A/N: A little fluff, a little angst—my favorite! Hope you're still enjoying.

Seds

Loki and Tony lay flat on their backs, panting. It took them both a moment to come down from their post-orgasmic high, but once they did, they scrambled toward each other and Loki wrapped himself around Tony, burrowing into his neck and pressing his body snugly against his. For someone who claimed not to be a cuddler, Loki seemed to be taking his cue from an octopus, and Tony had to fight to refrain from chuckling out loud. Instead, he gave him a tight hug and kissed his forehead, loving that the man who had previously been so determined to hold him at arm's length both physically and emotionally, was now happy to revel in being close to him.

He felt like he'd managed to tame a wild animal without losing a limb.

Tony lay there, fascinated by how tangibly Loki's body slipped from the state of erotic excitement into a calm, deep sleep. He could hear his breath even out and feel his heartbeat slowing. After several quiet minutes, Loki was completely out, and Tony felt peace come over him in a way that he was rarely treated to. He could easily have joined his boyfriend in slumber, but he had a flash of Pepper's face back at SHIELD headquarters, followed by the thought of Bruce turning into the green guy, and serenity was quickly driven from his mind.

He carefully disentangled himself from Loki's arms and legs and slid a pillow in his stead before slipping off of the bed and standing up. He turned to look at Loki, wondering how and when trust had finally solidified between them. When was it exactly that Loki became willing to lie down and sleep beside Tony? Naked and vulnerable, it was an act of intimacy on par with consensual sex. More so, really—Tony had had loads of casual sex without a second thought, but sleeping with someone? That wasn't something he entered into lightly. How much more difficult must it have been for Loki, wild creature that he was.

Tony pulled up the blanket and covered him. Loki frowned slightly, but just hugged the pillow more tightly, apparently undisturbed. A thought occurred to Tony, and he went to rummage in his closet. It took some searching, but there it was—high on a back shelf, still in the dry cleaning bag he'd brought it home in a few years ago—his childhood teddy bear, Bixby, well-loved and well-worn. It had been nearly as tall as he was when he was a toddler, and he'd taken it everywhere, dragging it behind him, sleeping on top of it, talking to it, an endless source of stability and comfort in a household filled with stress, uncertainty, and tension. He hadn't saved a lot of stuff from his youth, didn't want the memories, but somehow he'd held on to Bixby from move to move, just throwing him, dusty and dirty, into a box along with whatever else he felt the need to bring along.

But when Stark Tower was complete, he decided to clean him up in the interest of preserving him for... what?

Really, what for? He imagined he might claim it was for posterity, something for his future biographers (and no doubt there would be many) to latch onto, proving he did indeed have a sweet side to him, but in reality, he thought he probably meant to hand it down to... someone. Okay, a kid, maybe. His kid. Not that he thought he'd ever have one. But maybe... And, here he was, with fatherhood just around the corner. He looked at the cute furry face, black button eyes staring back at him from under the thin plastic. He tore it away, fluffed up the bear and held it out for inspection. In spite of the ragged bow tie and faded-with-age brown fur, he was still in pretty good shape. Grinning, Tony strode back to his bedside.

He carefully lifted Loki's arm and lay the bear on top of the pillow. He then slid the pillow away and replaced Loki's arm. The god instinctively curled in on it, looking choir-boy innocent with a bare shoulder peeking out from under the cover and the bear's placid expression peering back at Tony from under Loki's chin. Pretty damn cute.

And then, Tony grabbed his phone and took a picture. Lots of pictures.

After all, he wasn't a sorcerer. A mere mortal needs some kind of weapon against a god, right? Nothing like a little blackmail material for future reference.

Tony cheerfully headed off to take a shower and to dress for dinner.

After a series of escalating knocks, Bruce Banner stood quietly in front of Pepper's door, waiting to escort her to the cab waiting to take them to Tony's place. It took a while, but she finally answered. Bruce smiled—she was so damn pretty—ready to say something inane about the weather, but Pepper's expression told him that pleasantries really weren't in order. She gave him a curt nod of acknowledgement and immediately headed to the cab. Bruce trailed along behind her, the misgivings he'd been struggling with all afternoon becoming even stronger.

Once they were on the road, Bruce cleared his throat. "Uh, Pepper? I don't know if this is such a good idea."

Pepper had been staring out the window, but now she turned to look at him. "What?"

Bruce pursed his lips, considering his words carefully. "Look. This has been a tough day. A lot of emotional stuff, stress, confusion... Maybe we should call Tony and postpone our dinner. Give us a chance to, you know, think things through."

