Chapter Text
The downside of being in a relationship with the Asgardian god of mischief (or whatever the fuck he was) was that you never quite knew what he was up to, especially when he would vanish for days on end with absolutely no notice.
Well, Tony mused, taking a long drink of his scotch, As long as he doesn’t kill 80 people and unleash an alien invasion in a Tesseract-induced rage…
It was vacant in the Avengers Tower; it was one of the few nights when Tony was actually alone. Capsicle and Legolas were off on an assignment, Bruce was giving a lecture somewhere for S.H.E.I.L.D., Thor was off doing Asgardian things no doubt and there was no telling where Natasha was (most likely on an assignment that she’d never talk about).
And of course, there had been no sign of Loki for days. So Tony was free to enjoy himself in the solitude of the Tower.
Of course, that would imply that Tony liked solitude. Which he didn’t. So, in short, he wasn’t enjoying himself.
It didn’t help that the date was December 24th, Christmas Eve, and he was alone, staring at the massive Christmas tree erected in the living room. The tree had been Cap’s idea, the sentimentalist that he was, and he had roped everyone into decorating it (though even Tony would admit that he had gone overboard with the lights and the tree looked like it belonged on display somewhere in Times Square).
But it was probably better that Tony was alone, he probably wouldn’t be any good company tonight, not with Loki gone. The god/alien/whatever had been very secretive in the past few days, distant. That, coupled with his disappearance…well, Tony knew the signs when he saw them. Pepper had some the same thing shortly before she had told Tony that they needed to “talk,” which lead to a very emotional breakup.
Tony couldn’t say he was surprised; he wasn’t exactly the kind of man who could keep a relationship long before he managed to screw things up. It was only a matter of time…
“Anthony?”
The genius nearly spilled his drink at the sound of Loki’s voice behind him. Tony turned from his seat on the couch to see the god of mischief standing on the other side of the room, “There you are, reindeer games.” Tony put on a smile, “You really should teach Thor your trick to dimension/realm/world hop without all the thunder and lightning.” He teased.
Loki smirked, “I doubt Thor would listen to my guidance. I do believe he enjoys the showmanship of his grand entrance.” He walked closer to the Christmas tree, “I’m not too late, am I? Timing can be tricky between worlds, and I would hate to have missed out on this celebration you Midgardians have been anticipating.”
“Don’t worry, you didn’t miss it.” Tony took another drink, “It’s Christmas Eve, you made it just in time.”
“How fortunate.” Loki nodded, “Though I cannot help but notice your comrades are not here celebrating with you.”
Tony shrugged, “Duty called. Such is the life of a superhero.”
“Of course.” The god sat beside Tony, “Forgive me if this sounds rude, but I am glad we are alone this evening. There is something of great importance we must discuss.”
There it is… Tony could feel his heart sinking into his stomach. Then he saw the two wrapped gifts in Loki’s hands, “Those for me?” He asked, trying to lighten the mood.
“They are.” Loki nodded, setting aside a bundle wrapped in bright colored cloth while handing a small wooden box to Tony, “There is something you must know before you open that box, Anthony. I’m not sure if you are aware of this, but I am not Asgardian by birth.”
“So Thor wasn’t kidding when he said you were adopted.” Tony nodded slowly, “Alright, so…you’re a different kind of god/alien race?”
“Jötunn.” Loki answered, “The race of the Frost Giants, but that isn’t the point I’m trying to make at the moment. The past few weeks I have been feeling…ill. I worried that it had something to do with my Jötunn blood. So I returned to Asgard to make sure.”
Tony raised an eyebrow, shaking the box slightly, “And that’s why you’ve been gone…” He paused, “So was your illness due to you being the abominable snowman?”
Loki paused, opening his mouth to question the reference, then shook his head, “Yes, in a way…though, perhaps you should open the present first.”
As if Tony needed any more of a reason to open his early Christmas present. He lifted the lid to the box, only to frown at the small blue hat that was nestled in the box’s velvet lining. Under the hat, there were a pair of both miniature mittens and booties.
“Um, thanks Loki…” Tony paused, “But I don’t think these are my size…”
“Tony,” Loki took Tony’s hands, “They aren’t meant to be worn by you…Jötunns only have one gender, so childbearing is capable by all Jötunns of age.”
The gears in Tony’s mind ground to a halt, “Hold up…are you telling me that you’re…”
Loki nodded.
He stared at the blue garments, “A boy?”
Another nod.
Tony felt light headed, “So what’s the other present? If it’s a pair of pink mittens and you’re trying to tell me you’re having twins, I might need a stronger drink.”
Loki chuckled, relief on his face, “No Anthony, I’m only carrying your son. But this gift…” he picked up the second package, “Is the most precious thing any Midgardian can be given, and it took a bit of pleading on my part to get this for you…”
Well…no pressure then Tony mused as he carefully unwrapped the layers of vibrant cloth.
It was an apple, at least that was what it looked like, except it was gold. “I’m afraid I don’t know the significance of this Loki,” Tony admitted, “You’re going to have to walk me through this one.”
“Anthony.” Loki took Tony’s hands, which were still wrapped around the apple, in his own, “This is an apple of immortality. I begged Idunn to allow me to give you this because…Anthony, I cannot imagine life without you. It has been the source of my nightmares since we began our courtship. And now that you are the father of my child…I want to spend eternity with you.”
Well that certainly beat the hell out of the ring Tony had stashed under the tree. But before Tony could open his mouth to reply, the clock on the other side of the room began to chime midnight.
Tony smiled, “Merry Christmas, Loki.” He took the god/frost giant/whatever into his arms, kissing him softly, “And here’s to many more.”