Chapter Text
“Boss, Loki would like to enter.”
“Mm… let him in,” Tony said absently, not lifting his head from where he was working. With the help of Sue Storm, Stephen Strange, and Loki, he was attempting to construct an invisibility shield for the armor. He thought that it could make a big difference if he could make it work for even a few seconds. So far, none of his attempts had worked. But he thought he was steadily getting closer.
He heard the doors swish open and closed behind him but kept his attention on what he was doing until he felt he had reached a good point to stop. Had it been anyone other than Loki or maybe Thor, he wouldn’t have had the chance to do that: the Avengers as a whole were very jealous of Tony’s attention. They seemed to think he should have endless time for them whenever they needed him, regardless of what else he was working on.
But Loki, and to some extent Thor, were a little more patient than that. So Tony wasn’t surprised to turn around, rubbing at his sore neck, and find that Loki had taken a seat on the nearest empty table while waiting for Tony to be free. Tony smiled at him, but Loki didn’t smile back. If anything, the frown that was already on Loki’s face seemed to grow deeper.
“Um… everything okay?” Tony asked cautiously, casting his mind back to figure out if he’d offended Loki in some way. He didn’t think that he had, but it wouldn’t be the first time that he had pissed someone off without even knowing it.
“Are you a Little?”
The blunt question made Tony freeze. That was the last thing he’d been expecting Loki to ask.
The world as a whole, except for a few people, believed that Tony Stark was a baseline. It was what Howard Stark had paid them to think, after all. Tony had spent much of his life worried that people would find out the truth, but he had mellowed a little bit over the past few years as he came to realize that, Little or not, he had forged a place for himself that no one else could fill.
Pepper and Rhodey and Happy all knew, as did a handful of Tony’s personal doctors who were all sworn to silence and who had signed confidentiality agreements. So did Vision, because Vision knew everything that JARVIS had known. But there was no way that the former would have told Loki, and Tony was pretty sure that Vision wouldn’t have either. So that left one explanation.
About six months ago, after much internal debating and speaking to Rhodey, Tony had decided to admit the truth to the Avengers. He’d thought that it was the smart thing, the responsible thing, to do. The team – Tony’s team – needed to know in case Tony slipped into his headspace out on the field. But even more than that, he’d wanted them to know because he needed help. He couldn’t do it alone anymore, not without JARVIS. He had foolishly hoped that the Avengers might be willing to step up.
What an idiot he’d been.
Tony forced himself to smile like there was nothing wrong and said, “Been talking to the rest of the team, I see. I thought that Barton wanted nothing to do with you?”
“I heard them talking,” Loki said, very softly. “I went into the kitchen to get a coffee. They were in the living room. I didn’t have to try to eavesdrop; they were easily able to be heard.” He sounded a bit defensive, probably because Barton and the others still weren’t thrilled about Loki being here.
“Yeah, that sounds about right,” Tony said, trying to hold back the wave of bitterness. Rogers, Romanov, Barton, and Maximoff were pretty rude to his face, so he could just imagine what they’d been saying when he wasn’t around. Wilson and Vision were the only ones who even bothered to be kind.
“So it’s true. You are a Little,” Loki said with more confidence this time.
Tony sighed. “Yeah, it’s true. Though I guess that really depends on who you ask. The team didn’t believe me when I told them.” He was careful to keep his face blank as he spoke. He never wanted anyone to know how much that had hurt: to build himself up and reveal a deep secret only to have the people he’d trusted think he was lying and throw it back in his face? Yeah, that was yet another scar to proudly bear.
“Why?” Loki wanted to know, staring at Tony with unsettling intensity. Sometimes it was like those green eyes could see straight through Tony’s flesh and bones and right down to his soul.
“They thought I was making fun of Maximoff,” Tony muttered, looking away from Loki’s eyes. “They thought I was trying to take attention away from her.” He couldn’t help curling in on himself a little bit as he spoke, remembering how completely humiliating it had been.
“So, let me get this straight. You told them that you were a Little and they thought you were making it up?” Loki said incredulously. “Because you’re jealous of Maximoff?”
“Pretty much. Crazy, right?” Tony forced a laugh, hoping that it didn’t sound as quivery to Loki as it did to him. But the truth was, this whole situation had really gotten to him.
