Work Text:
Polyvengers || MARVEL || Polyvengers || Blue Bunnies || Polyvengers || MARVEL || Polyvengers
Title: Blue Bunnies – Writer's Month 2020
Fandom: Marvel
Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Marvel Comics for the creation of some of the most awesome heroes ever. This fanfiction on the other hand is entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.
Tags: polyamory (m/m/m/m/f/f), alpha/beta/omega dynamics, fluff, hurt/comfort, mpreg
Main Pairing: Polyvengers (Bruce/Steve/Loki/Natasha/Jane/Clint/Tony)
Marvel Characters: Anthony 'Tony' Stark, Bruce Banner, Loki Friggason, Jane Foster, Steven 'Steve' Rogers, Natasha Romanova, Clinton 'Clint' Barton, Thor Odinson
Writer's Month Prompt: bunnies
Summary: The Avengers are a happily mated poly-arrangement and their omega is expecting their first child. It makes them reminiscent on how they got to this moment; how Loki and Jane had become Avengers and how their pack had slowly formed and grown into the family it was now.
Blue Bunnies
Writer's Month 2020
Tony rolled his eyes as he watched his alphas pace and fuss. Jane was frantic, chatting softly, while being followed by Bruce in their pacing. Steve was sitting with Natasha, both alphas being calmed by Clint, their pack's only beta. And Tony, well, he was the only omega in the pack – and he was currently pregnant with his mates' first child. They all didn't know whose baby it really was – all seven of them were happily involved with each other, so it wasn't like they could tell which one of them may have fathered the baby. Though if one were to ask the golden snake gently wrapped around Tony's neck, then the child was most definitely Loki. Who, surprisingly enough, had also been the calmest about all of this. He made a little hissing sound, nudging his head against Tony's.
"Will you all please calm down some", groaned Tony annoyed. "I am the one in labor here. You all aren't allowed to freak out. You have to stay calm for my sake."
"You're right, Antoshka", chuckled Natasha softly.
"We all defeated an alien army together. How is this freaking you out more than fighting aliens?"
"Because I could shoot an alien in the head", grunted Clint gruffly. "I can't shoot your pain."
Steve growled softly in agreement. Even in his human-form, the Labrador he was inside often shone through. Tony smiled faintly as he watched Steve curled up against Nat even more.
"Clint's right though", agreed Jane with furrowed brows. "There were things to calculate, ways to handle it. Now, we're all just... standing aside. Unable to do something."
Of course, there was truth to that. The invasion, that had been an enemy they could fight together. Everyone had their part to play, everyone had something to do. Here...? They couldn't. And as horrific as the invasion had been, it was what had brought Tony and his alphas together.
/flashback\
The battle of Manhattan had brought the Avengers together – SHIELD offering Natasha, of course did they call Captain America, Bruce was supposed to be the 'big guns' because he was the Hulk, Tony and Jane were called in as science-consultants. After all, Jane was the leading astrophysicists in the world and while Tony was brilliant and learned the basics over night, that didn't hold a candle against a leading expert in her field. That was them. They were the original Avengers. They came together to fight the invasion, even more so when they realized that Loki was the one who led said invasion. Natasha was now personally motivated, because Loki had taken her mate – Clint Barton.
It was ironic, how quickly they had turned their stance though. Loki was not the enemy, as pointed out by Jane – his eyes were no longer green, they were as blue as Clint's or those of the mind-controlled SHIELD agents. Thor had felt foolish for not noticing it himself, but he had been swept up in his pursuit of his brother, blinded by the anger. Jane, she was calmer, more rational.
So the mission changed. Not to take Loki out, but to take out whatever had taken control of them all. They had to make plans, together. To take the staff apart that was controlling everyone.
The fight was hard, they had to break the spell's power on Loki to bring him onto their side. Once that was done, Loki repaid the favor by aiding them in their fight against the Chitauri.
"You know what, you're pretty fun to fight alongside", noted Tony excitedly.
