New chapter again! Now, first things – THERE IS NO SMUT IN THIS CHAPTER! Sorry, but I gave fair warnings that plot would start happening. However, the next chapter will be back to smut – I just needed to get this major plot-point out the way.
There are WARNINGS for this chapter; but if I put them here then it will give away the plot. So here's my compromise: If you are a person easily offended then please hit the End button – I have put the warnings/spoilers at the END of this chapter for you to skip to. On that note, there is NO rape/non-con/torture here; just…something that people usually put warnings for. Nothing too gory, I promise. And if you read the past two chapters of heavy smut then I can't imagine this will cause too much offence ^_^
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Loki did turn up again, a few days later.
And then a week after that.
And then a few more times.
And then vanished.
Tony wasn't sure what to make of it really. Each time had been furious, intense, and well worth any repercussions, so he couldn't fathom why the God had suddenly dropped off the face of the planet. The last time they'd met up had been late January, and now it was September and he hadn't heard a thing.
He was a little worried. It wasn't as if he liked the guy, but Loki was technically a God, and had the strength and power that went with the title, so to disappear off the radar meant something had possibly happened. And if something was strong enough to take out Loki then the Avengers should probably know about it!
But nothing happened.
There were no intergalactic attacks, no frantic messages from Asgard and – much to Tony's frustration – no hidden sexual escapades.
It was worrying and unfortunately not something he was able to talk to any of the others about. As far as the rest of the team knew, Loki had not been seen since escaping from Thor's custody after his take-over-the-world bid. That made it hard for Tony to explain how he was currently concerned for the trickster's whereabouts, and how he knew that the God had even gone missing in the first place.
It was over half a year. Something was most certainly wrong.
And then, from out of no-where, in the middle of a cold September night, Loki reappeared right in Ironman's bedroom.
Tony had been sat in bed, tablet on his lap and watching a film when a sudden burst of light made him look up so sharply that his neck cricked. For a brief moment he wondered if something had exploded – after all, he did keep some unfinished projects close to hand in case he had a brainwave in the middle of the night. As it was his gaze fell upon the figure currently leaning on his chest of draws, looking decidedly worse for wear.
It was during moments like these that Stark was immensely grateful his brain could process things so quickly. His gaze took in the slumped posture, the wary darting glances and immediately drew two swift conclusions. 1) Loki was in trouble and 2) It had to be big trouble for him to appear in a space that was knowingly monitored.
"JARVIS, emergency protocol 58008." His voice was steady, despite the burning gaze staring at him.
"But sir, Miss Potts-"
"I don't care. 58008, no communication into or out of this room without my say-so." He was glad that he'd thought fast enough to head the AI off before it alerted Pepper, SHEILD and the rest of the Avengers. JARVIS had no way of over-riding the protocol he'd just put in place.
The green glare that had been watching him like a hawk simmered down a little, Loki's body posture relaxing slightly as he realised he wasn't walking into a fight.
"So." Tony met the intense gaze head-on. "You disappear for nearly a year then turn up in the middle of a room that you know is crawling with surveillance in the middle of the Avenger's HQ. You're smarter than that."
"In theory." In the dim light Stark could just make out the tired grin that appeared on the God's face. It was possibly the gentlest expression he'd ever seen the trickster portray.
Standing up and tossing the tablet aside he realised that the mien was very reminiscent of that look they'd received at the end of the battle when Loki had realised he was beaten. That hopeless little smile and the quip about the drink he was owed. So innocent and so utterly defeated and broken.
"What's happened?" Tony's voice was hard and flat. It was obvious that Loki was under the weather – if such a thing can be said of God's – but currently all the human cared about was how much danger Loki's presence was putting the Avenger's in.
"Nothing has happened, I can assure you." In complete contrast to that the God limped – yes, limped, Tony noticed – forwards, hand clinging to the chest of drawers for support. And completely contrary to his statement he looked like hell. Usually so impeccably dressed, it seemed like appearances had been the last thing on his mind when he'd thrown a rumpled green tunic over a faded version of his usual black trousers. The fact that he even had casual clothes conjured the odd thought that the trickster may actually have a home of some sort out there somewhere.
"Bullshit. Something has dealt you some damage and I know it sure as hell wasn't one of us." Tony folded his arms. "So spill; what's happened?"
The tone of voice made Loki straighten to his full and impressive height, his eyes flashing in fury. "Do you forget to whom you speak, Stark?!" The vulnerable expression had fled his face, replaced with hard anger and a coldness to match Tony's own.
"Of course I don't, goat-horns, which is why I'm trying to ascertain if you turning up here will bring down a whole load of shit on our heads!"
"Just your head, Stark, I can assure you."
Tony scowled. "Oh brilliant. I should have guessed that much." He glared as Loki slowly made his way to the foot of the bed and sat down, rumpling the red covers. There was definitely something wrong with the trickster, but if he wasn't going to talk then the man could at least pursue other lines of enquiry. "Where have you been all this time?"
That earned him a raised eyebrow. "Why? Missed me, Stark?" The old malice reappeared in that reply. "Maybe I'd just grown bored with you."
"Not if your reactions to our little meetings have been any indication. No-one gets bored of Tony Stark. Not even a God." Tony met the malice with arrogance, his head tilted up at a haughty angle.
If he was hoping to get anger as a reaction then he was disappointed when Loki just laughed. The trickster's evil little chuckle made it very clear that whatever the joke was, it was on Tony.
"Oh my, Stark. That sounds far too much like a defensive lover." He hissed, green eyes sparkling with vindictiveness. "Were you worried, Ironman?"
"Only for the team." Tony snapped, his own eyes narrowing as he glared down at the God. Since he was still standing and Loki had sat down, for once he actually towered over the trickster and used the effect to its full advantage. He was very used to people trying to intimidate him with their height so now he was trying the same tactic. "Why the hell would I worry about you?"
"Your voice is saying one thing, your body language another. My disappearance upset you."
The human huffed and seemed to throw the remark aside. "Where have you been then? You've obviously taken a beating." He sneered. "Wouldn't like to meet someone who could deal you some damage."
Loki scowled, shifting uneasily where he sat, obviously in pain and trying to relieve the discomfort. "Contrary to your opinion, I have not been in a fight, and I most certainly have not 'taken a beating' as you phrase it."
"Yeah. Like I'm going to believe that; God of Lies." Tony was beginning to wonder if maybe he hadn't actually mis-interpreted the situation, but now that he was in the middle of an argument he'd be blowed if he'd back down and admit it. "Where have you been for eight months?"
