MCU || IronLokius || MCU || SylPep || A Mischief of Lokis || SylPep || MCU || IronLokius || MCU

Title: A Mischief of Lokis – There's Never Too Many Lokis

Fandom: MCU | Avengers

Disclaimer: All rights reserved to MCU Comics for the creation of some of the most awesome heroes ever. This fanfiction on the other hand is entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.

Tags: polyamory (m/m/m), f/f, fluff, found family

Main Pairings: Mobius/Loki/Tony & Sylvie/Pepper

MCU Characters: Tony Stark, Virginia 'Pepper' Potts, Loki Friggason, Mobius M. Mobius, Sylvie Lushton, Kid Loki | Luke Lushton, Alligator Loki | Croki, Ravonna Renslayer | Ravonna Renslow, Hunter B-15 | Beth Hunter, Bruce Banner, Harley Keener

Summary: After ending the TVA, Loki and his allies find refuge in Loki's timeline and, not knowing who else to turn to, he decides the one closest to understanding their situation might be the man to one day invent time-travel – Tony Stark. Tony is baffled, but scientifically too curious to turn them away. And Pepper thinks that taking in a group of Lokis is just asking for trouble, at least until she gets to know them better.

A Mischief of Lokis

There's Never Too Many Lokis

Tony Stark had always stricken Pepper as the type who brought home all kinds of critters he found outside as a child. She had felt confirmed in that theory when Tony, after one shared battle, started to redesign the Stark Tower to include personalized floors for all the Avengers. And she had hated to see his heart broken when the Avengers didn't take him up on that offer.

Well, one had. Bruce Banner, who didn't have a home to return to anyway. Thor left for Asgard to report back to his parents about the battle and Loki's escape. Clint and Natasha were employed with SHIELD and had their accommodations accordingly, they simply went back to their old life. And Steve... Pepper shook her head. There had been something about Captain America running into himself and fighting him and that other Captain mentioning Bucky Barnes; since then, Steve had been on a single-minded quest to find that Cap-double and find out what it had meant.

Yet even bringing the Avengers home like strays was not comparable to this.

"Tony, no. You can't be serious!" Pepper sighed, throwing her hands up.

"Please, Pep, can I keep them? I swear they're house-broken," Tony paused and blinked. "Well, I'm not sure about Croki, he might not be. But I'm sure we can figure something out-"

"Tony, did you name the alligator?" Pepper made a distressed noise.

"Look at him, he has a tiny horned helmet, it's adorable!" Tony motioned toward the window.

Pepper breathed in deeply and followed Tony's motion. On the other side of the soundproof (and bulletproof) glass stood the most mismatched group of people Pepper could possibly imagine. Loki. Multiple Lokis. Multiple variations of Lokis. One that looked like the real Loki, one was a child, the other a blonde woman, then there was an alligator with the same head-piece as the other three. There were others too, non-Lokis. A charming gentleman, a strict-looking woman who radiated authority and another woman holding a large gun, looking like a futuristic soldier of sorts.

"Tony, you can not be serious about this," Pepper turned pleadingly toward him.

"Come on, this is too exciting, Pep. Alternate realities, time-travel, this is incredible, I want to study it, I want to hear more, see more. Ple—ease, let me keep them?"

Pepper reached up to rub the bridge of her nose. She could feel a migraine come on.

/flashback\

They had done it. After Loki got Mobius and B-15 back on his side, they managed to take the TVA down, to take their new timely overlord down. They had even found a way to shut inter-multiverse-travels down. For good. The problem was that they destroyed all of the TVA when taking it down and as it was crumbling around them, they might with some luck make their escape.

"We only got enough power for one last trip. Restore one timeline. So, whoever doesn't wanna get crushed in the crumbling remains of the TVA, come along!" Mobius called out loudly.

Loki and Sylvie were fixing up the machine, setting it for the last trip. Pouring their magic and the knowledge they had gained while taking down the TVA into this, they might just make it. Mobius all the while was herding everyone toward the portal. They had to hurry.

"Everyone in, right now!" Loki barked. "We gotta leave!"

They ran and jumped – Loki, Sylvie, Mobius, Renslayer, B-15, the kid and the alligator in B-15's arms. The team, or those of them who had survived all of it. The portal spit them out in the desert, right where the TVA had first taken Loki in. This was his world. His timeline, restored to the point somewhere after the TVA removed Loki from this timeline. With a quick glance did Loki confirmed that the team was still alive, that they had all made it. And what a strange thing to have; a team. If he were braver, he might even think of some of them as a family of sorts. The past... months, or years, time in the TVA felt so very different, it was as though he had lived a whole life-time there, it had changed him, changed them. It had made them grow closer, in a way Loki wasn't used to.

"Okay. Everyone sound off," Mobius ordered, checking for himself. "Great. Good. We're all complete. The portal's closed itself and... that... was it. No going back."

