Chapter Text
Teddy always woke up before Billy.
His eyes blinked open; the sun was just beginning to poke through the blinds and warm the room. For a moment, he was surprised by how cool the air around him was, until he remembered that they had spent the night at Loki's, who kept the temperature in his apartment low. It made the warm rays of the sun feel all the better on his skin.
He stared at the ceiling for a few minutes as he allowed his mind to wake up. Though he had always been an earlier riser than Billy, he had never woken before Loki. In fairness, this was only the second time that they’d slept at Loki's, and the fourth night they'd spent together at all.
He had always woken to the sound of music from the kitchen and the smell of food. Loki always cooked breakfast for them. Even in Billy and Teddy's own apartment, Loki had wasted no time making himself feel at home.
But when he turned his head, Teddy saw both Loki and Billy lying there, Billy curled up against Loki's chest. Loki's arm was over Billy, and his head was tucked under Loki's chin.
Teddy smiled, reaching over to brush some hair out of Loki's face. He thought about staying in bed with them, but when he looked at the clock it was almost noon. Billy usually slept in at least this late. Teddy preferred being up earlier, but none of them had gotten much sleep the previous night.
Doing his best not to disturb them, he slipped out from under the covers. His clothes had been left on the ground last night, and he didn't have anything else to wear since they hadn't been planning on staying over.
Loki's clothes were too small for him, so he'd have to wear his own again. This was never a problem when Loki slept at their apartment. Billy and Loki could usually fit into each other's clothes, and Loki ended up wearing Teddy's t-shirts around more often than not.
Really, a lot of Teddy's shirts had suspiciously gone missing since he started dating Loki.
He picked up his clothes and took them with him into the bathroom. He considered waiting for one or both of them to wake up so he wouldn't have to shower alone, but he didn't want to wake them himself, and it was getting a bit late.
After the water had warmed up a little, Teddy stepped in. He'd only used Loki's shower once before, but he felt comfortable enough in Loki's apartment to feel mostly at home.
The water was hot against his skin as Teddy stood there, letting it run over him for a few minutes before squeezing some shampoo onto his palm. It was fancy shampoo. The bottle was relatively small and had a pretty design on it, and text announcing it smelled of rosemary and mint. Teddy smiled; of course Loki would only get the finest quality hair care products. At least Loki could afford it; Teddy didn't want to know how much money Loki spent on grooming.
Sometimes, it was easy to forget that Loki was a prince. And sometimes, it was all too hard to forget.
He rubbed it on his palms and lathered it into his hair. It smelled like Loki, which made him smile. Massaging the shampoo into his scalp, he didn't hear the door opening and closing, and only noticed he wasn't alone when another set of hands joined his, working the shampoo into his hair.
He smiled and turned, not sure whether to expect Loki or Billy, knowing it couldn't be both. Sadly, Loki's shower was too small for the three of them. They'd tried.
"Hey there." Teddy said, grinning.
"Hey." Billy leaned up to press a kiss to Teddy's neck. He must have gotten a mouthful of shampoo because he drew away and spluttered, spitting into the drain, barely missing Teddy.
"Ew."
"Ew? You're not the one with a mouthful of shampoo."
"I'm almost surprised Loki's fancy salon shampoo isn't more edible."
Billy rolled his eyes and reached around Teddy to grab the bottle. He squirted too much onto his palm, and Teddy was glad Loki wasn't there to give him shit for it.
"You're not actually up before Loki, are you?"
Billy shook his head, working the shampoo into his hair. "No, he woke me up because he's too much of an asshole to let me sleep in peace. He's making breakfast."
Teddy smiled and leaned down to press a quick kiss to Billy's lips, being careful not to get any shampoo in his own mouth.
"I considered waking you up, but you and Loki were too cute, snuggling like you were."
Billy rolled his eyes and squirted the shampoo at Teddy. It caught him by surprise and he nearly slipped, grabbing onto the wall for support.
"I can't believe you’re wasting Loki's fancy shampoo."
Billy snorted. "What Loki doesn't know won't hurt him."
"I would say the price would probably hurt him, but that's hardly an issue for him."
"Teddy?" Billy says after a pause, "Are we gold diggers?"
He looked at his boyfriend blankly for a minute before Teddy started laughing. Billy snorted and started laughing too.
"What?" He asked after he caught his breath, "He's rich. Dating him is nice, he buys us things and makes us breakfast. He's like our sugar daddy. Or sugar mama, sometimes?"