As it was, the trickster lived up to his reputation of craftiness as he blind-sided the whole conversation. "What does your Norse mythology tell you of me, Stark?"
"Huh?" Ironman swept a hand through his hair as he tried to follow where the train of conversation was going. "Are you fishing for compliments or something? Stop trying to change the topic!"
"I'm not. But you'll need some back ground information before I start trying to explain myself to you." Loki succeeded in making that sound like the dreariest chore in the nine realms. Maybe it was to him. "What do you know of me?"
"Other than that you tried to take over the world?"
"Stop being obtuse, Stark."
Tony shrugged and spread his hands in the universal gesture of 'I don't know'. "What are you trying to get me to say? I know the generic myths; lips sewn shut, mistletoe dart, the whole snake dripping venom thing. The usual."
Loki's eyes had narrowed dangerously, but he persisted. "And my family?"
"You have messed up relations. Oh and then there's the crazy kids thing."
"The crazy kids thing."
Ironman rolled his eyes at the cold tone, refusing to be cowed. "Yeah. You have to admit that your children are less than normal."
"Continue."
"Where do I start?! Giant crazy wolf thing, huge-ass world serpent, demon daughter ruling Hell. Not to mention the horse!" The glare that was levelled on him made Tony realise that this probably wasn't the best way to approach what had to be a sensitive subject. "Hey, you asked."
"Yes, I did." Loki shifted again uneasily, a wince crossing his face. "And do you know of my children's origins?"
By this point Tony was entirely at sea, not having a clue where this conversation was taking him and still no closer to discovering what the hell the God had been up to.
"The snake, girl and wolf had a frost giant mum, your two normal ones had an Æsir mum and the horse was yours." There was a very definite snigger at the end of the sentence, making Tony sound like a high-schooler.
The God merely folded his arms with an impatient sigh. "Yes, I birthed Sleipnir, what does that tell you about me?"
"You've got a kinky taste in bed-partners?"
"No Stark!"
Ironman saw red.
"Then stop trying to make me second guess you and for once in your stupidly long life speak fucking plainly you stupid son of a bitch!"
Tony's outburst seemed to surprise them both. Loki had lent back a little, one hand bracing himself on the bed covers as he stared at the human. In the history of their knowing one another Tony had never been the one to let loose in rage; rather he much preferred to wind his partner up instead. For him to have raised his voice in anger meant that Loki's disappearance had impacted on him more than he would have wished and far more than he had wanted the God to know.
"Speak plainly." The man repeated the last two words, but this time at a more normal volume. "Where have you been and what is wrong with you?"
"I was speaking plainly. You were just being impatient."
"Well maybe you should remember that I don't have any patience!"
"For Valhalla's sake Stark!" The deep snarl reminded Tony just who he was dealing with, but for once there was no-corresponding flare of magic. "For once in your pointless life, why don't you just listen when someone is trying to tell you something?!" The furious glare could have soldered iron.
Despite being one of the smartest people on the planet, Tony very rarely paid attention to other people and their feelings. However, he was beginning to realise what Loki was trying to do. The God had something important to impart and couldn't bring himself to just spit it out and so was trying to find an appropriate analogy. Tony had done the same thing so many times himself that it was practically the way he communicated nowadays.
With that in mind the man took a deep breath and tried to calm his temper down. "Fine. Your family, your kids. What are you trying to tell me?"
"You mentioned Sleipnir."
"The wolf?"
"No, the horse." Loki rubbed a tired hand across his eyes. "I gave birth, Stark. What does that tell you about me?"
A large number of comments came to Tony's mind but he tried to keep the conversation going this time. What did a male carrying a child mean? "You're a shapeshifter? Or a woman in disguise?"
"The term you are looking for is hermaphrodite. Neither male nor female."
The mortal shook his head. "Nuh uh, I've seen you naked. You're very much male down there, Capricorn."
"No. I appear male. When I was younger I performed a spell so that it wasn't obvious on the outside what I was." Loki's expression turned to a grin, half wry and half dark. "I thought I was a freak, as much as my dear parents tried to tell me otherwise. What they didn't deign to explain was that it was part of my Jötunn heritage. Jötunn's don't have the two sexes, there is just the one that can both impregnate and be impregnated."
Something was beginning to claw at the back of Tony's mind by this point. A horrible little suspicion that he could hardly bare to entertain.
"Loki…What the hell are you trying to say…?!
The God laughed mirthlessly, burying his head in his hands. "What do you think I'm trying to say, Stark?"
Silence throughout the room.
For the longest moment Ironman hardly dared to entertain the thought. It wasn't until he realised that Loki's shoulders were shaking – that the trickster was deadly serious about this that the enormity of it hit him.
Oh God…!
Tony could almost physically feel his legs turn to jelly and he wobbled over to sit down heavily next to the God. "No…"
"I'm sorry." Two words that Ironman had never thought to hear from SHEILD's number one enemy.
"How can…God no!" Tony shook his head in horrified numbness, staring blankly at the floor. "Are you sure…?"
"More than. I've had nine months to be sure."
"…And it's definitely…"
"Yours? Oh yes. Positive." Loki's voice was bitter and soft, as if he was in the same state of shock – although thinking about it logically Tony realised the God must have known since he went missing.
"So this is why you went AWOL then." He said flatly.
"Indeed. Once I realised what had happened I decided that the best course of action was to remove myself from the general vicinity until I could work out what to do."
"Telling me sooner might have been a plan." Tony's voice was tinged with the beginnings of shock – a slight tremble under the usually confident tones.
"I…I couldn't bring myself to do so."
"You chickened out."
The God managed a huffed laugh. "An accurate summary."
The human ran a shaking hand through his hair again, breathing deeply to try and calm his racing heartbeat down. "Jesus Christ, what the hell!?" He looked up to stare at the God next to him. "You don't…You don't look particularly pregnant."
"Of course I don't. I am more than able to cast a mirage over myself."
Tony nodded again, wringing his hands together as his gaze went back to the carpet. "So what are you planning to do?" There was terror in his voice that was far too transparent.
Loki shrugged hopelessly. "I can't keep it."
"What?!" That shocked the man for reasons he couldn't quite explain. Mythology made it fairly clear that Loki was fond of his children – even the weird ones – so to not want this one was out of character for the trickster. "Why not?"
