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“Up every morning at five, it’s a wonder that we’re still alive.
Stretching and yaw-ning, in this cold mornin’, it's back to the dreary old drive.
And it’s poverty, poverty knocks-”
Clap clap.
Tony opened his eyes at the sound, and found Peter stood in the doorway.
“Hey kiddo”
“Hey dad... Am I interrupting?”
Tony smiled and sat up. “Come here, kiddo”
Peter went and sat beside him on the sofa. Tony put an arm around the boys shoulders and gave him a squeeze.
“How long were you stood there?”
“Oh, I don’t know. About twenty seconds? I could hear you singing from the other room...”
“Poor you”
“I like hearing you sing. You should do it more” Peter said. “You used to sing to me a lot, like when I first came to live here. Remember?”
Tony nodded, turning the music player down. “Yeah, I remember”
He rested his head against Peter’s, thinking, and then pulled the boy onto his lap and hugged him close.
“Oww, dad! Do you have to squeeze so hard?” Peter whined, pretending to mind.
Tony held him tighter, and kissed him hard on the cheek. “I love you”
“I love you too” Peter went quiet for a moment or two, before saying; “Daddy’s not back till tonight, right?”
“Late tonight, he said. Why? Are you plotting something?” he loosened his grip so he could look him in the face. “What are you thinking?”
“Can we go out? I mean, we haven’t really done anything for a while, not just you and me”
Tony felt Peter’s forehead. “You’re still a bit warm, chick. I don’t think you’re up to gallivanting”
“Please?”
“You can pout and give me puppy-dog-eyes all you want; the answer’s still no”
Peter sighed and flopped against his chest. Tony held him close, one hand on his head. Peter sighed again, contentedly this time. Tony kissed the top of his head.
“We can still do something together without going out” he said.
“What like?”
“Well” Tony thought for a moment. “We’ve got one hell of an over the top billionaires swimming pool downstairs. Daddy’s not around, so I don’t mind reacquainting myself with those puzzles and stuff behind the waterfall”
Peter sat up. “Really?”
“Yeah, sure. Just for a little bit: I don’t want you making yourself ill again”
“I’m fine! I’m better now. Mostly. I’m gonna go and get my stuff”
He stood up and rushed to get his swim gear together before Tony could change his mind.
-
Peter was so used to playing games alone that he found he’d near enough forgotten how much better it could be to do things with someone else. Tony had been so busy with work recently that he hadn’t been able to spend much time with Peter at all.
They spent hours down in the pool, getting so involved in the games and puzzles that time faded into nothing but a concept. It was oddly refreshing forgetting the world around them. Just for a little while, it was as though they were the only people on Earth.
-
Loki arrived home that night to find his little family cuddled up on his bed.
“Aw, what an endearing display!” he said, throwing his work bag down with a thud.
“Oi, foghorn leghorn, keep your voice down” Tony said, shaking his head at him.
“Oh dear, is he asleep?”
“He was until you came in”
Loki merely bared his teeth at him and turned his back on them, pulling his shirt over his head and stepping out of his jeans.
“Why my bed, anyway?” he asked, pulling his favoured black silky dressing gown on.
“Because we missed you?” Tony tried.
Loki looked at him, and couldn’t help but crack a smile. He sat down cross-legged beside them, giving Tony a big kiss. He finally broke away and looked down at Peter, quietly snuggled against Tony’s chest.
“You’re very quiet, chick” he said, pinching his cheeks. “Are you still feeling a little off-colour?”
“I’m jus’ thinking” Peter said, taking Loki’s hand and holding it tight.
“And what are you thinking about?”
Peter shrugged slightly. “Just... stuff”
Loki looked at him, concerned, but he seemed happy enough; a little smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, a contented, sleepy look in his eyes, his hair still fluffy from his recent swim...
Loki took hold of him under the arms and hauled him onto his lap, hugging him tight and ruffling his hair and kissing his cheek. Peter squirmed, but bore it. Tony laughed.
“Hey, give him back!”
“He’s just as much my son as he is yours” Loki said, holding him tighter.
Tony shook his head fondly. He shuffled closer, knelt up, and wrapped his arms round both of them.
“Whoever’s he is, he needs to go to bed: it’s late”
“Oh yes, I suppose it is, rather” Loki said, reluctantly loosening his grip and letting Peter wriggle free. “Go and get yourself sorted, my darling. We’ll check on you in a minute”
Peter scurried off obediently. Once the door closed behind him, Tony twisted round and straddled Loki, resting his hands on his shoulders.
“I know that look” he said. “Have you got a nice new little baby at the hospital?”
