The Balance Between

Spider Baby Becomes A Demigod. . . In A Way

"Do we have to get the court's approval and officially adopt Peter, or can we just lie and say I'm his stepmom?" Loki asked as she sat down on the floor in the game room with a bowl of chips. "Or stepdad," she added with a shrug. 

She placed the bowl down in between her and Tony and watched as Peter set up the Monopoly game the three were going to play. Tony stretched his back out while he stared at Loki, his response formulating in his head. Peter kept his head down and concentrated on setting up (and trying his best not to smile). Official or not, Peter would be overjoyed to call Loki his mother--which isn't disrespecting his mother in anyway! He will always love his mother--perhaps just as much as he loves May--but Loki would be a great substitute until he's reunited with his mother in heaven. All three have never really done things the traditional way so screw the government, right?

Tony contently sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Or you could just become his stepmom," he suggested. Loki raised an eyebrow. Peter looked up to see Loki's reaction only to look back down immediately. Loki did not look pleased. Tony frowned. "What's the look for?"

"Is that your way of asking me to marry you?" He shrugged. She snorted and looked away. "Classy, Stark. Real classy." Tony looked to Peter who tried his best not to look his father in the eyes. He pouted and narrowed his eyes at Peter before looking back at Loki. Loki looked back to Tony and shook her head, a smile on her face.

"Do you not want to marry me?" 

Loki started laughing. "It's not about not wanting to marry you," she remarked. "It's about the way you went about it." Tony raised an eyebrow. Loki leaned closer. "Look, my sweet Anthony, when you ask me to marry you for real--" Tony's frown deepened. "--I'm hoping you go the more traditional route. I am a princess after all." Peter bit his lip to keep from laughing. She patted Tony's back. "That includes, if you're not already aware, asking for my hand in marriage and a ring." She wiggled her ring finger in front of his face with a smirk. "You are a billionaire after all so I expect a decently priced ring." 

Her smirk grew as she glanced at Peter. By now he was done setting up and was watching the whole encounter. Tony stared at her for a while before he started laughing and shaking his head. Loki's smirk turned more into a smile. It was a moment longer before her and Peter started laughing. 

"Alright, Princess, I'll keep that in mind if I ever actually propose to you," Tony commented. Loki went to nod before she stopped herself, eyes a little bigger than normal.

"What do you mean 'if'?" 

Tony started smirking now. He shrugged to keep up the facade. "Maybe if you're gonna be so picky about how I do it, I'll just never propose." Loki's mouth fell open. Peter grabbed the bowl of chips and started eating them like popcorn. "We'll be dating until I die." Loki's eyes searched his before she started laughing and looked away. Tony's smirk grew. "I'm only teasing, Reindeer Games," he promised her before leaning in and kissing her cheek. She playfully rolled her eyes. He pulled away and looked her in the eyes. "But I've never pictured myself as the settling down type." She raised an eyebrow. 

"I'm sure you also never pictured yourself as the saving the word type either yet here we are." Tony went to say something but then thought better of it and closed his mouth. She had a point. Loki sighed softly and grabbed Tony's hand. "People change, Anthony," she said softly. He nodded. "And I'm not forcing you to marry me. Hel, I never pictured myself as the settling down type either." Tony started laughing. She smiled warmly. "But I can't imagine living my life without ever meeting you. For better or worse, Anthony Stark, you will always have me in your life. Married or not." Tony smiled and went in to kiss her again. She rested her forehead against his when the stopped. "I love you, min kjærlighet." She pulled away and looked to Peter. "Peter, darling-"

"Yes," he cut off. She laughed and shook her head. 

"You don't even know what I was about to say," she reasoned. He shrugged. 

"It doesn't matter." He smiled brightly. "The answer's yes." She reciprocated the smile. "Assuming the question was regarding you 'adopting' me." She started laughing again and nodded. Peter's smile brightened--if at all possible. "I don't need a fancy certificate saying you're legally my mom. Just like Dad--" Tony's heart melted. "--doesn't need anything to tell him the Avengers are his family." Loki's heat melted. Peter scooted over before giving her a hug. "Thank you for wanting to be my mother," he whispered. Loki held onto him tighter. 

"Of course I do." She took in a deep breath. "I only wish to be as great as a mother to you as mine was to me." Peter held back tears. Loki started rubbing his back. "But who cares about this stepmother nonsense?" she asked. 

Peter went to pull away so he could look her in the eyes but Loki only held on tighter. She started chanting in Norwegian under her breath. Peter's eyes widened and he tried to look to Tony for either assurance or help but couldn't move that way. The chanting lasted a few more moments before Loki pulled away and searched his eyes. Peter's brown eyes flashed green for moment. 

"What the hell was that?" Tony asked, alarmed. Loki held a hand up to relax him. It didn't work. 

"I performed a spell on young Peter," she told him. Tony's eyes widened drastically and was that his heart trying to beat out of his chest? Peter checked the rest of himself out to make sure everything was okay before sending a questioning glance Loki's way. "Your DNA still contains traces of your mother's and Anthony's," she began. Peter raised an eyebrow; he didn't like where this explanation started. "But now it also contains a small trace of mine." Both Tony and Peter gasped. Loki giggled; she could sense Peter's excitement. "It does not grant you magic, Peter." He frowned slightly. "But it does offer a sense of connection between us. A bond. Similar to that of a parent." Peter started smiling, his eyes shining. "Now I can sense when you're in danger." She took a moment to think of a connection. "Like a mother's intuition." 

"That's so cool." Loki beamed. Peter quickly brought her in for another hug. She started laughing and hugged. "You're like my extra mom now!" She nodded, ruffling his hair up. Peter pouted as he started fixing it. "But no powers, right?" She shook her head in agreement. Peter sighed before shrugging. "That's fine too. Not being compared to a god is what Spider-Man is best known for. It wouldn't be the same if I had powers." Loki nodded with a small smile. "But you can sense when I'm hurt?" She nodded again. "So if I were to jump off a building and break a bone or two, you'd sense that?"

"I'd sense something is wrong," she corrects. "But please don't go jumping off buildings to test it out." Peter started laughing. 

"I won't. . . Mom." Her eyes widened for a moment before tears started building up. She wasn't expecting him to take so quickly to the whole mother thing. "I don't have to call you Mom if you don't want me to!" Peter quickly told her. She shook her head, a smile forming.

"No," she argued. "Don't." Peter raised an eyebrow. "I love it." She pulled him in for another hug, this time dragging Tony in with them. They all started laughing. "By the nine, I love you both so much."

"We love you too, Lokes," Tony assured her. 

They remained in their group hug for quite sometime. So long, Loki thought Tony had fallen asleep after awhile. He proved her wrong when kissed her cheek. But they eventually disbanded and returned to their side of the game board. Loki looked down at the board, rubbing her hands together. 

"Alright. How do we play?" she asked. 

Peter's face lit up as he started going into detail about everything you had to do in Monopoly. She smiled and nodded along, hanging on to every word he said. At one point, she did risk a glance at Tony who was simply smiling and laughing along. Her shoulders relaxed--like everything in her body was finally releasing stress she'd been carrying for years. Here she didn't have to be on guard all the time. Here she felt truly at home--more so than she ever did in Asgard. She was free to be herself and not worry about fitting in. No one in this tower fit in!

She quickly glanced back to Peter and concentrated on the rules as he finished up explaining. He picked up the dice and rolled first. He moved his piece--the thimble--around then bought the square he was on and finished his turn. Tony then went. Everyone was quickly laughing just out of pure enjoyment. 

But in the back of her mind, Loki knew she didn't need a ring or a fancy title to know that these two are her family.