A life together

Family

-2013-

Tony had seen Loki in all his emotions. Angry, in love, happy, sad, heartbroken, scared, tired... but he had never seen him as anxious as now.

They were in their new home, a lakeside cabin just forty minutes away from Stark Tower. Thor and Rhodey had arrived wanting to help with the move, so between the four of them it went a lot faster than planned.

Pepper and Happy had taken a well deserved vacation. Jane and Darcy were now living in New York and were planning to visit the new place once they finished the project they were currently working on.

"This is not normal," Rhodey whispered as he drank water from a bottle.

He nodded, "I know. But I tried to help him and he almost barked at me."

Loki was in the middle of the living room, moving the furniture over and over again with his seiðr. He organized it, asked if they liked it - which they always said yes to - but then he would change everything again.

Thor laughed and said, "I have not seen my brother like this for at least two hundred years. The last time I witnessed an episode like this was when my mother invited a famous sorcerer to Asgard. He spent most of the day tidying up every hallway and room he crossed. It was fun to watch."

"He's anxious. Not gonna lie, so am I."

Rhodey's hand rested on his shoulder, "You two are going to do a great job with that kid, Tones. And yes, you're going to screw up, but that's what every human does. Don't try to be perfect because you can't. All Harley needs is for the two of you to do your best. If you do that, then you'll be fine."

"When did you get so wise?"

"When I met you at MIT and realized I was gonna have to be the sensible one out of the two of us," he said earnestly, making him chuckle.

"Besides, that boy is going to have the best uncles in the universe. What is there to fear?"

Loki decided that moment to join the conversation and looked at his brother in horror, "Now that I think about it, you are not allowed to be alone with Harley."

"Why not?!" Thor asked, offended. "I am a wonderful person to be around."

He narrowed his eyes, "Do you remember what happened when you volunteered to take care of Volstagg's children?"

Tony wrapped his arms around his husband's waist, resting his chin on his shoulder as he listened to the siblings' conversation. "It was not that bad," Thor said playing dumb.

"The children ended the day visiting the healers. A broken arm and a sprained foot. How do you explain that?"

The blond furrowed his brows, "It is not my fault they wanted to race me through the woods. I just did what they asked me to do."

Everyone laughed and he could feel Loki relaxing in his arms. "You okay?" He asked when he saw his friends going to the kitchen.

"Yeah. Sorry I know I acted like a lunatic, I am a nervous wreck," he said, turning so he could look into his eyes.

Tony shook his head and kissed his cheek, "You don't have to apologize. You're not the only one feeling things. I'm fucking scared."

"You are not Howard, Anthony," he reminded him softly as he brushed the hair from his husband's forehead lovingly.

"And you're not Odin."

Loki froze. He had never said anything about it, but Tony wasn't stupid. He knew that as much as the god wanted a kid, the fear of becoming the man who had raised him was lurking around.

He lifted his head slightly to align his lips to Loki's and kissed him sweetly, letting the stress dissipate between them. "We're going to be fine, you'll see. We're going to be the best fucking guardians ever."

Loki quirked an eyebrow, "Maybe we could start by avoiding saying 'fuck' around Harley. What do you think JARVIS?"

"I think Mr. Loki is right, sir. You should listen to him."

Tony looked at him unimpressed, earning a laugh, "How much did you pay him to say that?"

"He did not pay me anything, but if any of you want to, I accept bitcoins."

They gaped up at one of JARVIS' cameras and heard Rhodey say, "I said it from day one, he's gonna go all Skynet on us."

When Harley finally moved in with them it was awkward at first. The three of them were extremely aware of each other's actions, they calculated every word they said and did not even by chance know how to act.

It was when the boy was asked if he had ideas on how to decorate his room that the discomfort changed into joy. Harley told them that he had never decorated a room, so he was going to need help. The rest of the afternoon was spent planning the bedroom and other modifications they wanted to make to the house.

At night, after having eaten pizza and watched a movie, the couple was left cleaning up the kitchen while the boy got ready to go to sleep.

"You say we have to go tuck him in?" Tony asked, nervously tapping the place where the reactor previously was.

"Perhaps. We at least have to go say good night, the rest is up to him."

So, they went to where Harley was already getting under the covers. "You good, kid?" He nodded without looking at them.

Loki walked over and sat on one side of the bed. He signaled for Tony to do the same but the engineer decided to kneel on the other side, staying on the same level as the boy.

"Is there something wrong, Harley?"

He hesitated for a few seconds until he mustered the courage to whisper, "Are you sure you want me here? I'm not the best kid to have. Maybe you can find someone better than me. I won't be offended if you changed your minds."

He sounded so vulnerable and small that their hearts broke when they heard him. "Why do you think that?" Tony asked carefully.

"Other kids at school said that my dad abandoned me because I was a bad son."

The god saw red for a moment. The desire to find those idiots who put those ideas in his head was enormous, but his husband's voice grounded him back.

"That's bullshit. First of all, I'm so damn happy you're transferring to a new school. Second of all, your father abandoned you because he was an asshole who didn't understand how lucky he was to have you," Harley looked up with glassy eyes and Loki wiped a single tear with his thumb. "On the other hand, we are much smarter than him. We know how lucky we are that you let us take you in, and we have no intention of leaving you."

"And we have no intention of trading you for another child either."

"Exactly. You're stuck with us, potato boy. At least until you're eighteen and you decide we're completely insane and you're better off living alone." A soft giggle was heard in response and the pair counted it as a win.

Loki clapped and got up. "Alright. It is getting late and I think we all need some sleep. It was a day of many changes, we are all emotionally exhausted."

Instinctively, he arranged the covers around Harley while Tony passed him the Iron Man plushie he had bought him as a welcome gift causing the boy to roll his eyes but still grab it with blushing cheeks.

"Sweet dreams, little one," he whispered before leaving the bedroom.

That was the beginning of what, in the future, they were going to refer to as the IronFamily.