Happy (Belated) Birthday, Tony Stark!

2.

Loki stands in front of the full length mirror they have in the corner of their room, smoothing out the pastel green dress she's wearing. The satin fabric pools at her feet in a train waiting to follow behind her. A headband--similar to her helmet with the horns--pushes back her loose curls that fall down her back. Tony always says he prefers the curls; Loki just thinks he's crazy. The corset is undone just slightly to allow herself the ability to breathe and to not crush the baby. She smiles warmly at her reflection as her hands find her stomach. There isn't much of a bump yet--it's still far too early for one--but there certainly is something there. A hardness where once was soft. Her smile grows and butterflies flitter around in the pit of her stomach just thinking about the months to come.

Tony approaches her from behind and wraps his arms around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder. She lifts a hand from her stomach to place it on the side of his face, turning her smile on him in the mirror. He smiles back as he lowers one of his hands onto her stomach.

"When's the due date again?" he asks before pressing a kiss into the crook of her neck. She hums softly.

"Sometime in January," she answers with a light airiness to her tone. Tony nods. She smirks as she lowers her hand from Tony's face to his hand on her stomach. "Can the self-proclaimed genius not figure out the math?" Tony rolls his eyes as she laughs. "Just teasing, darling. Do lighten up before dinner." Loki steps away from the mirror to finish getting ready, leaving Tony standing there alone. He sucks his teeth before shaking his head.

"How exactly is this going to work?" Loki raises an eyebrow and hums in acknowledgment as she sticks a pair of earrings Tony gave her for her birthday into her ears. "We're just gonna show up on Asgard, have dinner with your mom and dad--who, you hate, of course--" Loki spins around and glares at him. "I meant your dad!" he clarifies. Loki relaxes before spinning back around. Tony lets out a breath before continuing, "And then just tell them we're expecting?" Loki nods. "No strings attached?" Loki shakes her head. "Huh."

"Were you expecting something else to happen?"

Tony shakes his head. "No, no, that's not. . . I just. . ." He shrugs. Loki raises an eyebrow as she turns back around to face him, leaning against the dresser. "I know Odin wasn't thrilled with us getting married." Loki scoffs and rolls her eyes. "And how he downright refused to attend the wedding." Loki hums, now deep in thought. "And with our track record of children. . ." Loki's jaw tenses and Tony almost takes a step back, bracing himself for impact of whatever's sharp on the dresser. But he thinks better of it. Loki's not like that—at least not when she knows Tony has a point.

Tony makes his way over to Loki who's now avoiding his gaze, her shoulders sagged in defeat. He reaches out and cups her cheek, forcing her to look at him. "I just wasn't sure if you wanted to tell Odin about our little bundle of joy." Loki presses her lips together, hands pressing back to her stomach. Tony's expression softens as his free hand moves down to Loki's stomach. "There are still seven more months for you to change your mind, Snowflake." Loki shakes her head. Tony leans close, pressing a few soft kisses into the crook of her neck. "After all, there's not much he can do once the baby's here. Not when he's gotta get through all of the Avengers first," he whispers against her soft skin. A noise leaves her mouth but Tony's not quite sure if it was supposed to. "No matter how much he once cared for him, Thor won't hesitate to strike Odin down if need be. He cares for you a whole hell of a lot more."

Loki hums for a long time, her fingers flexing at her sides. "My mother should know," she states, leaving no room for argument. Tony nods; he wouldn't have argued with that no matter what Loki said. Loki's expression softens for a second. "I want her to know." Tony nods again before kissing her cheek. Loki sighs, her stance collapsing. "Perhaps I don't want Odin to know. After all, you know what he did with my last child." Tony presses his lips together, his eyes trailing to Loki's stomach as if an eight-legged horse is going to burst out of her at any second. Loki shakes her head. "And I don't want that to happen again."