And that made Teddy laugh even harder, he laughed so hard he inhaled the water in the air and wheezed, slipping down so he was sitting on the shower floor. Billy casually sat next to him, still laughing.
Billy leaned on him and they sat like that for a few minutes, until their laughter had died down.
"There's not much left." He said, holding up the shampoo bottle. "At least our hair smells good."
"And the whole bathroom is going to smell like it, too. Where does Loki even get this stuff?"
"He has connections." Billy said ominously.
"True. Who knows what kinds of places a trickster god could go to to get their hair products."
"Maybe we're better off not knowing."
Teddy laughed, and pulled himself up to his feet, stretching out a hand to help Billy back up.
"Maybe we should hurry up before the hot water runs out. Or breakfast gets cold."
"That's a shame, I had ideas that might make this shower take longer."
Teddy chuckled and leaned down to press a soft kiss to Billy’s lips. "Maybe next time. I don't want to make Loki feel left out in his own apartment."
"Fair enough." Billy said with a disappointed grumble. Teddy figured he wasn't too bummed out about it, though. Teddy wasn't really in the mood, and they were both taking care to not let Loki feel excluded. Even when Loki didn't say much about it, they could tell when he got jealous, and he got jealous pretty easily.
Billy rinsed out his hair and they took turns with the conditioner and soap until they were both clean. Teddy turned the water off and they stepped out. Luckily, Loki kept enough towels in the bathroom for the both of them.
They dried off and Billy slipped on his jeans and a green button-up shirt he'd borrowed from Loki's dresser. Teddy appreciated the view; Billy looked nice wearing Loki's clothes.
Billy offered to teleport to their apartment and grab Teddy some clothes so he wouldn't have to wear the old ones. He was gone for less than five minutes and reappeared with one of Teddy's old Pokemon t-shirts. He’d worn it on one of their first dates. It was old and worn and well-loved. Teddy smiled and slipped it over his head.
They found Loki finishing up with breakfast in the kitchen, Nicki Minaj playing loudly from his iPod. (She was Loki’s newest obsession, thanks to Tumblr and Noh-Varr.) Loki preferred to cook alone, and with music. Generally when Loki cooked for them, he turned down any offers of help and Billy and Teddy ended up waiting elsewhere in the apartment for him to finish.
Loki had a dining table in the kitchen, but the few times they had eaten over, they'd always sat around on the couch instead of at the table.
Billy settled into the couch and Teddy continued into the kitchen.
The kitchen smelled great. Loki didn't turn when Teddy stepped in, but waved and said, "Good morning."
"Good morning." Teddy said back, walking across the room to Loki.
Loki looked up at him, and Teddy leaned down to press a kiss to his neck. "What's for breakfast?" He asked, even though he could see the stack of pancakes on the counter and the bacon sizzling in the pan.
Loki shivered and then shot Teddy a smile. "Pancakes and bacon." He said, "Turkey bacon, of course." He amended. Loki had made a fuss about not making bacon when Billy was over, but he had adapted quickly and only ever cooked kosher foods for Billy.
Eating in general had become a more enjoyable thing since dating Loki. Billy rarely felt up to doing it himself and while Teddy was decent at it, he was often too busy. Loki had been appalled by how little "real food" they ate.
And, well, neither of them could complain about a partner who would happily cook them meals.
"It's also done, so help me with it, please." He said, shutting off his iPod speakers. Teddy took the stack of pancakes, three plates and silverware. Loki dished the bacon out of the pan and onto a plate and they brought the food out to where Billy was waiting together.
"Oh my god, do those have chocolate chips?" Billy asked.
"Of course they do. What do you take me for?" Loki said, putting the food down. Teddy did the same and handed them both plates and forks before sitting down next to Billy, and Loki on the other side.
"So, Asgardian, huh?" Loki said after a few minutes of chewing his food quietly.
Oh no. Teddy thought.
"What?" Billy asked, glowering at Loki.
"That's hilarious, honestly. And I thought Wiccan was a bad name, considering you're, you know, not actually a Wiccan. But at least it's better than Asgardian. Isn’t that like, cultural appropriation?"
Billy glared. Teddy stifled a laugh.
"And that outfit, oh gosh. With the little wings. That's adorable." Loki said, laughing and slapping his thigh.
"Who told you? How did you find out?" Billy said in a low voice. It was probably meant to sound threatening, but it made Loki laugh harder. Teddy shoveled pancakes into his mouth.
Loki placed a hand on his chest in mock horror. "Excuse me, William, I am a professional, and I never reveal my sources."
