to hear any of your shit on this briefing. Do it on your own time."
Tony continued to grin at Clint who glared at him. When Fury's attention was taken from him, Tony caught a reflection on his glass, his eyes narrowed. There Loki was, arms crossed and looking smug with a smirk on his face.
Oh, he so did that on purpose, that asshole. Let's see who gets the last laugh when you get the couch, Mister. I've always wanted to try that anyway.
The conversation went over Tony's head, droning on and on (it was mostly about what happened during the fight, the disappearing acts, yadda, yadda, yadda) that he hadn't noticed that he'd dozed off until Steve shook him gently.
"Nice of you to join us again, Sleeping Beauty," Fury said dryly, to which he only replied with a smile, batting his eyes. "Well, whatever he's planning, SHIELD is on high alert for any suspicious activity. If any of you find something out, you are expected to provide that information. Is that understood?"
Everyone nodded their agreement.
"Dismissed."
Tony blinked. "What? It's over already?"
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His plan had been foiled but that was only the first. He had to admit that the incompetence of his soldiers – fully trained warriors that were several times stronger than a mere human – surprised and angered him, seeing a great number of them fall in battle against an archer, a pregnant mage or craftsman (maybe both) and an empty mannequin before his brother had arrived.
It was certainly a shame that his spell was broken. No longer would he be able to watch the fascinating human, not with the distance between their realms and the greater magic he would need to cast the spell. Still, there were more opportunities in the future. He'd get what he wanted. It would only take time and patience, both of which he had.
It was quite surprising that Loptr had sensed the subtle pulse of magic that should not have been easily noticed. Still, it only proved that Loptr was an adept sorcerer, a challenge worth taking and once he was defeated, it would only bring honor and glory to his name.
No one would dare cross him, no one would speak against his right to the throne despite being the youngest. No more dreadful whispers about the exiled prince who should be king, the savior who had ended the reign of Laufey. It didn't matter that Loptr had lied to and murdered their king, his own father, and the second prince, his own brother, in cold blood, in a blind effort to gain the Asgardian king's favor. It didn't matter that he had designed a scheme that would have destroyed their home. It didn't matter that their race was saved by the enemy.
His subjects only wanted him to be returned to Jotunheim to take his rightful place at the throne. Those who had returned alive from Midgard only praised him for finding out how they had crossed the realm of humans within seconds.
"Jotunheim had fallen so low, it would have been merciful to die with what honor and dignity we have left."
"His determination only shows that he would become a great ruler should he find favor with his own kind. He must be given what is rightfully his."
"We should at least be thankful the Son of Odin saw us worthy of saving regardless of how ruined we are."
It had angered him. Couldn't they understand that those Asgardians were the ones at fault? Couldn't they see that Laufey's death, his murder, pushed them to ruin?
All those who had spoken against him and their father's rule and those who had chosen to stand against him were persecuted with utmost vigilance. But it was far from over. Many more were rebelling against him, he knew, and only Loptr's death would bring silence and confidence in his abilities.
No one would ever doubt that Byleistr was the rightful king and he would continue his father's legacy.
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When, he'd woken up, he was alone. During the last couple of days, he'd woken up with Loki lying beside him and he was dangerously getting used to it. So much so that he was actually surprised finding him gone and leaving only a dent on his side of the bed.
"JARVIS?"
'Sir?'
"Where's Loki?"
'I believe he is out on an errand this morning.'
He raised an eyebrow at that and just shook his head as he got up, stretching a bit before doing his business in the bathroom. He was feeling hungry and just a little bit tired at the moment and wondered if there were still some leftovers in the fridge for him to rummage through. He was wearing a sleeping robe over his shirt and boxers, though this time, it wasn't tightly wound around him. The odd feeling of being watched had been gone ever since Loki took the magic butterfly thing off him.
Last night, Loki had explained the butterfly he had conjured and destroyed. He had explained that it acted as a medium for the frost giants to get to Earth and, as for how the spell got to Tony in the first place, Loki admitted contritely that it was his fault.
