A/N: Had to rework the ending a lot cuz I didn't like it, but I think I've got it. Trying to keep up, kids! Doing my best. Enjoy! :)

XOXO, LaLa

In all the years Tony had been with Loki, he didn't think he had ever leaned on his partner the way he did following the news of Bruce's death. The moment he walked through the door when he got back to L.A., Loki was there, drawing him close, letting him cry on his shoulder. And he keenly kept the kids at bay while Tony was dealing with his unstable emotions.

Though there was one moment when Audrey had slipped away from Loki, and crept down to the lab where Tony had hidden himself. He hadn't heard her come down the steps—and frankly, he wasn't sure if he should be impressed or worried by that—so when he felt little fingers prod at his back he had jerked up straight, spinning around wildly in his chair. Unfazed, Audrey had simply climbed into his lap, wrapped her arms around him and drew him close, asking quietly if he was sad because Uncle Brucie had gone up to heaven. He had murmured a soft yes into her shoulder, and his baby girl nearly broke his heart in a completely different way, when she leaned back, cupped his bearded face, looked him straight in the eye and said, "It's okay, Daddy. You'll see him again someday. But 'til then I'm gonna take care of you."

For the most part, between him and Loki, Tony had always been the one to do the comforting, especially in that first year together, dealing with Loki's issues with Thor, Odin, and Laufey. Tony was secure in that position, even if Loki wasn't always happy being the consoled one; he felt less vulnerable being the strong one for his husband.

Thinking back, he had never shed a tear for Howard. At the time, he was all cried out over Loki leaving him, and he let Pepper take care of the details of Howard's headline-making funeral and the handling of his will. By the time Milton had passed, Tony had shut off that part of himself, returning to the mostly amoral, unemotional mess he was before Loki had come along.

Losing Bruce had hit him hard; made all the more devastating because Tony had just seen him at Loki's birthday party over a month before. He wished he had spent more time with him that day.

Just days after he had returned home to L.A., Tony and Loki were flying back to the east coast, leaving the kids behind with Clint and Natasha—who would be flying in later when dates had been decided. Since that afternoon Thor had burst into Coulson's office, Tony wondered why his brother-in-law felt the need to alert the agent of Bruce's death. He was aware there were a few possibilities of how they knew each other, but he still wondered at their connection.

He found out exactly what it was at the reading of Bruce's will.

Apparently, once Bruce had signed over the controlling share in the lab to Jane, he had also hired recently-retired-senator-turned-lawyer Thor, for his business and personal needs. Bruce kept a small share in the lab, giving him free reign to come and go as he pleased. And while he was retired from most of the major work he had done in his career, the scientist had taken on a position with S.H.I.E.L.D., a very small one, supervising the mediocre scientists attempting to do the job Tony had refused to so many years ago.

Tony was floored by that particular revelation. As was Jane, who refused to even look at Thor for the remainder of the meeting, angry that he had never disclosed this information to her personally.

Thor had prepared the will, and even as his wife pointedly ignored him, he read aloud Bruce's wishes. He preferred no services but realized his friends would want to do something and asked that they kept it small and nondenominational, as he prescribed to no one religion himself. Bruce had been married once, Tony and Jane discovered. But Bruce's work and teaching schedule interfered and they parted amicably after just a few short years of marriage. Still, after all this time apart, he made sure she would be taken care of.

Bruce made a small donation to the university, as well, and Jane received a private letter, but it was Tony who got the biggest endowment. No one was more surprised than him; even Loki wasn't very shocked when he told him, though he was very grateful. Like Jane, Tony had received a private letter; only his explained the inheritance—and other things, that later had Tony crouched in a tub in the bathroom of their hotel room, crying tears he didn't know he still had in him.