There was something mournful to his voice and Loki found himself stepping up to Mobius, grasping his hand. It might have all been just a lie and manipulation, he might have just been stolen and given a new, fake identity, but it was the only life Mobius had known. Loki could fully related to that. Being Loki of Asgard had been a fake identity given to him by the man who had stolen him out of a different life too, but he could never fully shed it, for it was the only life he'd known.

"Not to state the obvious, but we're in the middle of the desert," the kid looked around displeased.

"Kid's got a point. Where do we go from here?" B-15 put the alligator down onto the ground.

"In theory, we could go anywhere. Start new. The TVA is gone, they won't be hunting any of us anymore. We're... free. And this is a world where only one of us has past baggage, all others could start anew," Sylvie crossed her arms over her chest, not sounding entirely convinced.

She was right, of course. They all knew that she was right. But there was so much more to it. How did one start fully new? With absolutely nothing, not even an identity? Loki frowned as he looked around at the faces of those he had come to consider his family.

"I have an idea where we can go," Loki was reluctant to speak up.

"Well, speak up. It's not getting any cooler here," Ravonna side-eyed him annoyed.

She was like the irritated sister Loki never had and he had to admit that she would make a great Asgardian – a great Valkyrie, actually. He quirked his lips, wondering how they would take it.

"Tony Stark, he has a whole tower, there should be some space."

"To—You. Stark. You. Are you out of your mind, Loki?" Mobius groaned exasperated. "Need I remind you that the man had literally just tried to capture you – we don't know how close to the event we landed, it might have just happened yesterday for him. What makes you think he would-"

"I saw the future play out, I know he's going to invent time-travel. If there is any one person in this world who might believe our story about alternate realities and time-travel, it's the man who is going to invent time-travel, don't you think?"

"That... is a fair point. And the help of a billionaire could be handy," Sylvie frowned thoughtfully.

"Sure, sure," Mobius huffed, pouting as he crossed his arms. "Got nothing to do with the fact that you could smell that there were two Starks before you got snatched."

Loki frowned, pure confusion at this point. It was Renslayer who huffed, loudly, shaking her head.

"Are you kidding me right now, Mobius? We are stranded on a different Earth, with no money, no identification, no place to go, only the clothes on our backs – and you are jealous?"

Mobius flushed, motioning around a little wildly. "I am not jealous! He recognizes the guy by his scent and can tell how many of him are there because he can smell the guy! I'm not jealous!"

B-15 turned toward Ravonna and exchanged a very pointed look, while Sylvie rolled her eyes annoyed. There was nothing more obnoxious than Mobius and Loki ever since the two had gotten together. They gave Sylvie that very particular migraine behind her eyes.

"Well, then I suggest Mobius not to talk and explain things to Stark. He might growl and try to mark his territory. Ravonna might be best suited to explain these things," offered Sylvie.

"Oh, yes, very much looking forward to that," Ravonna heaved a sigh.

"I could explain it," volunteered the kid.

"No," on that one, all adults seemed to agree.

/flashback|end\

"Lucky us that you just happen to have multiple furnished floors laying around unused."

Tony didn't comment on Mobius' snide remark. He knew it had been kind of pathetic, getting so hopeful, preparing all of these rooms, these homes, just to have the Avengers scatter in the wind. He understood it, at least partially. Thor had all hands full justifying himself in front of his own people, the Wonder Twins had SHIELD stuff to do and Tony didn't even want to get into what Steve was obsessing over right now. Everyone had their own lives to get back to.

"I got four floors for you guys, divide however you'd like," Tony motioned vaguely.

"I'll keep an eye on the kid," stated woman Loki, eyeing kid Loki.

"Run the names by me again, because I can also just... number you. Loki 1, Loki 2, Loki 3-"

"Don't call me a Loki," not woman Loki growled. "I'm Sylvie."

"I'm Loki though," offered the kid with a bored shrug. "So is he."

"Right. That's not going to work. Kid Loki. LoKid. You are now LoKid. And that is the croco Loki – Croki! There. All set. And you, Ravioli the Vampire Slayer?" Tony turned toward the not Lokis.

"Ravonna Renslayer," corrected the now very angry looking slayer.

"B-15," replied the other woman trailing after them.

"Right. Right. First step into making you people stay here is giving you identities the not Loki Prime people here are gonna have an easier time with that because you got no baggage on this world. How about you guys get settled in and then come find me so we can set up some new identities and... names... for you guys?" Tony motioned out of the elevator. "Someone get off here."

"Very well. I'll take this one," Ravonna stepped past him, though paused in the door. "Thank you, Mister Stark. Your help is greatly appreciated, you know."

Well, wasn't that nice? Tony smiled pleased at that before they went on.

