III
The god walked around the living room, dodging crates and pieces of wood.
“You've gone mad? There are still eight months until the baby is born.”
Tony set the screwdriver aside to grab Loki's waist and force him to sit between his legs, resting his chin in the crook of his neck.
“How about?”
Loki glanced at what was a white cradle with little leaves carved into the wooden corners.
"Monstrously large."
“The bigger the better, it's a universal rule for absolutely everything.”
“Tony, it doesn't even make sense for them to make a baby crib like that.”
“Actually I put two together. I still have to add all the technology, I have thought of a defensive system that vaporizes anyone who tries to approach without identification.”
Loki sighed, settling better in the engineer's arms. That was not what he had come to discuss.
"Queen Frigga is coming to pay us a visit."
Tony kissed his neck, beginning to guess why his mate had gotten so tense in his arms.
"Then I'll meet your mom. Does she know you're pregnant? How could she find out?”
"I sent my magpie."
"To Asgard? how can that thing even get through the atmosphere?”
“Tony, this is serious. Odin may also come.”
Tony started rolling circles on Loki's back to relax his tense muscles.
"So I'm also going to meet the almighty daddy, great."
Loki's family had always been a taboo subject. He knew that things were better between them, Odin was striving to be closer to his children, but there was still pressure and friction between them.
“My father still does not accept that Thor has a relationship with a midgardian and if he does not accept the partner of his own firstborn, with me…”
“Hey, don't worry ahead of time. I am the ideal son-in-law, any father would love me.”
The god looked at him with a frown, the same face that always warned him that there would be no sex that night.
"And that's my cue to stop talking."
Tony kissed Loki on the cheek before getting up and helping the god who allowed himself to be dragged away.
"Seriously, stop worrying, baby, and we'll cook dinner. I don't want you to throw it away again because the meat is a little overcooked.”
“Charred, Tony.”
“Don't exaggerate, the core was still frozen.”
***
Two days after Loki received the news that they would be visited, the bifrost bridge opened in the middle of their living room and Odin and Frigga materialized in front of Tony eating yogurt on the sofa dressed only in a stained T-shirt and boxer shorts with pictures of Iron Man.
Odin frowned at the engineer and Tony felt small.
“He believed that Midgardians did not go to bed early.”
"They don't." Tony exclaimed, his cheeks flushed from being discovered in his underwear at five in the afternoon. “It's just that we didn't know when you would come.”
He raised a hand to shake Odin's, but Odin didn't return the gesture, causing Tony to hold his arm uncomfortably in the air.
Loki appeared right after, saving the moment. Unlike him, he looked impeccable with perfectly styled hair and a simple green sweater that highlighted his eyes.
“Mother, father.”
The kings turned to him, letting Tony's attention wander.
"Okay, I guess this is my time to leave you guys together while I get changed." He found himself saying without really knowing to whom.
Tony came back a little later, having let more minutes pass than he had actually taken to get into skintight pants and a shirt.
Frigga was in front of Loki, passing her hand surrounded by bright light on his belly, Odin was next to him.
Loki got up from the couch when he saw it.
"Anthony has made a lot of progress with the nursery, they'll want to see it."
It took Tony a few moments to notice that he was addressing him, he never used his full name.
“Of course. It's not finished yet, but there's already some furniture.”
He got everyone to follow him into the room they had set aside for the baby-to-be, and Jarvis allowed them access with a command from Tony.
“It is equipped with a complementary surveillance system to Jarvis, it not only verifies access permits, it also records each angle in real time and monitors the levels of bacteria, pollen and mites in the environment before combating them.”
Odin looked around the room, definitely unimpressed.
"Will my grandson be watched by a machine? Will there be no warriors at his door?”
"Anthony is a mighty Midgard warrior." Loki interjected, avoiding rolling his eyes. By now Tony had begun to sweat and hoped he wouldn't break down in front of his father, it wasn't the first time it had happened to a suitor.
"Is that going to be the crib?" Frigga interrupted politely, turning to the wooden cradle Tony had built. “Amazing, it emits heat without magic.”
“Yes, it has its own temperature and humidity regulator. I wanted to equip it with an advanced entertainment system which I am working on.”
"It is not gold." Odin growled. “The cradles of royalty in Asgard are always built in gold.”
Tony's cheeks reddened. Had Odin just hinted that it had been cheap? him, Tony Stark?
"I can build it in solid gold! And encrust it with diamonds! Lots of diamonds.”
"But we won't." Loki interrupted before Tony could get too excited. “The crib is fine.”
“Do you really like it? I thought not…” And Loki silenced him with a finger.
“Anthony, come with me to the kitchen for a minute.”
And Tony followed without hesitation, leaving the older couple in the room.
"Your father is an asshole."
"It's like that with everyone. You try to hold his ground and not look him in the eye too long or he will take it as a challenge.”
“What? It was a joke?” Loki's eyes had sparkled like when he played a prank, but from what he had seen it fit the old man's personality well. “Before I opened my mouth he had already decided that he hated me.”
"We can serve dinner, he's always in a better mood after eating."
“Well thought. I'll order something before he realizes I don't have any cook elves working in the tower dungeons.”
Loki nodded.
“Not pizza.”
“Really? I never would have guessed that the father of all snotties didn't like pizza. I can close Eleven Madison so they can do a full menu for us tonight, it's haute cuisine.”
The god did not seem very convinced.
"Actually, if only there was a place in Midgard where they served something like venison or roast boar. And I mean…” The god spanned a long expanse of air with his arms. “The whole boar.”