Bruce had written that his marriage hadn't produced any children, that he had devoted his life to his work. Science was his baby. Then an incredibly intelligent, smart aleck spoiled brat walked into his classroom—and some things changed. Namely, Bruce had taken Tony under his wing, both professionally and personally. Where most saw a cocky, rich kid looking for a good time, Bruce saw a lost boy, striving to please a father who would never care, covering it all up with witty sarcasm and an irresistible charm. But he also saw a brilliant scientist just waiting to emerge.

Bruce called Tony the son he had always wanted, but never got around to having—making Tony regret that he never got the chance to tell Bruce how much he cared about him and that he was a better father figure than Howard could have dreamt to be. And the best mentor he could have ever asked for.

Still, he was shocked that Bruce would leave him so much. His share in the lab, his home—that went back two generations in Bruce's family, but had no descendants to be given to—and the thousands of notebooks, compiled notes, every single detail of all of Bruce's life's work, all bequeathed to one Anthony Edward Stark.

The genius felt incredibly unworthy.

The day of the funeral, Tony was uncharacteristically quiet. No church services were held, as Bruce requested; just friends and colleagues, and other former students, aside from Tony himself and Jane, gathered at the funeral parlor for a memorial of sorts. Bruce had been cremated and Tony stared stoically, from the back of the room, at the decorative urn that now held the remains of his old friend.

Jane started to speak, to tell a story of her time with the scientist. But halfway through, her emotions got the better of her and Thor had to help her back to her seat. Others spoke as well, recalling Bruce's mild manner, high intelligence, and quiet sweetness.

After the last person had gone up—a man who had been an undergrad with Bruce—and spoken of their first failed experiment, Loki had looked to Tony, silently questioning if he would speak of the man who had such an influence on his life. But Tony gave a short shake of his head and left the room. He couldn't bring himself to talk about Bruce. It was too fresh, too soon—too painful.

A small reception was going to take place at a favorite bar and restaurant of Bruce's not far away. Tony didn't want to go; he just wanted to go back to the hotel room and mope alone. He had snapped at both Thor and Loki for trying to convince him to go. In the end, all it took was a teary request from Jane to join her for a drink and toast their friend.

So Tony went and parked himself at the bar, nursing a glass of Jack Daniels—because he felt like it, damn it—while the others sat at a huge round table and shared stories of "Dr. B," everyone's favorite science professor.

And Tony added another line to his long list of regrets.

Loki watched his husband from his seat next to his brother. And wondered what he had done wrong. He had been understanding; he had been comforting. He even made sure the kids didn't add any more stress to the grief Tony was working through.

And it was grief, he knew. Tony rarely expressed the emotion, but Loki knew how much Tony revered Dr. Banner since their college days, and before—before Loki entered the picture. Not even Pepper could get through to him at this point. And she had tried, over the phone, unable to fly out for the services.

He smiled and laughed with everyone else when Clint shared a story of having to ask for an extension on the date of a term paper because he'd contracted mono from one of his many hook-ups. Natasha didn't find that story very funny. Eventually, Loki wandered outside to call Frigga and check on the kids, because he needed to hear their voices. The phone rang three times before it was picked up, surprisingly by Sebastian.

"Odinson residence."

Loki grinned at his son's voice. "Hello, Sebastian."

"Hi, Pop. How's dad?"

He pursed his lips a little, momentarily beaming with pride for his thoughtful son. "Oh, he's the same so far. How are you? How are the lines coming along?" he asked, referring to the new play Sebastian was going to be in the next month. An adaptation of Sleeping Beauty called Briar Rose, in which he would be playing the good prince.

The boy sighed unhappily. "Fine…"

Loki's lips twitched as he resisted the urge to smile more. "Is Ana still being difficult?"

"Kinda," he muttered.

"Give her time, darling. She'll come around. Or you could take a page from your father's book and just burst into whatever room she happens to be in, demanding that she speak to you, no matter what she's doing."

Sebastian laughed softly, but more than he had in a while. It sounded like music to Loki's ears. "Did dad really do that? To you?"