"Think for a moment, Stark." A world-weary smile crossed Loki's face. "I have had every single one of my precious children taken from me already. And now there's this. The Chitauri still persist in hunting me down; imagine what they would do to a child of mine. As well as that I am SHEILD's number one most wanted – as you yourself like to point out – they would hardly want any progeny of mine on the loose. Not to mention the research potential a half Jötunn half human hybrid would have. No. I will not go through the pain and heartbreak of giving birth only to lose yet another child to an enemy."
It made sense. In a completely broken and desperate way it made sense. Tony couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose one's own child and according to the myths Loki had already lost seven. It made terrible sense that he just couldn't bear to go through that again.
"Okay. I think I get that." The man said quietly. "So what do you plan to do?"
"I was going to ask you that." Loki looked up to meet Tony's pained gaze. "I am intending to find some maternity ward somewhere where I can leave the child. I cannot be in its life without putting it in danger so this seems the best option." He sighed heavily, shakily. "Or."
There was a weighty pause that Tony felt compelled to fill. "Or what?"
"Or I give the child to its father. To you." The God's pained gaze seemed endless as he stared at the man. "Those are the only options. I have to give it away and I feel that I should at least give you some say in this. So that's my offer: Either I leave the babe in a hospital and neither of us shall know any more of the matter or I give it to you, and you raise it."
Tony's eyes looked like saucers. A child.
A child!
He was still struggling to get his head around the idea of Loki being pregnant and then there was this bombshell!
A CHILD!
He was in no position to be a fit father! He had an absurdly dangerous job, made all the worse for how he risked his life needlessly for the fun of it! He had had a rubbish role-model growing up, had no time to look after a kid and just plain wouldn't have a clue what he was doing!
He couldn't do this!
There was no way he could do this!
And Loki was looking at him with the most intense and broken gaze he'd ever seen.
How the hell was he meant to make the biggest and most life-changing decision he'd ever faced in the span of a few moments?!
And yet…And yet he already knew his answer. Knew his answer before the question had even been asked really. He was getting on in years, as much as he pretended that it wasn't the case. The big five oh was looming ever closer, and his life was anything but settled. Pepper had been the longest relationship he'd ever had and they'd lasted all of seven months. What were the chances of him finding a person to spend the rest of his life with if he couldn't hold onto a woman like Pepper and his idea of a good shag was the God of mischief?! If he wanted children there was going to be little to no chance of that with his life-style. Other than whelping some kid on a drunken one-night stand – and it was a miracle that that hadn't already happened – he was unlikely to ever have one.
But if he did this he would be alone.
No-one could ever know who the mother – if Loki could be referred to as that – was under any circumstances. Even Pepper couldn't know. He'd have to look after and raise a child without letting anyone know the circumstances and as a single parent.
Sure, there were millions of single parents in the world who did a fabulous job, but none of them were the danger-seeking Tony Stark. He could only mess this up and cause the kid to grow up with so many issues that the best shrink in the world couldn't sort them out.
And yet…
"Yes."
"Pardon?" The shock in Loki's voice was palpable. It was obviously the last thing he'd expected to hear the man say.
"Yes. I'll raise the kid." Even as he said the words Tony wondered what the hell he was thinking. This meant his whole life and way of living being turned on its head. Destroyed. He was throwing away everything to gain…everything.
This could easily mean the end of Ironman. Would he even have the time to be an Avenger anymore?
His world, ending, on a simple answer. On a simple yes.
And already he knew he'd given the right answer.
"I'll raise the kid." He repeated.
For a long moment the God just stared at him, before leaning in to rest his head on the man's shoulder. "Thank you." Some of the tenseness seemed to leave him as he said it. "I was hoping that would be your decision."
"I'd better warn you, I'm going to be a lousy Dad."
"No. You've experienced bad parenting, and that in turn will ensure that you will endeavour not to make the same mistakes." The God said quietly. "I found that after having my first." He shifted awkwardly again. "What are you going to tell your band of mis-fits when you turn up with a newborn?"
"That a pissed off one-night stand turned up and dumped the sprog on me." Bullshit, was, after all, one of his many talents and Tony finally managed a smile. "And that's actually partly the truth. Aside from the fact that you weren't just one night."
Loki huffed in quiet laughter then flinched, tensing up against the human.
And then it hit Tony. Why the trickster looked like shit, why he had been moving as if in pain and why he was still hunched up and wincing.
"Shit! Loki, are you in labour?!"
The God actually had the audacity to roll his eyes. "Have you only just noticed?"
"I…Yes, yes I have only just noticed!" Tony looked horrified. "Shit! What are you…Can you use your mojo or something?"
Loki laughed again and sat up straight to shake his head. "No, sadly not. I used up my last reserves getting myself here. It's too dangerous to attempt any magic whilst under the influence of the hormones and pain during labour, so my powers automatically drain as a self-preservation device. Soon enough any spells I have cast over myself will fail too, which will then make the birthing process a lot easier since I shall be fully equipped with what I will need."
Ironman shook his head hurriedly to try and rid himself of the mental image that was never-the-less seared into his brain for the rest of eternity. "You mean, like…woman's bits?"
Loki rolled his eyes. "Do you even know how children enter this world?"
"Of course I do, it's just…" Tony gestured helplessly, unable to explain just how much the entire situation was scaring the shit out of him. He took another deep breath and tried to form a focussed thought, rather than just panicking. "Ok. You're in labour. What's your plan?"
He received a politely blank stare in return. "Why do you wish to know?" Loki sounded genuinely curious. "I've told you what's happening; you've told me what you would like for the child's future. Now I'll be leaving."
"Leaving?"
"What is this fascination of yours for repeating every other word I say? Yes, Stark, leaving. There is a motel just down the road where I can rent a room for the night. I will be back with the child once my powers have returned, which will probably be mid-morning."
"What? Alone?"
"I've always given birth alone." Loki looked nonplussed, as if the man was struggling to understand a very simple concept.
And the five simple words sent a wave of sudden cold through Tony.
Okay, as much as he was freaking out, he was well aware of how babies entered the world. After an argument with Pepper he had even seen a documentary on it, which had made him go down on his knees and thank any God listening that he was a man and therefore would never have to go through such a thing. And if nothing else the two big things he knew about childbirth were that it was fucking painful and absolutely terrifiying.
On top of it all was also the implication that Loki had had to suffer through it at least once without any help from his family or friends back in Asgard. And once again he intended to go through it all alone in some strange motel room without any medical assistance or moral support.
Sure, Tony was a hard-hearted bastard but this was too much.
"Hell no!"
"I beg your pardon?"
"You aren't just swanning off to some random shit-hole to do this!" Tony was both furious and scandalised at the same time. "This is my kid too and I'm not letting you go through this on your own! You're going to stay here and we'll get through this together!"
