Work Text:
Steve
He sighed as he entered the darkened apartment. He knew before he even turned on the light that his Omega was gone. The note of distress lingering in the air mirrored Steve's own feelings as he walked up the corridor, opening the door immediately to his left.
He clicked the light on, sighing when he noticed the absence of several personal items immediately. Loki's ridiculous plush green mushroom he'd scented for him was missing from the bed, as was the crochet blanket Loki had conjured with his magic and the little collection of colognes he'd spent the past few months accumulating.
Steve moved to the closet, needing to confirm what he already knew to be true: Loki was gone. He pulled open the pearl gray closet doors he and Loki had spent an afternoon painting, a gut wrenching pang shooting through him at the sight of the empty space where the second suitcase usually sat.
Opening the doors wider, more empty spaces were revealed. The shoe rack was empty of Loki's Venetian leather dress shoes and his dark suits were missing from their hangers. He sighed and retreated to the bed, perching on the edge of it and swallowing hard.
Disappearing without saying a word was just like him, Steve reflected bitterly. It was a textbook Loki Laufeyson move. No big talk. He was just gone and that was it: relationship over.
He shook his head and gritted his teeth, determined not to let his emotions get the better of him. He was half tempted to hit the gym and then have a junk binge for dinner. Two large pizzas and an entire cheesecake to himself sounded appealing. He wondered if the bakery over on Glenwood Street was still open.
Moving to the kitchen to retrieve his cell phone, Steve glanced automatically at the counter, hoping for a note saying that Loki had decided to take an impromptu trip to see his parents. There was no note, and no explanation or apology either. He bit back a growl of pure frustration and emotional turmoil, snatching up his phone just as the front door clicked open.
Steve knew before he even stepped into the corridor who had entered the apartment. Sweet notes of lavender, cucumber and sage permeated the entryway, filling him with hope. He almost cried with relief when he saw Loki standing in the open doorway, looking immensely guilty, a suitcase in his hand.
"I thought you left," admitted Steve, following his Omega into the living room.
"I did," came the soft reply.
Steve frowned, watching as Loki set the suitcase down on the floor and perched on the arm of the sofa, looking weary and a little nervous. The Omega didn't make eye contact with him, however. Those enchanting green eyes of his remained fixed on the carpet.
"I was scared," mumbled Loki, sounding ashamed. "I'm sorry."
"Scared of what?" demanded Steve, his own feelings of frustration returning to him in some small measure.
Rather than answering him, Loki moved to the kitchen, retrieving a mug from the cabinet and beginning to make himself a cup of peppermint tea. Steve watched him with a frown, torn between relief at his unexpected return and fear that it was only temporary.
"Loki, why did you come back?" asked Steve, a sigh escaping his lips.
"I took the wrong suitcase," admitted Loki, shaking his head. "I didn't realize until I got to the Bifrost."
"You came back because you took my bag?" exclaimed Steve, staring at him incredulously.
He was half tempted to laugh. The only thing stopping him was the look on Loki's face. The Omega didn't look as if he was in the mood to see the humorous side of it.
"I know you'd rather I came back for another reason, a better reason," mumbled Loki, averting his eyes.
"No, I'd rather you didn't leave at all," growled Steve, feeling frustrated and hurt. "Why did you leave? Was it something I did?"
"As a matter of fact, yes, technically speaking," replied Loki, filling his teacup to the brim.
Steve stared at him, trying to figure out what on earth he could have done to push Loki into leaving him. After a moment's hard thought, he came up blank, however, and decided to just ask him outright.
"What did I do?" asked Steve, feeling utterly perplexed.
"I found the ring, Steve," answered Loki after a moment's hesitation.
"Oh," muttered Steve, rubbing the back of his neck. "Loki, listen..."
He paused, unsure what he could even say to ease the doubts Loki was clearly struggling with. He looked at him uncertainly, afraid of saying the wrong thing and making everything worse.
"I can't marry you. I can't!" declared Loki, sounding panicked. "Things have been going so well and I just know that if we change things, we'll mess things up. I'll mess things up and you'll hate me for it."