Loki simply regarded the omega briefly. This was particularly peculiar for Loki; Asgard would never allow an omega onto the field like that. Loki himself, he was an alpha who had been teased and bullied for his 'omega-ish' behavior – magic, that was something only omegas carried; omegas were magic-users and alphas were fighters. He wasn't a fighter. He did soft thing, weak things like reading and enjoying the arts. Yet here, on Midgard, an omega was simply fighting alongside alphas, who seemed to respect him as their equal. No mockery.
"You fight very bravely yourself, Stark", replied Loki after a beat.
"No flirting. More fighting", quipped Clint through the coms.
"Aw, feeling left out, birdie?", teased Tony with a laugh.
Loki found himself amazed by this. The open banter and flirtation. Asgard would not stand for it, not on the battle-field. Neither would they stand for Loki though. This entire fight against the Chitauri was a startling experience for Loki. He was not used to be looked at as an equal; the Warriors Three and whatever comrades else Thor had, they always looked down upon him. Now, here, having a common enemy had bonded this ragtag team together – the Hulk, the Black Widow, Hawkeye, Captain America, Iron Man, Thor and... and Loki. Loki, who had admitted to having fallen into Thanos' control after he fell off the Bifrost. Who had been manipulated and forced to do this. Why would he? What would he gain from this? He was no one's minion.
"Stark! STARK! Don't do it!"
Loki didn't even know who had screamed that into the coms as Iron Man derailed the nuke and flew it through the portal. The rest of the team – minus Jane, who was at Stark Tower, working on closing the portal – was gathered on the streets, staring up as the portal closed. Yet from the sky fell the Iron Man. And with a roar did the Hulk jump to grasp Iron Man mid-air. They all were gathered around Tony as the mask was peeled off and the omega came to it again, gasping for breath.
"Shawarma. Anyone up for food after this? I could really use a bite. Saw a place earlier."
"Stark-", started Steve exasperated, just to interrupt himself with laughter.
"Well, well, captain", chuckled Tony as he sat up, arching one eyebrow. "A sense of humor?"
"I do not have a stick up my ass, contrary to your opinion", snorted Steve. "It's just... the Howling Commando. We used to celebrate every successful mission with food too. It just reminded me..."
"Getting nostalgic, old man", noted Natasha teasingly, smirking slyly.
"Food sounds good though", sighed Clint, patting his stomach.
"Aye. A feast", agreed Thor. "Lady Jane, will you join us in our celebration?"
Lady Jane. Very formal again. Interesting. Loki tilted his head. He had assumed so, that the two of them had broken anything that was between them off after Thor disappeared for too many months without a word. No lady would endure that without repercussions and good on her for knowing her own worth – and that this worth was more than to wait around for a man. She was an intellectual, strong alpha, more interested in books than fighting and in that, Loki found her very alluring – a kindred spirit. Perhaps, in another world, the two could have become friends. Had Loki met her before Thor, or if things had unfolded differently. Alas...
"You're coming too, Reindeer Games", declared Tony, clasping a hand on his shoulder. "Doctor Foster? Don't pretend you didn't hear Hercules over here. Celebrate with us!"
The other Avengers eyed Loki reluctantly for a moment, but then simply shrugged it off and followed Stark toward wherever he had seen that restaurant. And just like that, he was accepted into the group. The celebration itself was far more subdued than Loki was used to. They sat and ate and drank in silence, all exhausted from the battle. The food was most definitely not something Loki was used to, however it was rather satisfying, he had to admit. The more food they consumed, the more conversation picked up. Clint was heavily leaning into Natasha, while talking animatedly with Tony – well, as animated as any of them were capable of right now. Jane and Bruce were discussing science, while Steve and Thor shared stories from the battlefield.
"An interesting group", noted Natasha, startling Loki.
"They are", agreed Loki, picking at his food.
"We are", corrected Natasha dryly. "Group of misfits, cast-outs, those who were not believed."
"Well, my brother surely stands out there then", countered Loki. "Prince and future king."
