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Emily is nine when Tony receives a phone call, her school's director informing him that she fell, an ambulance is on the way, her arm is probably broken, and they're going to bill the repair of the pavement to Tony because apparently along with her arm, Emily had broken the pavement. Not by falling but afterwards, somehow cracked it like a spider web. Tony will stand at the rim of the pattern and it looks like an impact, a fall from a great height, and he'll be terrified not of Em but for her. But that's later, after everything has already calmed down.
In the present, that phone call makes his heart stop in his chest, the breath leave his lungs as he demands, "How is she?"
"She's fine, she even stopped crying already, she's a brave little girl," the director says, but it achieves the exact opposite of what was likely intended because it makes Tony go cold all over. Emily cried.
Emily is a normal child, a normal little girl with her temper tantrums and childishness but also with an incredibly sweet nature. The pout Tony already considered epic when she was just a baby only seems to grow in power as she grows older, but just like when she was a baby, Emily rarely cries.
"Loki," Tony calls as he hangs up without another word. Loki is in the kitchen with Bruce and Steve and at Tony's call he turns around, one eyebrow raised inquisitively. As soon as he spots Tony's expression he turns serious. "What is it?" he asks, already striding over.
"Em broke her arm," Tony replies, reaching out for Loki.
Face going pinched Loki takes Tony's hand and without further ado squeezes them through space to where he's honed on to their daughter's energy signature. Just three days ago she asked him to stop looking at her so closely, annoyed with Loki asking questions like "why did you get so angry at around lunchtime". Tony was honestly surprised it took her so long.
Emily is already throwing herself at them as they're still materializing next to her, her face dry but her eyes rimmed with red. While the paramedics in their blue uniforms exclaim in surprise Loki catches her smoothly, wraps his arms around her as she buries her face in his belly. One of Loki's hands comes to rest on her shoulder, sending soothing magic down her arm.
"You did good, my dear," Loki says, voice soft and loving as it only is when he's talking to Emily.
Tony puts a hand in the small of Loki's back and addresses the people assembled in front of them; paramedics, one of Em's teachers, a couple of other adults Tony isn't personally familiar with but that he knows work at the school. (So he might or might not be having Jarvis supervise the school, so sue him. As if you wouldn't.)
"Thanks, we're taking her home now."
Nobody has the chance to reply as Loki takes them through space again, expending a bit more energy to not make it a squeeze this time so as not to hurt their daughter.
Arrived in Tony and Loki's bedroom, Loki gently dislodges Em's tight grip around his middle. She resists for a moment but then lets go only to turn and sling her arm around Tony's neck, who has crouched to make himself more easily reachable for her.
"Hey baby," Tony coos, wrapping one arm around her and carefully avoiding the side she favors, injured arm dangling down numbly. "It's alright, we got you."
Lifting her up Tony walks backwards and sits on the bed, Emily in his lap with her cheek pressed against his arc reactor. Loki follows them and perches on the mattress, putting his hand back on Emily's shoulder.
"She numbed the pain herself," Loki relays to Tony, sounding proud.
Tony presses a smile to the top of Em's head. "Well done, darling," he compliments warmly. "Did you do it on purpose or did it just happen?"
Emily sniffles. "It just happened." Her voice is shaky. She has problems controlling her powers; it's all reactionary still, though she already mostly succeeds in holding herself in check when her emotions are running high. It bothers her though, when she doesn't manage; she's impatient and too strict with herself. Tony sees traits of both Loki and himself in that.
"It's alright, beloved," Loki murmurs. "Now you know how to do it, your brain just needs to catch up with your instincts."
"You're doing very well," Tony agrees, kissing the top of her head.
"I got really scared," she admits in a small voice, pressing closer into Tony.
"Everybody does when they're hurt," Tony tells her, rubbing his hand up and down her small back. She's still so small.
"There you go, sweetling." Loki leans in and kisses the top of her head.
"All healed up again," Tony says. "You're fine."
She nods but doesn't lift her face from where it's buried in Tony's neck.
"I think the studious appliance of ice cream is required before she can receive such a state as "fine" again, Tony," Loki says archly.
Tony feels the grin spread on Emily's lips, and it even turns into a giggle when Tony agrees with equal gravitas, "But of course, that goes without saying. And Disney."
"Mulan," Emily decides, voice a lot stronger now.
"Naturally," Loki approves. He's very happy that their daughter's favorite princess is one who picks up the sword to fight and who won't bow to no man if he's an idiot. Tony himself is a lot more ambivalent about it; just because Emily likes something that's maybe less empowering than Mulan doesn't mean she'll let herself be all walked over. She's got a lot of spirit, their daughter.
"I will go get the ice cream then," Loki says, rising and brushing his fingers through Emily's hair before he leaves.
"You alright there, darling?" Tony asks.
She nods but doesn't pull away from him and tell him she's a big girl; she started doing that lately and it sort of breaks Tony's heart. Yeah, it's natural progression and actually a good thing, but that doesn't mean he has to like it.
For now, though, the shock and pain clearly made her needy enough not to care, and Tony doesn't like that either, he'd rather she be happy and untroubled at school, playing with her friends. Though comparatively, this was probably rather harmless; there thankfully wasn't any blood. Tony doesn't think he could've dealt with his baby bleeding. The worst part was probably the shock and the fact that her parents weren't with her when she got hurt.
Emily nods and leans more heavily into him. "Up, daddy," she orders. She used to say that for all sort of thing when she was younger; when she wanted to be picked up, when she wanted something out of her reach, when she wanted a hug. Now she means it more literally; when they watch movies in either of their bedrooms they all sit against the headboard, Emily between her parents and the screen coming down from the ceiling above the foot of the bed.
Tightening his grip on her, Tony toes his shoes and socks off before helping her out of hers. Then he pushes them both up the bed and gets comfortable there, stuffing pillows against his back.
Loki returns carrying a tub of chocolate ice cream with chocolate chips and three spoons.
"No, here," Emily decides firmly when Loki climbs onto the mattress and starts to get comfortable next to them.
Loki pauses, blinks. "What would you like, dearest?" Maybe they're spoiling her a little, but surely this is a time for exceptions.
"Here," Emily says decisively, gesturing for Loki to sit behind Tony so that Tony is leaning against Loki's chest somewhat like Em is leaning against his. They let her direct them until they're sitting according to her wishes.
"We can't eat ice cream well like this," Loki comments idly, carding his fingers through Tony's hair.
"Later," Emily says, very used to the world around her being adjusted according to her wishes. Perhaps Tony and Loki should have a talk about that. Later, though – as it is, Loki wordlessly casts a spell around the ice cream that'll keep it chilled. On screen the movie begins; Emily hums along and Tony mouths the words, still faintly incredulous but long resigned to the fact that he can sing along to Disney.
By the time Shang whines about having asked for sons and receiving daughters instead (sexist little prick, Tony wants to introduce him to Natasha) Emily decrees it time for ice cream; when the movie ends she's telling her fathers animatedly how she'd, if she were Mulan, keep travelling around China and beat up Huns. Loki is quite enamored with that; Tony is more happy about the fact that Em doesn't seem to care whether Shang comes with her or not. It clearly will be a while yet before she really grows up.