He’d accepted that he wasn’t going to get the kind of care from the team that Maximoff got, but that didn’t make it sting any less when all of them went out of their way to dote on her. Rogers would cut up her breakfast and feed it to her; Romanov would happily play dress-up for hours; Barton would change her pull-ups and give her baths and cuddles. Tony didn’t begrudge Maximoff all of that attention – it was what every Little should have, after all – but he could have done without her smug grins, pointed looks, and flippant remarks.
Because of course, she just loved rubbing it in. She thought it was hilarious that the team didn’t care about Tony the way they care about her. Sometimes Tony would swear that she waited for him to be around to need attention.
If Tony was having trouble drinking from a mug because he was feeling too Little, Maximoff would whine for a bottle.
If Tony wet himself and needed a change, Maximoff would demand that Barton change her then and there.
If Tony needed a nap or some sleep but couldn’t settle down, Maximoff would cry until someone came over to rock her to sleep.
It was like she knew exactly what Tony needed when he needed it, and she delighted in getting what Tony needed. And he tried so hard not to be jealous, but that was much easier said than done. He just wanted – he wanted someone to love him. He wanted someone to want to take care of him. But at this point, he would settle for someone who just believed him.
“Tony,” Loki said, moving closer. Tony had to look at him then, though of course he had to look up because Loki was so damnably and unfairly tall.
“What?” he asked, wrapping his arms around himself.
Loki’s eyes seem to glow faintly. “Is she in your head? I haven’t noticed any influence on the team, but I’ve never checked in detail either.”
“I… I don’t think so,” Tony said, but he wasn’t completely certain of that. It would be nice if Maximoff was using her powers to manipulate the team. Then Tony would know for sure that he wasn’t on a team with a bunch of terrible people who just didn’t care about him. But honestly, Tony didn’t think that he was that lucky.
“May I check?” Loki asked.
“Okay,” Tony said softly.
Loki closed the remaining distance between them slowly enough that Tony had time to brace himself. But Loki didn’t try to lash out at him or anything like Tony thought that he might. He merely held his hand out, palm up, and just waited there patiently until Tony slowly reached out to put his hand into Loki’s. Loki gently closed his fingers around Tony’s, but the grip wasn’t restraining.
“Just look at me,” Loki said.
It was hard to meet Loki’s eyes, but Tony made himself do it. The glow of Loki’s eyes seemed to deepen into the color of the forest on a bright, sunny day. The green color was strangely appealing. Tony could feel himself drifting, like the world wasn’t a problem anymore. Normally that would be scary, but the green glow wasn’t frightening at all. Just the opposite. Tony felt safe and warm, and he was almost sad when the glow faded, and he was left blinking rapidly.
“She hasn’t touched your mind,” Loki announced, still holding Tony’s hand. “I can check the rest of the team later.”
“They’ll never let you,” Tony pointed out.
“I don’t need their permission. I asked for yours because I respect you,” said Loki. He said it so casually, but the simple statement made Tony’s breath catch and his chest hurt in ways that had very little to do with the arc reactor.
“Right,” Tony said, trying to pretend that those words hadn’t affected him the way they had. “I need to get back to work, so –” He jerked this chin towards the desk.
“Why did you tell them?” Loki asked.
Tony sighed again, realizing that apparently he wasn’t getting out of this so easily, and said, “I thought it was the right thing to do in case we were out in the field and I dropped into my headspace. And…”
“And?” Loki prompted.
“Because I wanted some help,” Tony mumbled, too low for a normal human to hear – but of course, he wasn’t dealing with a human here.
“You don’t have a caregiver,” Loki said. “You were hoping for them to help you?” He sounded so incredulous that Tony flushed.
“They’re the only caregivers I know!” he snapped, wrenching his hand out of Loki’s. “Rhodey, Pepper, and Happy are all baseline. It’s not the same. And it’s not like I could just trust a random caregiver off the street, okay?” His voice was rising. “It was all fine when I had JARVIS around to help me, but now he’s gone. I have to do everything myself and I don’t even have an A.I. there to tell me it’ll be okay. I just wanted – I wanted…” Tony trailed off and sucked in a shuddery breath, eyes hot.
“I know it was a stupid idea. I get that. Rhodey tried to talk me out of it, but I didn’t want to listen. And I should have. This is all my fault. I should’ve known better.” Tony gulped, embarrassment and shame rolling through him in equal measures. “Just one more way I fucked up. That’s me, stupid Tony Stark actually thinking that someone could care about me.” His voice broke, and he turned away.
