cosmiclvex

[cosmiclvex]

He had to say, he wasn't exactly disappointed they didn't have to haul his daughters and psychotic niece onto a flight to Texas. Rafael was also thankful for the break he got by his brother and Johnny taking the girls all the way back to the city to see the parade. But all of the pros started to be hidden beneath the cons by the time they hit dinner. Despite having more than enough room, there were way too many people in the house. Bruce was still worried about hulking out. He was pretty sure his second-to-oldest brother was about to be the first victim of the second Battle of New York (just like he was also pretty sure Klara and Loki were having some kind of weird ass conversation in their heads.) His oldest brother was acting shady as fuck and if his mother not-so-subtly hinted about him still not being married one more time... 'Tíoo, theyy can't touchhhh....' He glanced over at his niece as she whined, giving each word more syllables than necessary as she waved her plate, with touching vegetables, at Mateo. Mashed potatoes got on Ella in the process, and he saw the argument start a split second before it started. "Dios," Rafael started, but they were already shoving at each other. Rafael rolled his eyes and got up, scooping Eisa up and sticking her in the empty seat beside his mother. "Done — Eliana, wipe your face. You'll live." He picked up his wine glass and looked at Klara. "I'm taping out for a few before I die."

// @hcvrtbrcvk

[cosmiclvex]

“I don’t know that, no,” Rafael replied, unfazed, Bruce’s response was exactly what he’d expected. “Said deputy commander already has a former Hydra assassin and a reformed supervillain on the payroll." He looked at him and continued, "And I’ve had similar conversations with them. What makes you any different?” Rafael looked at him for a moment longer and sighed. "Bruce, we'll figure it out. We always do. You're crazy if you think any of us are going to give up on this and leave you here alone. We haven't tried everything."

He let out a breath when Rafael wordlessly let him know he was alone. An idiotic idea, if he was honest, but he knew that the other already knew his opinion on that. Hearing that his husband was not hurt badly helped ease his mind a little - Bruce had no idea what he would have done if something terrible happened to Tony or the kids and he did not want to find that out. Knowing they were physically okay made it easier for him to try to move on from this incident. Of course, he had his own idea of how to do that, which included him separating himself from the ones he hurt. Which he was sure Rafael was going to try to persuade him against. "Thank you, Raf," he nodded, giving him a small smile. A first one in days. "I'm sure Tony will find a way to convince him otherwise. I'll call him soon. I just can't back to New York. You know I can't, Rafael. The deputy commander in you knows this is impossible and it would be stupid and dangerous for everyone if I came back."

[cosmiclvex]

"I don't know, querida. I haven't seen him like that since the night Tony's suits went batshit." But that had made sense. This really didn't. "Unless he's Bruce being Bruce and let a million tiny things build up until one little thing made it too much." Rafael turned his head slightly to look at his girlfriend, nose scrunched up slightly when she mentioned his brother-in-law's condition. "That's still so...something. Also, it's World War 3 over there at their house, by the way. I told him and Barnes to hold down things at the Tower, he did. Until he got bored because he's apparently not capable of sitting still for five minutes. Then his stupid ass followed his brother out and he got hit with some force field shit, so now there's Asgardian doctors over there and I had to tell Ed whose face turned fifty shades of red. He might have had a stroke, too." Raf shifted to sit against the headboard. "So, at any point if you wanna fuck Thanksgiving, we can totally run away and hide until January." His attention turned down to the baby in his arms, pulling a face at what Klara said about leaving again. "Are things that bad up there? I mean, I know Odin's screwed everything up. I wish there was a way we could make it easier to get back and forth for you guys"

Klara said nothing and just shifted on the bed so that her head was resting against Rafael's shoulder. She stayed quiet as he talked, just watching their daughter drift off to sleep. "I just don't understand. He was doing so well," she sighed and looked up at her boyfriend. "Just be gentle with him. He's going to need his best friend to try and talk some sense into him," Klara added and shook her head at Rafael's suggestion. "I would skip suggesting Loki could help and just go with the queen. He doesn't need to be hulk-smashed in his current condition and Frigga is a bit more patient," she said and leaned up to kiss him. "Missed you, though. We need to finally figure out this whole intergalactic data plan because getting messages through Heimdall is a bit problematic when he's wi--" she paused, looking for a good word. "When he's busy. And I need to go back when things calm down here."