"I had been careless," he had said. "I have made many enemies and I should have known someone would discover the notes I send you."
Tony had reassured him that it was nothing, that he was just glad it was over. Although, telling him that he'd felt someone was peeping on him while he was jerking off, however jokingly and it was really just that one time, might have been a bad idea.
It wasn't hard to tell that his stalker had come from Jotunheim and Loki was not surprised.
"It is simple enough to say that they want revenge," Loki had said. "I would, too, had I been in their position. However, to threaten what is mine… it is the worst possible decision."
"Let's wait and see where this goes. He's gonna reveal himself sooner or later anyway," Tony had suggested.
Tony had gone to sleep to Loki watching him.
He felt his stomach growl, drawing him from his thoughts, and he chuckled, saying, "Yeah, we're gonna get some food, JB, don't worry."
He went out of his room and was headed straight to the kitchen, wondering if Steve left him breakfast that he could just heat over the microwave. He passed by his living room, halted midstep and went back.
Tony blinked, feeling as if he just stepped into another dimension. In his living room, drinking tea and eating cookies, were Pepper, Stephanie and Natasha. Now, with Stephanie, he could understand the whole tea thing and he knew Pepper liked some before going to bed but with Natasha, he'd only ever seen her drinking coffee just as much as he did – black with no sugar, too.
He wondered then where the other guys were since he'd begun to notice that it was too quiet except for the occasional girly squealing and giggling. Pepper was the first to see him and she waved him over.
"Good morning, sleepy head," she greeted. "Come sit down and have some tea with us."
The first thing that came out of his mouth so early in the morning was, "I have tea?"
"It's Thor's. Well actually, it's his mother's tea," Pepper answered slowly, shrugging. "He said he brought it back from Asgard but just forgot about it. It's really good though."
Stephanie took a dainty little sip before smiling at him. "Yes, and he said it is quite healthy. It would only do you good to drink at least a cup, Anthony."
"Where are the guys?" he asked warily, looking around for any sign that he really wasn't left alone with a handful of scheming women. "And when did you guys arrive?"
This was beginning to irritate him. Just because he was goddamned pregnant didn't make him a woman, thank you very much. He had a dick, too, and Loki could prove it.
"They went out to buy groceries," Pepper answered, grabbing one of the cookies. "We just got here really, but we won't be staying long."
"Pepper, people deliver my groceries here," he reminded her. "And how long are you in for?"
"About a week or so. I have to go back to California for a few meetings that you should be in and Stephanie will be coming back with me," she answered. "And may I remind you, Mr. Stark, that I deliver your groceries here or if I'm not here, I have someone bring it over."
"So why are we not doing that instead of letting Thor and Steve out on the city?"
"Because we have to plan for something really important," she answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "And shouldn't you be more worried about Loki instead of those two?"
"Loki knows his way around," he said cryptically. "Anyway, enough about the groceries. What are all of you planning on?"
He looked at each of the women's faces in turn; the overly bright eyes, the beaming grins (sadistic smirk on Natasha) made his stomach drop and he felt a sudden spike of fear.
He gritted his teeth together, steeling himself and going against his better judgment and asked. "Well?"
"A baby shower, of course!"
"Don't you think it's a little too early for a baby shower?" Tony asked incredulously as Pepper and Stephanie launched immediately into ideas, ignoring him completely. He turned to Natasha. "And why are you going along with this?"
The assassin rolled her eyes at him dismissively. "I'm a girl, too, you know."
"That doesn't make any sense. On second thought, women in general are not supposed to make any sense."
Natasha snorted at him but didn't reply and Tony thought the guys were lucky they weren't here to suffer through this.
"It's never too early to plan for a baby shower," Pepper said haughtily.
"How would you know? You never had a baby shower before either," Tony pointed out blankly, crossing his arms over his chest. "And aren't these things supposed to be surprises and stuff?"
Pepper rolled her eyes at him as if she couldn't believe what he said. "Tony, you complain about every little thing."
"And what is that supposed to mean?"
