Summary: Loki had invited Tony over for dinner and it is finally here. Then, a mistake by Loki might cost her her newfound happiness.
Thursday. Four days that Loki had been stewing on her conversation with Tony and to begin to regret inviting him over for dinner. She had seen the man in question twice since then and the conversations had not lasted very long, usually enough to hinge on edge of awkwardness. So that was great. Loki had no idea how this night was going to go. Frigga and Odin had left for their own "date night". Odin had voiced his displeasure of Loki inviting a strange man into their house and thus ensued an hour long argument between the two. Loki knew that her father was not completely confident in her ability to keep herself and Fenrir safe. Frigga had ended the argument by pushing her husband out the front door, vouching for Tony herself having been the only one who has met him recently. Not long after they had left, Loki went upstairs to get herself ready.
"Ma?" Fenrir knocked on her open door, alerting his mother to his presence. Loki was curling her hair and turned to him with a smile.
"Hello, my heart."
"When is Peter going to be here? I pulled out all of my toys in the living room." Fenrir crossed the room and sat at her feet.
Loki glanced over at the clock. 5:47. "Not too much longer, darling. Are you excited Peter is getting to come over?"
"Yes! I am going to show him my new dinosaur toy that Uncle Thor got me!"
"Wonderful, now scooch over. I am going to get dressed," Loki smiled, nudging him enough for him to topple over earning a giggle from the boy. She crossed the room to her closet and found herself staring at her clothes. Her eyes went over every piece of clothing at least fifteen times. I should have never planned this. I have nothing to wear. This was a huge mistake. I'm not ready-
"This one, Ma. It's soft," Fenrir's voice interrupted her thoughts and he handed her a multi-colored sweater that was draped over her bed post.
Loki took the sweater from her son and kissed his head. "Thank you." She quickly slid the sweater on and realized it was perfect.
It wasn't long after Loki had put her shoes on did she hear a knock at the front door. She quickly gave herself a once over in the mirror and darted down the stairs, Fenrir at her heels. She put on a smile and opened the door. As the door opened her smile quickly disappeared.
"Thor? What the hell? Why are you here?"
"Language, Loki," Thor grumbles and pushes past her into the house. He is still wearing his uniform and Loki can see the car parked sideways in the driveway. She feels something brush past her legs and realizes Thor has brought Hogun. She lets out a loud groan. Fenrir, however, squeals loudly in delight, the dog immediately licking the boys face.
"Uh excuse me? You and I both know that Móðir informed you that I was going to busy tonight," Loki snaps, chasing after her brother. The man lazily strips off his uniform jacket and tosses it onto the dining room table and completely messing up the place settings Loki has put out. He trudges into the kitchen, grabbing a beer from the fridge. As he pops the top he begins peeking through the grocery bags that sit on the counter.
"Yeah but don't you think this is a little soon to be 'busy', Loki?" Thor asks and Loki's jaw sets in defiance.
"Nope, you are not doing this tonight Thor. I'm an adult and can decide when I want to become busy again. It's not like I'm going out with him alone, I'm not stupid," Loki said and grabs the beer from his hands to pour it out. "You answer me truthfully,Thor. Did Father put you up to this?"
Thor mumbles something under his breath which sounds like "yeah no shit". He reaches for the bottle again and expecting his sister to put up a fight, yanks it out of her hands. Loki on the other hand lets go and lets the beer spill all over his white uniform shirt.
"Loki!"
"Oops. Accident. Oh damn, looks like you will have to leave and get a new shirt. How unfortunate," Loki deadpans.
Thor just grins and puts a hand on her shoulder. "Nope, I have an extra in my car. Don't worry sister! Good attempt though."
Loki throws her hands in the air out of frustration but can't find it in her heart to be too upset with him. Thor had always been protective but with the past being what it was, it never hurt to be too cautious. "Thor! How am I supposed to explain this to Tony? 'Hey Tony, my brother is here to babysit us like we are in middle school again and to make sure you don't kidnap me. Hope this doesn't ruin this date… play date'."
"Loki? Are you here? Your door is standing wide open and I tried knocking. …" Tony is standing almost awkwardly in the hallway with grocery bags in his hands; Peter by his side carrying a large bouquet of flowers. Loki had been so busy yelling at Thor both of them had failed to notice the two walk in.
"Hi, Tony, Peter. Give me just a second" Loki greets them before turning and glaring at Thor. She leans in quickly and whispers in his ear, "If you are going to stay, just shut up and entertain the boys. Let them play with your badge or whatever you want to do. If you ruin this I will stab you repeatedly in your sleep."
Thor rolls his eyes but nod, taking his coat from the table.
"Will you go change clothes now? You smell horrible."
Thor grumbles and disappears out the front door to grab his clothes but not without giving Tony a once over.