"Okay, I don't know how to tell you this, but that ring isn't mine. It's Clint's," muttered Steve, lying in an attempt to salvage the situation. "He just needed a safe place to keep it, otherwise Bucky was going to find it and jump to the same conclusions you have."
"Right," replied Loki, looking doubtful.
Steve sighed, shoving his hands deep in his pockets. It was the first time he'd lied to him. Well, the second if he included the time he'd told him he liked the fish balls with bechamel sauce Loki had made for him. He'd come too far to turn back now, however.
"Were you planning on having a discussion with me about it or were you just going to disappear to... I don't know... Alfheim, and never speak to me again?" asked Steve, sounding as bitter and frustrated as he felt.
"Honestly, I hadn't thought that far," admitted Loki with a small shrug.
"How far did you think?" demanded Steve, feeling a surge of protective Alpha instincts for the flighty Omega.
Loki drained his teacup in several long gulps and set it on the counter, pulling a face as he turned back to Steve. The Omega's posture was suddenly defensive and Steve stifled a groan, guessing that a fight was coming.
"I thought that I should pack and leave because I knew that if I stayed, I'd wind up falling for one of your silly inspirational speeches," declared Loki, folding his arms across his chest. "You know, you'd tell me we can work things out and you'd be right... and I would still be scared out of my wits, but I'd stay, for love if nothing else. When it comes down to it I'm... well, I'm a sentimental fool and I wish I wasn't. I wish I could leave you, but I can't because I love you and I hate that you've made me all soft and pathetic like this."
"You came back," said Steve, smiling in spite of himself. "That's what matters."
He crossed the kitchen in two or three long strides and pulled Loki into his arms, burying his nose in his scent glands. Those sweet notes of lavender, cucumber and sage flooded his senses, calming him and easing some of the fear and frustration he felt.
"No speech?" said Loki, mumbling the words against Steve's chest.
"No speech," replied Steve, pulling back and kissing his forehead. "I liked your speech though. Sentimental as it was."
Loki rolled his eyes at him and Steve grinned, feeling a little better. He allowed Loki to pull free of his tight hold, knowing how much the Omega hated feeling smothered. Loki was only affectionate when he chose to be. Outside of that, he was the prickliest Omega Steve knew, with the possible exception of Bucky Barnes.
"Stop talking and find me some ice cream, please," requested Loki, perching on top of the kitchen counter with a little pout.
"Whatever you say, sweetheart," replied Steve, already digging through the freezer in search of the requested dessert. "Is raspberry ripple okay?"
"It will suffice," Loki agreed, flashing him a small smile.
Steve straightened up, ice cream in hand, moving to retrieve a bowl and spoon. He placed three generous scoops of raspberry ripple in the bowl, topping the frozen dessert with a handful of fresh strawberries from the refrigerator. He passed the bowl to Loki, receiving a sweet, soft kiss as a reward for his efforts.
"Loki..." murmured Steve, freezing in place when he registered the change in the Omega's scent.
"What?" asked Loki, looking suddenly tense.
"Nothing. Eat your ice cream. I'll order some dinner," muttered Steve, turning away from him.
Shock crashed over him in waves as he registered the new notes in Loki's scent: boysenberry and vanilla. There was only one reason for an Omega's scent to change like that. Loki was pregnant.
"What are we having for dinner?" asked Loki as Steve struggled to maintain a neutral expression.
"Pizza and cheesecake. Screw the diet," Steve managed to say, turning back to his Omega with a very forced smile.
Loki looked deeply troubled as he picked at his bowl of ice cream and Steve didn't dare give voice to his suspicions. It would have been easy to confront him, but if he did, Loki really would run all the way to Alfheim. He paused, feeling conflicted.
"Steve, I know you're angry with me," Loki said, setting his bowl aside.
"I'm not. I'm just glad to have you home," declared Steve, deciding that at least that much was true. "Eat your ice cream, sweetheart. Any special requests for your pizza?"
"Meatballs and mozzarella if they'll do it," requested Loki, giving him a small smile.
Steve nodded and picked up his phone to call the pizza place, his mind reeling. Somehow, in the space of a day, both he and his Omega had started keeping secrets from each other. He didn't like that and he dreaded the day those secrets came to light. One thing he knew for sure: no secret stayed hidden forever.