"You're a genius. Figure it out," she replied airily.
It took a while but he was able to dissuade the girls from the idea before the guys came back (he wasn't entirely convinced that they'd dropped it but whatever), each one carrying their own paper bag filled with some stuff. Loki was in the disguise he'd used before, same face but with curling, blonde hair that framed his angular face and bright, blue eyes. It looked nice, not much different except for the coloring but Tony thought he looked better with black hair and green eyes.
"I like you better with black hair," he said as soon as Loki came to him.
Loki merely raised a brow and said, "I will change."
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The night was still young, dinner had been a riot and Stephanie had left with Pepper since she'd be staying at a hotel near the redhead's place for the rest of the week. Everyone had already settled for bed and Tony had just finished taking a quick, warm bath and had gotten out of his bathroom wearing the softest bathrobe he owned to stop it from chafing his nipples (it was one of those things he never really told anyone about 'cause let's face it, he didn't care if it was fucking natural, it was embarrassing as hell). A fluffy, cotton towel hung over his neck, one end held in his hand as he rubbed excess water from his soaking hair, looking around for Loki who had decided to take a bath later. Tony found him on the balcony and went to him, standing closely by his side and grinning as Loki turned to him.
"You will catch a cold, standing out here in the open," he scolded softly, taking the outer robe he wore and placing it carefully over Tony's shoulders.
It was thick and slightly cool at first but it warmed up soon enough and Tony found he liked wearing the robe, wrapping it around himself tighter. It smelled like Loki – mint, sandalwood and something distinctly him. Besides that, it was pretty stylish, too, (a nice cut and dark green in color, he could have it modified around the shoulders for a better fit and maybe he could even get it in red) so he was definitely going to keep it.
It was quiet but not uncomfortable, at least not in the beginning. Tony had always been surrounded by sound: blaring music, clanking metal or a hissing laser torch. It wasn't really a surprise when he started to get restless, fidgeting a little before speaking.
"So, what's eating you?" Tony asked. "You okay?"
Loki took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a second before turning to Tony. "I am fine. However, I cannot help feeling slightly... anxious for tomorrow."
Tomorrow was Tony's antenatal checkup, the first that Loki would be joining in. Tomorrow, Loki would finally be introduced to their baby and maybe, they could even find out JB's gender.
"Yeah, I think I get what you're saying," Tony answered slowly. He'd never admit it even on pain of death but every time Bruce checked up on him (routine urine tests and checking his hormone levels), it worried him until it was over. Contrary to what people believe, Tony was taking this pregnancy seriously. He did his own research on the subject and the sheer number of things that could go wrong in a pregnancy astounded him (he never really had any cause to learn about the subject outside of health class and sex-ed so it was all pretty surprising). Oh, he'd whine about what he couldn't eat, what he couldn't do and all those crappy tests he had to suffer through but he'd never do anything that'd put JB in danger. He couldn't resist teasing Loki about it though. "It's not so bad. I got a check-up a couple of days ago after that mess in the Kush and so far, everything is normal. JB's healthy as far as the tests go. Although, we can't really tell if JB's gonna look like a horse, a puppy or a snake yet."
The god eyes widened at that, obviously stricken, making Tony burst out laughing. He raised his hands in surrender, still chuckling, despite the glare Loki was giving him. "Sorry, couldn't help myself. But, JB really is okay and tomorrow, we'll find out if it's a boy or a girl."
"Either one will be fine with me. All I want is a healthy child. While the health of our child is one of the most important things in my mind," Loki began, "I am thinking more about my personal involvement in raising him or her."
"Personal involvement?" Tony repeated in his head, testing the words before he brightened in realization. He turned to Loki with a solemn gaze. "Are you... scared of becoming a parent?"
Loki flushed, turning away. "As shameful as it is for me to admit, yes, I am afraid. I have just recently learned of our child's existence and had almost lost both of you had I not arrived sooner in that godforsaken place. It is all happening too fast." And my mother wants to see us wed now, if she had her way, he thought to himself. "I am happy, never doubt that, but I do not know if I am going to be a good parent at all."