/break\

Loki furrowed his brows as he pushed the ID cards on the table around to survey them all. Loki Friggason, he now had a proper US ID like he was a normal American citizen. Ravonna Renslow, because Renslayer seemed a bit too out there to pass for a real last-name and they didn't want to attract too much attention. She looked so normal in her ID picture, like she could just be a high school principal or something, not a judge of the TVA. B-15 had a name now – Loki had seen Tony and B-15 brainstorming it for nearly an our, Tony throwing around the wildest names, laughing and even making B-15 laugh. In the end, they settled on Bethany Hunter. Sylvie Lushton and her nephew, Luke Lushton. They had normal human names now, to fit into normal human society.

"Perhaps you should take a picture, Doctor Banner, it may last you longer."

Finally, Loki looked up, just to watch Bruce Banner shift on his spot a little awkwardly. "It's just... You really are here. Three weeks ago, we were fighting you in New York, now you're just... here. But you aren't the same. Your mannerisms. Your manners. Your... eyes. You seem so much older than the last time we met. And that's the only reason the Hulk is not currently smashing you, Loki. I trust Tony's judgment and I do think he's right. Looking at you... You're changed. I think you actually told the truth. But even so, that is a lot."

He laughed, shaking his head. Of course. Time-travel and alternate realities. An enemy one faced only such a short time ago, returning a changed man. For Loki, it had been lifetimes. He genuinely couldn't even relate to the Loki from back then anymore, the man he had been.

"I'm a changed man, Doctor Banner. It might be hard to grasp, but where I was, much more time passed than for any of you. The things I've seen, the things I've experienced. I am not the same person your alter ego has smashed into the floors of this very tower."

Bruce hummed, arms crossed as he leaned against the door-frame. Still watching him. Loki knew that he, in particular, was under close observation. Even if both Stark and Banner had come to the conclusion that he indeed wasn't the same person anymore. They would be fools if they didn't keep an extra eye on him. For now, Loki was simply glad to have a place to be, with his lover and their unorthodox little family. Ravonna had her own floor, so did B-15 – no, Beth, he should get used to using her new name now, he supposed. Sylvie was sharing a floor with the kid, Loki and Mobius were sharing a floor with each other. The tower, of course, had a whole floor dedicated to gyms, including an indoor pool. That was where Croki was getting comfortable right now, after Tony switched out the water for non-chloroform water. They'd been here for two days now, settling in. And now they even got perfectly legal looking IDs thanks to Stark and his AI companion.

"What's the game-plan?" Bruce asked, still observing from a distance.

"No plan," Loki shook his head. "I need time to figure out how to explain this to my thick-headed brother. He's not stupid... not necessarily... But he's stubborn. He won't want to listen."

"Yes, considering the way Tony recounted his and Thor's first meeting, your brother is the smash first ask questions later kind of person," Bruce chuckled just a little bit. "So you and your lot are going to lay low here for a while. I admit, I share Tony's scientific curiosity on the matter."

"I assure you, Sylvie and I are willing to share our knowledge with you, just... give us a couple more days. It's been an exhausting couple... years... for us," Loki sighed.

Bruce hummed, nodding, no commenting any further. Loki watched from the corner of his eyes how Bruce left after another moment. Loki's fingers lingered on his own ID. A fresh start.

/break\

Mobius was so very determined not to like Tony Stark. But the bastard had to just be so darn charming and suave and helpful. Giving them shelter, helping them get new identities – or any identities on this world at all, really – and now the bastard had to go and help them get jobs. How dare he be just this absolutely perfect host ready to help in any way needed? How was Mobius supposed to dislike him there? Downright impossible, truly.

B-15 – Beth, Bethany Hunter, Mobius had a hard time getting used to that – was now a SHIELD agent. She had the training, the skills, the energy. She seemed to like the job well enough so far. Ravonna had started working for SHIELD too. Meanwhile, Sylvie was working for Stark Industries though Mobius wasn't quite sure in what capacity that was.

"I missed doing this," noted Mobius, glass in hand.

Him and Ravonna met every evening to talk. Talk about their new lives and how they adjusted to it. How experiencing the world instead of observing and controlling it felt. How living at Stark Tower was going for them. Ravonna enjoyed the built-in gym a lot, she had even gotten used to the alligator living in the pool. She chuckled, lifting her own glass up.

"Not like my office. I do miss all of my... trinkets. But it's getting more home-y."

Which was true. Each of them worked on making their floors more comfortable. Mobius liked what him and Loki had done with their own floor, really. It was nice having a home, proper home at that.

"How are you liking your job?" asked Mobius curiously.

"Butting heads with Maria Hill a bit, but I'm... adjusting. It's different, from being in charge the way I'm used to. It's also quite different work. But still very... similar. Protect the timeline we're living in, in a way. Protect from HYDRA, from villains. Gives me back my... feeling of purpose," Ravonna emptied her glass slowly. "What about you? Stark's offered you a job, or a contract with SHIELD."

