A/N: Time frame wise, this is set 8 years after Burning Curve, for reference. :)
So updates might be a little slow as I deal with some big personal stuff. If you're interested you can read about it at my Tumblr. megaranoelle . tumblr . com
I don't own The Avengers, Loki, Iron Man, or anything of the like. Just the thoughts inside my head. And taking some personal freedoms with mythology and lore.
Tony had confiscated the comfy chair in the hospital room as he waited for Tomas to wake up. Loki was back home with Sander and Melisande. Tony was under oath to text them the second that it looked like Tomas was going to wake up. It had been several hours after the accident and Tony was starting to drift off, his eyes slowly closing, despite not feeling tired at all.
His eyes closed for a second and when he opened them again there was a woman standing in front of him. Tony jumped, almost falling out of the chair and blinked. "Hey!" Tony stood up quickly facing the Norn. "What's the deal with all the visions, and then letting my son get into a car accident? You came and gave me the sign that things were going to be okay. This," he pointed over to Tomas in the bed, "is not okay."
"Things will never be perfect," the woman told him, not moving when he started to rant at her. "The Fates can not upset the balance of what has been foreseen. You were shown the images, but not for you to try and break the cycle." Tony frowned at her. "No one can stop what is to happen. All but one, that is."
"So you let me see that car accident, and what? Watched me flounder around trying to save me son?" Tony growled out. "Is that a form of entertainment for you guys?"
"No one is meant to change Fate, Anthony," she told him sternly. "Had you not done anything, you would not find yourself in this hospital room."
"Excuse me?" Tony frowned. "Wait, are you trying to tell me that this is my fault?" He took a couple steps closer to her, anger starting to radiate from him.
"Had you not intervened, your son would be on his flight with merely a sprained wrist." She was giving no sympathy, but wasn't chastising Tony either. "It must be learned that Fate is nothing to be tampered with, it's nothing that we can stop when we know it's coming. You need to learn that, Anthony, and soon."
"Soon? What?" Tony frowned. "What do you mean? Why can't you just give a straight answer?" The Norn gently pushed on his chest, pushing him back until he was sitting in the chair again. "Hey, I'm not-" She leaned forward and kissed his forehead gently and his eyes closed again. When he opened then he saw Loki pulling away from his forehead and frowned. Sander was sitting on the edge of Tomas's bed, his older twin awake, and Melisande sitting on Sander's leg, babbling to her brothers. "Loki?"
"You were expecting someone different?" Loki raised an eyebrow at him. "You looked surprised." Tony hummed a little, almost annoyed. Loki frowned a little and pulled Tony up from the chair and to the corner of the room away from the kids. "Tony, what's wrong?"
"How do you know something's wrong?" Loki just looked at him. "Yeah, yeah, no need to give that look. I'm annoyed." Loki continued to stare at him. "The Norns annoy me. One Norn in particular."
"Tony, you're babbling nonsense." Loki sighed and put a hand on his forehead. Tony pushed his hand away. "Are you trying to tell me that you've been talking to the Norns?"
"Yes," Tony nodded. "Just one Norn, and she's not being nice to me. She told me that she was giving me my special letter, the I'm sorry for fucking up your life things, right? She showed me-" Tony blinked when Loki put his fingers on Tony's lips, eyes a little wide.
"A Fate came to you and showed you the future?" Tony nodded slowly.
"I saw Melisande," Tony started to explain slowly. "Sander was helping her walk, like this morning. And when I grabbed Tomas's jacket I saw the accident, only it was in the company car." Loki started to rub the bridge of his nose.
"So you of course tried to change the event." Tony nodded and Loki sighed. "You can't do that, Tony. You can't try to change something that is pre-destined, especially if you know about it."
"Yeah, well, how I was supposed to know that?" Tony huffed a little. "I'm not an expert on the laws of fate and prophecy or crap like that. Anyways, I already got lectured about trying to change it."
"You've seen a fate more than once?" Loki frowned and looked at Tony again.