"You'd be strange if you didn't feel even slightly afraid. Look, believe it or not, I feel the same way. JB came in an... unexpected time and a definitely unexpected way but I'm happy, too. I try not to dwell on it too much." Tony sighed, running a hand through his hair. He knew he was rambling but he wanted to try to explain himself. "I mean, I'm scared shitless here 'cause I'm the one pregnant and all, you know? It isn't fun with all these changes – I have a list of things to complain about – but I'm just thankful JB's looking good so far and I'm not eating anything weird or having some really intense mood swings.
"We'll just have to wing it. I mean, we both have some idea on what not to do, right? That's a start. And we can always do some research on it. I'm pretty sure we have some pretty good brain power between the two of us to work it out." He paused, grinning at Loki teasingly. "I think out of all this, the easiest we can do is save up for JB's college education."
It seemed to have worked as he had hoped when, after a moment of thought, Loki began to smile softly at him, the worried furrow in his brow all gone. He didn't really know what went on in his head but he had some idea on how Loki thought. He just had to process things slower, think about possibilities and figure things out on his own. He smiled back as he was pulled into strong arms, his lips caught in a slow and gentle kiss that left him breathless and wanting.
"You are a strong man, Tony Stark," Loki whispered between kisses.
"Oh, I don't know about that. I just had a lot more time to absorb this than you did." Tony chuckled, the sound causing a soft rumble in his chest. "With all this stuff happening around me, I didn't even think to ask how you feel."
"It is of no consequence. Shall we retire?" asked Loki, his cool breath grazing Tony's ear gently.
"Aren't you going to take a bath?" Tony asked, gasping the words as the god brushed his lips on the soft skin under his ear.
"I cannot believe you would suggest that I take a bath at a time like this," said Loki dryly.
"Hey, that wasn't my idea," Tony protested weakly.
"Later," Loki promised. With that, he bent down and crushed their lips together in a painfully slow kiss, tongues engaged in slow, languid caresses just as Loki began to manoeuvre them to the bed.
The back of Tony's knees hit the edge of the bed, sending him sprawling on his back into the soft mattress with Loki leaning over him, their kiss unbroken. They parted, breathing heavily, their breaths mingling with each other's.
Loki looked at Tony's face, committing it to memory. It had been so long since they've been together like this. Three months with only his hand and his memories for company that he could barely control himself from just flipping him over and sheathing himself into his body. Tony's face was flushed, his lips swollen, his pupils dilated with lust and desire, and then there was this glow about him that made him even more breathtaking. He was tempted but he wanted to savor this moment.
He braced himself on his forearm by Tony's head, pressing light kisses on his face, his free hand sliding underneath Tony's loose robe to stroke his chest, grazing over cold, glowing steel and taut nipples before going down to press a loving hand against his firm, rounded stomach, untying the cord that kept the robe wrapped around him.
Tony, for his part, laid still, enraptured by Loki's expressive face as he relearned Tony's body inch bu painfully slow inch. His breathing hitched and he bit back a moan but he didn't dare make a sound as pleasure and wonder filled Loki's face. Loki's coat vanished from around him and he was left wearing the light bathrobe, already untied at the waist. With a simple flick of the god's hand, the robe parted, exposing Tony's form to hungry, green eyes.
Caramel skin stretched tightly over firm muscle, smooth and flawless and warm to the touch. The arc reactor, was always a wonder and a joy, seeing it glowing brightly blue. The tapered waist and narrow hips that he loved to trace with his fingers were still the same except for that little mound that carried his child. And right below that was his prize, standing in attention in a downy nest of dark curls and begging, leaking for his touch.
Meanwhile, Tony was becoming impatient when Loki didn't seem to want to do anything so he grabbed Loki's head with both hands, pulling him down for a kiss. He pulled back, their lips still touching faintly as he whispered harshly, glaring into Loki's stunned eyes.
"Get on with it before I flip us over."
