Strangefrost Oneshots

part twenty-one ~ medical miracle (1)

Loki stood at the window, staring out of it. It wasn't giving him any answers to the questions barreling through his sharp mind. The cream throw from the bed was taut around his shoulders and his knuckles white with strain against its soft material. His lips pursed into a thin line, mimicking the clenched muscle in his jaw. Nothing in Bleecker Street was giving him the damn answers!

"Loki?" Came Stephen's voice from the door. 

The floorboards creaked under the sorcerer's weight. Loki braced himself for the touch he knew was coming. His body was tense and his stomach churned uncomfortably. 

"What is it, love?" Stephen asked, his voice softer and warmer than the blanket Loki clung to.

Predictably, he settled his bare, scarred hands onto Loki's waist for comfort but Loki flinched and stepped away. Without sparing a glance at Stephen, he threw the blanket down onto the bed and felt a surge of anger as it got tangled in his feet. It ended up on the floor. 

"Loki," Stephen murmured, concern threaded through his inviting voice. Loki wanted to tell him; truly he did. It was a question of how. 

Loki held his face in his hands, facing the door. His vision was blurry. Tears, really? 

Stephen didn't make any further inquiries and let his patience take over. Loki felt his eyes but didn't catch his gaze. He couldn't. Not until he figured out how the hell this happened.

"I don't understand," Loki croaked, turning to face - not Stephen - the headboard behind the bed. He ran his hand through his hair. His frown deepened as he glanced at the floor.

"Tell me what it is," Stephen coaxed. "I can help you figure it out."

He was right, Loki knew. However, it was the contents of this particular problem that held him back. 

"It's on the tip of my tongue," Loki muttered, shaking his head. "But I can't -"

"You can't look me in the eye?" 

Loki's eyes snapped to Stephen's and watched them soften. 

"Better," he sighed, giving Loki a small smile. "Now, what don't you understand?"

Loki made a face. "Say something happened," he started, slowly and reluctantly. "In the hospital, while you were a doctor -"

"I still am."

"Right. What would you do if something that wasn't biologically possible happened to one of your patients and you were virtually helpless?"

Stephen frowned and narrowed his eyes, suspicious. "Depends. Good or bad?"

"That also depends."

"Well, if it was good, we would call it a medical miracle. If it was bad," he countered, watching Loki's attentive face carefully. "Or fatal even, we would quite frustratingly have to let the patient go or watch them die."

Loki gulped. Stephen huffed.

"Loki, what the hell is it?"

"I still don't... understand."

Stephen strode up to him and grabbed his shoulders, then slid his hands up to hold Loki's conflicted face. He stared the god straight in the eye.

"What don't you understand?"

Swallowing thickly, his lips splitting thereafter, Loki furrowed his eyebrows even more.

"Stephen, I'm scared."

"I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere." With Loki still looking unconvinced, Stephen kissed him fiercely. "I'm here!"

"You promise? No matter what?"

"I love you, Loki. No matter what."

Loki closed his eyes and said slowly, "I'm pregnant." He opened his eyes.

"Really?" Was the first word that popped from Stephen's upturned lips. Loki's heart raced.

"I don't know how. I haven't assumed my female form in centuries - I've got no clue how this happened -"

"Loki." 

Stephen gazed at him with love and with warmth and Loki couldn't help but smile. 

"I know, darling. It's bizarre and badly timed, and imperfect, but I think I can do it. I can do this, Stephen."

Stephen kissed him again and Loki's arms wound around his waist. To his immense surprise, Stephen's mouth peppered kisses all over his face.

"Stephen," he blurted, closing his eyes as the sorcerer's lips started on his eyelids. "What are you - ehe - what are you doing?"

Stephen pulled away with the biggest smile Loki had ever seen on his face. "You're pregnant, Loki."

"Yes."

"You have our child growing inside of you."

"I do, yes."

"Wait - it is our child, right?"

Loki's eyes widened and he said ferociously, "Yes, of course, you nitwit."

Stephen laughed. "This is wonderful."

"It is? I didn't know you even wanted kids -"

"I didn't. I never did. Not until I met you."

"We've never talked about it. After almost five years, we've never -"

"Does that take away from the wonder of it all?"

Loki smiled and shook his head, tucking his nose into the crook of Stephen's neck, holding him close. Stephen stroked his hair. 

"Our little medical miracle."

Loki scrunched his nose up and hid his face with his hair. "Stephen," he moaned.

"Can I see?"

"See what? The baby? Isn't it a bit early?"

Stephen shrugged. "It's a godly baby. Maybe there's a bump already."

Loki's hand slid beneath his shirt and felt his stomach. He moved out of Stephen's arms and pulled his shirt over his head, standing sideways in front of the full length mirror in the corner of the room. Stephen walked over and stood behind him.

Loki cocked his head. His reflection showed his stomach protruding ever so slightly, a round dome forming under his navel. His breath hitched. Stephen's hands covered his and squeezed gently.

"I have a demigod growing inside of me," Loki breathed.

"Our beautiful, intelligent, brave demigod," Stephen whispered before kissing Loki's head.

They stood for a while. Loki's smile grew wider and wider the longer he looked into the mirror and he knew now why the outside world hadn't given him any answers. All he was searching for was inside this room, not outside. 

Everything he could ever want or need was in this room.