One Day Down, Chapter 119

“I remember those days well. This table has suffered through much!”
Loki started laughing and Valstagg looked saddened. "So much wasted food." He pouted.
"Like that ever stopped you." Sif laughed.
"Do you realize Mother and I had more meals together alone then in this room because of it?" Loki asked.
"Or the number of dresses you've helped ruin because of it." Frigga shook her head.
Remus picked up a cooked carrot and held it up for Tony to try and feed him.
Thor just laughed at the memories.
“Oh come now, I was young!”
“Oh please Thor, you knew what you were doing!” Sif laughed as well.
Tony tried to back away from the carrot but Loki had told him several times before that it was a bad habit to do so. If he kept it up, then Remus would also refuse to eat his food. So the inventor groaned and opened his mouth to accept the carrot. Remus all but stabbed him in the back of the throat with it.
“Agh!?” He flew back slightly and started coughing.  “Remus!”
The boy laughed and clapped his hands, jabbing at Tony some more.
Loki chuckled. He took his son and smiled at him. Giving Remus an Eskimo kiss, he smiled at the baby boy. Loki took over feeding his son.
"Never did I ever think I'd see the day that the Prince of Darkness would willingly take on children." Hogun said.
"He is not the Prince of Darkness." Fandral said.
"I'd watch my tongue if I were you Hogun. Or do you need a repeat of your last punishment?" Loki asked.
The man paled and looked away without another word. Suffering at Loki’s hands once was enough.
Tony looked at the two men but went back to his food without asking; he knew that tone in Loki’s voice meant he was serious.
“Anyway, this food is really good.”
“Now my friends; no threats at the table, yes?” Thor glanced at his friend then at Loki and kept eating.
Remus smiled at his father and held Loki’s face in his small hands.
“Ba-Ba…Baba!”
Tony spat out his drink and looked at Remus with a large smile.
“He’s speaking!”
“Baba! Baba!” Remus clapped his hands excitedly when he saw Tony’s reaction.
Loki just smiled at his son and nuzzled him. "Yes I'm your Papa." He smiled.
Thor smiled as he watched Tony choke on his drink. The blonde got a sudden question. "Mother, age wise, who spoke first?"
"Loki. You were lazy. Loki was determined to get what he wanted even if it was by himself. You were more laid back about the whole thing." Frigga explained.
"Though once you did start walking and talking, it was very hard to get you from doing so." Odin added.
"Still is." Loki added.
Thor pouted.
Tony laughed when he heard this and he looked at Thor.
“Don’t worry big guy, I was late walking and talking to and look how I turned out.”
Thor perked up a bit at this and smiled. Remus babbled more then reached for some of the food on Loki’s plate.
“Baba! Baba!” He put the green beans in his mouth and teethed on them happily. Frigga smiled at the infant.
“Hopefully he will not speak nearly as much as Thor.” She giggled and continued eating her dinner.
“I am sure he will not. He is not Thor’s child.” Sif interjected with a smile.
"No, he is however Loki's child and will no doubt plot a scheme in secrecy." Valstagg teased.
Loki smiled at Remus. "Yes and I won't restrain him."  Loki ate a string bean that Remus decided to feed him and the infant went back to feeding himself.
"Anthony," Odin called to his son in law, "Do you and my son plan for another child?"
Tony grinned and swallowed the food in his mouth before nodding.
“Mm, yeah. We’re working on that now actually.” He chuckled and winked at Loki then laughed when the god punched him in the arm. “What?”
“Oh Loki, this is wonderful. Should you ever need anyone to watch after them, please be sure to bring them here.” Frigga smiled, her eyes excited at the thought of another grandchild.
“Oh we will.” Tony said then took another bite of his meal. Frigga giggled and looked at Thor.
“And when can I expect little ones from you?”
“As soon as he finds a maid willing to hold still long enough for him.” Sif interjected then laughed along with Thor.
“Tis true! Sad but true!” Thor laughed.
"Which is now next to never." Loki added.
