A/N: Apologies for taking so long to update—is anyone still out there? Lol. I deeply appreciate you sticking with me. This is, for all intents and purposes, the last chapter, but I do think there will be an epilogue, if anyone's interested. Thank you for reading, reviewing and the faves—I've loved every bit of it!
Seds
When the elevator reached Stark living quarters, everyone filed out and returned to the breakfast spread for more food and drink. People were now in a cheerful mood, happy that the tension hanging in the air from before was totally gone. Voices rose in conversation and laughter.
Loki poured himself a cup of coffee, keeping an ear cocked toward the master bedroom where Tony had taken Jacob. He could hear his mate whistling, and he didn't have to see to know what Tony was doing—taking a few precious moments of calm for himself, nuzzling his child, maybe standing in front of the bathroom mirror admiring how he managed to look pretty damn dashing, even with an infant in his arms.
Then came the sound of a faucet giving a noisy creak as water began to flow and warm up. Now, Tony would be placing Jacob on the changing table in the bedroom to get him ready for his bath. Loki stepped a little closer to the door leading to the hallway and, yes, he could hear Tony tunelessly singing one of his beloved Sabbath songs—"...I'm goin' off the rails on a crazy traaaain..."—and Loki briefly wondered if that had anything to do with him, when Tony's happy daddy-singing voice took a decidedly upward screech and a horrified "LOKI!" cut through the placid murmurs of chatting in the living room.
"Loki! Goddamn it, what the hell—" Tony zipped out of the bedroom with the baby clutched against his chest. He stopped in his tracks at the sight of Loki, and stood breathing heavily, reminding Loki of a cartoon bull. Everyone had gathered around the trickster god, open-mouthed and wide-eyed, gawping at the sight of the tiny naked infant sporting a pair of wetly glistening gossamer wings that gently, slowly, flit up and down as if in time with a heartbeat.
A little gasp came from each of the women, and then the group fell silent.
"Oh, dear. How ever could that have happened?" Loki asked, a thoughtful frown etched on his face.
Tony now had a murderous air about him. Thor cast a deeply concerned glance at his brother. "Loki," he intoned gravely. "I'm sure this is no fault of yours, exactly, but it's a disaster all the same. Can you fix it?"
"Yeah, Loki, fix it," Tony snarled.
"Hmm, well... I don't know that I want to." Loki strolled up to his little son and examined the shimmery appendages that seemed to unfold and get larger by the minute. "Don't you think he'll like them?" he asked Tony with wide, innocent eyes. "They appear quite sturdy. I'm sure they could hold him aloft. I recall wishing I could fly when I was a boy, and—"
"LOKI." Tony sounded a little wild by now, and everyone started speaking at once, offering encouragement, threats, or advice to the amused sorcerer. Only Frigga seemed as unconcerned as Loki.
"Loki, my dear, you're being very cruel," she said, squeezing his arm affectionately. "Stop torturing your partner."
"Oh, but, Mother—can't I have any fun?" Loki asked, pouting. "It's just a joke."
"A JOKE?" Tony almost screamed. "Turning our kid into Peter Pan is a JOKE?"
"It's just an illusion, love." With a much grander flourish than Frigga thought absolutely necessary, Loki waved a hand and the wings disappeared.
Jacob gave a contented gurgle.
Tony looked down at his son and hastily ran his free hand over the perfect little shoulder blades. Seeing and feeling nothing that wasn't supposed to be there, he leveled a relieved, if baleful, gaze at his lover. "Okay, Maestro, it's time we set some boundaries. I don't care what you do to me—you can give me purple hair, or boobs, or turn me into a newt or whatever—but from now on, Jacob is off limits. Understand?"
The whole group was studiously watching Loki, Thor with an anxious set to his jaw—he knew his little brother very well, and knew that telling him NOT to do something was tantamount to paving a rose-strewn path for him—and now that the dark-haired god again had full control of his seidr, Thor was trying to envision what the Avengers would do if Tony was suddenly turned into a tiny metal-suited amphibian—but Loki just shook his head ruefully.
"Oh, Tony. Of course. That must have been a terrible shock for you, I forget that your fragile human psyche can be so easily shaken. Forgive me?" He hopefully held out his arms, and everyone turned to Tony, waiting to see what he'd do. He stood pat for a moment. Then, he rolled his eyes, shrugged, and went to accept Loki's embrace.
