Tony was not a morning person. He hated getting up early.
That said, he wasn't all too happy when Erika came flying into his and Loki's room at sunrise and hurled herself onto the bed, screaming, "MOMMA, DADDY, GET UP! GET UP, IT'S CHRISTMAS!"
Tony groaned and buried his face in his pillow. "Already?" he groaned. He'd just gotten to sleep, too . . . .
Loki sat up and gathered the child in his arms, forcing her to sit still. "Daddy's not quite ready to get up just yet, Love," he said softly, kissing the top of her head. "Why not give him a while longer?"
Erika looked like someone had given her a puppy and then taken it away (Loki had suggested they get her a puppy for Christmas, but Tony had decided against it). She stopped squirming on Loki's lap and continued to pout. "I wanna open my presents," she whined.
Loki sighed and looked over at Tony, who looked like he was already back asleep. "Tell you what, ask Daddy if you can open one present—just one," he said to the pouting toddler, who visibly brightened. She wriggled out of Loki's arms and climbed onto Tony, who groaned.
"Daddy, can I please, please, pretty please open just one present until you and Momma get up?" she asked sweetly, batting her eyelashes.
"Go for it," Tony mumbled sleepily, eyes still closed. Erika squealed and was out of the room in the blink of an eye.
Tony groaned again and rolled over. "Five more minutes," he mumbled, yawning.
If Tony had know what was about to happen, he would've gotten up and spent the entire day with his family; he had no way of knowing, though, so he went back to sleep.
"I don't want you to go."
Christmas day had come and gone, and now it was time for Loki to return to Asgard.
"I'll be back," Loki reassured Erika, who was stubbornly holding onto him. "I'll always come back."
Erika still refused to let go, her bright green eyes shining with tears. She hated it when Loki left—even when he said he was coming back, she always feared that he wouldn't; that he would stay in Asgard, with others like him, who wouldn't ever get old or die.
Tony and Erika were getting older every day.
"Promise?" Erika asked quietly.
Loki kissed the top of her head. "Always," he said gently, and handed her off to Tony, who took hold of her and rubbed his hand up and down her back.
"Don't worry, Kiddo, you know your Momma loves you, and he'll always come back to you," Tony said to the toddler while looking at Loki.
He'll always come back to us.
Loki gave Erika another kiss on the head and Tony a soft kiss on the lips, and then he was gone.
Tony wasn't all-seeing. If he was, he would've seen what awaited Loki in Asgard, and he would've stopped Loki from going back.
Loki met with his family upon his return to the golden halls of Asgard. No, not family—relatives.
His family was back on Midgard, awaiting his return, and he vowed to return to them as fast as he could.
Heimdall had Seen. He'd Seen, and he'd gone to the Allfather.
He hadn't Seen Erika—thank goodness—but he'd Seen Loki's mortal lover.
Among the Aesir, having a mortal lover was distasteful, never mind a lover of the same gender; they were a simple people, with simple views.
To say that Odin was displeased was an understatement. The Allfather thought highly of Midgard, but not so much that he'd accept his youngest son taking up with a midgardian. He had plans, after all, to marry off both of his sons, so that they would produce heirs. In Odin's plans, there would one day be a Lokison in the family (he did not acknowledge Sliepnir, Fenrir or Jormugand as legitimate heirs), or a Thorson; this could not happen if his heirs consorted with mortals—and of the same gender, no less.
Over the next day, Loki was given specific instructions on exactly what he was to do upon returning to Midgard.
"Father, you cannot ask this of me!" Loki pleaded. "What I do and who I spend my time with is none of your business, you have no right—."
"I have every right!" Odin thundered. "I am your sovereign, and you will do as I say!"
Loki wanted to scream at Odin how much Tony meant to him, how he was nothing without his partner and their little girl. Thoughts of Hela and of his sons stopped him from speaking these words aloud.
Odin would never know about Erika if Loki had anything to say about it.
Loki conceded, in the end—he would end things with his lover, but only if he was allowed to return for one more day.
Odin granted him this small favor, and Loki returned to Midgard the next day.
"Hey gorgeous, what's up with the gender swap?" Tony asked Loki upon his return, for he returned to them as Lorna.
"I simply choose to wear this skin today," was all Loki—Lorna said as she grasped Tony's hands in hers. "Come, I wish to spend the day with you and Erika. Where is she?"
"Momma!"
Lorna caught Erika as the girl threw herself into her arms. "Hello, my little one," Lorna greeted, smiling gently. "How about we all go out and do something fun today—would you like that?"
"Yeah!" Erika said happily.
Thus, plans were made to go to the park. After that, they saw a movie, and then relaxed on Tony's own private beach. It was the most peaceful Lorna had ever felt, and she didn't want it to end.
It had to, though.
At the end of the day, Lorna stood by Erika's bed and held her close. "Momma loves you," she said quietly, trying not to cry. "Never forget that, Erika—I will always love you." She kissed the drowsy toddler on the head and tucked her in, then gently closed the door to Erika's room.
Tony wasn't in their room—their outing had filled his head with ideas and he was down in his workshop. Lorna went down there and used her verbal skills to lure him to bed.
She wanted to be with the man she loved, one last time.
A/N: I had so many feels while writing this.