Chapter One
Loki did not want to rely on mortals. Midguardians. Underneath him in every way. He didn't need them.
Except he did.
Pain sparked up his spine, sending Loki to his knees. The balcony wasn't dark despite the hour. Lights, electricity glanced across the silvery avengers tower. Hating every motion Loki crawled inside on hands and knees.
They had to have something to help. Even if it was just a bed. And he couldn't get off this wretched planet until after-
Loki shoved his arm in his mouth to muffle the scream ripped from him. He leaned against the wall, panting, sweat pouring down his forehead. He'd managed enough power to 'send him somewhere safe.' Damned magic apparently didn't know what safe meant sending him there .
Underneath his ribcage he could feel the swirling magic, already stretching his flat middle, cutting into the tight leather pants.
Despite the huge tower there was only one avenger in it at the current moment. The leader and who currently owned this entire building the good ole Tony Stark. It wasn’t like he was alone because he wanted to be, no, all the avengers were off either on a mission or having a small break.
Things had been quiet recently…and Tony hated the quiet. The only thing he really could do was tinker on his suit and sit around watching TV. Sure, he could go bother a few people but sometimes some alone time was actually good for the sociable billionaire.
He was actually in the lab doing his usual thing, fixing up his suit so it could have a little more flare and sparkles. He probably wouldn’t end up wearing it but it gave him something to do in the meantime. He wasn’t expecting for his system alarm to start blaring as Jarvis’s voice caught his attention.
”Sir. There appears to be an intruder on your floor.”
A long pause.
“It appears to be Loki.”
Most others would have shot up, on full guard, weapons summon, SHEILD called. Tony simply lifted a brow. But that wasn’t to say he was going to walk in unprepared.
“Jarvis, keep the internal security locked in.” Tony walked around the couch, ready for a fight. Pulling up camera feeds with a deft flick of his wrist, Tony scrolled through to find him. He didn’t look too hot.
“I’m going to head out, see what he wants,” Tony feigned his boredom, nerves prickling like a low voltage wire.
He was much more clear headed than he thought he’d be, acting off what he saw other than emotional instinct. He wouldn’t treat a past foe like a foe unless they forced him too, and that’s exactly what he did entering the elevator he exited on the floor Loki was on keeping track of him with his cameras. The moment the door open his fairly chill and nonchalant voice came as he took a step out.
“Reindeer games. It’s been a while man, although don’t you know it’s rude to come in uninvited?” He sighed rubbing the back of his head
Loki's blood turned cold at the first sounds of approach. Didn't humans need sleep? Couldn't they just leave him alone?
Fury sparked and died in his veins as another, far more powerful feeling rushed in.
Still on his hands and knees Loki squeezed his eyes tight. The aguardian shirt, clung to him, fabrics not found on earth, stretching as his stomach lurched. He would not be sick on the floor like a dog.
"Perhaps I-" Whatever sharp retort Loki was crafting died on his lips. Bile burned up his throat. Shoulders hitching Loki lurched forward, puking everything that remained in his stomach, al be it a meager amount of bland food. The smell took over and Loki wretched again. Stomach acid ripped his throat, squeezing tears of agony from his eyes.
The groan once trapped by tight jaw escaped.
Loki tried to crawl away from the stinking puddle, body shaking badly. He hardly got a foot away before his arms gave out.
At least the floor was cold under his burning cheek.
If Tony was expecting anything this was certainly something he never even thought of seeing. The god who was known for bloodshed and terror laid on his hands and knees on his penthouse breathing heavily in a pathetic way.
Tony didn’t know to be shocked or amused but definitely shock was more of the emotion that he was feeling as he instinctively took a step back hearing the retch and splatter on the ground which he could only assume was vomit.
“Jarvis. Lights on.” Tony called out and immediately grimaced as the bright lights filled up the room showing Loki on the ground with a puddle of vomit near him.
“Coming into someone’s home just to puke on the floor? Not cool man, gross” Tony gave an fake gag himself as he still approached the god on the ground. This definitely wasn’t some type of distraction…Loki wouldn’t make himself look so pitiful for one of those.
“Jarvis. Clean this up.” He stated out loud again as he kneeled down next to the god tapping his cheek with his finger. “Helloo? You okay? At least teleport to the bathroom if you’re sick. Don’t just go puking anywhere.” His voice was tame but his eyebrows were knit together in what looked like slight concern.
Loki managed a weak glare up at the man. "Not my intention," he said, voice rasping. Eyes flicking closed he tried to gather what little strength he had remaining.
In the new stark light Loki looked wretched. Dark hair, once glossy and swept out of the way, now curled, long and mangled around his shoulders, sweat clinging to his forehead.
Eyes glazed over, cheeks gaunt, clothes dirty. He looked like he'd been hit by a car, or perhaps runover by one. Loki turned, pressing his face to the cool tile underneath him, trying to find solace in it.
Soft moan escaping, a trapped whimper, he rolled onto his back. Hand on his stomach the skin there, once flat, had begun to stick out, a swell of rising dough, stretching his dark ripped shirt at the seams.
Limp fingers moving downward he reached for his waist line, trying to pull down the taut bend digging into his skin.
“Well you better say what your intentions are cause it sure as hell looks like it.” Tony retorted back just as fast although you could see the concern in his face.