"I'm so sorry about that Tony, here come in, please. This was unexpected. You know how siblings are." Loki apologizes, feeling her face flush in embarrassment.
Tony laughs and ushers Peter further into the house. Peter marches directly up to her and hands her the flowers. "Ms. Loki, these are for you! You are pretty."
Loki grins and bends down to take the flowers. "Thank you so much, Peter. These are beautiful, you have wonderful taste. Do you want to help me find a vase to put them in before Fen-"
Before she could finish the boy in question came running in, followed by Hogun. "Peter! Look! My Uncle Thor brought Hogun"
"Fenrir! A dog! So cool!" Peter completely forget everything regarding Loki and ran towards his friend. They immediately began chatting happily, letting Hogun lick their faces.
Loki turned back to Tony and lead him into the kitchen, "Thank you for the flowers, they are beautiful."
Tony just gave her a fond smile and put the groceries that he bought on the counter, next to the bags that she had bought.
"Oh damn, I should have told you I was going to buy the groceries."
Tony shrugs. "I figured out the other night that I forgot to get your phone number. I didn't want to assume."
"Well thank you." Loki nodded and began methodically organizing the groceries. Tony stood next to her and handed her whatever she asked for, the silence comfortable around them. The sounds of the boys giggling in the next room seemed to fill the lack in conversation
"Sorry about my brother, I didn't know he was going to show up like this. My family doesn't do anything discreetly," Loki apologizes.
"Loki, it doesn't bother me in the slightest. I get it. Do you and your brother have your own 'this is our get along shirt' too?"
Loki laughs, "When we were younger, yes."
At this point the ingredients are all laid out in front of them but neither move to get started. Loki had read up a little bit over how to make pizza but her knowledge in the kitchen was… lacking.
"Tony? Have you ever made a pizza before?"
"Yes," Tony lied. Loki glances over at him, eyebrows raised in suspicion. "Okay, no. But how hard can it be? We have the awesome tool called Google, Loki. The internet is a gateway of information. We can do this."
Loki shrugs and together they both begin working on the pizza, occasionally pausing to check on the boys. Currently they were were using Thor as a jungle gym and the man didn't seem to mind. Loki was so unbelievably happy that Thor had taken up with Fenrir so well and was a decent role model for the boy.
As it turns out making pizza is a lot harder than they believed. There was flour and yeast from one end of the kitchen to the other. They had to restart twice because Tony was convinced his Italian heritage gave him the power to spin the dough. It did not. The first time it landed on the floor with a loud plop and the second stuck to the ceiling. Loki keeps her eye on the pizza on the ceiling for a long time as they work on the third round. Slowly but surely it begins to peel away from the ceiling.
"Tony. Wait. Stand right there. I forgot something," Loki said and Tony froze. She pretended to look through the grocery bags, but before he could ask her what she was looking for, the dough fell and landed on his head. Loki burst out laughing. "I wasn't sure that was going to work."
Tony frowns and for a second Loki thinks he might be mad as he sits the pizza down on the counter. However, a grin spreads across his face as he reaches up and peels the dough from his hair. He takes the dough in his hand and begins tossing it at Loki, who is dodging them to the best of her ability. Finally there is a standoff when Loki grabs the sack of flour from the counter.
"Don't make me use this, Stark. It will not end well for either of us."
Tony raises another ball of dough and takes aim. "You are no match for me, Odinson." The kitchen was still as they anticipated for the other person to make the first move. And like most intense battles, neither Loki or Tony would say who made the first move but in a heated fury, flour coated the entire room. Squeals of laughter echoed out into the living room, drawing the attention of the boys and Thor.
Fenrir and Peter were the first on the scene. Tony and Loki were covered almost head to toe in flour and pieces of dough were stuck in their hair.
"Dad!"
"Peter! Help! This villainess is defeating me. I need your help!" Tony yelled, ducking behind the island in the middle of the kitchen. Peter gladly ran over to his dad and Loki could hear them whispering loudly to each other, making a plan.
"Fenrir, would you care to help?" Loki asked and the boys face lit up.
"We can make a mess?" Fenrir asked, skepticism in his voice. Loki was usually very strict about not making messes. Clutter usually made both of them feel a bit claustrophobic.
"Oh yes, Fenrir. Today, messes are appropriate." Loki said and handed him the bag of flour. "Be careful, my heart. I fear we are facing some powerful opponents."
Soon, before Loki and Fenrir could predict, Tony and Peter made their move. The battle was hard fought on both sides, leaving both covered head to toe in a mess. At some point the boys had turned on their parents and forced Tony and Loki to work together. Loki's stomach hurt from laughing and she could tell Fenrir was having a fantastic time.
"We yield!" Tony laughed, waving a napkin above his head. "You have defeated us."
"Too much raw power! My magic is useless!" Loki cries, causing Fenrir to laugh. Loki opens her mouth to speak again but another voice cuts her off.