It surprised a delighted laugh from Loki and he happily obliged, nuzzling against Tony's neck and breathing his scent before he bit into delicate flesh that caused a small yelp. He sucked at the flesh in his mouth, nipping at the skin and licking his mark soothingly, all too aware of nails biting against his covered shoulders, of the hot puffs of air and breathy groans on his ear and the insistent push of Tony's hips against his stomach.
"Get these off," Tony growled, tugging the robe. "Want to feel you, damn it. It's been too long."
Loki's breath caught before he could reply as Tony bit his clothed shoulder in his impatience. "Such a demanding lover," he whispered as he obliged, shedding his clothes quickly. He was just as eager to touch and be joined with him.
He made a trail of biting kisses along Tony's jaw and shoulder, his hands gripping Tony's restless hips as he went down to his chest and took a nipple in his mouth, sucking the nub with enough force that drew a long, keening whine from Tony's lips. A hand threaded through his hair while the other slipped between their bodies to circle around his cock and stroked and squeezed in a rhythm Loki remembered.
He stopped Tony from pleasuring himself, wrapping his hand around the smaller wrist and pushed it up over Tony's head, their fingers laced together, all the while taking his fill of the pebbled flesh in his mouth. He pulled back then switched to its opposite.
"Shit! Fuck, Loki!" Tony gasped as his remaining hand curled tightly in Loki's hair, eyes wide as he pushed his chest up, get more of that cool, wet mouth on him. "Yeah, like that," he moaned. "Harder."
Loki let go of the other nipple as well as Tony's hand as he went further south, kissing his stomach chastely before he focused his attention on Tony's cock. It looked painfully hard, leaking precious liquid.
"It's been too long," he whispered before he wrapped his cool fingers around the shaft and slipped the head past his lips, the coolness of his mouth making Tony literally jump, arching his back in shock.
He grasped Loki's hair tightly in both hands, pushing his head down just as his hips thrust upward into that talented mouth with increasing speed that Loki allowed. He felt the heat coil in his belly, the pleasure building up like a wave, his toes curling until he came, screaming Loki's name and his body racked by spasms.
He felt Loki swallow around his cock but couldn't care less as he panted for breath. That, ladies and gentlemen, was his first blow job in three freaking months.
Loki lifted himself up and dragged himself over Tony's body, their skin rubbing deliciously against each other. Then he pressed his lips against Tony's, pushing his tongue past their lips to caress and taste. When he pulled back, he dragged his lips to Tony's ear, whispering softly.
Loki's breath tickled and Tony almost didn't understand what he wanted. With a nod, he shifted until he was on his knees and elbows, pillows placed under his arms and stomach for his comfort.
"I don't want to use the Asgard stuff," he informed Loki, looking over his shoulder. "Use my tube. It's under my pillow."
Loki couldn't resist a chuckle as he dug under the pillows. "You keep lubricant under your pillow?"
"Not until recently," Tony answered with a wry smirk. "I figured that since you're here, I might as well keep it somewhere close, just in case."
With his head perched on top of his folded arms, Tony waited but was still unprepared for the thick, cool liquid that dripped over his ass, the slick finger that traced and circled before slipping inside the tight sheath of muscle.
Taking a shuddering breath, Tony tried to get himself to relax as the finger worked its way slowly inside him, pulling back slowly before pushing back in. It took a while to get used to the sensation again as he instinctively clamped around that finger as it curled and prodded inside him.
Slowly, he began to relax, the familiar, pleasing burn of penetration shooting jolts of pleasure straight to his cock. He bit his lip, stifling his moans as his eyes closed in bliss.
"Tony, are you alright?" asked Loki worriedly.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he gasped as two fingers finally breached him, stretching him open. "Just need to get used to it again."
"I think we should use the lubricant I brought. You will not feel pain or discomfort," Loki suggested, his fingers already withdrawing.
"No," Tony protested, his voice coming out in a low moan. "I want to feel all of you and besides, I'll probably be a lot worse in the morning if we use that one."