[cosmiclvex]

Morgan's mood shifted significantly after she FaceTimed their dads and heard from Bruce himself that they'd be home soon. And even though he knew he needed to talk to Bruce, Johnny was able to finally relax, seeing that weight come off his baby sister. He was walking hand-in-hand with Morgan as they made their way through the park, letting her run ahead when she spotted Klara and the girls. "Hi." Johnny smiled and kissed Klara's cheek, but then he saw that look in her eyes causing him to roll his own. "Whatever comment you're about to make, I don't want to hear it."

// @hcvrtbrcvk

[cosmiclvex]

"All things considered, we're doing better than usual. No one's been banished this time." Loki scrunched his nose at the kiss to his head, but gave her a smirk as she pulled away. "The holidays are coming up. He seems like the type of man who would put no thought into a proposal and be cliche with it. Asking on Christmas or New Year's Eve." Loki tilted his head to the side, teasingly, though his own expression shifted when she ran her hand through his curls. He reached up to catch her hand and kissed the back of it. "I know you will," he said, squeezing it, before letting go, returning it to Morgan's back. He traced soothing patterns across it, snorting softly at Klara's remark. "I don't know about that, darling. I don't know if I can deal with being king and having a newborn. I also don't really see why either of us have to step up either. Mother's still young and completely capable of running the realms herself. because the gods know she's been the one doing it all anyway. Odin just doesn't want a woman on the throne." Loki's gaze fell to Morgan, still fast asleep. "On that note," he looked back at Klara. "How do you feel about having another niece?"

"The Odinson brothers are a huge mess - that's unheard of," Klara teased and pressed a kiss to the top of Loki's head. She snorted when he told her their (future) mother-in-law's reaction to the happy news. "Well good for you for not living in sin, babe," she chuckled. "I mean, it's Rafael slacking with the ring, not me," she added and ran a hand through Loki's curls. Her expression softened as he kept talking, just wishing there was something she could do to make him feel better. "He's not going to find out, darling. Whatever it takes, I'll make sure of it," she promised. "And if I somehow make you king before this baby comes, don't hold it against me."

[cosmiclvex]

"That's what Dad kept telling me, but I feel like it was me," he said, slightly muffled against the fabric of Bruce's shirt. Tony had kept telling him over and over he had nothing to do with it, but it went in one ear and right out the other. He sniffled and lifted his head to look at his father, reaching up to wipe his eyes. He couldn't even remember the last time he cried around either of his dads -- maybe after the accident or when Tony was kidnapped -- but he didn't even care. Johnny just let Bruce bring him back into his arms without protest, feeling more at ease than he had really since Loki's wedding. "Logically, I knew it really wasn't that," he finally said. "I think I just felt bad because the last time we talked..." Johnny stayed in his father's embrace for a moment longer, before stepping back to look at him. "I know you and Dad were just trying to keep me safe. Even if I'm a grown ass 30 year old and perfectly capable of making my own fuck-ups," he said, mimicking exactly what Tony had said to him after the incident. He smiled, but soon after his expression softened. "I am sorry for that, Dad. I shouldn't have reacted like that. But I haven't spoken to him since and blocked him in every sense of the word."

Bruce nearly melted when Johnny hugged him, resting his chin against his son's head. "Hey, everything is okay now, buddy," he spoke softly and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. He had no idea how long they stood there in complete silence but it said more than words ever could. Bruce felt so much guilt over him hulking out and hurting Tony but his son thinking it was all his fault was what made him realize just how much his being completely gone and trying to cut himself off from his family and his life, affected their family. Tony was right - he had to come back home and take that weight off of their son's shoulder. "No, it's not. You've done nothing wrong, Johnny," Bruce spoke as he slightly pulled back to look at the blond with a somewhat stern look on his face. "There is nothing you could ever do that would make me this mad and angry, okay? I will always be worried about you, every single day, even when your ass is fifty years old, okay? What happened in that lab would have happened anyway." This was true - even though he was excellent at his changes during missions, those unexpected events like that small explosion at the lab were still triggering the big guy. "You've nothing to be sorry for. I'm the one who needs to apologise for making you feel like it was all your fault and carry that burden for way too long. I should have been back sooner, and talked to you sooner. I'm sorry, son," Bruce said before pulling him back into his arms.