He was pretty sure Loki would never respect him again, but he still didn’t want Loki to see him cry. Over the past few months, he and Loki had become pretty good friends given that they were both on the fringes of the Avengers. Loki was sarcastic and sassy and had some questionable morals, but he was also a genuinely good person who cared deeply about those he considered friends. It hurt to think that Tony might have ruined that, however unwittingly.
His back was turned to Loki, so he was utterly shocked when arms wrapped around him from behind. A lean but strong chest pressed against his back and Loki’s chin came to rest on top of his head. Tony stood still, hardly daring to breathe. Loki’s arms were wrapped so snugly around him, pinning his own arms to his sides. But instead of constricting, this felt… good. Better than good. Tony wanted to sink into Loki’s embrace and just let Loki take care of everything, but he couldn’t do that.
Could he?
“You’re not stupid, Tony. They are the stupid ones, and I’ll make them regret what they’ve done to you. I swear it.” Loki’s voice was low and fierce. “It will be okay. You’re not alone anymore.”
Maybe he could.
Chapter Text
“Did you know that Tony is a Little?”
Thor paused in the midst of shovelling a frankly appalling amount of eggs into his mouth to look up at Loki. He blinked for a few seconds, like he was trying to absorb what Loki had just said. Normally that would be the perfect opening for Loki to poke fun at his brother, but he decided against that today. Right now there were more important things to be concerned with, and Thor’s back-up would be invaluable for what he planned to do next.
“No,” Thor said at last, setting his fork down. “I was not aware of that. How did you find out?”
“It seems your dear companions think that Tony is lying,” Loki said, unable to keep from sneering. He quickly relayed last night’s events to Thor, concluding with the fact that Tony had been absolutely devastated by what had been going on. Loki wanted to badly to bundle the poor baby away somewhere safe, but he couldn’t. Not without making sure the Avengers knew just how stupid they were being.
Thor’s cheerful smile vanished, and his expression darkened as he listened. Outside, the sun was slowly blotted out by gathering storm clouds. Loki couldn’t help feeling a flash of satisfaction at these clear signs of Thor’s anger. He may not have liked it when Thor tried to be overprotective or brotherly towards him, but he was more than willing to accept those feelings on Tony’s behalf. Tony deserved them. There weren’t enough people out there willing to be angry on Tony’s behalf.
“So you’re telling me that all along they’ve been ignoring Tony?” Thor demanded when Loki was finished.
“Yes, based on what Tony said, they seem to believe that he’s faking it. Some of them think that he’s trying to take attention away from the witch, while others think that Tony is mocking her,” Loki replied. Frankly, he wasn’t sure which of those trains of thought were more idiotic.
“I had noticed that the bonds between the team were not the same, but I had no idea that things were this bad,” Thor said, looking both saddened and disturbed. “Where is Tony now? If he’s a Little, and he hasn’t had any support over these past few months…” His expression shifted to alarm and he started to stand.
Loki held a hand up to forestall him. “Tony was sleeping when I left him a few minutes ago. He… is not well.” And that was putting it mildly. He had been concerned about Tony for a while now but had lacked sufficient information to put all the clues together. Now that he had the last piece of the puzzle, he knew that Tony was suffering from a lack of time in his headspace combined with trauma from losing JARVIS and the treatment from the team. He needed rest and care, preferably somewhere away from his so-called teammates.
Thor relaxed a little. “At least he is safe for the moment. What do you plan to do?”
“Why are you asking me?” Loki asked, pasting on an innocent expression. Thor gave him a wry look.
“Loki, please do not pretend that you’re not going to try to expose the witch or get revenge on the team. I only ask that you don’t kill anyone or do anything permanent.”
“I make no promises,” Loki said, though that was honestly less restrictions than he’d expected. Perhaps Thor was finally beginning to wise up to the ways of the world.
“Of course,” Thor said with a small smile. Loki opened his mouth to explain his plan, but FRIDAY interrupted before he could.
“Excuse me, but Boss is looking for you, Loki.”
“Please tell him I’m in the kitchen, that it’s just me and Thor, and that we would very much like for him to join us,” Loki said quickly. He’d left Tony down in the workshop, sleeping on the couch, but knew that Tony wouldn’t sleep for long. For as long as he’d known Tony, Tony had had sleeping problems. Now, Loki finally understood why. He couldn’t wait to get Tony somewhere safe where Tony could sink into his headspace and get the sleep he deserved.