/break\
Turned out Loki wasn't the only one to think so. Thor returned to Asgard. Alone. He had his royal duties, but he wished to see Midgard protected. And apparently, Thor was pleased to know Midgard protected by Loki. A doubtful concept, for Loki at least.
"Nonsense. You... have never found your place on Asgard, brother", stated Thor in a heavy voice, resting a hand on Loki's shoulder. "The way you fought with the Avengers though. I think you can do good here, with your magic. Stay and protect Midgard, brother."
Loki wanted to shrug his hand off, but he accepted it for now – accepted Thor's good intentions. He wanted Loki to stay here and... Loki, he didn't want to return to Asgard, that much was for sure. So perhaps, at least for now, staying would be a good plan.
"And you will leave me unsupervised?", questioned Loki doubtfully.
"I feel like Earth's Mightiest Heroes are the best equipped to... supervise you", laughed Thor.
Well, if one were to look at it from that angle. Loki tilted his head, still unsure.
/break\
Loki had decided to stay. It hadn't surprised Natasha; she saw a lot of herself in Loki. Deceit, solitude, being an outcast, keeping oneself on the outside on purpose, not allowing themselves to be let in. But something about the Avengers was – different. They were all like this. They were all outcasts and outsiders in their own rights, that was even more so what brought them together.
They all moved together into Stark Tower, after it was remodeled into the Avengers Tower.
She grew unsurprisingly close to Loki first. To Steve too though, through missions with Clint and Steve – all three of them were working for SHIELD still, were going on missions together. Steve had been the first one to join Clint and Natasha's matebond, after only a few months.
Natasha also spent a lot of her time watching their scientists. Tony, Bruce and Jane. They bonded among themselves, in their lab, doing revolutionary things. It started out between Bruce and Jane, tentatively so, around the time Steve had first fallen into bed with Nat and Clint after a particularly straining mission that had left them all high on adrenaline.
It was Tony – the only omega in their pack – who was somehow in between them all. He flirted with each and every one of them, the alphas as well as Clint, their only beta. Maybe it was Tony's flirtatious nature, or the fact that the whole pack bonded closer with each other, but their pack grew stronger. And the lines between mates units started to blur. While Loki seemed the closest to Tony and Natasha, he also quickly formed a deep bond with Jane, surprisingly enough.
They bonded, not just through their missions as Avengers – particularly taking out HYDRA cells had become their own quest – no, also regular pack-bonding.
For Jane, whose shift-form was a golden falcon, and Clint, who carried his shift-form in his superhero-alias already, it was the grooming and nesting. They cleaned each other's feathers, built nests, they flew around the tower together in excitement.
Steve and Natasha often ran together – he a golden Labrador, she a fox. The runs were liberating and they gave them some very unique one-on-one time that brought them even closer.
Bruce preferred to stay home; he was a house-cat when human (but a tiger when hulked out). He would curl together some place, occasionally let them pet him while he was in his shift form. He's also stalk the only prey-animal among them – not to hunt, but to observe. Tony Stark was a bunny. A small, dark ball of fluff with perked-up ears and wide eyes. He'd hop around the entire tower, drawing the attention of the other Avengers every single time.
Even Loki, who always kept back – particularly in his shift form. Natasha didn't understand; he was beautiful. A golden-green snake with horns (which did explain his ridiculous helmet). Being a reptile did put him at odds with all the furry and feathered Avengers, yet at least he was not treated like an outcast for it. Apparently, reptilian shift-forms were highly scandalous on Asgard. Here on Midgard they were quite normal and Loki, he was particularly breathtaking.
Loki slowly warmed up to that, to them not shunning his shift-form. Occasionally, they even had fun with each other in their shift-form. Sometimes, there would be a Labrador, hunting after a hawk who in return was hunting a snake. It was good training and actual fun.