"Why do your apologies always manage to make me sound like a pathetic four-year-old? But anyway—yeah, okay. Just remember, Jake's a baby, not a new pet for you to dress up in Halloween costumes and shit."
"I know, I know. It won't happen again, I promise." Loki gathered his little family in close and held them tightly, eyes closed, breathing in the scent of his mate and child. Then a wily little smile crept across his face. "But, now that you mention it, you'd look amazing with purple hair. And, an ample bosom would—"
"NO!" Tony shouted, pulling away. "Back off, Criss Angel—I was exaggerating for effect, not making a request!"
"Oh! Well, as you wish. Although, later, when we're alone, we could—"
"I said no!"
Loki gave an exasperated scowl. "Ugh, you're such a tease. All right, fine, I'm sure we can think of something equally as interesting to liven up things in the bedroom. But for now, I'd like to enjoy our guests, and weren't you going to give the baby a bath? Really, Tony, you have such a limited attention span, how do you ever get anything done?"
Tony hadn't quite recovered from the prank, and he was beginning to feel the must-murder-Loki vibe come over him again, but he took a deep breath and focused on cuddling Jacob. "O...kay. I think I'll do that." He turned to address his guests. "Listen, guys, eat up, hang loose—and I'll see you in a few."
Everyone settled down again, and Farbauti came and put an arm around Loki's shoulders, chuckling. "You really do have a bit of the devil in you, don't you, my boy? That was quite good."
"One of his less devious tricks," Thor said, before downing a a large glass of orange juice.
"It would have been quite delightful were it not for poor Tony being taken to the verge of self-combustion," Frigga sighed. "But, fortunately, you seem to have mollified him somewhat."
"Yes, you really must give me some advice on how to court a mortal," Farbauti said quietly.
"I beg your pardon?" Loki said, brows raised. With everything going on, he hadn't taken note of Farbauti being interested in any of the locals. Now, he did a quick sweep around the room, hoping to spot Farbauti's intended. Barton? Possible, but not likely. Banner? Loki couldn't imagine his lusty birth mother settling for the shy scientist, but then, maybe she'd heard about his green alter-ego and was intrigued by the challenge. Still, Bruce had eyes only for Pepper. Oo, what about Pepper, or one of the other ladies? Could be, but—oh, wait. Never mind.
The Captain.
Steve Rogers was standing by himself, nibbling a cinnamon roll, trying not to be seen taking surreptitious glances at Farbauti. Loki grinned and turned back to face her.
"I take it you've set your sights on Rogers?"
Farbauti gave a little giggle. "Yes, how did you know?"
"Oh, look at him over there, mooning after you. It's obvious. And, I don't think you need any advice from me, you clearly have him right where you want him."
"Well, yes, he does seem to be fond of me. He's even offered to take me to some place called 'Coney Island,' which he says is an amusement park, whatever that is. But there's a problem—I don't wish to call undue attention to myself here in this strange realm. I would like to, you know, 'blend in.' So... Do you think you could help me cast a spell, like you did for Jary? It needn't be so powerful, I would only want it to last a day."
Loki cocked his head at the exotic Frost Giant queen. He could sense the seidr she possessed. "Yes, I think so. In fact, I'd wager I could teach you to do it yourself, any time you wish, in case this becomes more than a one-time thing."
Farbauti flashed a startlingly radiant smile. "That would be perfect! Come, let's find a bit of privacy." She made a point of catching Steve's eye, and his face lit up at the sight of her. He raised a hand in greeting and Farbauti waved coquettishly as she sailed out of the room behind Loki.
Three days later, it was time for the visitors from other realms to leave, and none of them were happy. Thor had spent the better part of two blissful days with Jane, and was now filled with visions of what it would be like to have a baby of his own with her. And, it was bad enough to have to return to Asgard without her, but knowing he'd be apart from his precious little nephew made his heart ache in a very new way.
Frigga was in tears as she cradled Jacob in her arms for the last time for who knew how long. "He'll be in school by the time I get to see him again!" she said with a break in her voice.
"Now, now, my dear," Alfarin said comfortingly. "He may not age like human children—why, he might not even start walking for another two score years or more!"
Tony's eyes widened and he clutched Loki's arm. "'Two score'—that's what, like forty years or something? Is he saying our kid could be in diapers for forty years?"
"Shush, dear, don't be ridiculous. He's half human, I'm sure we're only looking at twenty or so." Loki absently patted Tony's arm before going to hug his mother.