FRIDAY must have relayed his message because the elevator doors opened about a minute later. Tony stumbled out, eyes still puffy from his nap. His hair was a mess, practically standing on end, and made him look adorable. Without even thinking about it, Loki opened his arms. It surprised and pleased him when Tony walked right over to him, allowing himself to be pulled down onto Loki’s lap.
“How are you feeling?” Loki asked him, keeping his voice very gentle. Tony was too close to the breaking point now. The slightest thing might be enough to send him over the edge entirely.
“Tired,” Tony mumbled, lifting a hand and rubbing at his eyes. Like this, he was so sweet that Loki had to wonder how he had never pegged Tony as a Little before.
“Perhaps you should go upstairs and sleep for a while,” Thor suggested.
Tony’s head snapped up and his eyes widened, like he’d just realized Thor was there. He shrank back against Loki, looking at Thor with a timid expression that was utterly unlike the Tony Stark that Loki had come to know so well. But then again, he supposed he couldn’t fault Tony for that. The rest of the Avengers had treated Tony so poorly that Tony was now terrified of anyone finding out his classification.
But Thor merely smiled at him and said, very kindly, “Loki and I were just talking about the fact that we could use a vacation. We’ve both been working hard since we came to Earth. Perhaps you’d like to join us.”
“A vacation?” Tony repeated, straightening up a bit and looking interested. “Where?”
“We’re not very familiar with Earth. We thought you could give us a recommendation,” Loki said, recovering quickly from his slight shock. Of course, he and Thor had been discussing no such thing – but he couldn’t ignore the fact that the idea had merit. Tony needed a break from the team, at any rate, and maybe if they were somewhere else, they’d be able to get him into his headspace for a while.
“Oh… sure. But I don’t know if I can go. I’m pretty busy.” The light died in Tony’s eyes and his shoulders slumped.
“I’m sure we can work something out,” Loki told him. He had become friendly with Pepper Potts, and he was certain that she would be able to clear Tony’s schedule if Loki so much as hinted at how poor Tony’s mental state was.
“Maybe,” Tony said, looking away and scuffing his foot on the floor.
“In the meantime…” Thor said, shooting Loki a meaningful look, and Loki smiled.
“Tony, my dearest, come with us,” Loki said, standing up and easily shifting Tony to his feet at the same time; he took Tony’s hand and laced their fingers together. Thor got up too and took Tony’s other hand so that Tony could walk between them. Over the top of Tony’s head, Loki and Thor exchanged a look. Whatever else was going on between them, they were united at this moment.
The rest of the Avengers were gathered in the living room. Loki took in the sight of them and felt a fresh burst of rage. Wilson was sitting in an easy chair by himself, flipping through a magazine, and Banner occupied the other chair, reading a book. They were fine. But the witch was sitting on the couch. Romanov sat at the foot of the couch, rubbing the witch’s feet. Rogers was feeding her. Barton was holding a sippy cup for her. They were literally fawning over her, and it was sickening to watch given Tony’s current state.
“Tell me, does it give you satisfaction to care for someone who is not Little?” Loki asked loudly and felt more than saw Tony flinch behind him. Tony had probably been expecting something more subtle, if he had expected anything at all, but sometimes a swift kick to the face was exactly what some people deserved.
They all looked at him with such blank expressions that it was pathetic, but it was Romanov who spoke. “What do you mean?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.
“She is not a Little,” Loki said, directing a scornful look in Maximoff’s direction. She tensed up.
“What, did Stark tell you that?” Barton asked with a sneer.
“He didn’t have to. Asgardians are capable of seeing the soul. I can also perform a spell that will show the rest of you,” Loki said. Quickly, before they could react, he murmured a few words under his breath. Tony let go of his hand, backing up against Thor in surprise, as green light flashed through the room.
When the light faded, Rogers, Romanov, and Barton were all glowing pale blue. So were Loki and Thor. Wilson, Banner, and the witch were all glowing green. Tony was the only one who stood out, as he was glowing white. It seemed like the whole room fell silent as they stared at him. Seemingly unsure about the attention, Tony shrank back against Thor, who put both of his hands on Tony’s shoulders protectively.
“This proves nothing!” Maximoff exclaimed, jumping up. “That spell could do anything!”
“She’s right. We’re not going to just believe you,” Barton said.
“Would you believe Coulson or Fury?” Tony asked softly.
“What do you mean?” Romanov demanded.
Tony just shrugged, avoiding her eyes.