[cosmiclvex]

"Bruce." He sighed, not surprised by his husband's words, but he still hated hearing him say them. "No, it's not home," Tony agreed with a nod. He reached out to take both of Bruce's hands, gently, in his own, waiting to make sure he was okay with him touching him. "Because you're not there, baby." He looked at him for a moment, before gently steering him backwards so Tony was sitting on the arm of one of the chairs, looking up at him. "I knew when I married you what could happen. Bruce, I saw your buddy throw Loki through cement." A small smile appeared on his face, before it quickly softened. "I fell in love with you anyway. I love you. I love every part about you, okay? You helped me work through all my narcissistic, self-destructing tendencies, I'm going to help you through this. We're going to figure it out." Tony shook his head, "And if New York isn't home, we'll go somewhere else and make it home, but I'm not leaving you. The kids need you. I do, too." He looked at Bruce a second longer, before reaching up to slide his hand to the back of his neck. Tony waited for any sign that Bruce didn't want him this close, before he carefully brought him down to kiss him. "Stop trying to get rid of me, amore." Tony moved back just enough to meet his gaze. After a moment, he sighed, "Have you ever thought of talking to Loki -- I know. I know he's not your favorite person, but this and what he went through isn't that different." Keeping his hands still in Bruce's, he continued, "He helped Barnes with his Hydra shit. Or even the queen, at least."

Bruce wasn't sure whether he was relieved that Tony didn't seem to want to divorce him or annoyed that he didn't want to do that. When it seemed that his husband wouldn't make it easy on him and just leave, Bruce took a step back to let him in. "What I want stopped mattering the second I put our family in danger, Tony. I have absolutely zero clue as to why you're so calm about it when you're standing in front of me still barely healed. It could have been Morgan or Johnny, so no, I will not be coming home. I-- I'll..." Bruce stumbled over his words and ran a hand through his hair. He had no idea how even to explain what he was feeling. how he wanted nothing more than to come home to their children but he couldn't. That was way too dangerous - he could barely even look at Tonyt without feeling that immense guilt. "I'll FaceTime Morgan soon and explain it all to her. I promise," he said eventually. "And Johnny is an adult, you can tell him where I am. I just can't come back to New York, Tony, and there is nothing you can do to help. It's not home anymore."

[cosmiclvex]

"Missed your flight. Right." At the next thing he said, Johnny raised a brow. "Isn't your niece an actual princess?" But before he could say anything else, Morgan was already tugging the both of them towards the elevator. He smiled at the interaction between her and the older man, though he rolled his eyes when they were alone and Mateo turned back to look at him. "I'm not looking at you like anything—uh, hold on a second." He went to the keypad on the wall and typed in a code, effectively moving the cameras to another angle and away from where they were. He'd re-routed the cameras before. It didn't look suspicious enough for Tony to call him if he checked them. Probably. "Dad's got eyes in this whole place. Well, not the whole place. That'd be really weird. Enough places." Johnny walked over and kissed his cheek. "But thank you," he said with a small, genuine smile, knowing why he'd come over. Teasingly, he added, "Six tier cake seems a little excessive, though."

He wasn't even sure what exactly they were but he knew he couldn't just up and leave when Johnny needed support. Sure, he had his friends but Mateo still wanted to be there for him. And for his brothers, too, given everything either of them was dealing with. He knew that Johnny and Morgan went trick or treating around the block and were going to be back soon, which was why he waited for them by the elevators. "Well, I couldn't leave without saying goodbye to my favourite princess, could I?" he looked at the little girl with a matching pout as he lifted her up in his arms. He raised his brow at Johnny's and Leia's costumes but he didn't comment on that. "Because I was. I might have missed my flight," he said in lieu of explanation and he was about to say something else but Morgan demanded that they now bake a cake and cookies for their dads' return. And who was he to say no to those puppy eyes? "Lead the way, princesa," he smiled as he followed them into the elevator and then into the penthouse. "Go get changed so you don't ruin your beautiful dress," he pressed a kiss to the side of Morgan's head before letting her go and he turned towards Johnny. "I know it's Halloween but you can stop looking at me like you saw a ghost, hermoso and start helping me with that six tier cake Morgan wants me to bake."