"I don't know. I just..." Mobius paused, sighing softly. "I don't know what I want. The TVA was my life, for so long now. I admire how you're finding your way, your new, own path here. I just..."

"Need more time. That's fine, Mobius," Ravonna managed a small smile. "It's been a wild ride."

"Here's to that," Mobius chuckled and held his glass out for Ravonna.

"Here's to that," Ravonna echoed, the small smile growing as their glasses touched.

/break\

Pepper sat at the kitchen table, her eyes closed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. That persistent migraine just behind her eyes had been growing with every day that the Lokis had been living here. Sure, the Loki the Avengers had fought was now reformed, but he was still the god of mischief and they now had four of those living right here. When there was no world-ending catastrophe to tend to and demand their concentration, when they got bored, they turned to pranks. SI employees – because the tower was still Stark Tower, still housed work-spaces and offices – complained on the daily about some kind of prank and the majority of them simply did not believe that the alligator was tame. Which was quite understandable, honestly. It was a perfectly rational reaction to scream and jump onto a table when an alligator walked into one's office. Still, Pepper was the one who had to deal with all of these complaints. And with the press.

While Mobius, Ravonna, Bethany, Sylvie and Luke were easy enough to cover – thanks to Jarvis, their new identities were fool-proof, they were living seemingly normal lives. Even the alligator wasn't a problem, surprisingly enough. No one batted an eyelash when an eccentric billionaire got an unusual pet. No, Croki was actually... a fan favorite. He had accounts on social media, Tony frequently posted pictures of him, he quickly became a beloved mascot of sorts.

The problem was Loki Prime. Explaining that had been a press-nightmare. Even Steve Rogers had come out of the woods again, worried and confused. Most people thought Loki was just mind-controlling Tony, which quite frankly wasn't the wildest theory. While they censored what really had happened – because not the whole world needed to know about the multiverse or time-travel – they still had to explain Loki's changed behavior somehow. They went with an easier cover-story; the staff controlled those in its vicinity. Loki had been just as mind-controlled as everybody else, by the man who had given him the staff to begin with, the one in charge of the Chitauri. Something that Thor, once returned, eagerly confirmed. Chitauri were not actually Asgardian creatures, there had been no reason for Loki to have an army of those anyway.

Much to her own surprise, Pepper had come out of the trial truly believing that their lie was true to a certain extend. The staff had influenced Loki, he had only been a middle-man for someone else. And from everything she had learned about Loki at this point, he did not strike her as the middle-man kind of guy, not willingly so. The outcome had been that while what he had done had been worse than those he had mind-controlled, he too could not be held 100% accountable for those actions, so he was on house-arrest. At Stark Tower. Where both Iron Man and the Hulk would be watching over him. He's work on reforming himself, under the guardianship of the Avengers.

Still, even if they plead their case convincingly, the public was still torn. Naturally so. And Pepper was stuck with the brunt force of that. On top of the tricksters loose in the tower.

"Headache?"

Pepper looked up from the papers to watch Sylvie walk into the communal kitchen. Every floor came with a private kitchen, but somehow, over the past weeks, they had come to share meals in the common area with one another. Sylvie looked stunning in the dark-green pencil-skirt and the light-green blouse. She'd grown very comfortable with Midgardian clothes, dressing the part of the successful business woman. She was also doing a quite impressive job at SI. A master manipulator was the perfect sales-person, it turned out. A silver-tongue could sell anything. Pepper had seen her dominate a board-room and convince the board of anything.

"It's a special brand of migraine I have developed ever since a whole mischief of Lokis moved in."

"A... mischief... of Lokis?" there were both curiosity and amusement in Sylvie's voice.

Pepper blinked a few times, before making a face. "Tony and I were drinking late, a week or so into your stay here, and we debated what a group of Lokis would be called. You know, like a school of fishes or a murder of crows. We settled on a mischief of Lokis."

To her surprise, Sylvie laughed delighted at that. "I like that. A mischief of Lokis."

She hadn't heard Sylvie laugh before. It was actually quite a nice sound and it made Pepper smile too, her headache feeling just a little more eased than it had five minutes ago. Sylvie walked over to get herself a coffee and then turned toward Pepper once more, motioning at her.

"Would you like some help with that?" offered Sylvie. "The headache."

"Oh, I don't..." Pepper trailed off, furrowing her brows.

"I've been living with that mischief of Lokis for long enough now, I have my tricks."

Slowly, Pepper wet her lips, before deciding to throw caution in the wind. She'd been living with them all for long enough at this point to genuinely believe neither wanted to do them any harm.

"Do your worst. The kid and the alligator clearly already did, literally, their worst," Pepper sighed.

"Luke's not a bad kid," Sylvie started softly as she put her mug down. "He's troubled. He's... been through a lot. Got a bit more of a god-complex than any of us. But I think that Midgardian school is... actually helping him. Spending time with Midgardians, with children."