The others laughed at the first born prince's expense. Thor pouted and looked like the kicked puppy he was.
"Thor, by now I would have had the throne if we were in Midgard. Whether it be first, second, or even the third prince to a royal family, whoever has an heir first gets to continue the line." Loki explained.
The warriors looked a bit nervous at this statement. Frigga, Thor and Odin all knew that Loki had put those days behind him and wanted nothing to do with the throne anymore.
The air in the room stilled slightly at Loki’s words, though everyone tried to keep their smiles up. They didn’t want to seem so suspicious of Loki, but it was force of habit. Tony however seemed oblivious to that little detail. He simply looked at Loki with interested then finished his dinner.
“So that would make Loki king, right?”
Odin nodded.
“That is correct, by those rules.”
“Then would I be the queen?”
Everyone erupted with laughter at Tony’s question. It was a perfectly legitimate question, or so he’d thought.
“You would also be titled king of Asgard, though you would not rule.” Frigga finally stopped laughing enough to speak.
Loki started laughing as well and leaned over to give Tony a kiss. Loki held up his hand ready to snap his fingers. "If you want to be a queen we could always make it happen." Loki teased.
"Loki, we've been over this: no shape-shifting of any sort at the table." Frigga scolded.
"Yes Mother." Loki replied with a smiled. Loki became completely serious once more. "I don't want the throne. I just want to live my life with my family. Besides, being king is far too much work."
He may have been joking, but Tony took the little tease seriously. He tensed and backed away from Loki, expecting a pair of breasts to appear on him at any moment. When they didn’t, he sighed and relaxed.
“I agree. Being in charge of stuff takes a lot of work.” Tony sighed, thinking of the days when he used to have to run the company on his own. He really didn’t know how he’d survived so long without Pepper. He sipped his drink and smiled when Remus tried to take a sip.
“Hold on, I’ll do it. You’ll just make a mess.” He raised the goblet to the boy’s lips, and out of instinct, Remus tried to suckle on the edge of the cup.
Loki chuckled as he watched Remus try to drink from the cup like his brothers. Some of it spilled down his lip and Loki cleaned it away.
"You'll get the hang of it one day." Loki smiled.
While everyone one turned back to the conversation of a different topic, Loki looked over at Thor his brows knit together.
"Something wrong brother?" Thor asked.
"Whatever happened to Jane?" Loki asked.
Tony pulled the cup back so Remus wouldn’t try to drink too quickly and the boy reached for it again.
“Hold on Mighty Girth, you’ll get more in a second.”
Remus looked at Tony and pouted, looking almost exactly like the inventor.
Thor looked at Loki and sighed, a sad smile on his face.
“She grew tired of waiting for me. I suppose the idea of being in Asgard did not appeal to her as I had hoped it would. But we remain dear friends, and that is enough for me.” It hurt him when Jane said she couldn’t leave Earth, but Thor supposed he understood. After all, he couldn’t imagine never going back to Asgard. And as Jane had put it, she didn’t want to live forever. It scared her, the idea that everyone she knew would wither and die around her while she stayed the same; it was a lot to understand for many humans.
Loki nodded his understanding. He and Tony had been over it many times. Their friends and coworkers would one day meet an end. Though he wasn't sure the widow ever would. She was something special and different.
"What about Sigyn? She has always been rather fond of you." Loki told him.
"I think she's already been married off." Fandral said.
Thor smiled at his brother.
“You need not worry for me Loki. I will find love soon. But for now,” He downed his entire goblet then slammed the empty mug on the table. “We celebrate!” He grinned. Frigga laughed and nodded.
“Celebrate more gently darling!”
Tony chuckled and shook his head. Thor was really quite a character. Remus laughed also, clapping his hands happily and he reached for Tony’s hair. The inventor almost didn’t notice, but he pulled back.
“What do you have against my hair? Do you want me to go bald?”
Remus pouted again and slapped his little hands against his legs.
Loki smiled at this and moved Remus so he couldn't pull on Tony's hair.