Loki acquiesced to what Tony wanted and continued his ministrations, eyes drawn to the sight of his fingers in Tony's body, his thighs trembling as he tried to keep himself still and his cries muffled by the pillows beneath his arms. He curled his fingers, prodding for that spot in him that he knew drove Tony wild and knew he had it when Tony's back arched, pushing into his hand with force.
"Oh, God, there," he panted. "Come on, fuck me, already, damn it!"
Loki hissed as he nearly poured the contents of the tube on his cock, stroking once then twice before he positioned himself behind Tony, kneeling between his spread thighs and his hands on narrow hips. He bent forward, kissing Tony's nape.
"Are you ready?" he whispered.
Tony nearly growled in frustration. "I've been waiting for this for the past three months, goddamn it! Just do it already!"
Needing no more urging, Loki pushed forward slowly, feeling the tightness around his length. He barely stifled a groan as inch by inch of him was encased in wet heat, his hips moving in shallow thrusts until he was completely sheathed inside him. He straightened up then bent down, reaching for Tony's face and turning him so they could share a kiss over Tony's shoulder.
He muffled Tony's groans with his mouth as began to set a slow, measured pace, savouring the slight spasms of the tight channel on his cock before Tony decided to speed things up and pushed back with jarring force.
"Want you," Tony panted against his mouth. "Come on, please, harder. Faster. Come on, want you so bad. Please. It's been too long."
Tony groaned as he began a demanding pace, each thrust punctuated by grunts that soon became long, drawn out moans as Loki angled his thrusts and rubbed his prostate with every plunge. He held on to the pillows and the sheets in his fists, his body lunging forward and back as he matched the pace, nearly jumping as Loki's hand went around his cock and began to stroke in time with his thrusts. He felt Loki's cool breath at the side of his neck and the sting of teeth on his shoulder and all the dizzying sensations took him over the edge, waves of pleasure crashing down on him and he came with a scream, jets of white staining Loki's hand and the sheets beneath him.
Loki plunged once more before tight muscle clamped spastically on his cock, the excruciatingly sweet pleasure drawing his release. He withdrew but kept his arms around Tony and pulled him to his chest so they could lie in bed together.
The air was heavy with musk and sex and the pair, exhausted, tried to calm their breaths.
"Wow, best sex I've had in a while," said Tony, turning to look over his shoulder with a tired smirk, his voice hoarse. "And now, we're spooning."
"Yes, and now we take a bath and change these sheets," said Loki, pressing his lips on a bare shoulder.
"But I'm tired," Tony whined.
"You will not be doing any manual labor, Tony," said Loki dryly. "And I highly doubt you would want to sleep in these sheets."
"Yeah, true. You going to clean me up?"
"Of course."
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Bruce and Stephanie were already in the medical bay when Tony led Loki in. They were being all doctor-y, wearing their white coats and inspecting some of the equipment. Both were wearing glasses and Stephanie's long grey-streaked hair was tied in a tight bun on her head to keep it out of the way. The med bay looked just as it was before, sterile and all-white, though some of the equipment were moved closer to one of the beds where Tony was sure he was supposed to lie on.
Stephanie was the first to notice him and she waved them over, smiling in greeting at him before her scrutinizing eyes turned to Loki, assessing him silently as he met her gaze evenly. Tony noticed something pass between them but didn't know what and was just about to ask when Stephanie nodded in some kind of approval. He looked at Loki questioningly, an eyebrow raised but the god merely shook his head and gave him a quick peck on the lips before he could say anything.
"Yeah, that's just being unfair," he muttered at him lowly.
"We use what we must," was Loki's reply, a smirk on his face.
Tony scowled at him before it turned into a devious smirk. "Then, I'm sure you wouldn't mind using the couch again."
"I will not sleep in that infernal couch."
"Wanna bet? And I'll have you know, that Coussin is my favourite. It's custom made from high quality Egyptian cotton and cashmere."
"I do not care even if it was made from Elven silk. I will not sleep on that couch."