She stepped up behind Pepper and pressed her fingers to Pepper's temples. The press of her fingers was gentle but firm, massaging. Her magic warmed her fingers, making the experience even more relaxing. Without meaning to, Pepper closed her eyes. She felt like melting in her seat, tension seeping from her body and with that tension, the migraine eased off too.

"There you go, Miss Potts," Sylvie's voice was a pleasant whisper, one that made Pepper shudder.

"Please. Call me Pepper. We are living together, after all," requested Pepper as she blinked her eyes open once more. "Thank you, that... actually helped. I feel better."

"Magic fingers," Sylvie grinned, wiggling her fingers. "And if you insist, then I insist you call me Sylvie. The last name's fake anyway. Well. I did pick Sylvie myself too. But I'm not used to the last name yet. Like a new pair of shoes, not really worn in just yet."

Pepper hummed and turned toward her, looking her up. "Will you join our girls' night this week?"

"Oh, that's... That's not for me. I'm not much for socializing," Sylvie dismissed.

"You shouldn't cut yourself out of these things," argued Pepper. "Ravonna and Beth are on board. And Natasha is in town, she's been wanting to meet you guys. Ravonna and Beth even invited friends from work. It'll be nice, getting some drinks, away from the guys."

Sylvie still looked skeptical, a frown in place. "Very well, but only because you asked."

For some reason, that made Pepper's cheeks heat up. She could admit that Sylvie was her favorite among the new roommates. An intelligent, reasonable woman, charming too. Easy to talk to. And yes, Pepper admitted, she was a bit drawn to the broken parts, just like she had been with Tony. Not so much out of an 'I can fix them' notion, but because she wanted to help. She'd like to think that her and Sylvie had become friends. Sill, that didn't quite justify such a reaction from her, did it...?

/break\

"Time-travel, Brucie. Time-travel!"

"Yes. And I, once again, ask you to please not investigate it any further."

And, once again, Tony made a miserable sound and looked at Bruce like a sad kitten. "But-"

"No, Tony," Bruce heaved a sigh. "You've heard the stories. Everything that went wrong because of time-travel. Time-travel is not the solution, it can not be a solution. Philosophically speaking alone already; we live in the now and face the future. We can not change the past."

Tony grumbled, a pout in place. He knew Bruce was right. They'd heard the stories. What the TVA had done, what had gone wrong with the multiple timelines – timelines that now existed, but fully separated, with the doors between the multiverse closed forever. Still, it was like an itch. Knowing it was possible, knowing that in an alternate life, in an alternate future, he would invent time-travel and would actually use it. Or have used it. His mind jumbled a little whenever he thought about the fact that his own interference was what had led to Loki escaping in the first place.

"I can't help it. I see something shiny and I want it," Tony sighed, still pouting.

He sat on a swirly chair, leaning his head back and giving himself a spin. Time-travel. Oh, what scientist wasn't salivating at the thought of being the one to figure that out! Yes, he knew, bad time-travel, big no-no. It was just... dangled in front of him. How could he not want it...?

"Are we still talking about time-travel, or are we now talking about the trickster you've been spending an awful lot of time with? And don't say it's just scientific curiosity, Tony!" Bruce warned, glaring pointedly. "I've seen the footage of your alone meeting with Loki, before the rest of the Avengers dropped by. You got out of your armor, you offered him a drink. You were flirting with him even when he was still the enemy. Now he's just a charming, suave alien with magic that you want to learn more about. And you keep saying that, that you want to learn more. But, Tony."

It was rare for Bruce to be this blunt and Tony supposed it was a sign for how much their friendship had blossomed in the past months since the battle of New York now. Tony flushed.

"He's pretty. That's a fact. There are Loki fangirls out there, thirsting for him! People who don't know him the way you and me now know him," argued Tony. "It's just a fact, nothing more. I'm not flirting with him. Wouldn't do that. He has a boyfriend. I'd never get between them."

Tony, no," Bruce heaved a sigh, looking at him so sadly. "I'm not... I'm not bringing this up because I think you will try to break them up, I'm bringing it up because I know you won't get between them, which means you will inevitably get your heart broken. And I'm your friend. I'm worried."

Oh. That was... Tony was still getting used to that. To non Rhodey, Happy or Pepper people caring about him. He smiled faintly, grasping Bruce's hand to squeeze it a little.

"I'll be fine, don't worry about me, Brucie. Totally not gonna get my heart broken by an alien god prince, I mean, what kind of weird sentence even is that? Nope. Not happening."

He laughed it off, grateful that while Bruce might have caught on with the way Tony looked at Loki, he hadn't seen the banter between Tony and Mobius. Oh, those two could go toe to toe. Snark did come easy to Mobius too and once Tony shared the good scotch and whiskey with him, Mobius relaxed some and actually eased up. He was kind of tightly wound, which was understandable, the whole situation taken into account. Tony liked Mobius. He was charming, kind of cute.