"I'm trying to remember if it was Loki or Thor who had a fancy for hair pulling." Odin said.
"Loki just liked to cut hair." Sif threw in.
"Well you asked for it." Loki remembered why he had done it. Sif had called him a freak and told him he would never be good at anything.
Frigga nodded as she remembered that Loki had been the hair puller in the family, but he never pulled my hair. He only pulled on your beard.
Remus tucked himself against Loki's chest with a yawn as he settled.
"Time for bed little one. Fenrir you too. Come along." He said.
Fenrir pouted but went along anyway. He gave Frigga a kiss good night and his grandfather a hug before following Loki.
Tony excused himself and followed his family to their rooms. He helped get the boys into bed then checked up on Toki; he was still out like a light. Tony smiled to himself then went over to Loki.
“Toki’s still out. He’ll be so sore in the morning.”
Thor finished his dinner and sat for a good while in the hall with Sif. The two laughed and traded anecdotes, reaching for fresh goblets every so often.
“Honestly, you are foolish Thor.”
“Would you know me otherwise?”
Sif giggled and shook her head then looked at her old friend with a smile.
"The baths will sort him out on the morning." Loki smiled.
Remus was fast asleep as he lay in his crib. Fenrir, once in his own bed, was ready to go to sleep as soon and his head hit the pillow. Loki let go of a yawn himself and leaned against Tony.
"Ready for bed yourself?' He asked.
Tony held his husband’s hand and pulled him over to their bed. He fell over onto it and pulled Loki down with him, holding him close.
“Yeah, I’m pretty tired.” He smiled, his eyes closing as he lay there.
Loki smiled as he sat back up and started to discard some of his clothing to get under the covers. Once Tony had done the same, he tucked himself against his husband. "Night Anthony."
Tony kissed his husband softly then fell asleep.
Toki woke up the next morning in pain. He whimpered and got out of bed with tears in his eyes as he walked over to his parent’s room. He knocked on the door and stood there waiting for them to wake up. He kept knocking and knocking and knocking.
Loki finally got up and nearly tripped over the furs as he got to the door. Pulling it open he saw Toki in its way and in tears. "Shh, shh it's alright. What's wrong?" He asked.
"Everything hurts really badly." He cried.
"Okay, okay come with me, we'll get you fixed up but you have to be quiet. Remus is still sleeping okay."
Toki nodded as he let Loki pick him up and take him into the bathroom. Loki ran Toki a lukewarm bath and let the boy undress before climbing in.
"Stay here, I'll be right back." Loki promised.
Tony he mumbled as he finally began to wake up. He stretched and lay on the bed for a little while before Remus forced him to get up. The boy grunted and babbled until Tony picked him up.
“You do realize I’m going to wake you up like this when you’re older.”
Remus giggled and clapped his hands as Tony set him on the floor to play. The boy got on his hands and knees and began rocking himself. He’d been doing that for a while now, and as Loki explained it, he was trying to crawl. Tony watched, hoping he would actually do it today. After a moment, Remus’s hand jerked forward then his knee.
Toki sighed as the pain began to ebb away slightly from the warm water. He closed his eyes and sank into the water almost completely, only his face showing above the surface.
Loki smiled as he watched Toki relax a bit. "There, you'll be okay. Next time take breaks and don't overdo it." Loki scolded.
"But I want to be as good a warrior and fighter as you are." Toki pouted.
"I know you do and I had to learn that doing what you did yesterday doesn't help. Your grandmother rubbed salve and ran me hot baths many times before I finally let it sink in. Toki, you are young; learn from my mistakes. I tell you these things because I know them."
"Okay, I'll listen." Toki promised.
"Good, now sit up so I can rub the salves in. You are going to take a break today." Loki ordered.
Tony held Remus by his small hands and helped the infant stand. He seemed very concentrated in what he was doing. Remus made a strange sound in his throat then looked at Tony.
“Don’t worry; I’ll catch you. But I’m going to let go, okay? And you’re going to stand.”
