A/N: Bit of inter-species sex in this one, lol.

Tony had been too deep in REM sleep to be disturbed by Loki getting out of bed in the early morning. He slept hard for a while longer, dreaming of old battles, and he eventually jerked awake in distress. He reached for the comfort of Loki's cool but easily-warmed skin and came back with only empty covers. He reached full consciousness and listened for the sound of peeing, or footsteps, or something, but there was nothing in the room but silence. He sat up, coughed, and rubbed sleep from his eyes.

"Loki?" he rasped.

Nothing.

He got up, pulled on his underwear, and, still half-blind, felt around for his bathrobe, but it was gone too. Putting two and two together, he made his way to the living room.

On the couch was a plaid-covered mound topped by a mass of tousled black hair. Loki's front was buried in the fold of the couch, a throw over his feet. Tony sleepily grinned, and went to pull the dark tresses away and plant a kiss on his neck, but before he could reach him, Loki growled, "Don't touch me."

Tony pulled back, startled. He ran through the last several hours and couldn't remember doing anything to piss Loki off. Hell, he'd been asleep—how could he piss him off in his sleep? Oh, yeah. This is Loki we're talking about. "What's wrong?" he asked in a puzzled tone. He reared back in shock as Loki turned around.

He was blue.

A soft sky color, actually, his lips indigo. Red eyes, but a deep red, almost brown, not quite as disturbing as the shimmering red they'd been the first time Tony saw him like this. "Hello, human," Loki said mischievously.

"Wh-what, uh—huh? What're you doing?"

"Oh dear, I thought you were 'totally fine' with me in this form," Loki snarked.

"I am! But, a little warning would be nice. How'd you like to wake up next to me with me in my Iron Man suit?"

"Mm. Point taken."

They stared at each other for a moment, and then Tony asked, "Why can't I touch you?"

"Because in this form, a mere touch would freeze the flesh right off of your bones. One of the many benefits of being a Frost Giant." Loki sniffed ruefully.

"Okay, good to know. Then, may I ask why you're, you know, like that?" Now that Tony had gotten over the initial surprise, he was noticing that Loki was just as gorgeous in his blueness as he was the regular way. And, weirdly, kind of cuddly and adorable in Tony's old bathrobe. He really wanted to pull him into his lap and snuggle the hell out of him.

Loki yawned and ran a hand through his hair. "Well, I have a reason for taking on this form. I've been like this since 4 AM. Now, which of your fingers do you consider to be the most dispensable?"

"I'm pretty fond of all of 'em, to tell you the truth," Tony said guardedly. "Why?"

"Alright, then. Give me your leg."

Loki gestured for Tony to sit at the far end of the couch, which he did. He hesitantly held out his leg, frowning. "Need my legs, too, sweetie."

"This is an experiment. I truly don't believe I will hurt you, but if I do, this is a relatively non-essential area for a case of frost bite." Loki indicated the area below Tony's knee.

"This shows how much I trust you." Tony braced himself, and Loki laid the tip of one finger on Tony's bare shin and quickly removed it. "How was that?"

Tony shrugged. "Fine. Hardly felt anything, it was so fast."

"All right, let's try a little more." Loki put two entire fingers across Tony's leg. "Now?"

"No problem. Kind of cool, but it's just like your regular temperature. What's going on?"

"Once more." Loki took Tony's calf between both of his hands and squeezed. It wasn't sensual at all; in fact, Tony felt pretty much like a lab rat, given the way Loki was frowning and poking and prodding his skin experimentally. "How does that feel?"

"Good. Squeeze a little harder, my muscles are pretty tight after the workout you gave 'em last night." Tony was giving him a cocky grin, and Loki rolled his eyes.

"Weak humor aside, this is excellent. Just as I'd hoped." Loki patted Tony's leg and leaned back, clearly pleased.

"Okay, so I've still got all my skin. What was all that about not letting me touch you because I'd freeze to death?"

"I wasn't sure if this would work, so I didn't want to take any chances."

"You weren't sure what would work?"

Loki drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I was able to contact my mother and get some answers to my questions about the birth. She says I'll have to take on my Jotun form in order for the baby to... have a way out." He gave Tony a meaningful glance. "And, since you are so determined to be a part of the ordeal, I was concerned about you not being able to touch me. You're such an impetuous dolt, I was afraid you'd forget the danger and do something stupid, like try to hold my hand, or, worse, hug me, while I'm pushing the damn thing out of my nether regions."

"Yeah, God forbid I hug the man I love while he's giving birth to my baby." Tony waited a beat and added, "Now, that's a phrase I never thought I'd be saying."