It was better if Brucie didn't have to worry about any potential double-heart-break.

/break\

Sylvie heaved a sigh, running her fingers along the rim of her glass. She was on the balcony of her floor, overseeing New York. It was so beautiful at night and from up here, she felt like a queen overseeing her realm. Not that she was going to let it get to her head. Well, not too much anyway.

"What's with the sighing?" Loki asked, one eyebrow elegantly arched.

"If I were... to develop... feelings, of a kind... how..." Sylvie frowned, bothered. "How'd you tell Mobius that you liked him, romantically? I find this very... irritating."

Loki chuckled, a teasing smirk on his lips. "For denying to be a Loki, that is very Loki of you."

"Do not tease me," she hissed, kicking his shin a little.

"Ouch," glaring at her, he rubbed his shin. "You sure have a way to ask for help. Well, it wasn't exactly hard. Mobius has had a crush on me since before we met. We kissed, in the heat of... impending doom. Thinking one is going to die makes it easier to face these things."

"Wonderful. Let's schedule the next apocalypse then," Sylvie groaned annoyed.

"Who is it?" Loki tilted his head curiously, regarding his friend.

"...Pepper," Sylvie's voice was so low, Loki barely heard her.

"Pepper? Pepper Potts?" Loki raised both his eyebrows impressed. "She sure is... a powerful woman. That can be quite appealing. I've noticed the two of you have been spending a lot of time together, but... Mh. I was under the impression that her and Tony...?"

"Well, that on-off-thing is currently off and if I had a say in it, it would stay off," Sylvie glared. "I simply have to figure out how, without an apocalypse."

"I am sure you will find some way," Loki patted her knee reassuringly.

She didn't feel quite reassured by it. Because he was right. Pepper Potts was a powerful woman, a woman who held herself with authority and yet still didn't even seem aware of how powerful she was. That was what made her all the more enchanting. Also, she was really, really pretty and Sylvie felt unusually weak whenever Pepper smiled. This was new and strange, intimidating really.

/break\

Mobius was laughing loudly, delighted, one arm wrapped around Tony, support for the both of them. They were drunk, trying to make their way toward Mobius' floor. They had gone out, celebrating Mobius' first successful case. He had officially opened a detective agency, he was now a private eye and he had just finished with his first, satisfied client.

"You are both horrible," commented Loki exasperated as he held the elevator door open for the two drunkards to make their way inside. "Jarvis, if you'd please, the lights."

"Of course, Loki. Would you like me to prepare aspirin too?"

Loki turned toward the ceiling, despite knowing very well that Jarvis did not actually live in the ceiling. "Yes, that would be lovely. Also, alert Miss Potts that Tony is safely home again."

Loki frowned and looked around. Wait. Where had his lover and their billionaire gone...?

"They are in the bedroom," Jarvis offered when Loki continued looking around.

Sighing, Loki headed toward the bedroom to find a giggling heap of two awkwardly half-undressed men on the bed. For a moment, Loki simply stood there, watching curiously. Wanting to see where this was going. In the end, both Mobius and Tony simply curled together on the bed and then were out like candles. A heavier sigh escaped him as he approached the bed and pulled the blanket over them both. While he had grown very fond of Tony, he had not yet taken him to bed. Mostly because of Mobius; not only would Loki never cheat on his lover, but he had also been under the impression that Mobius was already jealous as it were. Though over the past weeks, he had seen Tony and Mobius grow closer, become... friends. Did this mean that Mobius was not jealous anymore?

"Explain yourself to me," whispered Loki frustrated, gently caressing Mobius' face.

Sylvie was right. All of these matters of the heart were unnecessarily complicated. It had been so frustrating already to develop these feelings for Mobius, but then he found himself selflessly caring for someone for the first time, afraid to lose them in a way he had never experienced before. Now, he had multiple people he cared about, in different ways. He helped Luke with his homework and even stopped the kid from causing serious problems at school. Parenting. Well, with a lot of help from the others. He supported Beth and Ravonna working for SHIELD, even helped on occasion, with Tony and Bruce. Not necessarily as an Avenger, it was more like his community service. Gaining some favor from the Midgardians. At this point, most seemed on his side, actually.

"You two are going to regret this in the morning," noted Loki as he looked at them.

Tony grumbled in his sleep, rolling over and burying his face in Mobius' stomach. Loki would be lying if he said he didn't like this, didn't find it cute. And he was trying not to lie to himself anymore. Yes, Tony Stark was attractive, he'd found the man entertaining when they had first encountered each other. Impressive when he had read up on the future. But actually getting to know the real Tony Stark was something different entirely.

"Would you like me to save the visual to your private files?" asked Jarvis.

"I... Yes, please do that, Jarvis," for a moment, Loki paused. "I'm not sure how much you are allowed to share about this, but... is Tony currently seeing anyone?"