"Yes, he did. He nearly scared your Aunt Peggy to death. And your Aunt Natasha was ready to punch him in the throat." They shared another laugh before Loki remembered where he was and quieted. "Your brother and sister; are they behaving?"

"Uh, Jazz is. Audi got in trouble."

Loki sighed heavily. His little troublemaker. "What did she do?"

"She got mad at Ro—for some reason, I dunno—and pushed him. He fell on a table, took the table down and broke some porcelain thing that bestefar Odin had given bestemor Frigga forever ago."

Loki groaned softly, closing his eyes. "Not the one of the Norse goddess?"

"Yeah…I think so."

"Oh, that child is the cause of all of my gray hairs," he muttered, ignoring Sebastian's ensuing question for clarification. "Is she near you?"

"No. Bestemor made her sit in a corner, facing the wall."

Loki frowned in thought then laughed at the memory of all the times he and Thor had been sent to a corner like that. More Thor than him. "Let me talk to your grandmother."

"Okay, hold on. Bestemor!"

"Mm. Sebastian. My ear."

"Sorry."

Loki waited and listened as Sebastian went searching for Frigga. He heard Audrey's soft voice, but couldn't hear what she was saying. But Sebastian's responding, "No, you're bad," was loud and clear. As was Audrey's resulting wail.

"Sebastian, do not taunt her," he scolded lightly.

"Sorry, Pop, I couldn't help it."

"Try."

"Papaaaaaaa!"

Loki pulled the phone from his face, so he could groan impatiently, then brought it back to tell Sebastian to pass the phone to the crying little girl. Sebastian grumbled but did it anyway. "Here, you big cry baby." Loki waited for Audrey to come on the line and managed to calm her down and lightly reprimand her for breaking a treasured item of Frigga's before the harried grandmother finally came to the phone.

"Loki? Darling, are you there?"

A sense of calm and comfort immediately came over Loki at the sound of his mother's voice. "I'm here, mother. I just wanted to check on the kids. And make sure they aren't driving you mad."

Frigga chuckled. "I think your little one needs a nap and a talking-to, but otherwise, they're all just fine. Though, Loki, darling, is there something going on with Bash and Natasha's little girl? He's been trying to butter her up all day and she just will not have it."

"It's…complicated," he answered almost hesitantly. "I fear it will only get worse as they reach their teen years."

His mother laughed one of her knowing laughs, making him frown. "Not to be a meddler, my love, but have you or Tony had the S-E-X talk with your boy?"

"I—"

"What's S-E-X?" Loki heard Audrey's voice, sounding far away.

Great. "Thank you for that, Mother," he said dryly into the phone. She ignored him, addressing his little girl instead.

"Don't you worry your pretty little head about it, dearest. Now, go to sleep."

"But I wanna know now!"

"Hush, child. You do not raise your voice to me. Now, go." Loki waited quietly, feeling almost sorry for Audrey being scolded, until Frigga returned to the line. "Are you sure you're all right, Loki? How is Tony doing? Any change?"

He sighed softly, doing his best to restrain the most of it. "No. He's still not talking to me—or anyone for that matter. He stood in the back at the service and now…he's simply sitting at the bar. Alone."

"Oh…well, give him time, darling. He'll come around." Loki smiled at his echoed words to Sebastian. "You could always force him to talk to you; but then, forcing Tony to do anything doesn't always go over well, does it?"

"Not usually, no."

Frigga made a soft sympathetic noise. "This was a big loss for him, min sønn. You remember what it was like when your father passed."

Loki unintentionally scoffed, but smiled with it. "I was saddened, yes, since we had finally found some common ground and Sebastian was only an infant, but I spent most of my time consoling Thor. Anthony will not even let me do that."

"He will come to you in his own time, my love."

"I suppose he will. I should get back inside. Oh! I didn't get a chance to speak to Jameson. Give him a kiss for me?"

"I will. Take care, darling."