/break\
Thor returned to Earth with news of a war against Dark Elves. The Avengers helped him, as portals opened all over Earth. Jane helped him. The two had stiltedly rekindled a friendship over the battle of Manhattan, but by the time they reunited for this disaster, Jane was in a very different place, emotionally. She had a formed, solid and happy matebond with Bruce already, the two had so easily fallen in love, fallen for each other over their love for science. They were courting Tony and – in a strange twist that Jane had not seen coming, she felt herself falling for Loki too. His mind was brilliant, he was a scientist in his own rights even if he called it 'magic' instead, he was witty.
By the time Jane met her ex again, she was too happy to be upset about the past. So they fought side by side together, making each other stronger. They were a good team, Jane and Thor. To the point that, without even noticing – without even thinking about it – Jane lifted the hammer. During the battle itself, no one commented on it. Only in the aftermath, when they all came together at Avengers Tower and Thor happily came at their invitation to celebrate with them.
"You're an honorary Avenger, your highness", noted Tony playfully.
King Thor laughed – and yes, king. He truly had his own duties to focus on now.
"Your thundering sure came in handy", declared Clint with a yawn.
The beta was stretched out, his feet in Steve's legs, his head resting against Tony's shoulder. Steve was gently running circles around Clint's ankle, though his entire focus was on Tony at the moment, striking up a conversation with the omega. The two, despite having edged on prior to the battle of Manhattan itself, had become an incredible team on the battlefield as well as off it.
"I think... it can be arranged that you will have my 'thundering' every battle", offered Thor.
"What? You're gonna quit and leave the Warriors Three in charge?", snorted Loki.
"No. I return to my duties as king. But... I leave Mjölnir behind", replied Thor gently.
He turned to look at Jane, who was clearly startled by that. Natasha smiled proudly at her. The two women had bonded a lot over the past months too, even though they were very different personalities – or perhaps that was one of the things that brought them closer.
"I... I lifted it, sure, but that means nothing-", argued Jane.
"Jane. You are one of the most honest and hard-working people I have ever met", declared Thor with a bright smile. "I would be honored if you were to fight in my name."
Jane leaned back, startled. It was Loki who grasped her hand, patting it gently.
"I could literally not imagine a single person better fit to bear this power. No one. None at all."
"I am right here, brother", grunted Thor dryly, glaring at Loki. "Alas, I agree that I could not imagine a better successor. I'm afraid... diplomacy and governing are taking up all of my time. I can't do the heroics I used to anymore, that's... not my role anymore. But you, Jane. Being here, with the Avengers, it changed you. You are a fighter."
Thor was right. Jane knew that. Natasha had trained her to fight hand-to-hand, to defend herself – to use knives and guns too. It had been their very own bonding time, the first time they had noticed that they could get along despite being very different in personalities. Jane, who had never fought before, had found a certain excitement about it too. A taste for it, to be a full member of the team.
"You... but... You would truly...", whispered Jane doubtfully.
"Only if you want it", confirmed Thor. "The power and the hammer are yours."
Jane felt a spark of excitement go through her being at that idea.
/break\
Bruce liked Clint. He liked the mischief. Most people on the outside assumed that Loki and Clint were the ones pulling most pranks, but Bruce did just as much. It was fun, a kind of fun he hadn't had in many years. The Avengers had softened him up. He had a family. Not just because of his romantic loves – Jane and Tony, his by now bonded mates – but because they had made a home for themselves, they trusted each other. He knew things were getting more and more blurred as they all grew closer. Yet he didn't feel jealous when he saw Jane with Natasha, or Tony with Steve. Because he himself was with Loki and Clint, coming up with pranks to play on the others.
He smiled to himself, in his cat-form currently as he was curled together on Loki's lap. Loki liked the aesthetic of petting a cat on his lap. It made him look super-villainous. At which every other Avenger usually rolled their eyes, because he had been a hero for over a year now. Celebrated and quite loved by the people (there were Loki fan pages on the internet. Loki thrived from that. He kept track of all the pretty fanarts of him and if they were particularly to his liking, he was known to use his magic to do the artists small favors. Bruce found it delightful).
"Those two are quite impressive", stated Natasha impressed.
