Ídem

5 years later

“Tony, get out of the kitchen,” Pepper said, exasperated. “You can’t even cut an onion properly!”

“My eyes sting, it’s hard to see!” He tries to defend himself. “I hate this.” He cleans his hands and his eyes while still arguing with Pepper about absolutely destroying every single onion on the planet and what consequences would that entail when there’s a knock on the door.

“He’s here already?” Pepper asks, a smile curving his lips and their previous argument completely forgotten.

Tony smiles and jogs to the door, opening it wide to find Loki smiling at him.

“Hey there, old man.” He gives him a container with what Tony supposes it’s a dessert and gets inside, getting his boots off out of the door and hitting them to get the snow from them so he doesn’t ruin the carpeted floor. “Merry Christmas.”

“It’s literally December and you’re around on a sweater, where is your jacket?” Tony admonishes, knowing that his fussing annoys the young man greatly, and hides a smile. Loki rolls his eyes. “Don’t roll your eyes at me, you know I’m right.”

“I’m not cold,” Loki says, looking around the house after getting his clean boots on the floor next to the door. “Where is Pepper? She’s nicer than you.” He starts walking away. “Pepper?”

“Don’t you dare ignore me!” He hears Loki laugh while getting in the kitchen and hugging Pepper tightly.

“Merry Christmas, Pepper.” He smiles at her and Pepper softly touches his face.

“Merry Christmas to you too, sweetheart.” She smiles sweetly. “Do you want to help me cut the onions? Tony just keeps on crying and being a disaster in the kitchen, as usual.”

“I can hear you, you know that, right?” Tony says, getting the container Loki gave him into the fridge. “What is this, Loki? I haven’t opened it.”

“Oh, I did it with my aunt’s help. I wanted to do something special and I know Pepper loves trifles on Christmas so I made one.”

“You did?” Pepper says with a wide smile and Loki smiles too.

“Yeah, with extra gingerbread men, because you always complain about how they only put one or two on it.” Pepper hugs him tightly and kisses his cheek.

“I love you. You’re the best.” Loki smiles and his ears get a little bit red at the compliment.

Tony smiles at the scene and after the food’s ready they sit down to eat it while Loki asks Tony about how his A.I’s development is going.

“Oh, almost ready.” Tony nods and takes a sip of his wine. “I wish you could stop by more often, so you could help me with it. But if everything goes smoothly J.A.R.V.I.S is going to be up and running by February.”

“J.A.R.V.I.S?” Loki asks, a little confused.

“Yeah. Just A Rather Very Intelligent System.” Tony smiles when Loki rolls his eyes.

“It was also his family’s butler. They were very close.” Pepper adds helpfully and Loki nods.

When they’re eating the delicious trifle that Loki made, the young man clears his throat, causing the adults to look at him.

“You know I’ve been searching for a job although I’m working in my family’s company, right?” Ha asks and Tony sees how he starts digging his thumb on his opposite hand's palm. He’s nervous, but why? Did something happen? “A job that I actually like instead of an office job.”

They both nod. They already know that Odin stepped down as director of the company and that now Loki’s brother, Thor, is in charge of it. They also know that the brothers talked things through and they’re working on healing their strained relationship.

“I discussed some things with Thor and he let me leave the company to find a good job that made me happy.” Loki stops for a second, letting them take that in, and then he keeps on talking. “Well, I found a job. As an English teacher.”

Pepper smiles and grabs his hand. “That’s amazing, Loki! I’m so happy for you.” She tells him softly and Loki smiles.

“Where are you going to teach?” Tony steals one gingerbread man from Pepper and eats it despite her complaints.

“Here.”

Tony chokes.

Pepper hits him in the back and Loki offers him a glass of water when he finally calms down. Tony looks at Loki with wide eyes, the kid’s smiling bit Tony can see his usual deep bone insecurity behind those emerald green eyes.

“You’re going to teach in the high school I teach?” Tony asks dumbly, just to make sure that his brain is not tricking him or that he’s not dreaming.

“Yes.” Loki says and his smile gets wider when Tony gets over his shock and starts to smile.

“If you’re teaching here, you’re going to move back here right?” Tony asks, hopefully, and smiles happily when Loki nods.

“I’ve already packed my things. I’m moving back to Odin’s old house here in town.” Loki smiles. “So I can be near you both and so we don’t have to see each other only once or twice a year.”

Pepper squeaks and gets up to hug him tightly, telling him how happy she’s for him and how she’s looking forward to spending more time with him. Loki hugs her back and raises her from the floor for a second after putting her feet back on the ground and when they part, Loki looks at Tony, who has got up too.

“Merry Christmas.” Loki smiles and Tony hugs him tightly too, hitting him softly in the back a couple of times. “This is what you wanted, right? That I could spend more time with you both…”

“Yes. Yes, of course, this is amazing. I’m so happy to have you here back in town with us.” Tony smiles and kisses the young man’s cheek. “I love you, kid.”

“Ídem, dad. Ídem.”