Tony felt the shift in the air that announced Loki before he actually saw his boyfriend. It brought a draft of icy wind with him and the engineer wondered where he'd been this time – for almost five days, mind you.

He turned around to face the god who had appeared right behind him in the kitchen and greeted: "Hey darling, nice to – what the fuck happened?!" Loki met his gaze out of bright red eyes, his hair full of ice crystals that were clinging to his eyelashes as well, and he was pressing a bundle of black cloth to his chest. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I am", the prince answered, although he appeared to be out of breath. In the warmth of the room, his blue skin started to fade into his pale glamour again. "But I..." He glanced down at the bundle in his arms. Tony had seldomly seen him looking so uncertain and for the first time, he took a closer look at the bundle of black fabric in his arms.

"What's that?", he asked curiously and reached out for it, but Loki jerked backwards and snapped: "Careful!"

The engineer frowned, but raised both of his hands in surrender, causing his boyfriend to step closer again, peeling several layers of the fabric back. Slowly, but still curious, he leaned forward and asked: "So, what did you bring that's so – Loki, did you steal a baby?!" Incredulously, he stared at the small, blue face and the tiny fists curled beside it. The child was sleeping soundly. Raising his gaze back to Loki, he urged: "You need to bring it back!"

"Her", the god corrected. "And no, I did not steal her and I shan't return her."

"But it – she – she's not...", Tony tried again. "She's... she is..."

"She is a monster? Is that what you are afraid of?", Loki hissed. The child in his arms stirred. "That she is not human, but a –"

"Oh, come on, Lokes!", the inventor interrupted, throwing his hands up. "You know exatly how much that's not my problem." The prince relaxed visibly and Tony sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'm not... I'm not a father, Loki. I can't – I can't keep a house plant alive, much less a child. I don't know how to handle that!" His tone had become pleading at the end, pleading for Loki to understand that he was not denying the child, but doubting himself.

The god's expression softened and he spoke more quiet than before: "You are not alone with her, you know that." His eyes, now green again, said something else, something he didn't vocalize: I've failed my children before, so many times. Please let me prove I can do better. "They left her to die." A misshapen frost giant, left to die alone – of course Loki would feel reminded of himself. Tony stepped closer to look at the child who was awake by now and watching him with big, red eyes, making no sound at all. He slowly extended a hand for her to grasp (because you do that kind of thing with children, right?) when Loki moved backwards and warned: "Don't."

"What, I'm not even allowed to touch her?", the engineer pouted. "I'm not that bad with children, you know?"

"Of course, Anthony", the god soothed. "But she is of Jotun blood – her skin might burn you. I am not sure, but I really don't wish to try it out. I will have to cast a glamour on her as my – as Odin did for me back then." Tony opened his mouth to say something, but his boyfriend was faster: "I am not going to lie to her. She will know about her heritage, I promise. I won't repeat my parents' mistakes."

"Glad to hear that, Snowflake", the inventor said with a smile and crouched down again to look at the little girl. She was cute, in her very own way, and the lines on her face and the tiny hands formed beautiful musters. "But I really don't think I could do that", he whispered. "I'd be a terrible dad and she'd hate me for sure. I can't take that sort of responsibility. I'd absolutely screw this up and –"

"Hush, Anthony", Loki cut him off, "you can do it and you know it. I did not fall in love with a man who gives anything up before trying."

Tony took a deep breath. A child wasn't just something you tried and dumped when it didn't work out the way you imagined, but maybe Loki was right. He wasn't one to give up without trying. "All right. I'll give my best, I promise."

And it was worth it, seeing Loki's face light up like a fire and the relieved, honest smile he got together with the softly breathed "Thank you". Maybe, just maybe, he could do this. He was not alone after all, Loki was going to stay by his side for this, right?

The god laid the baby down onto the table carefully and let his hands hover over the small body. Tony watched in awe as the blue just kind of... faded away to be replaced by milky white skin. When the girl blinked and wailed softly, her eyes were suddenly the same green as Loki's, and next was the soft hair on her head, exactly in the colour of Tony's. There was just...

"Are these horns meant to be there?", he asked regarding their tips protruding from the thin brown hair. They were barely visible, very small, but still impossible not to notice.

Loki was frowning as he slowly replied: "I can't... conceal them. I will find a way to remove –"

"No!", Tony exclaimed. "Jeez, no, leave them! No crazy cutting-stuff-off things. She's gorgeous and I think they look great. And since we're going to tell her about her heritage anyway, it's not a big deal if they stay, right? Leave 'em, please." To distract Loki who seemed still uncertain on the topic, he asked: "Can I hold her now?" He received a small nod and picked the incredibly tiny child up. It looked so fragile, so vulnerable... and totally adorable.

Poking her nose carefully, Tony mused: "Which leaves us with two questions: What's going to be her name and how the hell are we going to explain this to the others?"

Those questions go to you. Any ideas for the name or the reaction of the other Avengers? I'm open for suggestions...