"Indeed. Anyway, it occurred to me that perhaps I could use the same technique I used to warm myself on that first occasion when we mated. I thought if I practiced, I might be able to hold the heat in my flesh for more than a few minutes. But I discovered that, without the glamour spell interfering, it was quite easy. After a few tries, I was able to stay warm without even thinking about it. I've maintained it for hours now, and I'm still perfectly comfortable. I should be able to do it for the entire time of the birthing."

Tony drew his brows together. "But, isn't that magic? How are you able to do it without, I don't know, blowing up my stereo system or something?"

"This isn't magic at all, it's apparently a natural body function of the Jotun. Perhaps it's a remnant of long ago days when Jotunheim was at peace with other realms and needed to be able to interact with other beings. I don't know, I'll have to discuss it with Mother one of these days." He fell silent and Tony carefully reached out to cup his chin in his hand.

"God, you're beautiful."

Loki sneered. "Oh, am I? Or are you just saying that to make me feel better about being a freak?"

"I'm saying what I think." Tony freely caressed Loki's face, and he liked the way Loki dropped his defensive attitude and closed his eyes, long black lashes feathered against blue skin. He rubbed his cheek against Tony's palm, and Tony marveled at how rigid the raised tribal markings felt among the softness. He traced one with a finger tip and had Loki practically purring in pleasure.

"No one's ever touched me when I'm like this," he murmured.

Emboldened, Tony asked, "Okay if I give you a kiss?"

Loki's eyes popped open, but he nodded.

Tony leaned in and pressed his lips against Loki's cool ones. With his eyes closed, it felt just the same as usual, and Tony eagerly scooted closer and took Loki in his arms. "Damn, you feel so good," he whispered.

Loki burrowed in and Tony could feel the tenseness flowing out of his body as he relaxed against him. "Mmm..."

A thought suddenly came to Tony. "Uh, Loki?"

"Hm?"

"Could I... you know?"

Loki pulled back and gave him a quizzical look. "What?"

"Could I... take a peek?" Tony gestured at Loki's crotch. "You know, at your, uh, junk? I guess it's kind of weird for me to ask, but—"

"It's not weird at all. I don't blame you for being curious. To be honest, I've never looked myself." Loki glanced downward. "I've only ever taken on this form for shock value, I never cared to just be this way."

"Hang on a minute. Stay warm."

Tony ran to his bathroom and rummaged in a drawer until he found a small hand mirror. He came back and handed it to Loki. "Here. You should be the first to see, right?"

Loki raised an eyebrow and curled his lip. "Gods. I suppose so." He stood up and slipped off his sleep pants and then lay back. Tony delicately looked away while Loki held the mirror between his legs. He made a sound that was almost a sob, abruptly tossed the mirror aside, rolled into a fetal position and pulled the robe around himself, refusing to meet Tony's eyes.

"Aw, babe," Tony said consolingly. It hadn't occurred to him that Loki had not only never before seen himself in this way, but that he might be distressed by the sight. "Come on, it's okay," he said hastily. "Look, how about we go get some breakfast? There's a deli down the street that does the best lox and bagels in town. Maybe you could go ahead and change back to your vanilla form, though, I—"

"Leave me alone," Loki said in a strained tone. "This is unbearable. I no longer want you to see me like this. Not you, not anyone." His voice dropped. "I really am a freak," he added, mostly to himself.

"You are not! There's a whole race of people like you, you just didn't happen to grow up around them—if you had, you wouldn't think anything about it!" Tony heard another stifled sob, and he squeezed Loki's shoulder. "Please, sweetie. Look at me." He leaned in until his lips were almost touching Loki's ear. "Please," he said softly.

Loki finally turned slightly and glanced back at Tony. "What?" he asked dolefully.

"Come on, turn over."

When they were face-to-face, Tony smiled at Loki. "Hey, if it weren't for the baby exit strategy, I'd say blow off the Jotun thing altogether. It's your body, you shouldn't have to deal with this if you don't want to. But, as you said, the little nipper's got to, you know, come out somehow, and I'm guessing this is going to be easier than a C-section. So, please—don't worry about what I think, or anybody. Take your time, and get used to the idea on your own terms. Just know that I'll be right beside you every step of the way. Okay?"

Loki took a deep breath, frowned, and gave an exasperated huff. "How can you be like this?"

"What do you mean?"