Loki stared at the man like he'd grown antlers. "You want me to stay here…?" Tony had never heard the God sound so shocked or vulnerable before and in turn it shook him. "Why would you do that?"
"Because."
"That's not an answer, Stark!"
The man scowled, unable to even really explain it to himself let alone the God next to him. "Fine then. Honestly? I'm not sure. Maybe because I know what it's like to be alone in a dark strange place, in pain with no escape, and I can't find it in me to let that happen to anyone else. Even you."
"Even me…" Loki's head found the man's shoulder again, this time turned in so that his face was pressed against Tony's collar-bone. Another shudder ran through him, but this time the human realised that it was less from pain and more from the emotional realisation that had just hit Loki. "I've never had the luxury of feeling safe before." The God's voice was soft and somewhat muffled. "Thank you…Tony."
Well; there was a first.
The God had never called him by his first name before.
He rather liked how it sounded in that soft British accent.
Tony belatedly realised that his arm had somehow snaked around the God's waist in a loose approximation of a hug. He sighed heavily and tipped his head to rest on top of Loki's dark hair.
"This is fucking crazy."
"Agreed." The trickster chuckled quietly.
"So…uh…what happens now?"
"Things will happen at their own pace." Loki's hand came to rest against his still-flat stomach. "It has been a few hours already, so maybe only another two or three."
"…Wow." And to think – barely an hour ago he didn't even know that he was going to be a father. Now the moment seemed rather too near. He wished he was better at talking to people, better at comforting. His was a life of machinery and science; he didn't do emotional situations, let alone the birth of his first-born! Instead all he could do was offer the very awkward hug he currently had Loki in.
"Sir, may I suggest that if you wish for Mr Laufeyjarson to give birth here then you should read up on what that entails?"
Both men jumped at the sound of Jarvis' voice and Tony scowled at the interruption. He did recognise that the AI was correct though; it would be rather useful for him to know what on earth was about to happen.
"I know what needs to happen; it would be unnecessary for you to learn." Loki said, still muffled against the mortal's shoulder.
"You are incorrect, Mr Laufeyjayson." Jarvis could sound ever so patronising when he wished. "It would be for the best for both of you to understand the procedure."
"I do understand the procedure!" Tony protested. "Lots of pushing and screaming and et voila, baby!" He looked surprised when Loki raised his head from his shoulder to stare at him incredulously. "What?"
"What?! Jarvis, please inform Mr Stark of all he can expect in the next few hours. I don't think he is quite aware of what will happen after all."
"Doing so, sir."
Tony rolled his eyes. There was a faint ping from the tablet he'd discarded when the God had turned up and he grabbed it up to see a new PDF file uploading. Quite a large file.
Next to him Loki lay back against the covers of the bed with a chuckle. "Well, you have work to do and I want to rest whilst I can because this is going to start getting difficult soon enough. Sound fair?"
The man could only really nod with a heavy sigh as he opened the document.
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Nearly an hour had passed. Not for the first time Tony was truly thankful that he was so good at speed reading. He had absorbed the facts the document contained and was now realising he was almost as worried as if he were the one giving birth; there was so much to think about.
"Stop fretting, all will be fine." The soft voice drew him back from his thoughts.
"Doesn't seem that way right now."
Loki smiled tiredly. He was curled up on his left side, head on the pillows and one hand clutching at the bedspread with each new pain. Thanks to an idea from Jarvis the trickster had divested himself of his leggings and undergarments before the active labour began in earnest and now a fleece blanket covered his lower half. He smiled tiredly as Stark came into his line of sight, sitting awkwardly next to him.
"It won't last long. Another hour or so maybe. It's quicker since this isn't my first."
"How many have you had?"
"Don't you know that from your Norse myths?"
"Well, yeah, but I'm trying to get you to talk to me so that you focus on something other than pain right now."
That caused Loki to huff quietly with laughter. The last of his spells had faded by this point and his hand now rested on the prominent swell of his stomach and it tensed as the next pain increased. They were steadily growing in intensity and he knew it wouldn't be long before the real fun began.
"Fine. I agree that talking may be a good distraction. You were asking about my children?"
"Yeah. How many have you had then?" Tony winced with sympathy as the God drew in a sharp gasp of pain and he gingerly attempted to pat his shoulder.
"I am not some dog, Stark."
"Back to last names again?"
There was a pause before the pain passed by then Loki cracked an eye open to glare up at the human. "That was a moment of sentiment. Don't read anything into it."
"Yeah, sure. I mean, it's not like you're having my kid or anything." Tony said cheerfully. Still, he did remove the offending hand. "So. Children?"
"I fathered six, and then there is my son Sleipnir, whom I bore."
"And…?"
The God frowned at him, for once looking taken-aback. "What do you mean, 'and'? Your myths only speak of my seven."
Tony smiled smugly. "Yeah, but as a scientist I'm used to nit-picking documents apart to find every little detail." He absentmindedly reached out as the trickster hissed with pain again and ran his hand along the God's shoulder – less like patting a dog this time – and to his surprise wasn't rebuffed. "You see, I read a translation of something some Viking bloke wrote. Called the Hyund…Hanad…Hyananana…Jarvis?"
"Hyndluljóð, sir."
"Right. What he said." Tony waved his spare hand flippantly. "It's a collection of all the stories about you guys and there's a very interesting snippet about you in there."
"Indeed?"
"Oh yeah. See, just after the bit about the eight legged horse is a fragment about how you ate a woman's heart and she impregnated you. Sadly the rest of the text is lost – so man-kind doesn't know what happened next."
Loki was staring at him in horror. "It says I ate a woman's heart?!"
"Roasted. No accounting for taste."
"That is the vilest mistranslation I have ever had the misfortune to hear!" The trickster looked sickened at the thought. "The original manuscript said nothing of the sort!" Then, and entirely without prompting he began speaking in a language so alien that Tony couldn't even differentiate where one word ended and the next began.
The inventor had heard Danish and Swedish spoken before, and if asked he would have suggested that the language of the ancient Norsemen would be similar. Boy was he wrong! The ancient verse rolled into the air around them, a strange rhythm and cadence to it that almost sounded like poetry. Loki didn't even look like he was having to make an effort to remember the forgotten piece and he finished reciting with a smug look to Tony. "The word was consumed not ate."
"What difference does that make?"
"The words ate and roasted were taken out of context in a mistranslation – 'she was consumed by the flames of love' is the correct interpretation. She was in love with me."
"And you didn't return the sentiments."
