A/N: Little shorter than usual, but this was a necessary bit that needed to be addressed. I'm doing my best over here guys, so please be patient with me.

[Chapter 13- The Arc Reactor]

Tony's arm was still in a cast when he finally broke back into his workshop, but it was really just an irritation at this point. Everyone kept trying to force some rest on him; he was sick of it. He was fine, and they just needed to stop getting their panties in a twist.

"You're not supposed to be in here."

"Holy-!" Tony jumped about five feet in the air, his hand flying to the arc reactor. He turned to the doorway.

Loki stood there, unimpressed, with his little stick arms crossed over his little twig chest. His bright green eyes were watching him pointedly, and the engineer gulped.

"I gotta get some work done, bud," the brunette declared weakly and fiddled with one of the uncompleted projects on the table. "I can't go out on missions, I can't work in the lab, can't even stand up to get a drink of water-!"

"I guess you can stay a little bit," Loki sighed, as though he actually had an say in the matter, and moved into the workshop with him. The seven year old jumped up on a stool to Tony's left and watched him work for a while.

"You've got your thinking face on, kid," Tony observed after a few moments of silence. "You can ask questions if you've got'em, you know that."

"I know," the boy nodded slightly. "I just... I think it might be a bit... mean?"

The man snorted.

"I think I'll survive," he assured. Loki hesitated before shifting closer to ask his question.

"What is the... the light in your chest? Is it your heart?" He finally managed.

Tony blinked, suddenly finding it hard to breathe. His mind was filling with unwanted images, Afghanistan, Obie, the works. His whole body felt numb. He didn't know what to do.

"Tony? Daddy? I-I'm sorry," Loki reached out apologetically. "I'm sorry. Don't be sad, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you-"

"I-It's fine, Loki," the billionaire burst abruptly. "It's just... touchy sometimes. I'll tell you." He gingerly removed his shirt (it was fine- Loki was seven) and tapped lightly at the blue that shone out of his chest. "This is the arc reactor."

"Yeah?" The child prompted cautiously. "What does... What does it do?"

"Well, there's a bit of... background there, but basically, there's little bits of metal right next to my heart," the brown eyed man started. Loki gasped, but he let the scientist continue. "This is a device that keeps those bits from cutting through and... and killing me."

Tony took a deep breath.

"It's very pretty," the dark haired child complimented warily.

"Thanks," the man's lips quirked an almost involuntary grin. He'd never seen it as such before, but Loki was young and still might not grasp the full implications of having machinery directly in your chest.

"Does it hurt?" The boy asked. He leaned forward slightly to admire it.

"Sometimes," Tony admitted. He thought for a moment; a flicker of doubt flashed through his mind, but he dismissed it. "Would you like to touch it?"

The seven year old quickly shook his head, looking guilty. The brunette chuckled and gently reached for Loki's hand. He brought it to his chest. (Silently he waited for the tidal wave of panic, but it never came.)

Loki's touch was tentative and cautious at first. His fingers were barely touching the arc reactor, brushing it like the tip of a feather. When he realized he wasn't hurting the man, he gained some nerve. He explored the surface with his fingers, cataloguing information in the deep parts of his little genius brain.

It was a little weird to have someone touching like this and not be able to feel it, but Tony was processing some information of his own. His eyes danced across Loki's face and fingers. The boy was fascinating when he was fascinated, and he wanted to remember this moment. Despite everything that had happened, this was yet another turning point in their relationship.

First, Tony had to accept Loki wasn't evil.

Then, Loki came to see the Avengers as friends, and next as family.

From there, it was only a matter of time until Tony began to return the favor.

Even if they weren't related by blood, had once been enemies, would eventually have to separate, Loki was his. His little buddy, his kid, his son for as long as the boy would accept him.

It was Tony's job to take care of him, teach him what was right, and love him.

A/N: While Loki has come to see the Avengers as his new family, they are all adults who have been hurt or betrayed sometime in their past. It takes adults longer to form relationships, especially something as big as unofficially adopting a child. (Especially one that used to be your enemy)

QUESTION OF THE UPDATE: If you had to pick, who is your favorite FEMALE Marvel character? I'm expecting a lot of Black Widows, but I definitely feel Pepper Potts needs some respect. Putting up with Tony, running a Fortune 500 company practically alone, dealing with the emotional stress of the Avengers and involvement with them... Yeah, she gets some points.