As if understanding what his father said, Remus tightened his grip on the man’s fingers and tensed his legs. Tony chuckled and pulled his hands back, quickly catching Remus as he began to tumble.
“Don’t wiggle your legs around Doofus.”
Toki leaned forward so Loki could rub salves into him and he sighed. The pain was finally going away.
Once he was done, Loki wrapped a towel around him. "Now go to your room and get some more rest. Your body needs it."
Toki nodded, slowly heading back to his room. When they opened the door he saw Tony trying to get Remus to walk a second time.
"He hasn't even gotten crawling yet. Anthony you cannot rush these things." Loki said.
“Shh, we’re making progress!”
Remus babbled as if in accordance with his father and tried to balance again, then frowned when he fell on his bottom. He slapped his thighs and looked up at Tony with a pout. The inventor sighed and sat crossed legged, pouting like Remus.
“Alright, we’ll stick with crawling for now. Go!”
Remus laughed and got onto his hands and knees, rocking himself back and forth again. Toki watched, slightly amazed though mostly amused. He got into some comfortable clothes and sat up on the bed, watching his brother try to crawl again. Remus sucked on his lower lip as he concentrated then started moving again. First his hands, then his knees and slowly he moved three paces forward. Tony cheered and threw his hands up in the air.
“Yes!” He grabbed the boy and held him close, kissing his wet chin.
Loki was proud of that Remus was making these milestones. Loki rolled his eyes as he watched Tony pick up their son. "He would benefit better if you let him be and make more progress." Loki smiled.
Remus wanted to try again.
"Let him come to me." Loki said, sitting on the floor. "Come on my little one."
Tony pouted and set Remus down. The infant blew some spit bubbles then smiled at Loki and tried crawling towards him. He rocked himself, getting ready to move before he moved his hand then his knee. Tony smiled as he watched his son begin crawling.
“Look at him. He’ll be walking soon.”
"Let’s not rush it." Loki smiled. "Everything in its own time." Loki said. “But in the meantime, I think he'll be needing this." Loki snapped his fingers and watched a bell appear on his son's ankle.  "There, now we will always know where you are."
Remus sat up and looked at the bells on his ankles then squealed as he played with them. Looks like he wasn’t interested in crawling anymore. Tony chuckled and watched the infant before getting to his feet.
“I have to head back to Earth.” He sighed heavily as he said this but the tower still needed repairs and God only knew what Fury would need this time. He kissed Loki on the forehead then started packing his things.
Toki looked at his father, his eyes sad. “Is everyone going home now?”
Tony paused to look at the boy and smiled.
“Come on, don’t get sad. You and Fenrir are staying here to train, remember? And we’re just a worm-hole’s ride away if you miss us too much.”
Toki sighed and nodded then hugged Tony tight.
"I'm going with you." Loki said. Fury still wanted him to see what other information he could get out of the remaining prisoners they took in.
"We'll be back soon. Three days tops." Loki smiled.
Toki still wasn't happy about it but nodded.
"Remember everything I told you. Take care of yourself and make sure you stretch before you start your training. Tell your uncle you are to rest for the day." Loki hugged Toki and kissed his head.
“And don’t worry about us, okay? We’ll be safe.” Tony smiled at their son and hugged him reassuringly. Toki still wasn’t all that happy with his family being so far apart, but at least they would be safe. He hugged both Tony and Loki then went to see them off.
Thor went also, holding Remus in his arms.
“You will return soon?”
“Yeah, we won’t be gone long. Although I might be gone a little longer; Fury probably forgot where he put his dick-Ow.” Tony frowned as Loki elbowed him and said something about watching his language in front of the boys.
“I will keep the boys safe. Nothing will harm them here.” Thor smiled at his brother and Tony.
"Better not or it's your head." Loki glared.
Thor rolled his eyes at his brother. The boys waved as they watched Tony and Loki leave.
Arriving in Midgard, it was night time there. Jarvis started to wake up when he realized Tony and Loki had returned.
"Welcome home sirs." Jarvis greeted.
"Hello Jarvis." Loki greeted.