[cosmiclvex]

“Ah. Yes. Of course. Perfecting the holiday menu. That’s something we do at 2 in the morning," Johnny said, as if that made perfect sense. "Psychopath.” He adding, smiling as he leaned forward to taste whatever Mateo was working on as he raised the spoon. The flavor was amazing, but Johnny caught his hand just before he could pull away. “You could try it yourself,” he murmured, tilting his head to kiss him. “It’s really good,” Johnny eventually said as he moved back, smirking. After pressing one more kiss to his lips, he let Mateo go so he could continue working. Johnny watched him for a moment, before asking something he’d been curious about for a while. “So, what made you choose this instead of something like your brothers do?”

Mateo was almost sure Johnny would come back later. The smirk on his face and the glint in his eyes said it all. He waited patiently in his office, catching up on the endless mountain of paperwork. He looked up when he heard someone walking around the restaurant and then into the office and he just playfully rolled his eyes at Johnny's words, bringing him even closer.

Cooking had always been his escape from reality so it wasn't surprising that he was spending most of the days in the kitchen. This time wasn't any different. "Mhhm, last time I wasn't mid-perfecting the holiday menu," Mateo responded with a chuckle as he brought a spoon closer to Johnny to feed him his newest creation. "What do you think?"

[cosmiclvex]

He set his jaw, tilting his head to meet his husband’s gaze with a calm that bordered on eerie. Loki’s eyes darkened for a brief moment before he rolled them. “I didn’t lie, Edward. Just because I don’t tell you where I am 24/7…” He sat up, but then made a dramatic show of stopping, holding his hands up in mock defense. “Oh, I’m so sorry, counsellor. Do I need to ask permission before I do that as well?” Loki dropped the act and gave Edward a look that could kill if that was possible. "I'm fine. It was a nothing. It was a bump. There wouldn't be this big of a damn fuss if it wasn't a royal baby and you weren't overreacting every five fucking minutes." He walked over to him. "You want to put a tracker on me? Tie me to the bed for the rest of the time? Might better suit your needs."

His brother's experiences taught him when to shut up not to trigger their partner's hormonal rage but he couldn't just keep quiet when Loki went out on a mission without telling him. The entire Bruce situation already kept him on his toes and he stepped up to help Rafael with whatever his brother needed him for. But their fight had been something different - nothing they'd ever experienced over the course of their relationship and even before. Thankfully Frigga was there to calm everything down and for that he was grateful. It had already been a few days past their fight and things seemed to be going in the right direction but it all came crashing down when he heard that the palace doctors had come to their house to check on Loki. And when Rafael told him that his husband actually got hurt, Edward wasted no time in getting back home. He didn't care if he left in the middle of a briefing - his family took priority over work. He'd deal with Fury bitching at him later. He stepped into their bedroom at the same time the doctor was leaving, making sure to let him know that the future king was to avoid any stress at any cost. He didn't seem to worried about Loki or the baby, so Edward felt a bit relieved. "Well then, maybe His Higness should have thought about that before he decided to lie to his husband," he rolled his eyes and shook his head. "What if God's name were you thinking? That I wouldn't find out? You got hurt, you lied to me about it, and you got pissed off at me for being worried about this exact thing happening to you."

[cosmiclvex]

“Funny, your brother said something similar.” She smiled at her son-in-law, her own expression softening when he let out a sigh. You can’t fix it for him, darling. We’ve all tried—me, his brother, Klara. If it weren’t for Eisa…” Frigga trailed off, unable to finish the thought, but knowing there was no need. Edward knew as well as she that Eisa was the only reason Loki had made it through that alive. "Odin has a way of making everything he is seem unworthy. But I played my part. I could have told him who his birth father was. I know that's part of the reason Odin did what he did. To punish me, too. Honestly, I don't know if Loki knowing it was Laufey earlier would have been worse or better." Frigga reached up to place her hand against his cheek, "But he's letting himself be happy with you. For once. I think that's good enough for now."

"At this point, you should just replace Fury. Shit would get done and maybe my brother will stop greying," he chuckled, letting out a snort when she told him how she made her youngest go to sleep. But when their conversation shifted into a more serious track, he just let out a sigh. He knew just how difficult it was for Loki to finally stop believing the lies his father had fed him throughout his life and now his condition just made everything ten times worse and put a damper on any progress they'd made. "I just wish I knew how to get through to him. I know how hard it is for him but he's just not letting me help him and it's killing me seeing him this upset," he sighed and took a sip of his wine.