"Evidently not." Loki managed a wry smile. "As a powerful witch she managed to cast a spell over me that caused me to conceive. It may have worked out for the two of us if she had not died rather suddenly."
"Ah. And the child?"
Tony had to wait for an answer as the trickster suddenly tensed up, his hand clenching to a white knuckled grip in the sheets. The pains were noticeably getting closer together and lasting longer. However, he went straight back to the subject at hand the moment he could speak.
"Think about it, Stark. The child of a powerful witch and unsurpassed sorcerer, born a few hundred years before the Viking era. A child with no father."
Tony's expression broke into a wide grin. It wasn't for naught that he had ruthlessly read through every legend and story he could find about the lands the pagan God's had once been worshiped in. There was a certain very famous person from the time-frame Loki spoke of and whom legend spoke of as being a child without a father. "No way. Seriously? I thought he was a myth!"
"Stark, I am a myth."
"Yeah, but Merlin?"
Loki smiled at the look of awe on the man's face. "I taught him how to use his magic before setting him on his path in life. He surpassed all my expectations. I never dreamt that an offspring of mine could be the hero he grew into."
The fondness in the God' s voice made Tony acutely aware of just how much the ancient warlock had meant to Loki. How much all his children must mean to him.
"Two thousand years later and we still remember him." The man said softly.
"I know." If the God wanted to extrapolate on the subject he was ruthlessly cut off with a sudden gasp, eyes widening. He reached out, almost blindly, to grab Tony's hand in a crushing grip.
"Hey, hey it's okay, relax." The man was no expert, and certainly no midwife, but he had read the essay Jarvis had written up and seen enough cliché films to know the drill for what he was meant to say. "Breath, right? Keep breathing."
"I am fucking breathing!"
Well. He'd never heard Loki swear like that before.
"Sure, good job, keep it up."
The pain diminished and the trickster glared up at him. "I hate you."
"Yeah, I know."
Loki closed his eyes again with a frustrated snarl, shifting around uncomfortably. It was obvious that he was in terrible pain and doing his very best not to show it. Tony couldn't imagine how difficult it must be.
"Ask me another question." It was a demand.
"What?"
"A question, something taxing that can distract me from this!"
That made sense at least. Tony felt somewhat proud that the trickster was continuing to use his idea of distraction tactics.
"Okay, um…What's more painful; lips sewn shut or giving birth?"
The glare he received in return could have melted an entire glacier. "Wait until my magic is back and you'll find ou-ah!" The sudden sound of pain surprised both men and Loki curled in on himself with a groan. His grip on Tony's hand began to threaten breaking bones and it was all the human could do to not show it. "Distraction…please…"
Right, God of lies saying please.
That at least shook Tony enough to think about something serious he could ask.
And then he realised that he didn't have to think at all. The question had been on the tip of his tongue since he first saw Loki after the trickster's escape.
"Why? Why did you do it? The chitauri and everything."
There wasn't a reply for a few moments – Loki simply lying as still as he could, crushing Tony's hand into a pulp. He seemed to be endeavouring not to make a sound, which was impressive in itself. Tony suspected that the God had a pretty high pain tolerance.
Finally the trickster seemed to relax slightly, releasing his hold on the man's possibly-broken hand. He managed a watery smile when the question registered.
"The chitauri? I imagine that's something all of you have been wondering about for a while."
"Just a bit. Care to spill? I imagine there's a lot of details that none of us are aware of."
"More than you can know. What were you told about what happened prior to my…disappearance from Asgard?"
Tony smirked. "You mean how you usurped the throne?"
"Usurped the- I did not usurp anything!" As tired as he was, Loki still succeeded in sounding furious. "Is that what my fool of a step-brother told you?!" He snapped. "My father was in what you mortal's call a coma and Thor was banished for a criminal offence. The line of succession fell to me! What was I to do? After that…well, I'd just found out that I was essentially the Bogey-man. I wasn't very happy."
"And that led to you falling off the rainbow-bridge?"
"The bifrost, yes."
"And that's where the whole chitauri-rule-the-world thing came in?"
Loki nodded. "I fell through the void." His gaze slide away from the man next to him and for a long moment it was as if he were looking into an entirely different time and space. "Do you know how large the universe is?"
"Infinite."
"Correct." The trickster shuddered. "Imagine seeing that. Imagine seeing every galaxy, every quasar, every star and planet and spinning atom within existence. Imagine what that would feel like."
Tony tried, but all that he could think of was how he would give anything to see the universe spread out infront of him. This sentiment must have shown on his face because Loki snarled at him.
"Fool. I can see the wish in your eyes. It is not what you think." He hissed. "The whole universe, every infinitesimal speck and gleam of creation. And I was spinning through all of it, so tiny, so useless. A nothing. That's what I was, and am in the grand scheme of things. A nothing. Can you imagine what it feels like to be a king, a God and to then realise in all actuality that when faced with the universe you are less than the smallest speck of dust." He closed his eyes with a shuddering breath. "It broke me. By the time I reached the world of the Chitauri my mind was so fractured that I was susceptible to anything they said or did to me."
"Why Earth?"
"Why not? They suggested the target, I just went along with it. The only rational I had at the time was that by ruling a world I could have made at least some small impact on history."
"You're a pagan God, I think you've made a pretty big impact on our history already."
Loki didn't seem to hear the well-meaning statement as he continued on regardless. "By the time I came back to my senses it was too late. The invasion was underway and backing out of the deal would not have boded well for me. As it is, they still hunt me."
"Well…I now owe Bruce fifty bucks." Tony smiled at the withering glare he received. "I had a wager that you did it because you were bored. Bruce thought you were insane."
"He was correct, then." The simple sentence was spat out, although not from anger. The trickster had tensed up again, curling up into a tight ball underneath the fleece blanket. Tony mentally counted the seconds and realised that Loki didn't relax until nearly a minute had passed; things were progressing quicker than he'd expected.
Everything he'd read that Jarvis had sent him spoke of this phase of labour taking many hours, and he hadn't fully taken into account how much shorter it could be if it wasn't a first child.
"You know, you should probably roll onto your back. I don't think it's going to be very long now." He tried to sound confident as he said it but there was a noticeable tremor of fear to his voice.
"Don't…want to…move." The God struggled to get the words out as he gasped heavily.
"Yeah, it wasn't a suggestion, Goat-horns." Rather than stall and let another contraction freeze the trickster with pain again, Tony simply decided to act.