She was leaning against the couch on which Loki was sitting with Bruce. All three of them were facing the window, watching Lady Thor and Iron Man outside. Jane was still struggling with full control of Mjölnir and its powers – the thunder and lightning and flight, but also the Asgardian strength she had gained with Thor's blessing. She sparred a lot with Steve, due to his super-serum strength. She trained her control of Mjölnir's magic with Loki's help. And she trained her attacks during flight with Tony's help, as she did right now. The two were gorgeous to watch.
"Breathtaking indeed", whispered Loki softly in return.
Natasha leaned closer, resting a gentle hand on Loki's shoulder. Bruce's ear twitched as he watched the gentle touch. The lines were blurring more and more – the lines between friendship and a romantic connection. It became harder to tell who was truly involved with whom. Yet none minded.
/break\
Clint never felt like the odd one out, even though he was the only beta in the pack. Maybe because Tony was the only omega in the pack and the two shared that, were not alone in that sense. Maybe because no one treated him as less for being a beta. Maybe because he had developed deep bonds to the other Avengers and all of their designations didn't quite matter anymore. Maybe all of it.
He announced his arrival before landing on Steve's shoulder. The alpha smiled, gently petting Clint's head before he headed back inside. He had been waiting for Clint outside, on top of the tower, knowing Clint would return from his mission. It were these things, the fact that they waited for each other, the fact that they cared for each other, that made this place a home.
"I hope you're hungry. Bruce cooked dinner and it smells absolutely delicious", declared Steve.
Clint made a small noise at that, nuzzling more into Steve's neck. Yes, technically, he could turn back to human and just walk and also answer. However; he was tired, Steve was comfortable and who wouldn't want to be carried around by Captain America, honestly?
"I love you too, Clint", whispered Steve gently, smiling a bit.
"He—ey. Look what the big blonde puppy fetched! Good boy!"
Steve rolled his eyes, fondly so, and Clint cackled (as much as a hawk could). Tony loved making dog-jokes ever since Steve had first wagged his tail at them in his shift-form. Tony grinned broadly, waving at them. Him and Natasha were setting the table, while Bruce and Loki were at the hearth. Turned out Loki could cook too – he claimed it wasn't much different from brewing potions, which had disturbed Clint only a bit. Bruce however, damn, he was a great cook. His food alone was enough to make a guy fall for him, really. Clint knew from firsthand experience.
"I see you returned in one piece. Good on you", noted Natasha, smiling bemused.
Clint took off to fly over and land on her shoulder, rubbing his head against her. Steve was right. Dinner was smelling absolutely delicious. Things had changed ever since SHIELD had fallen. For Clint and Nat in particular; SHIELD had been such an integral part of their lives. They had never imagined what life without it could be like. Thankfully, they had the Avengers though. Not just because of their mates and the home they provided, the loving pack, but also because of the purpose they provided – even without SHIELD, they could still do good, go on missions. However, right now, the Avengers' priority was saving former SHIELD agents and recruiting them into working for the Avengers. Many had been left stranded undercover. Clint had just returned from a recon mission, scouting one possible agent who was deep undercover.
"You're terrible, Tony", sighed Steve softly, though he was nosing Tony's neck gently.
How adorable they were. Clint huffed as he shifted back to his human form. He stretched his legs and sat down, just as Jane entered the kitchen. She smiled at him warmly, welcoming him back.
"Welcome home, Clint", said Jane as she passed him, brushing her hand along his shoulders.