[cosmiclvex]

The part of being queen she hated most was pretending she wanted to stay by her husband’s side, a role Frigga had to play for most of the evening. Fortunately, she managed to slip away early, lying to Odin that she was tired and needed to retire. Not that he seemed to mind—his attention too consumed by his guests. His sleep had been too short this time. As Frigga made her way to the stairs, she paused when she noticed a faint light beneath the study door. The room was mostly occupied by Loki, so she had a feeling she knew who was inside. She knocked softly before pushing the door open. “It’s late,” she said, walking over to the desk and reaching up to brush Klara’s curls back, just as she used to do when she was a child. “I’m glad he has you, but you’ve done enough, sweetheart.” // @hcvrtbrcvk

[cosmiclvex]

She snorted at Ella's response and knelt down to her level, keeping Lovisa secure in her arms, so Ella could reach her little sister. "The queen's coming to get them. So any moment." Sif looked over at Eisa who was most definitely getting the butterfly clips stuck in Bucky's curls. "Darling? Why don't you and Ella go get your things packed so you can be ready to leave when Amma gets here." Eisa pouted up at Bucky and Sif rolled her eyes, fondly. "Your ducky will be here when you're back." With a huff, she hopped off his lap and ran out with Ella, leaving Sif and Bucky alone with the baby still in Sif's arms. "Which is fine, because I love them, but once these things start crying or doing gross baby things," she nodded at Lovisa, "I pass them back." She smirked and gently shifted the baby to sit in her lap and reached up to start untangling the clips from Bucky's hair. "Sorry, sæti," she winced when the last one caught in one of his curls, before tossing it aside. She leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. "All gone."

All the choices Bucky had made in his life had led him to that moment when he was trying not to knock the kiddie table over, with an infant in his arm sucking on his metal finger because apparently she liked that more than her teething toys, a toddler trying to shove that infant away, and a bored preschooler shooting daggers at her cousins. All while he was wearing a tiara and his face was covered with glittery make up. “Darling, there space for the both of you,” he spoke gently to Eisa but she only rolled her eyes, mumbling about Lovisa taking Ducky’s attention away from her. “You know, I’m wondering why Auntie Sif is not wearing any make up?” he questioned with a smirk as he handed her the baby. “Because she doesn’t need it, you do,” Ella countered almost immediately before walking up to Sif so that she could play with her sister. Bucky only looked at them, not saying a word and wrapped his arm around Eisa, who finally got him all to herself. “So when is this princess tea party ending?” he asked Sif, his eyes begging her for help as Eisa decided to put even more shiny clips into his hair.

[cosmiclvex]

Tony called to let him know that he'd found Bruce and that they'd hopefully be home in the next day or so. The guilt was obviously still there, but that helped put his mind at ease enough for him to be able to take Morgan back to the penthouse. He knew she had fun with Ella at Rafael and Klara's, but he also knew his baby sister was ready for a return to normalcy. Honestly, so was he. "-- and Daddy said he and Papa should be back soon," Johnny was saying to Morgan as they walked into the tower lobby, taking an immediate left towards the private elevators. Morgan nodded and walked alongside him, little hand wrapped around one of his. But once she saw the man that was waiting for him, she took off running, leaving a slightly taken back Johnny behind. 'Hiii. Jojo said you left,' Morgan said, bottom lip jutted out as far as it would go. She made grabby hands up to Mateo. "Because he thought you did," Johnny continued, brow raised, as he finally walked over to him. "I thought you were going back to LA." // @hcvrtbrcvk

[cosmiclvex]

Loki shook his head. "No, I don’t want it," he murmured, meeting Edward’s gaze. "I wanted us to have another baby, but not like this. Still…" His voice drifted off, and he sighed, resting his head on Edward’s shoulder, their hands still laced together over his stomach. "I can’t just…get rid of it. Thinking about that feels worse than the thought of keeping it." Edward kissed the back of his hand, and Loki tilted his head, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "I think I know," he said with a slight shrug. "I can feel it. It's hard to explain." He opened his mouth to say more, but the sound of two familiar voices from the next room stopped him. "I love our mothers," he started, lips pursed as it grew louder, "but I’m about to flee the country." He paused. "Or the planet."