"So accepting. So... kind. Even animals reject the aberrant among them. My own father left me to die just because I was smaller than normal." He nestled closer to Tony and his voice cracked with emotion. "How can you continue to love me, when I'm so clearly different from you, from everyone you know? How can you—"

"Fuck, Loki, I love you. I love you," Tony said, his lips against Loki's skin. "I don't care about anything but the fact that we belong together. Hey, I'm no prize! I mean, I am, but only superficially. Inside, I'm all the shitty things you always say I am—self-centered, on my way to being a full-time drunk, too quick to act and not to think. I'm all those things, but I'm changing, I'm getting better, and it's because of you. And, maybe, you're getting better because of me." He sought Loki's eyes and held his gaze. "We're going to have a baby, and he'll be better than both of us put together. Right?"

Loki's eyes had welled up with tears, but he brushed them away. "Or, he'll be worse than either of us ever thought about being."

"Nah. Not when he's got two parents who love him. And each other." They shared a somber moment, and then the smile returned to Tony. "Look what we've done, you and me. We've both been through various kinds of hell. Had a few major screw ups. Came back and started over. We've seen some serious shit, babe, and we're smart enough not to make the same mistakes twice. Trust me—this kid's going to be just fine."

Loki watched Tony's face from under heavy eyelids, and he seemed to come to a decision. "Hand me the mirror."

Tony reached down to grab it, gave it to Loki, and then sat up and turned away. Loki sighed, settled flat on his back and parted his thighs. He silently examined himself in the mirror, and then set it aside. "Go ahead," he said wearily. "Look if you want."

Tony turned back. He let his eyes trail downwards, from Loki's face to the pale blue skin of his hairless chest, the small cobalt nipples, his slightly rounded belly, to a thatch of black wiry hair partly obscured by Loki's hand holding his penis out of the way.

Tony paused there, and then looked lower. Under the base of Loki's cock was a small expanse of smooth skin. It became a slit nestled between two plump mounds, with delicate petals of softest blue peeking out between them. Tony wanted to gently part them, but he didn't dare, not yet. Not until Loki invited him to. Instead, he focused on studying the sight laid out before him. Yes, it was odd, but, damn, it was beautiful—a secret place revealed, perfect as it was. He glanced up and saw Loki regarding him with a small grin. "Damn it, Stark. You look like a hawk circling its prey."

"You're so gorgeous, babe. I really want to... I mean, I wish we could..." Tony cleared his throat. "Uh, you know, maybe we should get ready and go to breakfast now—" Resolutely, he started to pull back, but Loki leaned forward and grabbed his wrist.

"No." He lay back again and stared curiously at Tony. "You really find it... appealing?" He sounded doubtful, but pleased.

"Oh, jeeze. Yeah. Yeah, I do." Tony swallowed hard. "It totally makes me want to bang you 'til the cows come home. Sorry. That's probably not what you wanted to hear right now, is it?"

"Oh, I don't know." Loki reached down and trailed a finger along his newly discovered entrance. He pressed in and stroked himself, and a surprised moan escaped him. "Oh. Uh... Hm. That's nice." Tony watched the finger disappear within him and he started when Loki breathed, "Ah... Tony. Touch me."

Tony licked his lips uncertainly. "Really?"

Loki's languid expression turned to a scowl. "Yes, really. Unless you've been lying and find my strange Jotun body revolting, in which case, please, tell me now. I'll avoid wantonly presenting myself to you in the future."

"I wasn't lying!" A sultry spark passed between them as they met each other's eyes, and Tony abruptly leaned down and gave Loki a fierce kiss, partly out of irritation, partly to prove to him how desperately he wanted him, exotic blue flesh and all. He gently brushed his fingertips over the tender opening, and heard Loki murmur in a gravelly voice, "In me. Please."

And then, everything was scrambled. Tony's brain desperately tried to sort out the conflicting signals—Loki's erection jabbed into his belly while the inviting flesh beneath it opened easily for him. Loki made impatient thrusts with his hips, urging Tony's tentative fingers to dip in and slide deeper, giving a little grunt of frustration at his lover's hesitation. "What are you waiting for? Get those damn things off," he growled, tugging at Tony's briefs.

"I didn't want to hurt you, but—shit, all right, all right, to hell with being considerate. Just give me a minute!" Tony hastily skinned out of his underwear and then wriggled down to fit his own cock to Loki's slit. He was about to push inside, when a thought caused him to stop. "Hey, should I wear a condom?"

Loki gave him a withering look. "Why, do you think you might be able to get me more pregnant?" he snapped.

"Oh. Uh, no. Never mind." With that, Tony thrust in, a little harder than he would have if Loki hadn't just snarked at him, and he groaned when the snug, slick channel gave way.