"Was it Tommy? He wasn't there for that but he knows. He would tell you. You two are becoming friends and I don't like it."
Teddy caught Loki's eye and Loki grinned. "Nope, not Tommy."
Traitor.
Billy didn't miss the look the two had exchanged and his head swung towards his boyfriend.
"It was you."
Teddy shoveled more pancakes into his mouth and shrugged.
"You betrayed me."
Teddy shook his head.
"Look, I can see from that costume you really like Thor. The wings on the headpiece were an adorable touch. You know, I know Thor. Pretty well, actually. I could get an autograph for you."
"Teddy, let's go. I'm breaking up with Loki first, and then I'm breaking up with you."
Teddy snorted, finally swallowing down his mouthful of food. "What makes you think I had anything to do with this?"
"Teddy did tell me." Loki confessed.
Teddy glared at Loki. "What happened to not revealing your sources?"
Billy groaned and buried his face in his hands. "I'm never going to live this down, am I?"
"Nope, never." Loki said with a shit-eating grin.
"Why did I agree to go out with you?"
"Because you apparently have no taste." Loki shrugged, sipping his coffee.
"Excuse me?" Teddy protested, "He clearly has some good taste. I'm the one without, apparently."
Loki looked at Teddy wistfully for a moment. "True enough. I don't know who wouldn't want to date you though."
Teddy smiled, "Lots of cute straight boys, sadly."
"I think that ended up working out though, didn't it?" Billy said, elbowing his boyfriend.
Teddy nodded. "I think so."
After they finished eating, Loki and Billy cleared away the coffee table. There was a loud knock on Loki's front door. Teddy, still sitting on the couch and looking through his phone, glanced at the door and then at the kitchen doorway, wondering if he should answer it. He moved to get up, but Loki appeared in the doorway, giving the front door a quizzical look.
"That's weird, I'm not expecting anyone."
He crossed the room to look through the peephole and grumbled something under his breath before opening the door.
"Hey Billy," He called over his shoulder, "It's Thor! This is totally better than an autograph!"
Teddy snorted.
Billy left the kitchen and glared at Loki, though Teddy could see he was excited. He could deny it all he wanted, but the fact was, Billy still thought Thor was really cool.
Suddenly, Loki's apartment was a lot more crowded. It would have been bad enough if Thor had been the only one coming through the door - Thor took up a lot of space, but he was followed by two women Teddy didn't recognize.
"Wow. You shouldn't have." Loki said sourly, "Really." He closed the door behind them. "Maybe call next time?"
One of the women, with darker skin than the other shrugged. She was carrying a baby, Teddy realized. "I told them showing up uninvited was rude, but what can you do with these two? They have no manners."
Loki had briefly mentioned a baby sister a while ago, before disappearing for over a week. Teddy wondered if perhaps this was her.
All traces of irritation seemed to disappear when Loki's eyes landed on the baby.
"Your sister." Thor said, confirming Teddy's suspicion. "We got her away from our parents for a time. Since you are not feeling welcome on Asgard, we thought to bring her to you."
Teddy caught the little eye roll and Loki mumbling something about how they needed to do no such thing for him, but when the woman handed him the baby, he didn't hide the joy on his face.
"I trust you with her more than either of these two brutes." The dark-skinned woman said, gesturing to Thor and the other woman, who Teddy assumed to be Loki's other sister. Loki had also only mentioned her a few times. He didn't talk about his family much.
Loki chuckled but didn't look up, eyes glued to the child.
"Her name is Laussa." Thor said.
"Laussa." Loki echoed softly, enraptured. "I didn't stick around long enough to hear her name before."
Billy walked over to where Teddy was now standing. Loki had clearly forgotten about them, but Teddy didn't mind, and he suspected Billy didn’t either. Loki was clearly enthralled with his baby sister, so it was Thor who introduced them.
"Wiccan, Hulkling," He said, "This is my sister, Angela, and her wife Sera."
"Billy." His boyfriend said.
"Teddy." He said, giving a little wave. Angela didn't look like the kind of person who would accept a handshake. She wore armor even though Thor was dressed casually and Sera wore a dress.
Sera was a bit friendlier, and she seemed more at ease. It was clear Loki liked both women quite a bit.
Loki just stood there, rocking the baby gently in his arms, ignoring those around him as introductions were made.
Similarly, after greeting the two women, Teddy's eyes returned to Loki, fascinated by how calm he looked. There was a small but genuine smile on his face, no shit-eating grin, and his eyes sparkled. He didn't notice Teddy staring at him.