"See you later, mother." Loki ended the call, exhaling a long breath as he stared at his phone. He contemplated texting Tony, just to see if he would respond that way. Shaking his head at the thought, he turned to head back in and when he pulled open the door, Natasha's big belly came out first.

"There you are. Where've you been?"

"I was checking in on the kids. Are you leaving so soon?" Loki looked between Natasha and Clint as they stepped completely out of the restaurant. He pursed his lips at Natasha when she groaned and stretched her back.

"Tasha's not feeling so hot."

"I need a bed," she bemoaned, making Loki and Clint chuckle. "Tony looked pretty ensconced in his whiskey, so…" Loki frowned at that. "Give him our love," she said as she pulled Loki into a hug. He pressed a kiss to her temple.

"I will. Check on Rowan and let me know how he is." He winced a little, trying to smile as well, when Clint and Natasha both frowned at him. "There may have been a little incident with him and Audrey."

Clint groaned loudly, throwing his head back. "Please tell me it's not another puppy love thing. I can't handle another Bash and Ana." Loki laughed harder than he meant to.

"No, no, just Audrey being her usual bullying self. No matter what we do we just cannot seem to break her of this hitting and pushing phase. I think bringing in another baby may make things worse."

"Hit her back," Natasha said bluntly.

"Tasha," Clint scolded her lightly, turning to give her a reprimanding look, as Loki let out a laughing, "What?"

She scoffed at her husband. "Give her a taste of her own medicine. I'm not saying you have to beat the girl, but if she doesn't know what it's like to get hit, she doesn't know what she's doing to her friends and cousins and siblings. So show her."

"Or perhaps I should simply have her spend a day with you," Loki offered with a grin.

"Or you could do that." Natasha laughed and it quickly turned into a pained groan and she bent forward a little, pressing a hand to her back, and Clint rushed forward, wrapping his arms around his wife from beside her.

"Come on, baby. Let's go. See you later, Loke."

"Bye." Loki waved at them, watched them until they disappeared around the corner into the parking lot then stepped into the restaurant. He was heading for the group still around the table—he could hear Thor's hearty laugh—and decided he would need a drink himself, just to help him relax. He stepped up to the bar's side, deciding to let Tony be, on the other side of the long mahogany bar. When the bartender approached, Loki quietly ordered a gin and tonic. He wasn't alone but a moment when he felt someone approach him to his side. Because the shadow cast over the bar top was so big he assumed it was Thor. He quickly learned it was not.

"Hey, beautiful." Loki shifted uncomfortably as the sandy-haired man leaned toward him and said nothing. "Can I buy that drink for you?"

Pointedly not looking directly at him, Loki sighed to let the man know he wasn't interested. "I am perfectly capable of purchasing my own drink, thank you. And even if I wasn't, I'm sure my husband would gladly do it." He turned his eyes to the man, nearly glaring.

"Oh, so you got a husband, huh? And where is this lucky guy? Cause, I'll tell ya, if you were my husband, I wouldn't—"

A throat cleared loudly and Loki couldn't help but smirk as the man turned to look at the source. Tony raised a hand, wiggling his fingers in a cutesy wave as he continued to drink from his glass. Red-faced, the man turned away and left, leaving Loki chuckling to himself, pausing when Tony called out a soft, "Hey," for his attention.

When Loki looked at him, he jerked his head to motion him over, and the raven-haired man pointed at himself as if to say 'me?' Tony chuckled and waved him over.

"C'mere."

Loki picked up his gin and tonic just as the bartender set it before him and walked around to lean against the bar next to Tony, facing him. "Hello," he murmured, unsure what else he should say.

Tony looked up at him with bloodshot, watery eyes. "Hey, baby."

Loki bit back a sigh; his heart hurt seeing Tony like this. It went quiet between them for a few moments, and when Loki started to speak, Tony did, too.

"How are you—?"

"I'm sorry I—"

They both chuckled then Tony motioned for him to speak. "I just wanted to know how you were doing."