He heard a gasp from Loki and kind of congratulated himself on his handling of the whole situation. He'd been afraid Loki would give him more hell before letting him get his bearings—after all, this was weird, no matter how unbelievably good it felt—and he'd had a twinge of concern that he might lose his wood if Loki screwed with his already befuddled brain so soon in the proceedings. But, a gasp was good, gasps meant that something hot and sexy was happening, so, encouraged, he pulled back and thrust in again.

Hard.

To Tony's dismay, Loki yelped and gasped, "Stop!" This time, it was pretty obvious that this wasn't the good kind of gasp, and Tony quickly pulled out.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"That hurt."

"Oh, shit. Did I pinch something? I do that sometimes with the ladies, get a little ahead of myself, and—"

"I'm not a 'lady,' you cretin! No, it hurts... inside."

Tony never understood how Loki could manage to look so utterly disgusted and so completely beautiful at the same time, but, boy, did he look that way now. Tony hovered uncertainly. "Well, uh—whatever I did, I'm sorry. You want to take another run at it, or—?"

The disgusted look had morphed into a stoic expression. "No. Not just yet." He glanced down at himself and then leveled a matter-of-fact look back at Tony. "Stark... You just took my Jotun virginity."

"Oh... Oh, babe." Tony blinked as realization came over him. "You said no one had ever touched you when you were like this... so, yeah. I guess I did."

"Well. This just keeps getting better and better," Loki sighed resignedly.

"Baby..." Tony snuggled in between Loki and the couch and took him in his arms. "I'm so sorry for hurting you."

Loki waved his hand airily. "Eh, it's fine. I've been gored by a Tronderian battle rhino, being penetrated by your puny manhood's hardly going to kill me. I'll be okay." The sharp pain he'd experienced had ebbed away, leaving only a dull throb, and the ludicrousness of the situation was beginning to amuse him. He gave Tony a sidelong glance to see if he felt the same, but Tony's brow was furrowed in thought.

"I'm just so sorry. But, I swear, it never occurred to me—"

"It's all right! Obviously, it didn't occur to me either." Loki paused a moment and then added, "Norns, Tony. You've been my first for so many things, haven't you? Just when I thought the only firsts I had left would be progressively more terrible forms of misery. You amaze me." He was gazing at Tony with such affection that Tony felt his heart beat faster, and he hugged Loki and gave a rueful chuckle.

"You poor kid. I had no idea I was about to pop your space alien cherry."

"I know. And not only that, but I'm already pregnant. Don't you Midgardians have a popular myth about something like that?" Loki asked mischievously.

"Uh, it's one of our major religions, kid. I wouldn't call it a myth in public."

"Good to know." Loki smiled up at Tony. "You mentioned breakfast. I need to recover from being speared by you, and anyway, I think the fetus has awoken due to your rude intrusion into its abode. We're both starving. Let's go eat."

"Sure." Tony was quiet for a moment, then he added hopefully, "But... Do you think you're going to want to try this again sometime? I have a feeling it'd be incredible."

"Yes. Yes, I do, and it will." Loki kissed Tony and then took on his Aesir form. "I'll get dressed. Any suggestions for a disguise? Without my seidr, I can't do much on the spur of the moment."

"Come on, I have an idea."

Tony led him to the master bathroom and fished around until he found one of Pepper's old hair ties. He pulled Loki's hair back with it and then picked out a gray t-shirt, jeans, and a pair of running shoes from Loki's wardrobe. He got a beat-up Yankees baseball cap out of his side of the closet, and a pair of Ray-bans, and handed the whole lot to Loki. "Here you go. Do you think you could be a little shorter? Nah, guess not. It's okay, this is a pretty nondescript outfit. You'll blend right into the crowd."

"Wonderful," Loki sniffed disdainfully. "I must say, Midgardian fashion for men leaves something to be desired."

"Yeah, but, damn, your ass looks hot in anything!" Tony gave Loki a leering grin as he left him to dress, and Loki couldn't help but smile. But it faded as he ran a hand over his stomach and he frowned.

"For now," he thought as he slipped on the jeans. He had to tug harder than usual to button them. He couldn't wait to see what sort of sartorial monstrosites he'd be reduced to wearing once his tummy was fully expanded. Coming up with a disguise would no longer be a problem, as he'd just never leave the house. Still, he didn't look too bad at the moment, and he slipped on the cap and sunglasses gamely enough. Might as well make the best of things while I still have my boyish figure, he thought dourly as he checked the mirror.

Tony gave a wolf whistle at the sight of him, Loki rolled his eyes, and they strolled to the deli without incident.