Despite Loki's protestations he allowed Stark to help him manoeuvre onto his back, reclaiming the mortal's hand in the process. He settled down with a deep groan, turning his face away from the man to try and hide it. His free hand had moved back to rest on his swollen stomach, fingers clawing at the blanket.
About fifteen minutes passed like that, Loki fighting to stay silent, obstinately refusing to let Tony see the way the pain was twisting his expression. However, what he couldn't hide was the sweat running down his skin, trickling through his hair and down into his tunic. And he couldn't hide the tenseness of his shoulders as they shook and shuddered with the effort to stay inaudible.
Tony knew enough from the document he'd read to know that the trickster was probably at the stage where he should be pushing, but so far didn't appear to be doing so. He ran the hand that wasn't in a vice-like grip over the trickster's forehead, smoothing back sweat-soaked hair.
"Hey, you don't need to keep up the pride right now." He said gently. "Stop trying to be strong; it's okay to admit that you're scared and in pain."
Loki shook his head mutely, eyes squeezed closed and mouth pressed into a thin hard line. He let his breath out with a gasp when Tony's hand came to gently rest on top of his own on his stomach.
"Look at me, Loki."
Hazy green eyes slowly opened to meet the man's concerned gaze.
"You need to calm down. You know this; you've done this before. Calm down and focus. It's not going to be long now."
The words seemed to take a moment to sink in. Then a tiny smile graced the God's face.
"Sentiment…Stark?"
"Just this once. I think this is a situation that allows for it. Now. Are you going to stop clinging to your pride and let me help you?"
This time Loki's gaze met his head on with frightening intensity. It made Tony realise just how vulnerable the trickster was. With no magic and in terrible pain, Loki was as helpless as he would ever be, and he was putting his trust in the mortal to not take advantage of that.
It was rather humbling really.
Finally the God gave a curt nod in answer to the question before shuddering and closing his eyes again. Tony didn't waste any more time and helped to pull the trickster up so that he was sitting rather than lying.
"Here, lean back on me." Tony scooted behind him, so that he was leaning against the head-board and Loki could rest back into him. He rested his hands on the God's stomach, feeling the muscles bunch and tense. "Okay, there we go. Now I think you've got some work to do."
"I…think I hate you." Loki hissed angrily, before letting out a deep groan of pain.
It was a new experience to have someone with him during this time, and as the pain threatened to over-whelm he suddenly realised how grateful he was. The human wasn't able to help in any physical way, but by being there, warm arms circling in an embrace and chin resting on Loki's shoulder, Tony was providing the sort of emotional support the trickster could only have dreamed of during his previous births.
He hated to admit that it was comforting. Hated to admit that he was accepting the help without protesting in the slightest. However, now that the intense pain was insisting that he got the baby out of his body once and for all he determined to worry about all of that at a later date.
It frightened Tony when the trickster finally did give in and arch back against him with a cry of pure agony, hands spasmodically clenching and unclenching in the blanket that was still covering his lower body.
It hurt. Oh by Valhalla did it hurt! He had forgotten just how bad it could be and now wondered how in the name of Odin he had managed to do this alone twice before. It seemed like time was barely passing – every excruciating moment drawing out into eternity. In reality it only took about a further thirty minutes, but to the two of them it could have been millennia.
"Sir, may I interrupt?"
Tony jumped and scowled up at the ceiling, for lack of a better target, as Jarvis' voice suddenly broke into the private struggle. Thankfully it seemed that Loki was far too distracted to have heard the AI.
"You already have. What is it, Jarv?"
"The baby is probably crowning, sir. You will need to assist."
Shit. Yeah, that was a point. Tony didn't reply, but reminded himself to thank Jarvis later. Pulling some pillows back into arms-reach he then wriggled out from behind Loki, using said cushions to help prop the trickster up and keep him sitting.
"Sta…rk?"
"Keep going, you're doing fine; it's getting to the end of the road now and someone needs to catch the sprog."
What an elegant way to phrase it.
It had reached the point that Tony was so concerned about doing this right it didn't even occur to him about being embarrassed seeing Loki's true hermaphroditic form under the blanket. He had no professional training, all he knew about child-birth came from a PDF that he'd read a few hours ago and suddenly he was here; midwife to a God.
It seemed that Jarvis' warning had come in good time, because it was barely a few more minutes before Loki screamed and Tony suddenly found himself helping a tiny child into the world.
His tiny child.
The infant opened its mouth and made a quiet hiccupping noise that grew into its first cry.
Tony felt tears fill his eyes.
It was tiny, squalling, bright red and covered with both after-birth and streaks of blood, yet Stark loved it. Instantly and irrevocably.
He quickly picked up the towel that had been placed at the foot of the bed for this very purpose, and gently wrapped the infant in it. The mewling cries died down at the contact, large eyes half-lidded and as yet unable to focus on anything. It looked like an alien and yet was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen in his life.
"What is it…?" Loki's voice was barely a whisper, hoarse and broken. He'd rolled back onto his side, curling in on himself so that his modesty was covered again.
"A girl. We have a daughter. A perfect little daughter." Tony knew that his trembling voice betrayed his emotions, and he couldn't bring himself to care.
"A daughter…"
"She's beautiful." Tony carefully cut and tied the umbilical cord before cradling the tiny girl in his arms. "Here, look."
"No."
The single worded answer seemed to freeze the world.
"…What?" Tony's voice was tiny and incredulous. "Don't you want to see her?"
"No." Loki had curled up tightly into a ball, having wrapped his arms around himself. He was shaking, trembling like a leaf in the breeze.
"Loki…"
"No. I…I can't see her."
"Why? Why the hell not?!"
"Because I can't afford to love her." The whisper was so small Tony nearly missed it. "I can't be part of her life so I can't love her."
The mortal shook his head, despite the fact that the trickster couldn't see him. "Rubbish." He said quietly. "That's complete rubbish, and you know it."
"Stark-"
"No. You've carried her for nine months. Felt her move, felt her grow. And you just spent hours in God-awful pain to bring her into this world. You already love her, and if you don't see her now, you will regret it for the rest of your life!"
Loki shuddered, his shoulders hitching with a barely suppressed sob. He had closed his eyes, so felt rather than saw the mattress dip as Tony sat down beside him. There was a quiet snuffle barely an inch from his face and he felt Tony's hand come to rest on his shoulder.
"Loki, look."
The God opened his eyes.
The baby was lying next to him, wrapped up in a fluffy towel, blinking owlishly into the middle distance. Loki stared at her like she was the only thing in the universe.