“Natasha, call them,” Rogers said.
Romanov sighed in exasperation. “I don’t see why –”
“FRIDAY, if you would?” Loki said, crossing his arms over his chest. He could see Wilson and Banner exchanging looks. The two of them had clearly not bought as far into the witch’s insanity as the others.
“Certainly!” FRIDAY chirped. “Patching Director Fury through!”
“What?” Fury’s voice barked less than two seconds later.
Rogers looked at Romanov, who frowned and shook her head. She clearly didn’t want to speak to Fury, but that was fine. Loki had no such problems.
“Director Fury, this is Loki. I would like to know whether or not you knew Tony Stark was a Little,” Loki said.
“Of course I knew,” Fury snapped, and it was a pleasure to see Barton, Romanov, Rogers, Wilson, and Banner all react with shock.
“Wait, what?” Romanov blurted out.
“He is?!” Barton exclaimed.
“You never told me that!” Rogers added indignantly.
Fury sighed loudly. “Of course not. Classifications are private information. If Stark wanted you to know, he’d tell you.”
“Oh, but he did tell them,” Loki said pointedly.
There was a pause during which Fury digested this, and then he said, “Oh for fuck’s sake, I’m not getting involved in your motherfucking team squabbles over Stark” and hung up.
“Tony, you really are a Little?” Banner had gone pale. That turned all attention to Tony, who shied back even more against Thor. Loki stepped in front of them, shielding Tony from view. They weren’t going to turn this back around on Tony. None of this was Tony’s fault.
“That doesn’t mean Wanda isn’t a Little,” Barton said, wrapping an arm around the witch’s shoulders. She sniffed loudly and cuddled into him, but it didn’t escape Loki’s notice that she was glaring in his direction. He couldn’t tell if she was glaring at him or at Tony.
“There is a test that you can have done, is there not?” Thor said, speaking up for the first time. “I believe Natasha mentioned it to me once. All humans undergo this test, correct?”
“Yes, that’s how it works,” Banner said.
“And has Maximoff undergone the test?” Thor asked.
This time, all eyes turned to the witch. She looked very uncomfortable at the attention. But before she could say anything, Banner spoke again.
“She could have it done again. Actually, given that she’s not a U.S. citizen, she should have it done again. That could have a real impact on her citizenship and is something she’d have to do before that was finalized, anyway.”
“But I don’t want to!” Maximoff exclaimed.
“Why not?” Rogers asked, turning to her.
Maximoff looked a little trapped. “Because – because – I don’t like needles.”
Romanov crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s one needle,” she said slowly, staring at Maximoff with a frown. “Wanda, tell me the truth. Are you really a Little?”
“Of course I am!” Maximoff said shrilly. “Stark is lying!”
“Tony never said you weren’t a Little,” Rogers pointed out. “And Loki’s spell… you should’ve glowed white too.” He was frowning too.
“It wasn’t a real spell! It was just designed to make me look bad!” Maximoff insisted. But Loki could tell that none of them really believed her. Even Barton was beginning to look skeptical; he let his arm fall from around her shoulders and stepped back a little, putting some distance between them. Maximoff looked at him with an expression of pure betrayal.
“Wanda –” Barton began, but Maximoff cut him off.
“I’m a Little! I am!” she wailed, stamping her foot.
“If you’re a Little, then you can get the test,” Romanov said firmly.
It was delightful to see the panic seeping into Maximoff’s expression. She was cornered and she knew it, and best of all there was nothing that she could do about it. She wasn’t a Little and no matter what she said or did, a blood test wouldn’t lie. Loki gave her a malicious smile, thoroughly enjoying the fact that she had essentially caught herself in her own trap.
“If you want someone there to make sure she doesn’t fudge the results, just let me know,” he told Romanov.
“Wanda wouldn’t do that,” Barton interjected, scowling.
“I’m a Little! I don’t have to!” Maximoff looked so mad that Loki knew he’d put another wrench in her plan. If he was there, she couldn’t use her magic to manipulate anyone’s mind – either to swap out blood samples or fudge her results, it was hard to say which she’d planned on.
“We might take you up on that,” Romanov said.
“I’m a Little!” Maximoff shrieked. She stamped her foot again. Red magic began to curl around her fingers. Loki made an executive decision, realizing it was time to go. That magic was going to find a target on either him or Tony, and that just wouldn’t do.