“Never mind the hospital babies: what about our baby?” Loki said. “How has he been today? He had me rather worried the other evening”
“He’s fine. Still a bit snuffly, but fine. He slept a lot yesterday and he’s been up and about more today. I’ve changed his bedding and kept him well-fed and he’s had loads to drink”
Loki looked a little surprised.
“I am a responsible parent when it suits me, you know” Tony said, but he smiled and kissed Loki hard. “We really are parents now”
“We’ve been his parents for ages”
“Yeah, but I mean, legally. Isn’t it funny that that paper in the office is all we needed to make him ours?”
“Our little boy. He’s been our little boy for a long time now”
Tony kissed him again. “I know it’s just a formality really, but... Well, it feels good having the adoption certificate, doesn’t it? It’s like, I don’t know, a receipt-”
Loki spluttered. “A receipt? Tony, my darling, you do come out with some right crackers sometimes”
“I didn’t mean receipt!” Tony said indignantly, but he couldn’t help laughing too.
“I think you mean, proof”
“I think you’re right”
“Oh, well, I usually am” Loki said, casting his eyes down and tracing circles on Tony’s chest with his finger. “Darling... I know our on-again, off-again surrogacy-esque talks are a bit of a debate spot. But on the same type of note... Well, you’ve already given me this baby, haven’t you?”
“I didn’t make him” Tony pointed out. “Contrary to popular tabloid belief. I just found him”
“Aren’t you glad you did?”
“I’ve been glad of it for years” he gave Loki one more kiss, and then wriggled away from him and stood up, holding a hand out to him. “What do you say we go and put this baby to bed?”
-
The ‘baby’ was ready in his night things, sprawled on his tummy on his bed, scrolling on his laptop. He offered his parents a small smile when they came into the room.
“Now now, Peter, it’s much too late for screen time” Tony said.
“You stay on yours up until the minute before you go to sleep, though!”
“Don’t be cheeky” Tony said softly.
“Let’s get you settled” Loki said.
Peter didn’t protest as Loki shut down the laptop and moved it out of his reach, and Tony lay him down and tucked the covers round him. Tony stayed on his side next to him, propped up on his elbow, and Loki mirrored him on the other side.
“Now then” Loki said, holding his hand. “What were you thinking about?”
Peter looked at him, and at Tony. “This”
“This?” Tony said, quizzically.
“Yeah” Peter nodded. “It’s still a bit funny thinking we’re an actual family now, legally, yknow? I know it’s just a piece of paper, but... It’s still important”
“It is” Tony looked at him properly. “I love you so much”
“I know. I love you too” he looked at Loki. “I love you, too...”
“You’re still thinking, aren’t you?” Loki said. “Is there something you want to ask?”
Peter looked at him, and nodded. “I don’t know how to say it”
“Just say it”
Peter looked at their hands. He felt so little, with Loki’s hand in his, and Tony’s rested on his tummy. He felt safe.
“You want a baby, don’t you? You’ve wanted one all the time I’ve known you, so...” he swallowed, still not quite able to look at him. “Do you feel like you’re missing out, ‘cos you’ve got me, but you never got to do all the baby stuff with me?”
Loki looked at him, and at Tony, and then back to him. Peter looked at him, and Loki kissed him on the nose.
“We didn’t know you when you were a baby. You’ve always been the you you are now”
“That’s not what I asked” Peter said, and then blushed, as it came out much sharper than he’d intended.
Luckily, Loki just smiled. “Darling, just because we didn’t adopt a baby, that doesn’t mean that you’re not our baby. You’re our little boy. You’re my little boy. And let’s be real for a moment here: even though we never knew baby you, we’ve definitely done lots of the baby things with you. Like kids telly, and pinching your chubby cheeks and doing silly things to make you laugh and tucking you in at night”
“And singing to you” Tony added, and he found himself tearing up. “We can sing you to sleep anytime you like, baby”
Loki let go of Peter’s hand and took Tony’s instead. Tony looked at him, and found he wasn’t the only one feeling emotional.
“Do you..?”
“I’ve got a dreadful singing voice” Loki said, and he gave Tony’s hand a quick squeeze before taking Peter’s again.
Tony swallowed, stroking Peter’s hair gently. Listening to Tony singing oh-so-softly to him was all it took for Peter’s eyes to fill with tears too - such happy tears. He swallowed hard and held one dad’s hand while he listened to the others voice, looked into his eyes, and knew wholeheartedly that he was loved.
“On the day that you were born the angels got together
And decided to create a dream come true
So they sprinkled moon dust in your hair of gold and starlight in your eyes of blue...”
*