"So dinner is coming along nicely as I can see," Thor spoke, his voice almost hinting at amusement.
"Hush, Thor. Must I remind you that no one invited you over for dinner," Loki snarks as Tony helps her off the floor, hands clasped together. For a moment their eyes connect and Loki felt an immense feeling of warmth flow through her body. Tony leans forward a bit towards her but Loki dodges by turning to the boys, giving Tony's hand a squeeze before letting go. "Are you guys still hungry for pizza?" This was met with enthusiastic cheers causing both parents to laugh. "Fenrir and I have a favorite place downtown that we can order from, they deliver. In the meantime, we can all get cleaned up."
"Sorry about the mess, Loki. You did start it," Tony teased and Loki rolled her eyes. "I'll help you clean up."
"Loki if you want to go order pizza and get changed, I'll help Tony clean," Thor said, as Loki and Fenrir strode out of the room she gave a look that conveyed 'Don't fuck this up for me or scare him off or I will murder you with a butter knife.' Thor believed her.
This time there is an awkward silence as Thor and Tony went to work on cleaning up the kitchen. Before Tony went any further, he took a washcloth to clean up Peter's face for him, cleaning him up the best he could. Then they took to the kitchen. It wasn't the most difficult thing Tony had ever done but if it wasn't a pain in the ass. Somehow flour seemed to find itself in every crevice.
"So, Thor, what do you do for a living?" Tony asked, groaning internally at the most boring question in the world.
"I'm a detective." Thor answered shortly. Tony opened his mouth but Peter had cut in.
"A detective?! Like on TV?! That's so cool! Dad did you hear that?! Thor is like Scooby Doo!" Peter's smile was from cheek to cheek.
Neither Thor or Tony could hold back a laugh. "I'm not sure he's exactly like Scooby Doo."
"No dad! He's like Scooby Doo. You saw Hogun earlier!"
Tony grinned back at Peter as he cleaned off the counter. Peter rambled on about his favorite episodes of Scooby Doo. Tony went back to cleaning, chiming into Peter's ramblings every once in a while.
Thor and Tony continued chatting and by the time Loki returned with dinner, both were talking enthusiastically. Dinner went well and they spent time laughing and letting the boys talk about what they were learning at school. After dinner, they escaped into the living room and it didn't take long for both Peter and Fenrir to fall asleep, happy and with their stomachs full.
"Well… I think Peter and I are going to go. You have school tomorrow. Thank you so much for inviting us over," Tony said and stood, crossing the room to maneuver Peter in his arms without waking Fenrir.
"I don't wanna go!"
"I know, Pete. But you have school in the morning. You will get to see Fenrir tomorrow. Promise."
"Mkay," Peter mumbles and buries his face into Tony's shoulder, quickly falling asleep again.
Loki stands and walks to the front door with Tony. "Can you get him into the car yourself?"
"Would you mind opening the door for me? He keeps growing and makes it harder," Tony says and they walk out to the car, Loki opening the door so Tony can place him in the back seat.
"I know what you mean," Loki whispers, wrapping her arms around herself to shield herself from the chill of the night.
"Loki, I really enjoyed tonight. I think Peter did too. Probably the most fun we have had in a while," Tony told her with a smile.
"Same here, it's been… difficult. Tonight opened my eyes a little bit, so thank you Anthony," Loki responds and quickly leans over to kiss him on the cheek. She is thankful it's dark enough that her blushed face isn't totally obvious. "I'll see you tomorrow at school."
"See you tomorrow."
The next few months go just as smooth as that night did. The two pairs constantly around each other, doing fun things with the boys. Even Loki's family had started to relax. Frigga worries less with her daughter being out with Tony and Thor stops interrupting them, well for the most part. Loki herself has never felt more free, there isn't a day that she and Tony don't talk, whether it's about the boys or what they did that day. For the first time since Loki escaped Room she sees a future where she and Fen can finally be happy. So, like an idiot, she stops taking her medicine, believes that this newfound relationship and possibly love was the cure. Things started to go down hill gradually enough that by the time Loki was at her worst, no one had caught it.
"Loki… you need to get up… you have work in an hour," Frigga said poking her head in her daughters room. Loki lay under the blankets, unmoving.
"No going. I'm sick," Loki grumbles, a nip of harshness in her tone. "Leave me alone."
Frigga walks over to the bed and removes the blankets enough to feel her daughter's forehead. Perfectly normal, almost running on the cooler side of normal. "My child. You do not feel hot. If you got on your feet and moving around you'll feel better. Fenrir needs you to take him to school. Your father and I can't."