"When would you propose him to have time for that? Between SI, the Avengers, Iron Man the full house he is harboring here, how would he go out and meet someone?"

Loki huffed. Jarvis could be quite sassy, it was what made conversations with the AI quite pleasant. He remembered his conversation with Sylvie not that long ago and he wondered, how did one go about these things, really? It had helped knowing that Mobius was already quite obsessed with him and the thought of them both dying had given him the final push.

He yawned exhausted. Perhaps these were thoughts for tomorrow. Right now, he needed rest. If he actually found a spot in his own bed to sleep. Frowning, he squeezed in somewhere.

/break\

Tony yawned and rolled over. Why was it so bright in his room? Jarvis knew better than that. Frowning, he buried his face in the pillow, pulling the blanket over his head. Someone else sighed pleased by that, clearly also bothered by the light.

"Good morning. How are your hangovers?" asked Loki, sounding vaguely smug.

Why was Loki in Tony's bedroom...? He frowned, while someone else groaned. Okay. Slowly, Tony sat up and looked around. This was not his bedroom. Or his bed. Or his bedmate. That beneath him was Mobius, looking grumpy and sleepy. Next to the bed stood Loki, holding two glasses.

"What am I missing here...?" asked Tony slowly, looking from one to the other.

"Why, Anthony, I am wounded," Loki gasped dramatically. "Such a wild night of passion and you forgot all about it? Was I not as memorable as you claimed last night?"

Tony's eyes widened and his head turned dark-red. "W... What... I... We...? Really? H... How...?"

"I... was merely jesting, but... your reaction is peculiar and by far not as elegant as expected," Loki raised one curious eyebrow as he sat down on the bed, handing out glasses to Tony and Mobius.

"Maybe it's just that you're not as funny as you think you are, babe."

Mobius huffed and leaned in to kiss the corner of Loki's mouth. Slowly, Tony drank his water, while still observing the couple. He thought there was a strange ease between Loki and Mobius, one that he was envious of. The way they leaned against each other. Tony sighed softly, with yearning.

/break\

"How did you not know this would happen?! You're from the future, aren't you? Keep the timeline intact, that was your whole spiel! Shouldn't one of you have known this would happen?!"

"Pepper," Sylvie interrupted gently, resting a hand on her shoulder. "We know of the timeline and of the endgame of it all, but even we do not know every single strand down to every little detail."

Tony had disappeared and Pepper was so distraught. The redhead whirled around, glaring at Sylvie with tears in her eyes. Ravonna was with SHIELD, coordinating the search for Tony, while Beth was out in the field searching with fellow SHIELD agents like Clint and Natasha. Bruce had contacted Steve and Rhodey too. So were Loki and Mobius, as well as Luke, who had grown very attached to Tony too because Tony indulged his pranks and even partook in them. Sylvie, however fond she had grown of Tony herself, had decided to stay behind, because Pepper was stressed and distressed and she wouldn't want to leave the redhead alone. Pepper's shoulders were shaking and the next moment, she was hanging off Sylvie's neck, clinging onto her and sobbing.

"What if this is it? This time, he doesn't come back? He's my best friend, Syl."

"Sh, it's okay. It is going to be okay, Pep. We are going to find him, I promise."

Sylvie's voice was a soothing whisper as she caressed Pepper's hair and allowed her to sob into her shoulder, until Pepper slowly calmed down. But even then, the redhead still clung onto her.

"I'm... I'm sorry, for yelling. I know this isn't your fault. I just... what good is knowledge of the future if it can't help us save ourselves?" asked Pepper frustrated.

"Well, everyone here is very determined to change the future and save us all. About the events that we know are going to unfold. And for everything else, we are going to improvise."

Sylvie very gently traced Pepper's face, brushing the tears off. Pepper leaned in, into the touch and then closer into Sylvie. As though she wasn't even aware of it, until their lips brushed against each other. Pepper blinked slowly when she became aware of what she had just done. Her cheeks turned red and she self-consciously reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear.

"I-," Pepper paused, unsure what to say, regarding Sylvie uncertainly.

"It's okay. You're very... You didn't mean to, this is very emotional for you. I understand."

"No," Pepper frowned and then boldly leaned forward to kiss Sylvie once more. "I did not mean to do it under circumstances like these, but... I did very much mean to kiss you. For a while now."

"...Oh," Sylvie blinked, unsure how to process this. "You did? Intentionally?"

Pepper laughed, clasping a hand over her mouth. "Oh, yes. Yes, I did. Intentionally. Not... Not while Tony is missing after having a terrorist attack his summer home in Malibu, I mean, why did he give out his address, why would he be so stupid? And I'm worried about him and I should be worried about him, I should not think about how nice your lips are, which they are, but-"

"Pepper. Slow down," Sylvie rested her hands on Pepper's shoulders. "It's okay that you are feeling overwhelmed with many emotions. I... I'm here for you. Tell me how I can help you."