"How's Asgard?" He heard Billy ask beside him. Billy was adorable. He was dating Thor's sibling and yet his excitement over seeing Thor never dissipated. It was another thing that made Loki a bit jealous. Thor was always happy to indulge Billy's questions though, and teased him far less than Loki did. Loki loved telling Billy stories, though, and loved the undivided attention Billy gave him when he did.
Teddy was pretty happy with how happy they made each other. He liked seeing two people he cared about smile.
Thor seemed to be doing better than the last time Teddy had seen him. Loki didn't share much about what went on with his family, but a while after Thor had become unworthy of Mjolnir, he'd stayed with Loki for a time. Teddy and Billy had only seen them once during that time, but recent events had clearly hit Thor hard; he wasn't good at hiding these things the way Loki was.
It was still odd to see him so unlike his iconic look. Not only was he without his hammer and armor, but his right arm had been replaced with a metal one, and it was just as intimidating as when he'd carried Mjolnir at his side.
But he smiled at Billy and happily talked with him about the nine realms, about the new woman who was wielding the hammer. Teddy didn’t pay much attention.
When there was a lull in the conversation, Teddy gently elbowed Billy and gestured to Loki. "Look at that." He said quietly. "Have you ever seen Loki like that?"
Billy smiled and shook his head. "No. That’s adorable."
Thor also looked at his brother, and so did Sera and Angela. Loki finally noticed when all eyes were upon him and the baby.
"What the fuck are you looking at?"
"Don't swear in front of the baby." Angela said.
"It's not like she can repeat it." Loki said, brushing his fingers through the small strands of red hair on her head. She had a lot hair for such a small baby. It seemed all the girls in the family except for Loki had the same flaming red hair. Teddy wondered where it came from, if Odin had been a redhead before his hair had turned white. It was a funny image.
Teddy took a few steps towards Loki so he was standing next to him. "She's adorable."
Loki shrugged. "She's just a baby. Babies are ugly. Except baby animals. Have you ever seen a baby dragon? This kid's nothing special. You should have seen her when she was still possessed. Oof."
"Baby dragons are adorable." Sera concurred.
"I want to see a baby dragon." Billy muttered.
"Maybe you'll get one for your birthday." Loki said.
"Wait, really?!"
"No. Dragons make terrible pets. You can't make a pet out of something as smart as a dragon anyway, that's fucked up."
"Um, possessed?" Teddy asked, a bit concerned that no one else seemed bothered by the choice of words.
"It's a long story." Loki shrugged. "I'll tell you later."
"Angela fixed it by throwing her into a furnace." Sera added.
Teddy wondered, nor for the first time, what he and Billy had signed up for when they agreed to date Loki. He was sure they'd both end up getting dragged in Loki's family nonsense at one point or another.
As long as he never had to meet Odin.
He'd heard enough about Loki's father to never want to meet the guy, even before he'd personally met Loki. He had the feeling neither of Loki's parents would be too happy with Loki's relationship with mortals. He wasn't even sure they knew. Loki didn't talk about his family much, aside from the siblings that were in the room. Teddy didn't pry, and Billy had stopped prying once it'd become clear how much it upset Loki. Loki was happy to talk about his life and tell stories comparing reality to the myths. He clearly loved getting Billy excited over it, but there were some subjects he wouldn't touch.
Mostly those involving his childhood.
Teddy had his suspicions about the extent of the abuse Loki endured at the hands of his parents - both sets of them - but hadn't yet figured out how to broach the subject without upsetting him.
"I did not approve of her methods." Thor grumbled.
"Maybe you should learn to trust your siblings, Thor." Loki said.
"Maybe the ones who aren't you."
"Ouch." Billy said.
Loki snorted. "That's reasonable."
Teddy studied Loki. After spending so much time around him, Teddy liked to think he could get a read on him at least some of the time, and he suspected Thor's lack of trust in Loki really did hurt, even if just a bit.
He trusted Loki. He wondered if he was a fool to do so.
"How did you sneak her away from our parents?" Loki asked, changing the subject.
Sera laughed. "That's a fun story..."
At the end of the day, Teddy was sorry to see Loki's family go. He liked Sera; she was a lot like Loki. He supposed it was nice for Loki to have people like himself in his family. Angela spoke little, but he liked her as well.
Loki reluctantly handed Laussa back to Sera as the siblings gathered at the front door, readying to leave.
"Make sure she's okay." He said softly. "Don't let Freyja turn her into a mini tyrant or anything. She deserves better."
"She will be taken care of." Angela reassured him.