For a very very long moment there was complete silence, the three of them in some sort of frozen tableau. Tony was sat on the edge of the bed, one hand on Loki's shoulder, the other supporting his daughter where she lay. Silent tears were running down his cheeks, entirely unnoticed. Loki remained on his side, one hand gingerly reached out to rest his fingertips on the child's stomach.
There weren't words.
The baby snuffled again, her nose scrunching as she did so and Loki finally began to sob softly.
"What's her name?" Tony whispered. The God's broken gaze moved up to meet the man's in open-mouthed shock.
"You wish me to name her?" He breathed.
"Yeah. Something of you to carry with her."
Loki's eyes moved back to his daughter and for a brief moment he wasn't a God, wasn't an all-powerful being and wasn't an ageless immortal who had lived for millennia. He was just an ordinary man faced with the miracle of meeting his own child for the first time. Tears were slipping down his face as he gently brushed his finger along the little girl's cheek. She made a quiet chirruping sound in response, like a baby bird and he laughed brokenly.
"Evelyn."
"Evelyn?" Tony rolled the name around in his mouth, trying it out for sound. It was somewhat old fashioned and out-dated, and not what he would have thought the God would go for. In truth he'd been expecting their daughter to be saddled with an unpronounceable ancient Norse name. "I could get used to it. Not as Asgardian as I was expecting."
Loki smiled as their daughter snuffled again, her mouth opening and closing like a chick. "It's of ancient Germanic origin, another of the peoples who used to worship us. It means little bird."
Tony face split into a wide grin. "Oh, I like it! Evelyn. Evie."
"Evie…yes, that is acceptable." The trickster smiled up at the man before a wince crossed his expression.
Tony frowned. "What? Are you alright?"
"Fool." The single word was fond, though, almost an endearment. "Think what has happened over the past few hours. I've just put my body through torture and am exhausted."
"Oh. Yeah, of course." The inventor grinned sheepishly. For a genius he could be surprisingly dense at times. "Will you be alright?"
"Of course. My magic will return soon." Loki began to slowly and painfully pull himself upright and sank back against the pillows again with a sigh. He looked shocked when Tony promptly placed the child – Evelyn – in his arms. She blinked blearily in his general direction, but couldn't focus enough to make eye contact.
"She's beautiful." Tony repeated his earlier comment.
"Of course she is." With the soft comment the trickster's eyes filled with sadness. "I wish I could see her grow up." He tickled the baby's cheek and she snuffled at him.
"There must be some way that we can work this out. You've been visiting me over the past two years and I haven't had any chitauri turn up on the doorstep asking about you yet." Tony said desperately. "Why would they suddenly turn up now?"
Loki rolled his eyes with an exasperated sigh. "Why can you never seem to use that brain you claim is so good, Stark? Occasionally visiting is one thing; helping to raise a child is completely another. If I keep my distance there is no reason for them to ever suspect she's my child – I doubt they realise that my physiology means I can bear children. However, if I have an active role in her life then it will arouse their suspicions and we can't afford for that to happen." He looked down at the tiny child in his arms again. "I won't have her used against me."
It made sense, it really did. Tony couldn't imagine how the God had to be feeling in that moment. To be forced into giving up his child – to be in a position where it was the best and only option. Something no-one should ever have to face and by all accounts something Loki had already been forced through with his other children. It was heart-breaking.
But Tony was well-known for being able to look through problems sideways and find solutions that other people couldn't see when facing the conundrum head-on. Sure, Loki was easily as clever as the man and then some, but currently he was exhausted both physically and mentally and could only see despair. He had spent far too long assuring himself that it was a hopeless situation to be able to see any way out.
However, Ironman was beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Not a big light, to be fair, but a light non-the-less.
"How about if you were to visit a few times a year? It wouldn't be ideal, and you wouldn't be able to really have much of a hand in raising her, but at least you could see her." He said slowly. "If you were to come maybe once or twice a year – perhaps on her birthday – then she could at least grow up knowing who you are and that you love her."
"And is that such a good idea?" Loki's voice was soft and bitter. "What child would want me as their parent? Wouldn't she be better off not knowing that she is the progeny of a monster?"
Tony shrugged lightly. "But you won't be a monster to her, will you? She'll be seeing you as a loving parent."
"She'll see the old news releases –"
"And I will tell her the truth."
The God's burning gaze met the mortal's head-on. "Why do you care so much about this?!"
Tony didn't seem at all perturbed by the fury. "Because as much as both of us pretend otherwise, there is some sentiment creeping into this relationship and – in case you didn't notice – we now happen to have a child together too." He said firmly. "A child that deserves both her parents! So excuse me if I want to make sure you –"
"Shh."
His angry tirade was cut off by Loki's soft hush and he followed the tricksters gaze down.
Entirely undisturbed by her bickering parents, Evie had fallen asleep nestled securely in the tricksters arms. Tucked up in the fluffy towel, all that could really be seen of her were her face and one tiny hand and Tony felt his heart melt all over again.
"Her birthday and Yule." Loki said softly.
"Huh? What?"
"I will visit on her birthday and on Yule – or Christmas if you prefer." He looked up at Stark. "Is that agreeable with you?"
Tony gave a small chuckle. "More than." He looked up as Jarvis suddenly cut in on the delicate conversation.
"Sir, I am picking up an unusual energy surge, source unknown."
"That would be me," Loki held up a hand in the manner that a falconer would wait for his bird to perch on his wrist. "My powers are returning." As he said it tendrils of light appeared around his fingers, gently swirling before seeping into his skin. He smiled at the gentle warmth as his magic flowed back to where it belonged.
Tony saw the delicate smile on the God's face and was surprised by the sudden surge of warmth he felt towards SHEILD's number one enemy. The enemy currently cradling their sleeping child.
He couldn't help a sudden chuckle as Loki waved a hand lazily and all the mess from the birth was vanished away, the sheets straightening out and all evidence of what had transpired gone. The God had re-dressed himself in the tunic and leggings he'd arrived in, although this time not looking half as shabby as he had been. The smile now gracing his face looked more relaxed as well but turned to a wicked grin when he saw Tony's curious expression.
"I severely dislike delivering the placenta. Thankfully my powers usually return in time for me to sort it out."
"…Did not need to know that."
Loki looked unbearably smug at the man's discomfort. Evie moved slightly in his arms and he looked down at her, his expression immediately softening again. He ran his finger along the length of her tiny nose and she settled down.
"I should be going." He whispered. "It's almost dawn."
"It's weird to say it, but I wish you didn't have to."
"We have come a long way since I threw you out of that window, Tony Stark."