"I've done plenty of thinking, thank you. Nothing I have to say is going to change, not tomorrow or the next day or the next, and Tony's just going to get in deeper and deeper. There's nothing to be gained by waiting, trust me."

"Yeah... I know you're pretty upset with Tony, we both are—" Actually, Bruce wasn't particularly upset with Tony. He was about seventy-five percent worried that Loki was crafting another elaborate scheme to take over the planet, now that SHIELD was more or less out of the way, and twenty percent curious about the whole pregnant-male thing, plus about five percent pissed that Tony hadn't confided in him, although, to be fair, he could kind of understand that. "...but, I'd hate for us to say things in the heat of the moment that we might end up regretting."

Pepper then turned her full attention on him. "I'm not upset, Bruce,I'm terrified. This whole thing stinks of schemes, lies, and deception, which are exactly the things Loki excels at. He's got powers, right? Maybe it's magic, or maybe it's just some kind of mind control, but whatever's going on between him and Tony is not normal."

"Um... What do you mean?"

"For starters, Tony isn't gay. Oh, I'm not naive enough to believe he's never experimented, maybe even a lot, but he's way too into women to go that way full-time. Second, Tony's got relationship issues. He's had a million infatuations, but falling in love? Hell, he couldn't commit to a goldfish. Third, I don't believe for one minute that Loki's pregnant. It's bullshit. Clever, all right, but where's the proof? He's brainwashed Tony, maybe his whole family, Thor and everyone. He's got something terrible planned, and he's using Tony to make it happen, I know it." She pulled her handbag closer to her and went back to staring out the window.

Bruce shrugged. "Well, it all does seem pretty wild. But, Tony's not stupid, how could he fall for a scheme like that?"

"Again, mind control. Look what he did to Selvig and Hawkeye. You don't think Tony's susceptible? That's why I have to talk to him, I have to look him in the eye and see what the hell's going on in his head. I think if we can have a few minutes alone, I can get through to him."

"And you don't think Loki will interfere with that?"

"Of course he will. Which is where you come in. I'll need you to run interference."

Bruce's eyes widened. "Ahem, may I call your attention to my alter ego, the big green guy? I trashed Tony's place once before, wiping up the floor with Loki. I really don't want to be put in the position of having to do that again."

"You won't. I just need you to keep him busy. You can, I don't know, say you want to apologize to him for embedding him in concrete the hard way, or talk to him about baby names, or ask him to teach you a card trick, I don't care. I just need you to distract him for a few minutes while I talk to Tony."

Bruce nodded. "I get it. Now, what's going to happen if you do manage to convince Tony that Loki's using him?"

Pepper gave him a dour look. "Then, we may need the green guy."

Loki was in a dream state. He could feel the child within him thrashing around like a trapped animal wanting out. He was calling desperately for Tony, but he was nowhere to be found. Then, he could see someone in the distance running toward him. But when the figure got closer, it was Odin. He was laughing maniacally and as he neared, he raised his spear. "Don't worry, son! I'll help you!" He threw the spear, and just as it was about to pierce Loki's stomach, he startled awake. He was breathing heavily and it took him a moment to grasp where he was and to accept that there was no danger. As his eyes focused, he found himself face-to-face with a soft fuzzy brown creature. He gasped, ready to throw it across the room, until he realized it must be some sort of toy.

He sat up and examined it. There was a tag proclaiming "FAO Schwartz" with the name "Tony" neatly embroidered over it. A smile tugged at Loki's lips. Ah. A childhood memento, then. Why was it in his arms? Of course, Tony must have gotten up and, not wanting to disturb him, gave him something to hold... But, why this, this... whatever this thing was supposed to represent? Loki gave it a critical look. Dog, maybe? No, it was hard to say. Asgardian children had stuffed toys meant to look like animals, Loki had had an elephant called Beryl, but those were typically made of silk and carefully crafted to be as life-like as possible. This was just a squishy warm thing, rather like a pillow but with arms and legs and little ears and eyes made out of buttons. And, it was rather unexpectedly wearing a bow tie. Loki shook his head and considered following through with the plan to throw it across the room, but then he thought better of it and lay the thing on the bed before standing up.

Ugh. He felt sticky and sweaty, thanks to his and Tony's earlier exertions. He glanced at the clock and wondered when Tony's guests—there was no way he could think of them as "their" guests, especially Banner—were expected. He went to take a shower, and as water began to course over his body, the unpleasant dream came back to him. It had left him feeling unsettled, unsure whether there was a meaning to it that he needed to decipher, or whether it was prophetic in some way. He idly rubbed soap over his chest and under his arms and frowned.

So strange that Tony hadn't been there.