"Fine," he answered with a lazy shrug. He pressed a finger to Loki's chest, dragging it down to hook around his suit jacket where it was buttoned. "I've missed you today."

Loki lifted his brows. "I've been right here. All day."

The genius looked down, laid a hand over Loki's, and laced their fingers, bringing their joined hands to his chest. "I know," he rasped. He looked up again, his eyes never wavering from Loki's even as they glistened. "Do you have any idea how much I love you?"

Loki felt a little flutter at the direct eye contact and the unexpected words, and pursed his lips a little. "No. I only know that you do."

"I do." Tony tugged on Loki's hand to bring him closer. "Lay one on me."

The standing man stumbled forward, blinking at the sudden change in his husband. He grinned, and had to fight back laughter. "What?"

"Gimme a kiss," he demanded softly, raising his chin, offering his mouth. Loki sighed in a bit of exasperation, but lowered his lips to Tony's anyway, intending to give him a simple peck. He should've known better. Tony slipped a hand into his hair, keeping him in place against his mouth, deepening the kiss, sliding his tongue along the seam of Loki's lips then curling up inside it. Loki pressed a hand to his chest.

"Mm. Anthony." The word was mumbled against the genius' lips.

"Hmm?"

Loki laughed against his mouth, struggling to move away, his eyes darting around the room. Thankfully, no one was looking at them. "We are in public."

"So what?" Tony undid the buttons of Loki's suit jacket, slid his arm inside of it, and tugged him even closer. Loki was finally able to lift his mouth away anyway and let out a soft grumble as Tony moved to focus on his neck, pushing back as much as his husband would allow.

"Anthony, what were you going to say?" He chuckled when Tony placed two kisses at his neck. Tony leaned back and smiled softly.

"That I'm sorry I've been so…distant. I think I regressed a little this past week."

Loki softened instantly, brushed a hand over Tony's hair where it was slightly mussed from Tony wringing his hands through it all day. "You've been in mourning, darling. And this was a big loss for you. The biggest since your mother, I would presume."

The genius reached for Loki's hand, bringing it down and pressing his lips to his fingers. He lingered there a moment before looking up into his eyes. "I don't deserve you."

Loki chuckled, amused at first, then grew quiet when he realized Tony was being serious. "You don't mean that…do you?"

"Loki," he sighed. "I…" He jerked when Loki laid a hand over his mouth.

"Stop. Don't say another word. You are feeling a lot of things right now, love, the foremost emotion being grief." He moved his hand to brush his fingers across Tony's cheek, down to cup around the side of his neck. "But I will not allow you to sit here and wallow in what you think are your regrets and mistakes."

"But I could've been better, babe. To you, to the kids, to Pepper, and Stark Industries and S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Better than what? You are a wonderful husband…when you put in the effort," he added with a small smile. "And you are such a good father to our children. You give your all to your work—to the point of frustration for me, but…" Tony snorted and laughed but grew quiet when Loki cupped his face, lifting it to his as he leaned down toward him. "You make me happy. And let's face it, I'm the only one that matters."

Tony laughed, a deep rumble in his chest that shook his whole body, and it warmed Loki to hear it, so he lowered his mouth to his.

"You are aware we can see you, are you not?"

"Shut up, Thor," they responded in unison, laughing when the table, including Thor, laughed with them. Loki playfully glared at Thor as Tony slipped his arm around his waist and pulled him closer.

"You talk to the kids yet?"

"Yes. They're fine," Loki answered, leaning into Tony, draping an arm around his neck. "But there was a small incident with Audrey and Rowan."

Tony groaned, figured his baby girl likely beat the crap out of Natasha's kid. "Any casualties?"

Loki winced a little. "Hmm, only mother's Freya goddess statue. Odin gave her that on their first wedding anniversary."

"Yikes. I guess a replacement wouldn't mean much."

"Not likely." Loki scrunched up his nose and shook his head.