But, a few days later, he was grateful for their hovering. Julieta was able to keep Eisa occupied and away when Frigga brought the Asgardian healers into their home. The same ones, he was pretty sure, Klara forcefully threatened to secrecy before they left Asgard. Frantic footsteps up the stairs was enough to make Loki groan and drop his head back against the pillows. "I'm fine," he said, the moment his husband stepped into their bedroom. Which was at the same time the doctor let out an exasperated 'Your Highness -- ' when Loki tried to move off the bed again. "No. I'm fine." But he was still really shaken up, truthfully. He'd let himself get too worked up, too upset about his argument with Edward, too blinded by Avengers stuff. He thought he was just tired, or feeling sick again, until he couldn't feel that magical pull he couldn't explain to Edward. Thankfully, he was fine. And the baby was, too, as the doctor explained before he left. But not before telling Edward that Loki needed to stay calm. There was a reason the doctor wasn't directing his conversation to Loki. The murderous look on Loki's face didn't leave until the doctor did. "Don't you start with me." His eyes darted to his husband, still narrowed. "You heard him. I need to be calm. The second you open your mouth, I won't be."

"Mhhm, I know what it will do to your daddy issues. I saw the way you and Klara oggled my older brother at our wedding," Edward rolled his eyes but smiled against his husband's lips. When Loki sat down on his lap, Edward made sure not to wrap his arms around him, as he usually would; instead, he rested one of his hands on the small of his back, and the other one on Loki's lap. The last thing he wanted was to make his husband uncomfortable when he was already struggling with his situation. But all of a sudden Loki moved his hand to rest it against his abdomen and Edward looked at him with a puzzled expression on his face. It took him a second to understand what his husband was saying with that short move and his words just confirmed it. "Are you sure this is what you want?" he asked, looking up at Loki. "I don't want you to do anything you're uncomfortable with because of me, mi rey," he spoke and lifted Loki's hand to press a kiss to the back of it. "Wait... she? You know that already?"

[cosmiclvex]

Tony assured him his dad was okay. But he told him that with an of course he's okay tone and a still-fading bruise along his cheekbone, so it wasn't that reassuring. He couldn't focus in class, the lab, or at the Tower. Which was on reason he was in his dad's school office. The main reason was that it felt like Bruce. Johnny was sitting at his dad's desk, papers strewn about. The numbers and letters on his laptop screen weren't making sense and he was just about to close it and call it a day when he felt a familiar presence before hearing the soft knock. Johnny looked up, taken back to see his father, but relieved. Truthfully, he really was fine—until Bruce called him exactly what Tony did when he woke up, and then the tears sprung into his eyes. "No, it was stupid," he said, getting up to walk over to him. He hugged him without hesitation and buried his head against him. "I'm sorry," he finally said. "It's my fault. That's why you were upset....That's why Pops got hurt."

As much as he didn't want to come back to New York, Bruce knew he had to. He was never going to forgive himself not only for hurting Tony but for making his son think it was all his fault. That part hurt him the most because he could not bear knowing that Johnny blamed himself for something he did not cause. It wasn't his fault that he hulked out and hurt his husband or other people and he needed to hear that from his dad. Bruce knew where his son would be if he wasn't in the lab or out and about with Morgan. His heart was heavy with stress and guilt but he knew he couldn't run away from that feeling. He gently knocked on the doorframe of his university office, not wanting to startle the blond. "Already trying to take my place, I see," he spoke softly and his gaze was fixed solely on Johnny, just trying to figure out how he would react. "Bambino, I'm so sorry," he started, knowing that those words weren't going to fix what happened but it was a start. @cosmiclvex

[cosmiclvex]

"Well, this is cute," she teased when she saw all six feet of him attempting to sit at the child-sized table. Ella was across from him and Lovisa was on his lap. Eisa shoved her way as close to him as possible, apparently drawing the line at her Ducky's attention being anywhere else. "But oh how the Winter Soldier has fallen." Sif smirked and walked into the room, making grabby hands towards her best friend's baby girl. "Give me this one. Your crown is crooked, princess." // @hcvrtbrcvk