Eh, he was probably just worried about tonight's dinner. Both Banner and Miss Potts would be decrying his and Tony's relationship, and he'd have to take it or risk upsetting everyone, especially Tony. It was so unfair. Tony had done nothing but good, and now he was going to be put on trial by his close friends, all because he'd been foolish enough to fall in love with Loki.

Loki leaned against the cool tile, his stomach suddenly in knots. He knew Tony loved him. It had been hard to believe at first, but now he felt sure and secure that his little Midgardian mate truly cared for him. Which would make it doubly difficult for him to be gracious and kind when his guests began a tirade against Loki.

And, all Loki would be able to do was stand around and try to look harmless.

Which he was.

Not that they'd believe it.

Shit. Loki's eyes widened at the thought. Oh, gods, they'd NEVER believe it. Never. No matter how long he and Tony might be together, no matter how well-behaved Loki might be, no matter how good and kind and responsible he might make himself, they'd never trust him.

And, they'd never let Tony forget it.

They'd never let him forget, and they'd make sure every little misstep, every poorly chosen word, every facial expression that could be interpreted as covering a lie, was endlessly discussed and analyzed, and they'd force Tony to make excuses for him, to apologize for him, and at the end of the day, he'd see it—the doubt, the questions, the weariness in Tony's eyes. And, tonight was only the beginning.

What of the Black Widow? Hawkeye? And, His Righteousness, good ol' Captain America?

What would happen when they'd had their turn at Tony, telling him what a fool he was for being duped, for endangering himself, them, the entire city, the country, the planet?

The water was cascading down his back, almost too hot, and a tight tendril of fear closed around Loki's throat.

What had he done?

He hastily turned off the faucet, and stepped out, grabbing a bath towel.

Shit. Fuck. It was too late. He'd agreed to have the baby, agreed to stay with Tony, but what if, after tonight, or the next day, or the next, he didn't want him any more?

Where would he go?

He pondered the question as he dressed. He could ask Thor to beseech Odin to let him come back to Asgard to birth the child. No one would ever know he was there. There were caves in the south situated by a pristine stream, he and Thor had camped in them many times. It was nearly Asgardian spring and the weather would be mild. There would be plenty of vegetation and good hunting, he could stock up in advance of becoming too ungainly to manage on his own. Frigga would be able to come to him to assist when his time came, and then...

Thor could bring the child to Tony, if he still wanted it. Or, perhaps Frigga would be enchanted with it and raise it as her own. She might even be able to persuade Odin to put a glamour spell on it, if Loki was out of the picture.

His heart hurt at the thought, but he pushed the pain aside. He was good at that. People thought him cold and unfeeling, but it was just the opposite. If anything, he felt emotions too strongly. He'd grown up careful not to show his dismay when Thor's friends made fun of him, lest they use his sorrow against him. Instead, he'd learned to do a trick or make a joke, learned to smile when Thor's exploits earned him admiration and praise, to look proud when Thor's accomplishments on the battlefield were being celebrated, even though he'd been right beside him, warding him in safety, distracting the enemy to give Thor a chance to refocus, using sharp strategy to help win the battle, only to be not only overlooked, but mocked for using seidr.

He could hide his feelings now, tamp them down, destroy them. He could leave Tony, leave his child. It—he, or she—would be all right. The child would have no baggage. No one would study its every move, wondering what deception it was up to, or when it would turn on them.

He just had to make a plan.

He needed Thor.

Loki wasn't sure how to contact his brother. In the past, Heimdall had been their conduit, but Loki doubted the watcher harbored any kindly feelings toward him now, or even that he would be allowed to give him assistance if he did. Loki wandered around the bedroom, stopping to stare out the newly repaired picture window. He sat down in the recently replaced overstuffed chair and sighed at the thought of all the trouble and expense he'd already put Tony through, whether directly or indirectly, and the thought of it only cemented his plan. His eyes fell on the land line telephone, which he understood was hopelessly outmoded technology now that everyone seemed to carry a tiny device on their person, but beside it there was a sheet of paper with scribbles all over it. He picked it up and saw the name "Thor," followed by a series of numbers.

"Hmph," he said to himself. He was dubious that it would work, but he'd seen this sort of telephone used in plenty of old TV shows, so perhaps it was worth a try; he picked up the handset and put it to his ear. He heard an encouraging hum. He shrugged and punched in the numbers. After a moment, he heard a ringing sound, and then, to his genuine surprise, Thor's melodious voice came on the line. "Hello?" he said.

"Uh—Thor? Is that you?"

There was what sounded like stunned silence on the other end, but then Thor tentatively said, "Yes. Who's this?"

"It's me, Loki."