"This would be the second time. They don't really get less annoying with time, let me- uh, Loki?" Tony had raised an eyebrow when Loki's hands started to glow and he let them hover just over Tony forehead and chest.
"You were touched by a Fate," Loki murmured quietly to himself. "No one has ever been touched by a fate and just walked away unchanged."
"Define unchanged?" Tony asked immediately. "I have had my fair share of being changed to last a Couple of lifetimes."
"Were you capable of predicting the future before?" Tony shook his head no. "My point stands."
"Are you telling me that when she touched me all those years ago, she gave me fate-like powers?" For his part, Tony managed to keep his voice from getting too high.
"I wish you would have told me when this happened," Loki mumbled.
"Yeah, well, I wish you would tell me what happened with Hela nine years ago," Tony shot back. He rubbed his face with one hand and let out a sigh. "I am not taking the blame for this one. This was completely unprovoked on my part."
Loki leaned forward and leaned his head against Tony's for a second. "Do you think that you can manage to not get in trouble for possibly a year?" Tony raised an eyebrow. "I'll take the next six months, but a year would be optimal."
"I like to think that I've stayed out of trouble for a while now." Loki just looked at him, still not pulling away from him. "What happened in Italy does not count."
"It completely counts," Loki argued. "Eindride and Elpis are still running interference." Tony groaned a little. "Six months isn't that long, that's the minimum I need."
"What happens in six months?" Tony asked as Loki pulled away. He could see the tiny uplift in the corner of Loki's mouth. After almost six decades together Tony was able to see when Loki was at least hiding some good news.
"In six months we're going to need to set up another room in Malibu and the Tower." Loki told him, turning around to head back to their kids. Tony snaked out and grabbed his arm. He pulled Loki back a little before his other arm wrapped around his waist, hand resting on his stomach. "I'm thinking that you need to be neutered."
"If you hadn't of just told me that you were pregnant again, I'd hit you," Tony said before kissing his neck. "I think that you need to be staying out of trouble for the next six months."
"You're usually the one getting into trouble, and then I have to come and save you." Tony snorted against his neck, rolling his eyes.
"I think I need to call Cap," Tony said as they headed back over to the hospital bed. Melisande looked over and grinned, reaching her hands up to Tony. He picked her up, blowing a raspberry on her neck, making her squeal.
"Don't taunt, it only brings trouble," Loki warned.
"What's Dad getting into this time?" Sander asked first as he and Tomas looked over at Tony.
"He's going to gloat," Loki informed them, sitting down in the chair that Tony had been sitting in earlier.
"Not my fault that I am apparently more potent that he is." Tony grinned, happily holding his youngest daughter in his arms. Tomas and Sander both made matching faces of disgust.
"You are aware that Gabriella is also expecting, correct?" Loki asked, trying not to smile when Tony's face fell.
"Their hands should still be full with the twins." The twins that Gabby and Steve had, who were turning five in the winter, Farah and Rina. They both look exactly like Steve down to his blue eyes thick blonde hair.
"Dad, are you pouting?" Sander raised an eyebrow. "You know this puts you all at the same amount of kids, right?"
"Ah, you're forgetting that Aunt Gabby and Uncle Steve have three grandkids," Tomas pointed out. Melisande look at Tony as he tried not to put and put her hands on his cheeks. He blinked and she pushed up with one hand, and pushed down with the other, moving his cheeks around. The twins started to laugh and Loki snorted, smiling softly. "You're not allowed to be unhappy when holding Melli."
"Yea!" The toddler exclaimed and giggled, moving her hands in circles on Tony's cheeks. Tony pulled his lips back to cover his teeth and turned his head to nibble on her arm. Melisande squealed and wiggled in Tony's arms, a grin on her face.
"How can I pout when I have this adorable thing in my arms." Tony said before he turned his head to nibble at her other arm.
"I've heard it before," Loki muttered, making the twins snort when they heard him.