"I'll see what I can do, baby.”
For dinner Tony had opened the main dining room on the lower floors of the tower. It was too understated, sophisticated and boring so it was rarely used, but it fit in well with the new guests.
He had arranged for two renowned chefs and three uniformed waiters to take care of the cooking and serving in an impossible amount of time after paying an absurd amount of money.
"What animal is this meat from?" Odin said.
He seemed slightly impressed so Tony congratulated himself on that.
“Kobe beef. All the beef is in the kitchen so you can repeat.” He winked at Loki.
"And when are you getting married?"
This time Frigga had spoken, causing Loki, Tony and Odin to choke on meat at the same time.
"I don't think it's good to rush things, my dear. Marriage is not honored in Midgard like we do in Asgard.”
"I'm sure that's not the case with Anthony, right?"
"I, well, we hadn't thought about it yet." Tony stretched his shirt collar trying to relieve the pressure. Did the air conditioner just break? He was sure it was hotter than it was just moments ago. “But, I want to spend the rest of my life with Loki. I mean, do you want?”
The god's cheeks reddened in the midst of Tony's hurried speech.
“All life is unimpressive when it comes to a mortal.”
“Dad!”
"We can always offer him an apple."
Odin's face twisted in annoyance.
“It is not the main business of our visit, my queen.”
"No, it is not." Queen Frigga paused briefly before turning to her son. “Your rooms are prepared for you to come back to Asgard and everything will be arranged so that Anthony feels at home too.”
“Wait… what?”
“We're not going to live in Asgard.”
The pressure in the air had just gone up another atmosphere.
“Son, my grandson must be raised as an Asgard warrior. He will not reach his full potential on this planet.”
Loki clenched his teeth and gripped his fork tightly. Although he tried to remain calm, Tony knew him well enough to know that he was about to explode.
“I don't want him to go through any Asgardian training.”
"Honey, if the baby turns out to be a Seidr user I might as well teach him or her."
“No! Asgard was not good for me, I don't want to discuss this.”
"You should listen to your father for once instead of trying to challenge me!" He yelled, and Loki's breath began to quicken in response.
“Enough!”
Tony got up from his chair and walked over to Loki, resting one of his hands on Loki's shoulder to reassure him.
“I don't care what a god you are or that you insult me or my planet, but I'm not going to let you upset my pregnant boyfriend. And no, of course we're not going to live in Asgard.”
"How dare you, mortal?!" He began to say, but Frigga had also placed herself next to her husband asking him without words to be quiet.
“Let's go to the bathroom.”
Tony had held the god's waist tenderly as he accompanied him to freshen up in the nearby room.
Loki's breathing slowed as it wet his face and his neck.
“Are you feeling better?”
“Yes. It was just nausea, Tony.”
Tony hugged him from behind, placing his lips on the nape of his neck.
"You were pale.”
"I'm fine, let's go."
Tony muttered a curse. He was pissed off and just wanted to punch everyone's daddy right in the goddamn face of his.
Before reaching the dining room again, Tony stopped at one of the cabinets to get a bottle of wine.
“Tony…”
"Baby, I've been sober all through dinner, but if I'm going to keep this up, I need a drink."
"Actually, I was thinking…" Loki put the bottle of wine back on the shelf, taking the whiskey instead.
Barely an hour later, Tony and Odin were laughing out loud on the sofa with an empty bottle next to them.
"I must admit that I never met a mortal who tolerated drink so well!"
"The trick is not to have a liver since I was twenty!"
Loki and Frigga, sitting at a distance, watched them with half smiles.
"My boy, always so smart." She finished making a cup of tea, serving it to Loki. During Thor's pregnancy I could barely get out of the bathroom. “Your grandmother gave me this remedy and it was the only thing that calmed the nausea.”
Loki nodded before starting to drink it.
"Oh love, I'm going to miss you so much."
A moan interrupted the scene, Odin's tongue had been unleashed until it looked like a rag.
“I am proud that Thor is a warrior, but parting with him was always easier. He used to go out on glorious adventures all the time.” Odin had held out his cup for the engineer to pour more liquor from the second bottle. “But Loki is my youngest son and I admit that I don't always understand him: so smart and clever… small and pretty… I thought it would be another thousand years before someone worthy enough to take him away from me.”
“Dad…”
Odin staggered to his feet, needing Tony's help to regain his imposing figure.
"My queen." Odin offered his arm to his wife who took it with a smile. "We have kept you long enough." It's time to return to Asgard.
"We'll come visit you, when the baby is born."
“Heimdall will always keep the door open for you.”
A tear rolled down Loki's cheek and he ended up hugging them tightly until they disappeared behind a multicolored light.
“Are you okay?” Tony said with a lump in his throat.
Loki wiped away his tears with a nod and Tony snuggled him into his arms.
"It was quite a mess, huh?"
"What are you talking about, fool?"
"Don't excuse me. I really mishandled 'that' situation during dinner, but I can try to fix it.” Tony knelt down before Loki could scold. “I don't have any rings right now, but if you say yes I'll buy you the whole jewelry.”
“Tony!”
"Wait, I'm not done. Loki Odinson, would you make me the happiest puny mortal in the world by marrying me?”
The god crouched down beside him, kissing him hard.
“That is a yes? It works for me, but my lawyers have to know.”
"That's a yes, idiot."
Tony widened the brightest smile of all and kissed her back.
"You liked me getting down on my knees, right? Because I plan to do it again in bed.”