Before he could reply, Bruce called him, patting the bed expectantly. Sending a glare at Loki that only made the god chuckle, he stomped his way and laid in bed, leaning against the pillows and the slightly raised upper half that kept him elevated. Loki followed slowly, taking a chair on the way and sat beside him.
"Well, I've heard much about you but I believe this is the first time that we've met," said Stephanie, nodding at Loki as she held her hand out. "I'm Dr. Stephanie Jenner and I've been Tony's physician for the last couple of years."
"Loki Odinson," he said, taking the proffered hand and giving it a firm shake. "I am pleased to meet you."
"Same here," she answered. "Shall we begin? Bruce is still working on the equipment so I'll tell you what we know so far and the results of some tests we ran before." She took a folder from the lone desk, taking it with her and fiddling with the papers in search of something. She took some of the papers then settled the folder back on the bed. "Here we are.
"Now then, from our last check up, the baby was in its ninth week, about an inch big but we'll get to find out its measurements later. We also got the results for the DNA and blood tests. I've already shared the information with Bruce as he is your acting physician here and he will be when I return to California and we've made some startling discoveries.
"We are not certain of an Asgardian's DNA make up but from what we could see in the results, the baby appears completely human."
"Asgardian?" Loki repeated from his seat. "I am only Asgardian in name. I am a full-blooded Jotun."
"I'm sorry?" asked a startled Stephanie, blinking at him behind her glasses.
"I am a frost giant," the god repeated stiffly, shrewd green eyes narrowed as if waiting for judgment.
Whatever he expected Stephanie's reaction would be, it certainly was not fascination as the woman nodded with mumbled "even more surprising" and "truly incredible" as she took a pen from her pocket and jotted it down on her notes. He traded an inquiring glance at Tony who just shrugged at him.
"As I was saying, the baby appears biologically human from the tests but seeing as it is still half frost giant, we decided that it would be best to let it develop naturally. The best way to go about this, Anthony, is to let your body tell you what it needs. We won't prescribe any prenatal vitamins but you will keep to a healthy diet," she turned to Loki, "and it'll be your responsibility to make sure he doesn't eat anything that could harm himself and the baby."
"I understand," said Loki with a nod.
Stephanie went back to Tony. "We also had your and the baby's blood group and Rhesus status checked and both are matching so we don't have to worry about that."
Tony breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, that's good. I've been wondering about that."
"I'm happy you've been doing research on this, Anthony," she said before she noticed the confused look on Loki's face and continued to explain. "Simply put, we need Anthony's and the baby's Rhesus status to be compatible or we may risk Anthony's body rejecting the fetus. Both of them are RH positive. If they do not match, particularly if the baby is an RH negative, it can cause a miscarriage and Anthony's case would be a lot more dangerous since the fetus cannot be expelled from his body without surgery."
Loki paled at the possibilities but Tony held his hand, successfully distracting him and gave him a cheeky smile. "Hey, it's not going to happen."
"That's what these tests are for so we can determine the possibilities. Had Anthony and the baby not match, he will be given shots to counteract his body's responses to the baby," Stephanie assured. "Now, from the routine urine tests that you've been having with Bruce, your hormone levels are still lower than an average female and higher than an average male but like before, it doesn't seem to affect the baby much in terms of growth. I have to admit, I had been concerned for this since hormones are needed to stimulate development but the fetus appears resilient and the fact that you're already in your second trimester is quite remarkable."
Loki watched with wary fascination as Banner pulled the odd looking machine that was connected by wiring to some sort of handheld device in Banner's hand. He didn't quite understand the technicalities in the pregnancy aside from the fact that Tony and the babe were doing fine and that there were no complications found in these early stages. It was the most important thing he cared about anyway and the others could be learned.
"Hey, equipment's on and ready to go," Bruce announced.
"That's good. Now we can see the baby," said Stephanie. She turned to Loki with a beaming smile. "I'm sure you're excited to meet him or her."
He observed as Tony lifted his shirt, revealing his still small yet roundly taut belly, and hissed as some gel was coated liberally on his skin.
"That's freaking cold," he muttered.