“No, you’re not, but you certainly can throw a temper tantrum just like one,” Loki told her calmly. “We’re taking our leave now. FRIDAY can reach me if you need any assistance in proving that the witch has been pulling the wool over your eyes this whole time.” He reached back without looking and felt Thor grip his hand. One flash of green light later, the three of them were gone.
Chapter Text
One of the things that Loki had come to like the best about Earth were moments like these. He sat on a secluded beach, bare toes tucked into the sand, and watched the waves roll in and out. Asgard was a similarly beautiful planet, but anyone who sat down just to watch the world would have been resoundly mocked. On Asgard, to move and be loud was to live. There was no room for moments of quiet serenity.
Of course, sometimes there wasn’t much room for those moments on Earth either. Loki smiled to himself when he heard the sound of footsteps approaching from behind him. He could tell without looking that it was Tony. Thor had never been that hesitant to approach him even when their relationship was at its absolute worst. He turned slightly to confirm his suspicions.
Sure enough, it was Tony who was standing about half a dozen feet behind him. Anyone else probably would have been surprised by the look of shy uncertainty on Tony’s face, but Loki wasn’t. He’d known for a while now that Tony wasn’t the man so many people believed him to be, and that had proven to be the case even more when Tony was in his headspace. He needed almost constant reassurance that Loki and Thor wanted him around, and that he wasn’t being a bother to them.
Luckily, Loki was a man who loved to be needed. He held out his hand. “Good morning, sweetheart. Did Thor get you changed?” he asked, keeping his voice soft.
Tony blushed but nodded, twining his fingers together. They had been here for about two weeks, and Tony had only recently allowed them to begin changing his diapers. He was still adorably shy during it, hiding his face behind a pillow or a stuffed toy or even his hands. Loki had changed him several times, but Thor had only been permitted to change him once or twice.
Not that Loki was keeping track or anything, of course. But he did feel a tiny bit smug in thinking that he was probably Tony’s favorite.
“Come here,” Loki added when Tony didn’t move, and was pleased when Tony ventured closer. A surprisingly small hand landed in Loki’s a few seconds later. Small, but strong with calloused fingers: evidence of just how hard Tony had worked all his life, and a sad reminder of how few people appreciated that.
He gently pulled at Tony’s hand until Tony was within reach, then pulled Tony down until he was sitting between Loki’s legs. Tony sat stiffly in his grip at first, but then he slowly relaxed until he was leaning back against Loki’s chest. He started playing with the sand, scooping it into piles and forming it into shapes with his hands. Loki just wrapped his arms around Tony’s waist, content to watch him play.
He could tell that Tony was feeling pretty little, but that he wasn’t entirely in his headspace yet. So now wasn’t the time for the conversation that Loki wanted to have with him: Tony needed to be big for that. It would be pretty hard to have a conversation with him right now anyway. Tony didn’t tend to talk a lot when he was in his headspace. Loki thought, though of course he didn’t know for certain and so this was just a guess, that it might be because so many adults had told Tony to quiet down when he was a child.
It would take time for Tony to feel comfortable enough to deviate from those habits if that was the real reason. But Loki was fine with that. He liked taking care of Tony. There was something very peaceful about it, and also something very rewarding about it. It was a relief to see that the circles beneath Tony’s eyes were lessening since he was sleeping well, and that he was starting to put some weight on again.
“Loki! Tony! Breakfast is ready!”
The call from Thor made Loki sigh, though for once it was not in exasperation – more in disappointment that their peaceful time was ending, because Tony needed to eat. They would have a very cranky boy on their hands if he didn’t.
“We’re coming,” he called back, before leaning forward to look at what Tony had made. He raised his eyebrows, impressed. Tony had sculpted the sand into a very nice little castle that was oddly reminiscent of Asgard. He suddenly thought he knew what bedtime stories Thor was telling Tony whenever Thor put Tony to bed.
“Can I finish my castle after we eat?” Tony asked in a tiny voice.
“Of course. I’ll make sure that the water wasn’t ruin it while we’re inside…” Loki eyed the approaching water and murmured a spell. Green light formed a barrier about a foot on each side to protect Tony’s work. He wasn’t sure that the water would actually roll in this far, but it was enough to know that Tony would be crushed if he came back out to find that his castle had been demolished.
That done, Loki got to his feet and gently helped Tony up too. Then he dusted them both of them – it was amazing how much sand could stick to you – and then took Tony’s hand. They started walking back up to the cabin. Tony seemed much more content that he had been when he’d first joined Loki on the beach, which made Loki feel both pleased and satisfied. It had been a good morning.
