Aftermath

Loki plops down on the couch feeling exhausted. He lets his illusion down so that he can relax. He has been parading around as a red headed mortal for hours. His face still looked very much like his own, but with a goatee, and not pregnant. Loki has spent the last three months manufacturing gold bars like a slave in a sweat shop. When he isn’t making gold, he’s making healing potion, and when he isn’t doing that he is gathering the names and locations of his victims.
Loki’s belly is large now, but he still has a ways to go. Aesir gestation typically lasts 12 Midgardian months while Jotunn gestation usually lasts 14 months. Loki is ready to give birth now! He feels like a cow. His ankles are swollen and his firm chest is developing small bitch tits. Ugh! Loki’s hair is now down past his shoulder blades. If it weren’t for his Adam’s apple and broad shoulders he would pass for a woman. In fact, he is pretty certain that if he wore a scarf to hide his throat and made a concerted effort to look feminine he wouldn’t need magic at all. To Hel with that!
Loki grabs a notepad and a pen along with the T.V. remote. Loki has taken to watching the evening news report every day. The local news can always be relied upon to provide Loki more names and details of his victims. They always reserve a feature spot every night for some sob story. They also provide him with useful updates on his brother and his friends. Thor had publicly taken credit for the gold he has been giving out. It annoys Loki, but he doesn’t linger on the point. He knows that Thor knows where the gold is really coming from, and that his friends do to. The healing miracles were never really explained by Thor publicly. It’s MAGIC, enough said. Everyone just assumes that Thor is somehow healing the masses.
Loki lets it go because he cannot afford to be caught. Maintaining the secret of his current residence is paramount right now. Loki has taken to moving his location every three weeks. The last thing he wants is to be captured. Odin only knows what his fate would be. Would they even stay the execution until after the birth? Loki turns on the T.V. to drown out his thoughts. He readies his pen to take notes until he sees the footage on the screen, and his blood runs cold.
“…the unknown man entered the NICU where the conjoined twins were kept. You can see here from the security camera that this man pulls a bottle of something out of thin air. Watch closely, after the man feeds both babies whatever was in the bottle, their bodies separate from one another. Skip weren’t the parents told that a surgical separation was dangerous and most likely impossible for the twins? Yes Sara. After the twins are magically separated the man then leaves behind one of those Asgardian gold bars. This is the first footage that anyone has captured of one of these miracles and gold deliveries. Yes, but as exciting as it is it also raises the question of who the man is, and why did Thor take credit for it? There has been no response from Thor or Stark Industries regarding this latest development.”
The news story goes on as Loki curses himself for his mistake. Loki had blocked all the cameras in the pediatric burn unit he was in prior to going into the twin’s room. The stop in the twin’s room had not been planned. But he had read the sign in the hallway of the hospital and decided to take a peek and see what was in there. The sight of the two entwined bodies had pulled at his….well nothing. Loki does not feel sentiment. Picking up the infants and holding them after healing them had been a necessity. Really. That’s all. Their small fragile little bodies had cooed when he held them. They were so soft and warm and vulnerable. Not unlike how his own child will be when it is born.
Loki looks at the T.V. again. He had worn his own face during that little visit. His hair was just different. Surely it will not be long before those insipid journalists figure it out. Oh well. Loki is too exhausted to care how the humans will react to his “gifts”. Either they will reject them or accept them. Thor can deal with them.
________________