"Hey…" Loki thought Tony was in a better mood now, as he laid his hands at Loki's waist, and wiggled him a little. "D'you think Mama Frigga would be willing to keep the monsters overnight?"

Loki angled his head, but couldn't help the curve of his lips. "Why?" His lips curved more when Tony covertly let his hand slide over Loki's hip and down to cup his ass.

"I want to spend a night with you, uninterrupted."

"Just you and me?" he asked with a cock of his brow. Tony nodded and bit his lip. "I would like that very much," he murmured and pressed a chaste, sweet kiss to his lips. He pulled away before Tony could press it any further and slipped his hands into Tony's. "Come now. Join your friends for a bit."

Tony glanced at the table and started to follow Loki. "Yeah, okay—" He paused when his phone began to vibrate in his jacket pocket. "Damn it."

"Ignore it." Loki tugged on his arm, but Tony already had his phone out.

"Ah, I can't. It's Coulson."

"Why is he calling? I thought you turned everything that you'd been working on over to him."

Tony looked down at his phone. "Um, yeah. I did. Probably just a question or something." He stepped forward and pecked the corner of Loki's mouth, giving his hand a squeeze. "Be back in a bit."

Loki watched him go with a frown, angry with himself for immediately feeling suspicious again.

"Loki. Come join us."

He nodded at his brother, picked up his drink and asked for a refill for Tony before moving to the table to sit beside Thor.

"Mr. Stark."

Tony rolled his eyes as he exited the restaurant and put the phone at his ear. "Cut it out, Phil. What do you want? And why didn't you come to the funeral?"

"I've been trying to get something out of Morgan. I couldn't get away. But there was an arrangement sent by S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Whatever."

"Stark. He'll talk. But only to you."

Tony let out a long breath. "Seriously?"

"Yes. Can you get back today?"

Tony thought of Loki and having the night with him. He needed it, needed the contact with his husband, to just lose himself in those arms, those legs, that body. To remember what it felt like to show him how he loved him and how it felt to be loved. To be alive. "No. Sorry. But I'm not rushing my kids and Loki onto a plane without a good enough excuse."

He could hear Coulson sigh. "Tony. You're going to have to tell him eventually."

"My way, my time. Got it?" He took Phil's silence as confirmation. "See you when I see you." Tony ended the call, and not for the first time in his life, missed the satisfaction of slamming a phone receiver down to do so.

The genius stood there for a moment, in front of the restaurant, ignoring passerby and the fast-moving traffic on the busy street, lost in his thoughts, anger building. He was sick of this, sick of other people dictating his life. And not just the asshole who broke into his house. He'd had about all he could take from S.H.I.E.L.D., and contemplated terminating his relationship as consultant with them, once this mess was fixed and behind him. Somewhere in the back of his busy, preoccupied mind, Tony was recalling stuff he'd learned in that one psych class he took his third year in college. Psychobabble bullshit he didn't buy into one bit, but one word from that dreaded class was coming to the forefront of his thoughts: projecting. He was projecting, he knew it. He was angry with himself, for letting this whole situation get so out of hand.

Pacing a little bit, fingers snapping and hands clapping in a nervous habit he hadn't exhibited in years—literally not since he and Loki had gotten married, Tony considered his options. Damn it, he thought, kicking a random pebble with his shiny dress shoe. Phil was right; he needed to tell Loki. And he knew in his heart, had he just been honest with Loki, back in September, about the woman and his suspicions, if he had just let Loki have that talk like he wanted, maybe…

"Anthony?"

"What?" Tony whirled around, surprised at his husband's voice. "Hey, babe. You snuck up on me." He grinned at his husband, eyebrows twitching a little at the look on Loki's face.

"Is everything all right?"

"With what?"

Loki's brows drew together over narrowed green eyes. "Agent Coulson. That was who were speaking with, was it not?"