The thought of Loki dying on him though and him having to explain this whole situation to Thor made it clear cut to him that he should help. He didn’t want the other god killing him for leaving his brother to rot on the floor.
“All righty, I’m going to take you to the lab. You can rest properly there for a bit.”
He had noticed how Loki’s hand went to his waistband and did eye the bloat in the gods stomach momentarily. However he had also just thrown up so he easily summarized it to him having eaten something bad.
He grabbed his arm moving to pull him up to his feet. “C’mon, just promise you won’t puke, shit or whatever on me in the process.” It seemed like one of his usual funny quips but Tony was actually being completely serious, not knowing if this was food poisoning or maybe even some unknown illness.
Loki jerked his arm away violently. "Do not touch me human," he spat, literally spat toward him. Loki managed to open his eyes just enough for the venom in his gaze to become perfectly clear.
He already had his mouth open to say more when pain ignited his veins. Spine lifting off the floor, face twisted into agony. The scream wrenched form him echoed off the walls.
Hands planted at either side of him, splayed white knuckled on the floor he didn't reach for his stomach.
Back arched Loki looked like he was getting fatter.
A trick of the light?
The growth kept onward. This wasn't an odd shift of his gut. Loki was growing The rising dough swell of his stomach was changing before their eyes. Once a soft convex line now ripped the seams of his shirt.
Loki couldn't help the tears on his cheeks. His lips shifted, wordlessly asking for help, hating that he needed it. "Stop," he begged. "Stop."
Still fully ignoring Tony he reached for his stomach, fingers gripped in the taut fabric.
The hostility didn’t phase Tony in the slightest, if he expected anything from Loki it would indeed be him being distrustful and violent. What did phase Tony slightly was when he saw the gods face contour into pain as his screams filled the room.
“Woah that’s not normal.” Was all he could muster out as his hands went to the growing mass placing them down on top of Loki’s stomach gently. He could see and feel that this wasn’t any type of prank- that Loki’s stomach was indeed getting bigger right in front of their eyes.
“Loki. What the hell? What is this?” He questioned both in shock and a bit of awe as he had never seen anything like this before, and it seemed like from his reactions that Loki was at least slightly aware of what exactly was happening to him.
Loki tried to swat his hand away. But without the strength to lift it the motion was little more than a muted twitch.
Heavy lids lifting a fraction of an inch Loki watched Tony with little emotion in his gaze. "You wouldn't understand if I told you," he tried to summon the venom from before.
He didn't have the energy.
Flat on the floor Loki trembled in the aftershocks of pain.
With the minimal respite between pains Loki caught his breath, placing his hands carefully, forcing himself to sit up slowly. He grit his teeth. "I do not need your help," Loki flinched away from the man.
It was a lie. Usually he was quite good at lying actually. But not today.
Arm around his middle he rubbed at the stretching skin. The motion seemed to have paused. To the unknowing eye he would have looked near five months pregnant. His shirt was ripping more with every motion.
“Loki. I think you forgot just who you’re talking too. There are very little things in this world that I don’t understand to some extent.” Tony faked some offense even though he knew that he didn’t understand what was going on in the slightest.
Unless it was gas building up in his abdomen at an alarming rate this seemed impossible, his belly growing at such a rate and it not being just a trick of the mind. At first he questioned if it was an illusion but the fact he was feeling as his belly rose showed that it was indeed real. Loki’s illusions didn’t work like this.
“Okay, so you just came inside my home knowing that people who want to kill you live here, lucky for you they’re not here right now, so if you did need something I’m your best bet.”
He was being blunt with him although one of the only reasons he was willing to help the god was out of his own curiosity for this situation. He was always willing to learn and learning about this type of magic or whatever it was had peaked his interest.
Loki glared at him. "If you are going to gawk at me would you do me the decency of fetching me a glass of water?"
“Gotcha.” Tony smirked. If he was going to be in his house Loki was going to have to use him for something. He used the brita to quickly fill up a glass of water but also got the god a glass of juice as well. He seemed pretty exhausted already so something to bring up his blood sugar seemed necessary.
“So you’re going to explain to me why you’re blowing up like a balloon?” he called casually as he returned, glasses in hand.
Loki slid back along the floor until he was leaning against the glass over the balcony. Lying back as best he could he kept one hand at his stomach. His breathing was still unsteady. Sweat still slid down his forehead and neck, dark strands stuck to his skin, a thick clump between hie eyes, sliding down across his lips.
He took the water without thanks or acknowledgement, swallowing it in two gulps.
Loki set the glass down on the floor, trying to force his breathing steady.
Mouth open in a half snarl he was ready to argue when pain had him sliding back to the floor. Palm out to keep him upright his shoulder lifted up into his cheek.
"I suppose your kindness in not murdering me upon first sight owes you some consideration," Loki closed his eyes, hating the words as they came out of his mouth.
While Tony would prefer that Loki would sit on something comfortable. You know- like a couch instead of him fogging up his glass with his sweat stained body. He didn’t say anything, not taking any mind for his lack of thanks or gratefulness, he still held the juice in his hands probably going to make it drink it later.
“Uh huh. I know, I’m so kind.” He said immediately after Loki expressed the obvious of him letting him live even though he could kill him for almost ruining his carpet which costed thousands.
"I am in labor," Loki's lip curled, taking great pleasure in being vague.