“I have prepared waffles! Come, sit and eat!” Thor boomed as they walked through the door. He was a mess, with flour dusting his hair and beard, sugar all over his shirt, and a streak of what might have been vanilla on his right cheek. Loki stared at him with exasperation.
“Did you have a food fight?” he demanded.
“Of course not,” Thor said, smiling merrily. It was the sort of smile that made Loki think that perhaps there had been a food fight, but he couldn’t be sure. He narrowed his eyes at his brother, which only made Thor’s smile widen.
“Strawberries?” Tony said, stealing both their attention. Loki glanced at the table and saw that Thor had set out a large bowl of sliced strawberries. It hadn’t taken both of them long to realize that, as much as Tony liked fruit when he was feeling bigger, in his headspace Tony adored fruit.
“Come on,” Loki said, guiding Tony into a chair. He put a waffle on Tony’s plate and added several strawberries and a sprinkle of icing sugar, heart twisting at the sight of Tony’s delighted smile. It honestly took so little to make Tony happy, and it was infuriating to think that none of the Avengers had cared enough to even try. Tony deserved so much more than a simple breakfast of waffles.
Thor sat down too, and the three of them ate an amicable breakfast. Somehow, with Tony there, Loki found it much easier to share a meal with his brother. The things that Thor said and did which would normally annoy Loki were tolerable… or even, dare he say, a bit amiable. It was almost enough to make Loki sentimental, in a way. He had always believed his relationship with Thor could never be repaired, yet here they were.
When they were done, Tony went off on his own into the living room. Loki cleared off the table and set the dishes in the sink to be put into the dishwasher later. He was expecting that Thor would have followed Tony into the living room, so he was surprised to turn around and find that his brother was still sitting at the table. There was a serious look on Thor’s face that made Loki’s stomach tighten.
“We need to speak about what’s going to happen next,” Thor said quietly. “We can’t stay here forever.”
“I beg to differ,” Loki said. They most certainly could stay here forever – yet he knew that Thor was right, much as he hated to admit it. Probably sooner rather than later, Tony’s hectic schedule was going to catch up with them. Either that, or something was going to happen in New York that would require the Avengers. In both case, Tony was simply too important to hide away.
“What are you planning to do?” Thor asked. It was such a simple question. Too bad there wasn’t a simple answer. Loki sighed.
“I’m not sure,” he admitted. “I know what I’d like to see happen, but I don’t think Tony will agree to kick the Avengers out of the tower and destroy their lives until they’re penniless in the streets.”
Thor chuckled. “Probably not, and I have to say that I hope your taste for vengeance never rubs off on that boy,” he said, a twinkle in his eyes. “I’m assuming you plan to go back too, then.”
“Of course! I would never let Tony face them without me. Especially the witch,” Loki said darkly. “At the very least, I plan to insist that she be ejected from the tower. She’s much too dangerous to have around Tony. Much as I hate to admit it, I can’t be everywhere at once. I can craft wards and protection spells around Tony, but there is never a 100% guarantee that she can’t find a way around them.”
“Do you think Tony will agree to that?” Thor asked. “You don’t really have a say… it’s his tower.”
“I know,” Loki said, though it pained him to say it. “I… want to keep caring for him. I want to be his Caregiver.”
There. He’d said it.
He didn’t know why that made him nervous.
The floor creaked as Thor stood up. Moments later, a big hand landed on Loki’s shoulder and squeezed gently as Thor said, “I think that would be very good for Tony… and for you.”
“You think?” Loki said softly.
“Yes. Tony has needed someone for a long time.” Thor didn’t say it, but the implication was clear that he also thought that Loki had needed someone. Loki wasn’t sure how to feel about that.
“Really?”
Both Loki and Thor whipped around in surprise. Tony was standing there in the doorway, looking at the two of them with a guarded expression. His arms were folded over his chest and he was biting his lower lip. Loki looked over at Thor, but he could tell by Thor’s surprised expression that Thor hadn’t realized Tony was there either. It was just like Tony Stark to be able to sneak up on two gods.
“Really what?” Loki asked carefully, uncertain as to what Tony had heard.
“You want to be my Caregiver?” Tony repeated. There was something intensely vulnerable about him right then, and Loki quickly realized that if he lied, he would never get another chance at this.