Loki hid her face into the blanket. She pulls out her phone and Frigga rolls her eyes when she hears her son's voice on the other end of the line. Loki mumbles into the phone, "'Thor? Can you drive Fen to school today? I'm not feeling very well... Brother, please… Yeah sure, I'll owe you… thanks.' There you go mother, taken care of. Bye."
Frigga let out a huff but left her daughter alone, praying this was only for today. The older woman went to wake Fenrir and start getting him ready for school, explaining Loki's absence along the way.
"I don't think we should do this anymore Anthony," Loki states blatantly over dinner one night about five months into their relationship, her voice monotone. Frigga and Thor's heads shot up. Tony's face contorted in confusion.
"What?"
"I said I'm finished. I don't want to do this anymore," Loki snaps, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back into her chair.
"Boys, go upstairs and play please," Odin orders and the boys immediately ran off, the tension filling the room.
"Loki. I don't understand. What's wrong? I thought things were going fine," Tony stammered out, his heart beating so hard in his chest that he swore he could hear it. "If there's something I've done, please tell me."
"Why do I have to explain every fucking decision I make? God damn! Can't I be my own damn person?!" Loki tells him harshly, standing from the table.
"Loki enough. Sit down," Odin orders with a firm voice. Loki ignores him completely.
"Everyone questions everything that I do like I'm some fucking breakable toy, well I'm not. I'm not."
"Loki I never said you were-" Tony starts and reaches out for Loki's hand. The woman pulls it away as if it would burn her. "Please, Loki, I love you. Don't you-"
"No. I don't. I don't even know where you would even get that idea."
Tony could feel his heart breaking, he kept trying meet her eyes but she had drawn back and away. Finally they met and Tony almost was startled. This wasn't the Loki he had fell in love with, her eyes were hard and uncaring. All the light had gone and instead of the bright emerald green, they were dull.
"Loki please, please don't do this," Tony begged. "Peter and I love you."
"I don't love you, Tony! I don't! Get out!" Loki screams putting her head in her hands, she was crying into them. Every word out of her mouth hurt her and part of her didn't understand why she was saying these things. She didn't want Tony leave. "Get out!"
Tony had tears running down his face as he steps back, not wanting to send Loki into further misery. "Lokes…"
"Get out!" Loki screamed and threw her plate, the thing smashing on the wall next to Tony's head. Tony ducked and immediately backed out of the room and towards the stairs. He called Peter down and was gone before Loki could say anything else.
Loki let out a harsh sob and fell to the floor, her body floating. Her mind was racing, there was so much going on and she thought she'd feel better but it hurt worse. The horrible part was that is made her feel cold and numb, as if something evil was causing her to lash out. What was wrong with her? She didn't want this.
"Ma?" Fenrir whimpers, his head peeking around the corner. "Why did Peter leave?"
Odin carefully took the boys hand, and led him into the living room. Thor and Frigga followed. There was a long time that nothing happened, Loki could hear her family discussing something quietly but couldn't make it out. She stood quietly and exited out the back door, she followed the familiar path out to the hammock and curled into it.
She hadn't been out there very long before she heard her father clear his throat.
"Loki. We must speak."
Loki couldn't help but scoff, "What's to talk about? You saw everything."
"Yes but we both know that's not the question I'm asking Loki. What happened?"
"I just want to be able to make my own decisions as a person. My head is so busy all the time and I thought by getting rid of Tony I could focus more on Fenrir and…"
Odin sighed he sat in the chair next to the hammock. "Loki, have you been taking your medicine that Dr. Banner prescribed you?"
Loki couldn't meet her father's eyes. She sat as still as she could be hoping he would just go away.
"Loki, I have half a mind to call the police. You could have hurt Stark seriously. You need to tell me now. Have you been taking your meds?"
Loki shook her head 'no', averting her eyes from her father's face.
Odin sighs and hands her her pill bottles and a water bottle. "Loki. Your mother and I discussed it. We can't have this happen again. You have to take your meds or find another place to live. Fenrir needs stability and not a mother who neglects to take care of herself."
The cold of the night finally hit Loki. The hammock stopped swinging and she put her head in her hands. With a defeated sob, she opens them and pops her medicine in her mouth. "I'm going to go to bed. Can we talk in the morning?"
"No, Loki. We are talking now. No more running."
Loki nods, and tries to compose herself. "I know I should have been taking my meds. Logically, I know this. For the first time in a long time I felt better. I was happy and Fenrir was happy. It's been over a year and I thought I was over it. I didn't want to be so dependent on my medicine. I wanted to be normal, to be a good mom. I just ruined the best thing I've had in a long time, Father. I could have hurt him."
"Fear makes us do things we shouldn't."
"I wasn't ever scared of Tony. I'm just scared that I'm going to blink one day and I'm going to wake up back in that stupid shed. I'm ashamed that Thanos still has so much influence over my life."
"You should be telling this to Anthony, and not to me."
"I don't know if I will get that chance again, Father."