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.
Loki found himself waking up far earlier than he should have. The sun was barely up but he just couldn't sleep. He assumed Tony was still asleep because his body was still trying to heal.
"Yeah, I know." Loki stopped before he reached the kitchen, hearing the unfamiliar female voice. "Soon, like always." A pause. "Some stuff happened, big stuff. Yes, that prevented me from coming back the past few days." Loki silently moved, keeping himself hidden, and glancing around the corner. He saw the back of a woman leaning against the counter, phone pressed to her ear. Her long brown hair had been pulled into a hasty ponytail, and she looked like she had been sleeping, still dressed in a tank top and shorts.
"I know, babe," she let out a little sigh. "I promise. Melli can't wait to meet you." Loki frowned a little when she used Melisande's nickname. "Call you later. Yeah, I might try to get some sleep, it was hard trying to get to sleep last night." She let out a snort. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Don't you have a job to get to? Bye, babe."
Loki walked fully into the kitchen as the woman hung up, stepping up behind her. The woman started to turn around then let out a short scream before slapping a hand over her mouth. Wide, familiar, green eyes met Loki's. "You scared me!" The woman hissed out, placing a hand on her chest, resting above a glowing blue circle. "You are truly too quiet."
Loki studied her face before blinking and taking a step back. "Sander?" The woman blinked and looked down at herself, eyes widening further. "Are you alright?" He couldn't help but think that he had been cursed after his time with Adir.
"Yeah?" Sander raised an eyebrow at him. "I mean, I'm a little tired, having come back from the dead and all."
"So there's a reason behind the sudden gender change?" Sander blinked then made a little 'o' with her lips.
"I'm a shapeshifter like you?" Loki took a second to digest the situation around him. He couldn't say he was surprised, it was something that he did with Tony, sometimes even when they weren't trying to have another child.
"How long have you known?" Sander was the first to actually show an interest in their other abilities gained from Loki. As far as he knew, Sander was the only one that had actually ever shifted. "You learned on your own?"
"It just kind of happened one day?" Loki could hear in her voice that there was more to the story. "There was some experimenting in my college dorm about how far it could go, and what exactly I could shift into."
Loki hummed a little, nodding. He had also experimented with most of his powers when he was younger, having only his mother at the time to help him, but she was no shapeshifter. "I'm just a little surprised is all. More so that you didn't come to me with your questions." Sander just shrugged a little, shifting her weight from one leg to the other. Loki raised an eyebrow. "Did you forget when I said that I always get the secrets?"
Sander let out a groan, dropping her head onto the counter. There was a shuffling from the other end of the kitchen as someone walked in and Loki looked over. Tomas was stretching his arms over his head, hair ruffled into spikes from sleep. He blinked when he spotted the unfamiliar person in the kitchen, and Loki saw the gears turning as he brain tried to tell him that there was in fact a female he had never seen in the kitchen. Loki then saw the part of Tony that Tomas had inherited kick into place. Tomas had spotted a good looking female that, supposedly, wasn't his sister. Loki leaned back against the counter, all too happy to watch what happened next.
Tomas slid over, hand rubbing the back of the obviously distressed woman. "I know, sometimes dealing with my Dad can be a hassle. I don't believe we've had the opportunity to make each other's acquaintance."
"I think we can keep it that way," Sander muffled through her arm, keeping her head on the counter.
"Ouch, your words aim to maim." He moved and started to rub her shoulders. "I think that perhaps a hearty breakfast will help with whatever ails you, and I know of the best place in the state to go." Loki was taking slow breaths, making sure that he didn't smile or start laughing. His son needed to figure this out on his own.
"Oh god, are you seriously trying to pull moves on me?" Sander's head popped up. She rolled her shoulders to push his hands from his back before turning fully so Tomas could see her face, and the glow of the arc reactor on her chest.
Tomas blinked, his sleepy brain trying to catch up with the fact that not only had he been denied, but he knew the person who was turning him down. His eyes suddenly widened. "Oh my god! Sander?!" He tensed his shoulders a little and shivered. "I just tried to hit on my twin!" He started to walk away quickly.
"At least you haven't lost your sense of narcissism!" Sander called out after him and Loki let out a snort, biting his lip so that his laughter didn't get too loud.
"It's only because I look so good!" Tomas shot back before disappearing around the corner.
"Narcissus!" Sander shouted.
"Oh no," Loki said carefully trying to keep the laughter out of his voice. "The real Narcissus was much worse."
"I'm sure you enjoyed that," Sander grumbled, turning back to face Loki.
"I only wish that your father had been here to see it." Loki grinned.
"Here to see what?" Tony asked as he walked into the kitchen yawning, looking just like Tomas only a moment ago. Loki rolled his eyes but smiled. "Hey, we have a new house guest?" Sander straightened a little, the blue glow showing. "Oooooooh. Aw, Loki, he really does take after you, growing lady parts and all." Loki hit his shoulder as Sander groaned. "So, what's up Lady Sandy?" Sander was not amused.
"I was trying to get to that point myself before your other son came in here and attempting to take his twins out to a flattering breakfast." Loki smiled as Tony started to laugh. "I came in here to hear our darling daughter," Sander shot him a glare, "talking to some mysterious person on the phone."
"The mysterious Fay that Melisande brought up yesterday?" Tony's eyes lit up a little.
"I suddenly miss not living on my own," Sander mumbled.
"I'm wondering why you haven't changed back for this conversation," Tony threw in.
Sander wiggled her nose a little. "It uh, it's uncomfortable actually." Her hand unconsciously went up to tap the reactor. "I didn't know until I shifted a little bit ago, and I don't want to shift back just yet, I'm not a fan of the feeling. I hadn't actually thought about how this would affect things."
"Hopefully I have something that can help with that," Tony told him. "I'm synthesizing the element now for a replacement reactor, a new slim version." Sander nodded a little. "So, this leads us to believe that you've been doing this for a while?" Sander actually blushed a little.
"Why can no one in this family have a private social life?"
"You told your mystery person that your little sister was excited to meet them," Loki reminded her. "Obviously it's not very private if you've been telling Melisande about them."
"Melisande likes me enough to keep it a secret," Sander mumbled.
"Does Fay know that you gender swap? Or do they only know you as Lady Sander?" Tony had started to move around the kitchen, making some coffee.
"Let me just parse this down a little," Sander stood up straight. "You two aren't going to relent until this comes down to asking to meet Fay, are you?"
"I'm very happy that our children have learned," Loki said, looking at Tony. Tony just chuckled as he finished his coffee.