"You'll forget about it soon enough," said Bruce as he moved the device over Tony's stomach and the machine gave a loud beep before an image was projected. "There we go."
Loki watched in fascination as the image cleared and focused on a small being lying curled up in a tiny ball, its eyes still closed and a hand pressed closely to its mouth. His heart pounded a little harder in his chest as he saw the small mouth open in a yawn before closing again, the nearly indistinguishable fingers curling into little fists. He could feel the smile that threatened to break his face in half as he viewed, with no small amusement, the tiny feet that began kicking almost impatiently before calming down. This little one, his child he began to truly realize, was just as restless as Tony.
"Well, JB doesn't look like a jellybean anymore, that's for sure," said Tony wryly as he looked at the image with a pleased smile on his face. "Looks more like an alien now… which is more accurate, the more I think about it. But at least it doesn't look like a horse, a puppy or a snake. Right, Loki?"
Loki rolled his eyes before going back to stare at JB.
"Well, the baby's grown so much since the last time I saw him," Stephanie commented happily. "Roughly three inches and that's the perfect size for a thirteen week old fetus. It's gonna be pretty busy – all teeth have developed and intestines are moving inside the stomach. Bones are starting to form as well as external genitalia. Maybe we can find out if the baby's a boy or a girl." She giggled as she caught JB's jerky movements. "It's normal also at this stage for the baby to move, as you can see."
"Yeah, I think JB's gonna do a real number on my innards when it grows bigger," Tony agreed, chuckling. He took a glance at Loki who was still mesmerized by the image of their baby and couldn't resist grinning wider. He turned his gaze to Bruce and Stephanie, an eyebrow raised. "I think you two know the gender already. I mean, you've had JB's DNA results for a while."
"That's a given," said Stephanie pleasantly. "But I thought it best that you two decide whether you'd like to know or not. Some parents like to be surprised.
"Anyway, the placenta is now forming and your uterus would be expanding. The coming weeks will be focused on growth so you'll gain weight as much as the baby grows. Now, the baby, as I've mentioned, is completely human in tests so gestation should be nine months. But, he or she is still a frost giant and the gestation period might be different so we cannot schedule you for a C-section in advance. We'll have to wait until the baby is ready to be born.
"On a lighter note, you should feel less fatigued now or less nauseated but I can't guarantee that since every pregnancy is different."
"What is this C-section?" Loki asked curiously.
"Basically, they're gonna cut me open, play around with my innards, take JB out and put my guts back where they belong," Tony stated, not noticing or choosing to ignore the way the god paled, the temperature in the room dropping almost instantly.
"Well, it's crudely put but that's about right. Anthony does not have a birth canal for the baby to pass through so we will have to get it out," Stephanie explained uncomfortably at a clearly shocked Loki. "Don't worry, it's a very safe, very quick procedure. Anthony would be the first male patient but most women are even conscious when the surgery is being performed and it's pretty painless."
There was silence and Stephanie could not help but send Tony a reproving glare as Loki seemed too consumed by the idea of Tony having surgery. Loki had never heard of such a thing being done before which is why it seemed unreal to him. In Asgard, the women gave birth the natural way. He was sure there were difficult births but still, Asgardian women persevere. The procedure was quite unimaginable even if he did understand that Tony's situation was different.
"Hey, you wanna know the gender now?" Bruce asked, breaking the sudden tension in the room.
"Do you?" said Tony, directing the question to Loki who was caught unawares, looking at Tony with startled eyes. "I'm fine either way."
"Yes, I'd like that very much," he answered nearly breathlessly as his gaze drew back to the baby, successfully diverted from thinking about bad things.
Bruce and Stephanie looked at each other with wide smiles. Bruce moved the device a bit, showing a different angle of the baby.
"Congratulations, you two, it's a boy!"
meru meru meru Page Break meru meru meru
Author's Note: Chapter Ten down! Wow... this took a lot out of me. :D I hope you like it and I hope it was worth the wait for everyone.
Send me a comment if you have any questions and stuff!
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