/break\
Steve hadn't been in a pack for so long. Well, it felt shorter for him because he had been frozen in ice for the majority of the time. Still, the loss of his pack was fundamentally different from how others lost theirs. His, they had been left in the past as fate had somehow transported him into the future. And he didn't know how to cope with it. He had drifted, at first. Gone on SHIELD missions, tried to catch up with pop-culture, but he felt empty. He was missing the purpose of the Howling Commando. And then the Avengers came along and – and it was the same kind of thrill, the same kind of comradery, the feeling of pack. He had found a home and pack again, a second chance he truly hadn't thought he'd ever get. To live again, yes, he had accepted that, but he never thought he'd find a pack again and he definitely never thought to find love. Falling in bed with Natasha and Clint had been one thing, but the genuine feelings that followed? And the feelings he started to develop for Tony – then for Bruce and Jane, even for Loki. All of them, though they had not developed the same deep, true love for each other to equal parts, they still all had feelings for each other. Varying from gentle fondness to deepest romantic love, yet there was always love, one way or another.
Steve's favorite thing to do were the pack-cuddles. Just a giant pile of shifted Avengers, nuzzled together. Something Steve remembered from his old pack – they had particularly done it outside in the cold, to keep each other warm. Now, it was simply bonding. Sharing love.
At the heart of the pile was a dark little bunny, nose twitching as Tony was snuggled up against Bruce's cat-form from one side and Natasha's fox-form from the other side. Steve was stretched out at the other side of Bruce, having the cat tucked against his belly. Jane was sitting on top of Bruce, nestled into the cat's fur, her head tucked under one wing. Clint was sitting on top of Natasha the same way. And Loki, the long snake, was kind of spread over them all, curled around Bruce and Tony in a circle, in a way he was also touching Natasha and Steve. All of them were content.
Today even more so than during any other pack-cuddles, because today had been the day they realized that Tony was pregnant. They hadn't thought that possible, because Tony was an older omega already and after all he had been through in Afghanistan, they hadn't expected this. It was a surprise, but certainly not a bad one. While they didn't know who the father of the baby was just yet, they couldn't care less – they would see, probably, at the latest when the child would shift for the very first time. Unless the baby would take after Tony, then they may never know. But it didn't matter, because this child would be theirs, all of theirs, and they all would love it.
/break\
The babies turned out to take after Tony and Tony could not be prouder of them. Twins. Edwin James and Margaret Maria. Eddie and Maggie Stark. And they were loved, by all of Tony's mates and by their uncles and aunts – Rhodey, Pepper, Happy, Thor, Darcy. Tiny little blue bunnies. It was what that color was called on a bunny, Tony knew that, but it meant so much more in this case. Because the children were born with blue skin even in their human-form. Frost Giants.
"Look at that little smurf", cooed Clint as he tickled Eddie's belly.
Eddie was laying on Jane's lap, giggling as he was being tickled. Maggie however, she was being snuggled by Natasha and Bruce. Which earned them complaints from Steve, who was just trying to draw their son and daughter, but everyone kept handing them around and squishing and kissing them. The only ones not directly involved were Tony and Loki, who stood back. Tony, because he was utterly exhausted from last night's crying-marathon (his mates took turns with him, but even if it wasn't his turn to get up, hearing his babies cry still kept him awake).
"Lokes?", whispered Tony. "What's wrong with you? You've been..."
"They treat them with kindness", replied Loki, choking on his words.
"I... don't really understand", admitted Tony concerned, turning toward Loki more.
"They see the children's blue skin, but they're not afraid. They don't fear them as monsters."
"Of course not. Those are our babies, I-", huffed Tony before faltering.
There were tears shining in Loki's eyes and Tony realized this wasn't about Eddie or Maggie. This was about Loki. Loki, whose skin had been hidden by magic, whose heritage had been shunned and treated as something that should not be addressed, who had been taught to hate the very thing he was before he ever learned the truth about his heritage. Tony hugged Loki tightly.
"They're both perfect exactly the way they are, just like you", whispered Tony hoarsely.
"Hey. Look. There's hugging happening. Without us!", exclaimed Clint scandalized.
"I think it's time for some pack-cuddles with our newest family members", suggested Bruce.
He smiled at Loki and Tony, holding Jane's hand as he tucked her closer. Steve and Natasha quickly followed from the other side and all too soon, all of the Avengers were in their shift-forms, curled protectively around two tiny blue bunnies with their little wiggly noses.
~*~ The End ~*~