More stunned silence. Then a hearty laugh. "Loki! What in the Nine? You're using a telephone device?"

Loki felt like saying, "Isn't it obvious, idiot?" but thought better of it, saying, "Um, yes. Strange, isn't it?" instead.

"It is! But, it's good to hear your voice. What are you..." The cheer in Thor's voice dissipated. "Loki, is something wrong?" he asked worriedly.

"Not exactly. But... I need your help."

"Gods, brother. It's been an age since I've heard those words from you." Thor's tone sounded lighthearted, but Loki could hear the concern underneath it. "What do you need?"

Loki took a deep breath as he tried to compose his thoughts. "You know that Bruce Banner and Pepper Potts are coming for dinner tonight, yes?"

"Yes."

"Then, I'm sure you also know how the evening will go."

On the other end of the line, Thor frowned. "What do you mean?"

Loki rolled his eyes. "Think about it. They're not coming here to get to know their friend's new sweetheart. They're coming to talk Tony out of being with me."

"Loki, you mustn't make such assumptions—"

"It's not an assumption, it's a fact."

"All right, let's suppose that it is. Do you really think Tony will part with you as a result of their words? He won't. As difficult as it is for me to believe, he loves you." Thor spoke teasingly, but the words stung.

"I can assure you, it is no less difficult for me," Loki snapped. "And, no, I don't imagine he'd do anything rash this day. But, what about after Natasha Romanoff, Clint Barton, and Steve Rogers have their little chats with him? What about when I make some thoughtless remark or stupid mistake? It'll all add up, Thor. The day will come when he regrets ever having had anything to do with me, just as everyone else does."

Thor closed his eyes tiredly. "You're being ridiculous. Tony won't fail you. He's a good, strong man, he'll answer their fears with the truth and before long, they'll see you as you really are. As a good, strong man."

Loki pressed his lips together. "I wish it were that simple. But, it's not. And I need what is referred to on Midgard as a 'Plan B.'"

"What the hell does that mean?"

"Thor, I need you to talk to Fa—I mean, Odin. I need you to convince him to let me return to Asgard for a while, just until the baby is born."

"What? Why?" Thor sounded utterly bewildered.

"If Tony sends me away, I'll have no way of surviving in this realm while pregnant. On Asgard, I can care for myself until the birth, and then Mother will be near enough to help me."

"And, then what? Where would you and the child go?"

"I... The child would be in Mother's hands. If Tony wants it, so be it, she'd see to it that they would be together. Otherwise, she'd make sure it was well-cared for, perhaps even raise it herself. I would then be free to leave and do the work you and I talked about."

"Loki!" Thor sounded scandalized. "You'd leave your baby?"

Loki irritably swiped at a tear, and forced his voice not to shake. "It would be best. For it and for me. I have no desire to care for an infant alone. Tony would probably let me... see it occasionally. Of course, if Mother were to take it, well, that would be that. Unless..." There was no helping the tremor in his voice. "Unless, I were to prove myself worthy by helping you. Then, perhaps one day Odin would allow me to visit."

Thor was quiet for several long moments. When he spoke, it was with the grave manner of a king.

"Loki. You've had so little happiness in your life, and now that you've found it, you're determined to push it away with both hands. I will not allow it. You know very well Tony would move mountains for you, and for his child. Do not think he wouldn't follow you to Asgard, or that I wouldn't take him right to you. He'd bring you home, kicking and screaming all the way if he had to. So, stop this nonsense and concentrate on making things as easy for him as possible in convincing his friends that he's not a fool."

"But—"

"If the day ever comes that you need that sort of help, of course you can depend on me to see it through. But, you won't." Thor let that sink in, and then added, "Accept it, brother. You've found the one poor soul in the nine realms mad enough to be a match for you. Don't make it any harder on him than it already is."

Loki could hear Thor's grin through the phone line. Slowly, the panicked feeling was ebbing away. He found himself smiling, and he said softly, "Good advice. Another thing you rarely hear me say."

"Indeed."

"But, I mean it. Thank you."

"It's going to be fine, Loki. Please trust him. He trusts you."

Loki nodded. "All right. I'll, uh... let you know how things go. Tonight. Assuming Banner's green creature doesn't make an appearance."

"If that happens, I'll hear it on the news. Try to be good, though, okay? You're behaving for two, you know."

"I know. I will. I'll be a perfect little angel."

Thor burst out laughing. "Just try not to piss him off. That's about the best we can hope for, I suspect."

Loki laughed in agreement, and then hung up. He leaned back, thinking over everything Thor had said.

He was just about to go see if he could get a reassuring hug from Tony when JARVIS's voice announced that Bruce and Pepper had arrived.