“Yes,” he said, short and decisive, and Tony inhaled sharply.
“But… why?” Tony said, looking young and uncertain and so, so alone. It made Loki ache. He knew what that feeling was like. No one should ever have to go through it.
“Because I care about you. You’re my friend,” Loki replied. “One of the few friends I’ve made since I came to this planet. You never judged me for what I did in the past, and you definitely never judged me for things that were outside of my control.”
“So you’re trying to pay me back,” Tony said, and while that wasn’t technically incorrect, Loki shook his head. He knew where Tony was trying to go with that, and at the heart of it, Tony was just like everyone else. He wanted someone who loved him for him, not someone who felt obligated to love him or care for him.
“No, it’s not like that. I was merely trying to say that you understand me, and I feel like I understand you,” Loki said, taking care with his words. It would be very easy to say the wrong thing right now. “If you don’t want me as your Caregiver, I understand. I wouldn’t end our friendship or anything like that. It’s entirely your choice.”
Tony didn’t say anything for a long moment. Then he looked at Thor. “So you both think I should kick Wanda out?”
Thor nodded. “I agree with Loki. She’s dangerous. There is no way that she didn’t know what she was doing to you. I’m only sorry that I didn’t understand the situation sooner.”
“I didn’t bother to tell you because I didn’t think you’d care,” Tony admitted. He dropped his arms, wringing his hands. “I would… like it if you were my Caregiver.” The words seemed to be hard for him to say, and understandably so, but they made Loki happier than he could have thought possible.
Throwing caution to the wind, he closed the distance between them and pulled Tony into a hug. Tony stood stiffly for only a few seconds before he crumbled into Loki’s arms, holding onto Loki with surprising strength as he started to cry. Loki didn’t even try to tell him that he didn’t have to. Out of everyone that he could think of, no one deserved a good cry as well as Tony did.
“I just wanted to do what was good for the team,” Tony sobbed out after a couple of minutes. “I… I didn’t want to be selfish.”
“Tony, you are the very opposite of selfish,” Loki said fiercely, his anger towards the other Avengers growing. How dare they make Tony think that he was the problem?
“I have to agree,” Thor said, moving closer to them. He reached out and a set hand on Tony’s back. “You are far from selfish, Little One. If anything, the Avengers are the selfish ones.” He looked very angry, but his tone was gentle and kind.
Tony shook his head and pressed his face more firmly against Loki’s shoulder. “I don’t want to see her again,” he whispered.
“You mean the witch?” Loki asked.
A thin shiver ran through Tony as he nodded.
“Then you don’t have to,” Thor said firmly. “We’ll make sure she’s gone before you return. Is there anyone else?”
There was a long pause, and Loki almost hoped that Tony would say that he wanted the other Avengers gone too – but he knew that wouldn’t happen. Tony was too selfless for that, always thinking of what was best for other people. He wouldn’t even suggest that the team move back to the Compound, because having them be located right in downtown New Year was more convenient.
Well, Tony might not be willing to suggest it, but Loki sure as hell was.
“No,” Tony said at last, sniffing.
“Okay. I’ll go see the Avengers tonight and make it clear to them that the witch is to be gone before you get back,” Loki said. He ran his fingers through Tony’s hair. They would need to talk more about Loki being Tony’s official caregiver, but he could tell that Tony was in no state to talk about it right now.
“I’ll clean up. Why don’t you put Tony down for a nap?” Thor suggested, shooting Loki a meaningful look that somehow Loki could perfectly understand. It was strange: at that moment, Loki realized that he and Thor had been more on the same wavelength than they were right then.
And they had Tony to thank for it.
Loki nodded back and gently scooped Tony into his arms. Tony curled into him, soft and warm and small, arms wrapping around Loki’s neck as Loki carried him out of the kitchen and down the hall. Inside what was passing for Tony’s nursery, Loki got him into a fresh diaper and then laid Tony down on the bed. When Tony refused to let go, Loki ended up laying down on the bed with him.
“Thank you,” Tony whispered after a couple of minutes, and Loki completely melted. He tightened his grip on Tony as much as he could and pressed a kiss to the top of Tony’s head.
“No need to thank me, Tony. It’s my pleasure,” Loki murmured, stroking Tony’s back comfortingly. He entertained himself with thoughts of what he was going to do and say to the Avengers tonight as Tony drifted off, head cushioned comfortably on Loki’s chest.
They would pay, and Tony would never suffer from their behavior again.