Both their gazes moved back to the sleeping miracle nestled in Loki's arms. Tony was having trouble keeping in mind that the furious God who had thrown him from his own tower was the same as the one now holding their daughter. The same one whom he didn't want to see go.
"Um, are there any Asgardian things I should do?" It was all he could really think about asking. Pleading for Loki to stay wasn't going to work so the best he could do was find out anything extra he needed to know before the trickster left. "Any naming ceremonies or anything important you want? I'll probably have her Christened, if that's okay to you – it's the way we roll here in the States. I don't, you know, really believe as such but…"
"A baptism will suffice as a naming ceremony." Loki said distantly. "There are very few traditions we follow that can be upheld in this world. However…" He held up a single hand again, thin green ribbons trailing out of it. "I can offer her this much."
The magic curled around itself, pulsing and coiling to form a solid shape. Stark held his breath as he watched matter being spun out of nothing, something he'd been taught pretty much from birth was impossible. Finally the green tendrils condensed into a single form, fading away to reveal wood underneath.
A simple yet elegant rattle lay in the God's hand, roughly the same length of his outstretched palm. It had a delicately carved handle and a bulbous head that, when moved, sounded like it was filled with bells.
"It is custom for an Æsir to be presented with a hand-made gift from its mother on the day of its birth." Loki said softly. "It is kept by the child throughout their life as a good luck token of sorts – because it was made from love." A sad smile crossed his face. "Not being an Æsir, I never received one at my birth. However, Frigga made me a fleece blanket once she and Odin decided to keep me."
"Did you keep it?"
Tony's question seemed to take the God by surprise.
"Yes, actually. I have it still." Loki's eyes seemed unusually misty as he tucked the rattle next to his daughter and her tiny hand instinctively tried to curl around the handle even in her sleep. "Take this gift as a symbol of my love, my dear, and know that even when I am not with you, I am watching over you." He kissed the baby's forehead before gently handing the sleeping bundle over to Tony. "I must go now."
"I…Yeah. Yeah."
For the longest moment the two men merely stared at each other, before Loki impulsively reached out and pulled Tony into a deep kiss, their child sandwiched between them. There was hopelessness there, the God's hands both coming up to cup the inventors cheeks with a desperation he'd never shown in front of his partner before. It was bittersweet, tainted by the longing for something that they both knew couldn't be. Emotions that neither dared to acknowledge even to themselves and certainly not to each other hung heavy in the air, all stained by the word they now considered dirty.
Sentiment.
Loki broke the kiss first, although his hands remained against Tony's cheeks, his forehead pressed to the inventor's. "Thank you for being here throughout this." He breathed. "I have never been able to trust one as I trusted you whilst so vulnerable. I am in your debt, Tony."
Ironman took note of the use of his name, and all of the things that Loki wasn't saying. "Just make sure you visit as you promised and I'll consider the debt paid." His voice was soft, but tone emphatic enough to make it clear that he meant it.
"I will. Good bye for now, Tony."
The genius smiled. "I prefer au revoir."
The God vanished with a sad chuckle.
The room was eerily empty and silent without the presence of the Trickster. Tony sank back on the neatly made bed, his gaze riveted to his daughters sleeping face. With Loki there it had been like a surreal dream really, something wonderful and not quite true. With the God gone reality suddenly made an unwelcome reappearance.
"Jarvis, what the hell am I going to do?" He whispered. "What on earth have I let myself in for?"
"Some would say the greatest adventure that can be undertaken, sir."
Tony felt something on his face and lifted his hand to wipe away a tear. He gazed at the trail of moisture like he'd never seen the like before.
"I don't know what I'm doing, I can't raise a baby!" He stared back down at the child, his face a picture of fear and misery. "What the hell am I doing?! I haven't even got any baby stuff or anything! How am I meant to feed her?! Where the hell will she sleep?!" Panic was getting the better of the man and the words came out as a frantic sob.
"I took the liberty of buying you some of the essentials soon after it was decided that you would keep your daughter." Jarvis didn't have too much of a vocal range, but he managed to sound vaguely comforting. "The order arrived an hour ago and I had Dum-E bring it up and set it all up in your private lounge."
Tony hadn't even had a thought to spare for giving Evelyn her own room. Now his worried gaze moved to the closed door leading off of his bed-room. Beyond it was his personal lounge that – once the rest of the Avenger's had moved in – he'd stopped using entirely. There had been some half-baked notions to turn it into a mini-lab, but a nursery seemed a much better plan.
"Yeah. Yeah, well done Jarv." He managed to process the rest of what the AI said. "What sort of stuff did you buy?"
"A cot, changing mat, changing table, all of the associated paraphernalia, baby milk-powder, diapers, buggy, car-seat, sleepsuits, various other clothes-"
The list went on and it soon became apparent that Jarvis' idea of 'the essentials' actually encompassed everything that could ever be needed for a newborn, plus some handy extras should an apocalypse suddenly occur. He had covered every angle. Tony had often thought about how he couldn't cope without the AI, but this time Jarvis had outdone himself beyond all imagining.
"Sir?" The computer's voice drew Stark out of the musing and he jumped slightly.
"Huh?"
"I asked if you would like a coffee sir, you may feel the need for it."
Yeah, coffee sounded like a plan and a half. "Yeah, thanks Jarv." After all, it wasn't like he'd be going back to sleep any time soon. Tony took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down again. On second thoughts, maybe so much caffeine wasn't such a good plan if he was so anxious. "Actually, cancel the coffee and make it a hot chocolate."
"Yes sir. And congratulations, sir. On becoming a father."
He looked back down at the child.
His child.
His daughter.
And knew that as hard as this was going to be, as much shit as the Avengers were going to give him and as much as he was going to have to give up on most of his favourite things in life, she was worth it.
Everything that having a child meant, the good and bad together and she was worth it.
"Thanks Jarvis."
MWMWMWMWMWMWMWM
Well…Yeah.
They has a baby! Who saw that coming? *looks around at the cluster of raised hands* Oh, okay then, most of you. Never mind.
This was the first time I've written such a full on birth scene so any constructive comments would be very welcomed. Also it seems that feelings are developing! Ooh!
The next chapter will have some Avengers reactions to the new addition to the household as well as some SMUUUUT!
Love you all!
WMWMWMWMWMWMWMW
WARNINGS: As promised from the author's note.
Mpreg. (Be fair, it's cannon according to mythology).
Childbirth – specifically whilst still as a male but it IS Loki so he makes arrangements so that it all works.
Talk of losing a child/children.