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Raising Mischief

Chapter 40: Epilogue

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

There were a cacophony of voices, music, and rides as they weaved through the crowd. This was supposedly the off-season but there were still plenty of other guests. 

"Papa, Papa! It is Goofy!", Steve chuckled. Loki was riding on his shoulders, giving him an unparalleled view of the park. Beside them Tony walked with his usual nonchalance. Sunglasses and all. Their son was being carried so he wouldn't get lost in the crowds. Though he was also outfitted with a tracker. He had gone missing a few too many times. 

The Trickster was still too small for the more intense rides but he seemed pretty happy nonetheless. Taking it all in. Often pointing to the cast members. 

"They should have people dressed as the Avengers", his husband remarked. "Bet it would be a great hit."

"So you are not planning an Avengers theme park?" The soldier asked. Making the other tilt his head.

"Now that's an idea. Thanks for the inspiration, honey bun."

"You're welcome." It was too bad they were surrounded by people. Otherwise Steve would have kissed his love silly. He was just too adorable. 

Six months had passed since their abrupt trip to Asgard. Nothing much had really happened since then. No Thor. No army of Asgardians. All in all, it had been pretty peaceful. Peter came to visit every other weekend. Banner let Loki play with Hulk, which made Hulk easier to handle overall. The boy was still being spoiled silly by all of his uncles and aunts. With even more of them claiming the title. Including May Parker for some reason.

Not that either Steve or Tony was bothered by it. If the tiny god could be surrounded by so much love, all for the better. Even if they had taken care to also teach him about sharing and giving to those in need. Meaning that toys he outgrew or didn't enjoy was given to charities so other children could use them. About once a month Loki himself would sort through all his things to see if there was still anything he used. Making his fathers very proud of him.

That wasn't to say there were never incidents. Just that they didn't take very long to resolve. Occasionally Doctor Doom would make an appearance, and some weirdo in a rhino costume smashing things. Nothing big.

"Can I ride that one?"

"Ugh... A small world? It will be stuck in my head for weeks. What about we find you a smaller roller coaster instead?"

"Are they as fun as flying with Uncle Sam is?"

Steve and Tony exchanged a look. "Loki... does Sam often take you flying with him?" The soldier asked carefully. 

"Uhu, and Uncle Rhodey!"

Beside them the engineer muttered about making Barbie Girl play on repeat in Rhodes suit. Granted, their kid could play safely with Hulk but still. They should have at least asked before taking the boy off the ground.

Eventually they found a good ride and let their son run to stand in line while they sat down on a bench. Being California it was fairly warm but thankfully it was a cloudy day. Even so, Steve placed an arm around his husband's shoulder. Playing with his hair. It didn't take long for Tony to relax against him, resting his head. Again looking utterly adorable, the soldier stole a kiss.

"You choose the oddest places for kissing, and that comes from me."

"You are just too adorable. I can do this all day."

"Setting aside you calling an adult man adorable, I'm sure you could", the engineer snorted. "If you don't look out I will make a musical about you. Putting it on Broadway and everything."

"Really? A musical? What would you even call it?"

"I don't know, maybe Rogers the Musical? Making it about your life."

"I have a feeling the third act wouldn't exactly be PG13."

"Third act? What's act one and two then?"

"First act would be before the ice, the second after the ice, and the third would be about me loving you. Forming a family together."

"Geez... you are full of shit sometimes", Tony was actually blushing, which was really cute. By now, Loki was waving at them from the ride. They waved back. "But, well, I don't mind our life together being the last act. One that never ends."

Steve squeezed just a little bit. At one point he had felt like he was a man without time. Lost to an era in which he had no anchor. Alone and heartbroken. Not anymore. He was married to the person he loved and they were raising their kid together. 

"I love you", he said. "I love you so, so much. Everyday with you and Loki is all I could ever possibly want."

His husband smiled and stole a kiss of his own. "Well, hubby dearest, I love you too. Let's live happily ever after. You, me, and our kid."

Maybe it wasn't a picture perfect ending to his journey. But he didn't care. Because it meant he got to start a new one. One with a lot more joy and happiness.

 

The End

Notes:

After words

That was quite a ride. It took way longer than normal to write a story of this length 😅 on the other hand, I've been more busy than before as well. Still, I managed to pull it together, so yay!

I tend to reach a point in all my stories where I start to look toward the end. Which is probably much, much earlier than you might realise. With this one, I started moving towards the end about halfway through, setting the goal at 40 chapters.

This was a story I had planned for a while. Initially the idea came about because I wanted a story where Steve would raise Loki. There are some fics that end with him being handed baby Loki but none where he becomes the parent. And I happen to have a huuuuge weakness for the Stony ship. Thus me putting them together. There is no denying it is more their story than Loki's, but he was definitely in the center of it.

It was important to me that established Steve and Tony's relationship before I brought in toddler Loki. Rather than telling this retroactively or just fiddling them getting together, I wanted them to do the journey together. Which is why I let it take a little while before our favourite Trickster appeared.

I have appreciated all the kind comments and support you all have given me. It helps me forward. There will not be a sequel to this one, however. I have a ton of other stories planned that I want to get to as well.

Speaking of which, my next story will be called Three musketeers and is going to feature a rather different cast than usual. It should be up before the end of the week, so look forward to it!

Until next time, thank you!