Pepper tilted her head to the side, resting his face against Sylvie's shoulder and leaning into her. After a moment, Sylvie wrapped her arms around Pepper's waist, pulling her closer, holding her.

"This. This helps," whispered Pepper softly, closing her eyes.

/break\

"Anthony Edward Stark, you are the most infuriating person I have ever met and I am literally dating Loki!" Mobius barked out as they finally had Tony tracked down.

They were in the barn of some kid. Loki smiled bemused, enjoying that he was not on the receiving end of one of Mobius' barked out complaints. The kid whose barn this was peeked curiously.

"I suspect there is going to be some adult language coming soon," Loki cleared his throat and grasped the child by the shoulder. "What is that thing you have there?"

"That's a potato gun," replied the boy.

"You have a gun to kill potatoes with?" Luke frowned doubtfully. "Why?"

"No, that's a gun to shoot potatoes with," corrected the other boy, staring at Luke dumbly.

"Why don't you show Luke how that works...?" suggested Loki, drawling out toward the end.

"Harley. Harley Keener," said the boy, before he shrugged. "Okay, sure."

Luke and Harley left the barn, Harley talking more excitedly now as he explained his strange weapon. Loki admitted, he too would like to hear more about this potato gun. Weaponizing vegetables, now that seemed ingenious to him. Still, his focus right now was on Tony Stark, the idiot Loki had decided to fall for and who had decided to endanger himself unnecessarily.

"Mobius. I think that's enough," Loki reached out gently, grasping Mobius' hand and running his thumb over his lover's palm to sooth him. "Let's take care of the threat first. We can put Tony into the doghouse after too. And he will be in the doghouse."

Tony grumbled beneath his breath, arms crossed defiantly. "I was perfectly fine!"

"You enlisted the help of a preteen, you absolute-" Mobius simply screamed now, throwing his hands up. "Why are you like this? Why am I like this?! Why can't I just once fall for someone nice, normal, who doesn't constantly actively try to give me a heart-attack?!"

Tony blinked doe-eyed, slowly letting go of his own arms. "I... what?"

And not just Tony; Loki stared as baffled. "I second that. What?"

"I just. You. Both of you! Irritating, sexy, brilliantly stupid idiots with zero self-preservation skills! I have a type! I suffer from having a type!" exclaimed Mobius, motioning between them. "I guess what I'm saying is that I like him. I didn't mean to like him, but here we are."

"Brilliant. And you couldn't have shared this with me?" Loki raised a judgmental eyebrow.

"Well, no. I didn't... know how," now Mobius was pouting. "I was making such a point of being jealous and letting you know it bothered me that you were attracted to him when we first came here, this felt very hypocritical of me, so I thought I'd just... swallow it."

"Or you could have told me and we could have figured this out sooner," Loki sighed exasperated.

"Hey. Uh. So. I'm still here?" Tony waved a hand. "And I'm kind of lost."

Loki just smirked, before he leaned in and kissed Mobius, then let his lips slip toward his ear. "What do you say? If we worry about him like this already...?"

"I say that the both of you, in combination, are most definitely going to kill me," Mobius grunted.

"Don't be grumpy," Loki tugged on his hand. "Come on."

They turned toward Tony together. Though Tony was shifting awkwardly, very confused.

"Look, guys, I am super sorry I worried you and I know I will not hear the end of this from Pep either," Tony laughed nervously. "But, listen. I could totally use your help, now that you're here, so if whatever marital spat or making up or whatever you're doing there could wait...?"

"I... don't think it can," Loki hummed and reached out, cupping Tony's neck.

He pulled the billionaire closer, slowly, to give him time to escape if he so wished. He didn't, he just blinked up at Loki with those Bambi-eyes of his. Loki kissed him, softly and briefly, before stepping away and giving Mobius a pointed look. The other rolled his eyes, but that was undermined by the blush on his cheeks. After clearing his throat, Mobius also leaned in, pecking Tony's lips even quicker. The moment would have been perfect, if not for the... potato... that then hit Mobius' shoulder. With a pained sound did the man rub his arm and glare, turning toward the two giggling children in the doorway of the barn, Luke holding Harley's potato gun.

"Oh no, you left them alone with each other, this is going to be a nightmare," whispered Tony mortified. "Wait, no. You two just kissed me. Ooof, there is so much going on here."

"You kissed back," argued Mobius. "Right? I mean. You did."

"Yes, I did," Tony looked between them. "I definitely did. So, new boyfriends, want to help me take out some heat-powered, mutated villains? And also take that gun away from those two tricksters?"

"That sounds like a splendid plan. Let's start with the second one," suggested Loki pleased.

~*~ The End ~*~


Author's note: Birthday present for my best friend! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CUPCAKE! LOTS of love, I hope you enjoyed this!