Farbauti was stoic even though her heart sank at the very thought of having to leave. She remained a picture of royal dignity, apart from a gigantic pink stuffed monkey she clutched in one arm. Steve had won it for her on their date to Coney Island, a perfect day neither of them would ever forget. Farbauti had taken on her brand-new human form, with tawny skin, huge brown eyes and silky black hair, and a stature that was on the tall side for a mortal woman, but not particularly unusual. She'd worn a yellow sundress and white sandals, and while Steve's breath was stolen by her beauty, he realized he was taken with the woman herself, not her appearance. He himself held his jaw tightly to keep from showing emotion.
It was with vast reluctance that Thor eventually announced that they must go; and, at that, thinly held-back sorrow was released, and everyone began hugging everyone. A tear ran down Loki's cheek as he said his goodbyes. He'd just begun to relax and enjoy having his extended family around him, and now he wouldn't see them again for a very long time. Or maybe never, everyone but Thor anyway, who was the only one free to come and go as he pleased.
Frigga placed Jacob back in Loki's arms and kissed her son's wet cheek. "It's all right, my love. We'll be together again before you know it, don't worry."
"That's very nice to say, but you know you won't be able to persuade Odin to let you go again for a very long time. And, of course, it's not as if I can just zip off to Asgard any time I like." He swiped away a tear with the back of his hand and didn't bother to hide the bitterness in his voice.
Frigga tried to think of something comforting to say, but could think of nothing that wouldn't sound like ridiculous fluff. So she just pursed her lips and pushed a stray strand of hair from Loki's brow. She hugged him tightly and said, "I love you, son."
"I love you, too," Loki murmured into her ear. He managed a small smile as he pulled away and picked up Jacob's little arm to wave goodbye to his grandmother.
Tony accompanied the group up to the roof, but Loki stayed back to rock Jacob to sleep. There was nothing he could do to change things, so he decided he might as well take a nap, too, and let his restless mind be at peace for a bit.
Weeks passed. Tony and Loki settled into something of a routine, or as much as they could with one of them running a multi-billion dollar corporation as well as being an Avenger. Tony had understandably neglected both responsibilities for quite a while, and was now finding ways to tend to them while still being thoroughly immersed in his family. He'd had a pretty terrible example in his own father, and he was determined not to make the mistakes he'd made. No, Tony would be there, with Loki and Jacob, first. The rest would be dealt with as he could, but not at their expense. Assuming Manhattan, or the world, wasn't at risk or anything, of course.
Loki was one hundred per cent focused on loving Jacob. It was strange for him at first, having all these feelings for a helpless, demanding little creature. Loki had never been around children all that much, certainly not babies. Aesir men, including fathers, were kind and affectionate toward little ones, but they weren't expected to waste their time on something that could neither work nor fight; Loki himself had only sporadic memories of Odin before he was old enough to run around the palace on his own. So, knowing how to care for a baby, beyond feeding, bathing and changing him, was quite bewildering.
And, there were no real examples of parenting in his day to day life. No one they knew had children. When Loki loaded Jacob into a stroller and walked to the park for an airing, he closely observed the other parents and noticed they were almost exclusively women. They noticed him, too, and he often found himself in the middle of a group of ladies, each exclaiming over Jacob's incredible cuteness before flirting and making numerous side-eye glances at Loki's handsome face.
There was a time he'd have had a field day with that, seducing bored trophy wives for an afternoon's entertainment—it occurred to him that Midgardian men were quite stupid not to take advantage of such opportunities—but he genuinely had no romantic interest in anyone but Tony these days. And, efforts to ask advice or to glean parenting tips were quickly taken as encouragement for more flirting, and he often had to shake the women off like a dog climbing out of a bathtub before he could go home.
So, that was no help. Instead, he learned to listen to his heart and use instinct and common sense to take care of his son, mysterious though his behavior often was. And, he really had no expectations of the child. He assumed that someday, in good time, he'd become more advanced, learn to walk and talk and feed himself, and Loki rather suspected that the older he got, the less Jacob would need—or want—him around.
But, one day, Loki walked into the nursery and at the sight of him, Jacob's toothless little face lit up in a smile, a real smile, (making him look even more like Tony than usual) and Loki's heart nearly burst. He'd scooped up his wriggly bundle and cuddled him, crooning to him in a goofy way that had Tony laughing uproariously, but Loki didn't care. It was the first time he'd felt the pure love of a child, and he was hooked. He knew then and there that he would spend the rest of his life trying to be worthy of the love held in that sunny smile.