“Thor, we need to talk.” Natasha says to the Thunder god. It is morning and they are in the kitchen of Stark Tower alone.
“Yes my lady. What troubles you?” Thor asks. Natasha quirks an eyebrow. As if he needs to ask?
“I wish I could talk to him. I wish I knew where he is. I know all of you are skeptical of Loki’s intentions, but it has been months now and there have been no reports of any ill effects from Loki’s interventions. I really do believe he is repenting.” Thor implores her.
“I want to believe it too Thor, but my instincts tell me that he is going to pull the rug out at any moment. This has been going on for too long. It has been 10 months since the last time you spoke with him, and 7 months since the healings and reparations began. I can’t help but feel something is about to come to a head soon. Now that people know that Loki is behind all of this they are frightened. People are afraid to take their kids to the hospital. Who knows if all those people he healed are going to turn into his personal mind slaves like Clint?”
“I do not think he is planning such a thing. Or anything else. It wouldn’t make sense. Loki has given away enough gold to compensate the entire city three fold for the damages and has healed thrice that which was killed as well. A three-fold repayment is a standard we use in Asgard when punishing criminals. Loki is atoning.”
“Then by your own calculations he should be done repaying his debt. So where is he? Why hasn’t he come out of hiding?”
“I know not. My father is growing restless with my time spent here on Midgard, but he knows I cannot leave while Loki still roams free. He must be brought for judgment. I think Loki is biding his time until he can gather enough good will before facing our father for his crimes.”
Loki is lying in bed when the first contraction hits. It hits quite literally like a punch to his gut. His stomach muscles contract as his belly button starts to ooze a viscous liquid. Loki had told himself that he would suffer through child birth alone. That he could handle the pain. He told himself that asking for help would not only be dangerous but stupid. It would be a guarantee that should he make his whereabouts known that his child would be taken from him and he would be tossed into a prison cell.
But now, as the first wave of agony hits him a whole new fear envelopes Loki. What if he dies in childbirth? What if his child dies for want of medical attention? What if he dies and his newborn baby is left to die a slow death next to its mother’s rotting corpse? No one knows where he is and he never has visitors. His child would die alone. The different fears war within Loki until fear for his child wins out. Loki walks out to the balcony of his apartment and releases the charm blocking Heimdall’s view of him, and calls out to the all-seeing god for help.
The team is gathered in the kitchen of the penthouse for breakfast. It has become a regular Sunday ritual for them. Steve insisted on it, said it was good for team building and camaraderie. Bruce is sipping down his chamomile tea when the bright light of the Bifrost fills Tony’s balcony. Everyone walks outside to see a very tall black man dressed like an Oscar statue. Tony’s laid eyes on the man for all of 2 seconds and has already picked out a nickname. Tony looks over at Thor.
“So Point Break, who’s the statue?”
“Heimdall, what brings you to Midgard?” Thor asks with concern. Is something wrong at home? Has his father finally tired of waiting for Thor’s return?
“It is Loki my prince. He has made his whereabouts known to me… deliberately. He is in need of medical attention.” The golden god’s deep voice pours out like liquid gold.
“Medical attention? You mean he is hurt?” Steve asks skeptically.
“In a manner of speaking. I must take my Prince to his location immediately.”
“We will go with you.” Steve says.
“No. I will take his highness alone. This is a private matter.”
“How is an injured Loki a private matter? And what if this is a trap? I can’t allow it.” Steve says.
“Loki is no threat in his current condition.”
“What… exactly is his condition?” Tony asks exasperated.
“That is for Prince Thor to share with you, should he choose to do so.” Heimdall states resolutely. It’s like talking to a solid gold brick wall. Thor lifts up Mjolnir and the men put their arms around each other’s waists. It looks kind of awkward and intimate, but it is necessary for flying through the air. The two men take off and Heimdall directs Thor in which direction he should fly. They pass by many buildings until they touch down onto a small balcony. The French doors were left open. Thor walks into the apartment and hears sounds of moaning, crying, and panting coming from the bedroom.
Thor slowly opens the door. On the bed, Loki is on all fours only wearing a pair of loose fitting sweat pants with his large pregnant belly exposed for all to see. There is fluid leaking from his belly button and it appears to have stretched to about an inch wide. He is also ice blue. Thor has never seen Loki in his natural state before. His eyes are like rubies and his lips are a dark navy blue with a dark blue flush to his cheeks. There is a pattern on his skin that starts at his forehead and goes all the way down his neck, chest and then stomach. He is lovely.
“Loki!” Thor exclaims in shock. His eyes immediately fill with tears. Loki looks over at Thor with fear in his eyes.
“Help me Thor! Please, please don’t let them take the baby from me! Please! Please don’t let them throw me in a prison cell without my baby! Please! Don’t take me back to Asgard! I don’t want my child growing up without knowing me....please….” Loki cries as another contraction hits and he screams in agony. He feels like his intestines are being ripped out.
“Go back to Asgard and fetch my mother. I am taking Loki back to the tower. We have a medical bay there.” Thor commands.
“Yes My Prince. Know that I must inform the King of this new development… but I shall take my time in doing so, for now. I will send word to your mother first. I know she will want to be here for this moment.”
“Thank you Heimdall.” Thor nods the man off and turns his attentions to Loki. The contraction has subsided. Thor scoops up Loki and does the best he can to try and hold Loki with only one arm. Loki clings to him and his body shudders in pain. Heimdall disappears off the balcony in a beam of light. Thor then takes off, though much more slowly, through the air to make his way to Stark Tower.
The others are still standing on the large balcony of Tony’s penthouse when Thor and Loki come into view. At first everyone is unsure of what they are looking at. By the time Thor and Loki touch down, it is plain the state of Loki’s “injury”.
“Holy shit!” Tony exclaims.
“Bruce, I need to take Loki to the medical bay. My mother should be arriving from Asgard shortly to assist with the birth. Would one of you escort her there when she arrives?” Everyone nods while not taking their eyes off of Loki’s large belly.
“Ahhhhhhh!” Loki cries out as more fluid leaks from his belly and the hole stretches just a little bit wider. Thor drops Mjolnir and picks up Loki bridal style and carries him inside. Bruce follows them. Everyone just stares at each other incredulously for a moment before the obvious question finally dawns on somebody. Of course, it is Tony.
“Wait! So who’s the fucking daddy?” Tony blurts out. Natasha gasps as she clasps her hands over her mouth in realization. Everyone turns and looks at her.
“That slap. Thor just stood there and took it.” She says.
“No! No he wouldn’t. Loki’s his brother!” Steve exclaims.
“Thor hasn’t referred to Loki as his brother in over a year Steve.” Tony says flatly.
“What? Of course he has. Lots of times.” Steve says.
“No Steve he hasn’t. Think back over the last year. Thor has only referred to Loki by name. Not once in the last 12 months has Thor ever referred to Loki as his brother. I know. I had Jarvis check all audio.” Tony explains. Steve shakes his head in shock.
“We were all thinking it after that fight they had last year. They acted just a little too familiar at the time for us to ignore. Now we know that the fight was about. Loki was pregnant.”
“But when did they have sex? When and where did they find the time?” Steve asks.
“I guess we would have to count back 9 months.” Clint says.
“More than that I think. How long do their pregnancies last?” Natasha asks. Everyone’s attention is diverted as once again a bright beam of rainbow light erupts on the balcony. A beautiful woman with long golden hair steps forward to address the group.
“Where are my children?”

Notes