Tony's back went up a bit at Loki's suspicious tone and the way his husband crossed his arms and raised his chin. He moved like royalty sometimes. "Yeah. Everything's fine. He just wanted to make sure that S.H.I.E.L.D.'s arrangement arrived with no problem. Since, you know, he couldn't make it." Loki kept his hard gaze on him, almost penetrating right through him.

"Was that all?"

"Mm-hmm, yeah…" Loki didn't look convinced. Tony started closer, already reaching for Loki's hands.

"How long do you think you can keep this up?"

Panic ran a direct line up Tony's spine, had him freezing mid-reach. He quickly relaxed and tried a chuckle. "Keep what up? What are you talking about, babe?"

Loki was trying to control himself, Tony could tell. His lips were a thin straight line, his jaw muscles twitched. Tony had a hard time not squirming under that harsh gaze. "All these years…"

Shit goddamn it motherfucking hell.

"And you still think I cannot tell when you're keeping something from me?"

Tony tried a laugh and a smile, stepping closer. "Loki, I'm not keeping—"

"No." Loki took one step back, distancing himself from Tony, and dropped his arms. He shook his head and reached for the door handle. "I do not want to have this conversation right now."

Shit, shit, shit. Tony's heart started to pound and he snagged Loki's elbow, pulling him away from the restaurant's door when he tried to go back in. "Babe, you're overreacting."

"No." Loki yanked his arm from Tony's grasp, holding up one long, firm finger. "You do not get to put this on me. You have been keeping something from me for months now. You think I cannot see how you are struggling with something?"

"I'm not—I'm not struggling. Loki—I'm fine." Shit, how did Loki know? Wasn't he a better liar than this once upon a time?

"You're not fine."

Tony jolted back a little at the near snarl that came out of Loki. "Loki." His own voice was soft, reprimanding.

"You are hiding something from me, your husband, and now you are lying. Again."

Tony was starting to sweat and the only thing his brain could compute was fix this, fix this now. "Loki, I'm not—"

"Anthony." Again, Loki's tone shut Tony up. "Stop lying to me."

Tony's anger resurfaced and he scowled hard at Loki. "I did not lie to you." Technically. "So quit blowing everything out of proportion and making my work stuff about us."

Loki straightened his back and sighed, holding out his hand. "Give me the keys to the car."

"What?" Tony asked the question even as he reached into his pocket for the keys to the rental car—an understated black sedan that Loki forced him to get because the kids wouldn't fit comfortably in the Mustang convertible he really wanted. The second his hand was out of his pocket, Loki snatched the keys from him. "Where are you going?"

Loki turned away and started for the parking lot. "To my mother's to pick up the children then back to the hotel."

Disappointment and fear settled like heavy metals in Tony's belly as he followed. "Wait! I thought we were gonna spend the night alone, just the two of us." He stumbled to a halt when Loki stopped and half-turned to face him, eyes narrowed.

"When you are ready to share with me what is going on with you, we shall do that. Until then, I will be with our children."

Tony clenched his teeth and trailed after Loki again, as he continued to the car. "Come on, Loki. We're gonna go through this shit again? You said you didn't want to do this today. We're at Bruce's fucking funeral! Can't you take a day off from accusing me of—"

"I have accused you of nothing, Anthony, but not being honest with me." Loki had halted by the car, after just unlocking it with a button on the keyring. "This could all be solved if you would just tell me what is going on."

Tony watched his husband, practically begging before him, and still his mouth wouldn't move to give him what he wanted. "There's nothing—"

Loki scoffed angrily, throwing his hands up. He started around the car and Tony moved to get in the passenger side. But just as he got it open, Loki was there, slamming it shut again. After locking it.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going alone," Loki muttered, rounding the car to the driver's side. Tony stared, open-mouthed, and frowning.

"What? What the hell am I supposed to do?"

"You're so used to doing things on your own, Anthony," Loki paused, one foot in the car, and flicked his eyes up. "Figure it out."

Tony stood by, fuming, as Loki drove off and left him behind.