"We'll look out for her." Thor said, putting a reassuring hand on Loki's shoulder.
Teddy smiled, standing beside Sera.
"And you," Sera said, startling Teddy, "Look out for Loki. Angela cares for him more than she's willing to admit, and so do I. I... Angela and I wouldn't have found each other again if it weren't for him. I think he deserves some happiness."
Teddy nodded. "He wouldn't agree, but I do."
"Good."
The three of them said goodbye and left soon after. Loki shut the door behind them, suddenly looking very tired.
Teddy reached down to take his hand. "You alright?"
"M'fine." Loki mumbled. "Thor can just be exhausting."
"I thought you and he were doing better?" Billy asked.
"We are. Just because we get along doesn't mean he's never tiring to be around."
"Is this about -"
"I need a drink." Loki cut Billy off, pulling his hand out of Teddy's to go into the kitchen. Teddy looked at Billy.
They both knew, of course, about the lie Loki lived whenever he was around Thor. Thor thought his sibling was someone he was not.
Admittedly, Teddy didn't really understand the situation at all. He had never known the child Loki had killed. In bouts of self-hatred, Loki had expressed the severity of his crime and Teddy knew the guilt plagued him. He suspected that it would continue as long as Loki hid the truth from Thor, but he also couldn't think to ask Loki to confess. To do so would be the potential end of a relationship Loki cherished.
"Give me a minute with him." He told Billy before following Loki into the kitchen.
"Do you want to talk?" He asked, leaning against the doorframe.
Loki had just finished pouring a glass of wine and took a long sip. He'd already had plenty to drink today, and Teddy didn't like that he was having even more.
"No."
"Is there anything I can do?"
"No."
Teddy sighed. "Alright. Let me know if that changes. Would you rather be alone?"
Loki stood in silence for so long, studying the wine in his glass, that Teddy thought he wouldn't answer at all. Maybe that was a yes?
"No." He said, finally.
Teddy crossed the kitchen and leaned against the counter beside Loki. Loki took the silent invitation and tucked himself against Teddy's side. Teddy put his arm around Loki's waist.
"Your sister was cute." Teddy said, "Laussa, I mean. I don't think I'd use the word cute to describe Angela."
Loki laughed. "Sera's probably the only one who's ever seen Angela as someone who could be called cute."
"Well, they seem pretty cute together."
"They're happy. I'm glad." He said, pausing. "I'm scared for her. For Laussa, I mean. Freyja has always treated all her children but me with fairness, but I fear for her all the same. I don't know what kind of influence Freyja will be on her, but I doubt it will be good."
Teddy reached up and rubbed Loki's shoulder. "At least she has siblings to care for her and be good influences on her."
"Yes, I'm sure Thor will be a better brother to her than he ever was to me."
Teddy was taken aback by Loki's bitterness.
Loki sighed, "Thor is making an effort to be better, and he's learned a lot. Enough to be a good brother to Laussa. That's all I meant."
Teddy nodded. Loki was lying, but he let it slide.
When Loki had finished downing his drink, he put the wine glass on the counter and turned to Teddy. When he didn't look up at him, Teddy gently put a hand on his chin and pulled it up so Loki was looking right up at him.
He opened his mouth to say something reassuring, but Loki leaned up and kissed him. It took Teddy by surprise, but he kissed Loki back, carding his fingers through Loki's hair.
Loki drew away a few moments later.
"I think you were made in a factory for perfect boyfriends." He said, looking away. "Because you are kind of perfect. And I don't deserve you."
"Just wait until you've been dating me as long as Billy," Teddy said, blushing, "I'm sure you'll find some imperfections."
"Billy thinks you're perfect too."
"I... I'm not perfect, Loki."
"Well, you're closer to it than I am."
Teddy shifted uncomfortably but said nothing, and they walked back out into the living room together. Billy was curled up on the couch, looking like he was about to fall asleep.
"Ahh, maybe we should get going." Teddy said, "Or we can stay if you'd rather not be alone?"
Loki shook his head. "I'll be alright."
Billy rubbed his eyes wearily and pulled himself off the couch.
"Are you awake enough to teleport us home?" Teddy asked.
Billy nodded and looked at Loki. "You okay?"
Loki nodded.
"M'kay." Billy leaned up and kissed Loki softly. "Good night. l lo- I'll see you around."
Loki didn't say anything, but he smiled as he watched soft blue light envelop his boyfriends. They reappeared in their own apartment, and Teddy hoped leaving him alone wasn't a mistake.