With the coronation approaching there were a few things we needed to organize. We were coached through our roles in the ceremony, though those roles were mostly just to look pretty and smile while our husband accepted the role of King of Asgard. So because we needed to look pretty, what we were going to wear once again was playing a large part of it.
Everyone came to our chambers to speak to the tailors and go through racks of clothing to both find something that they liked and was unique and showed their royal status.
Loki was once again playing a large part in helping us decide what exactly we wanted to wear. Even though they always acted like it really annoyed them that they had to help all of us, because we were so useless, it was pretty clear they were in their element.
"Do you ever think that if you weren't royalty, you'd have ended up in fashion designer, Loki?" I asked as he sketched up a design for Natasha.
"Perhaps," he said, without looking up. "Though I like this part and the finished product, I do not enjoy anything in between in between."
"What about this fabric, Marya?" Wanda said, holding up something in a dark blue.
"I want to wear green and black," Marya said. "Like Uncle Loki."
Loki smiled but didn't acknowledge the remark in any other way. He turned to Natasha and brushed off his sketch. "Like this?"
Natasha looked over his shoulder. "Maybe if that piece wrapped around the arm a little more," Natasha said pointing to the sketch.
Loki considered it for a moment and nodded, erasing part of the sketch and drawing something new. Natasha smiled. "Yes, I like that. Thank you."
"Okay, take it and the fabrics you like to the tailor," Loki said, tearing it off and handing it to Natasha. She took it and a pile of fabric and went over to where two tailor's were taking measurements of Riley.
"Now, precious," Loki said, looking over at Marya. "What can I do for you?"
"Not a dress," Marya said.
"Mm-hmm..." Loki said, tapping his charcoal on the parchment. "Something feminine or masculine?"
Marya furrowed her brow and shook her head. "Not particularly either."
"Androgynous then," he said and began to sketch. "Are you okay with a cape or cloak?"
"Yeah, that's fine," Marya said, moving closer to her uncle and looking over his shoulder as he sketched.
"Daj," Rose said, stepping out from behind a screen the tailors had set up. She had on a gown that had strips of elaborate gold embroidery running down the soft floaty champagne skirts, and a bodice that resembled two golden wings that opened up from her midsection, over her breasts, and around her arms. "I kinda like this one. What do you think?"
"Off the rack, Rosie?" Tony teased. "Have I taught you nothing?"
"Shush, you," Rose said, sticking out her tongue at him.
Wanda got up and approached her, straightening out her skirts. "I think Sam is going to love these wings."
Sam looked over from where he was looking through different styles of tunic. "Taking after your ol' dad are you?"
"Which one?" She teased.
"You look beautiful," Wanda said, waving one of the tailors over to start pinning the material. "Are you happy with it as it is? They can change things."
"No. I like how it is now. Mama, what do you think?" Rose said.
"I love it, ptichka," Natasha said. "You can wear gold wings in your hair too. It will be a nice way to honor Thor and Angela."
"That's a good idea," Rose agreed.
Loki seemed to finish sketching Marya's outfit and Marya seemed delighted by it. "Yeah, I like that a lot," she said. "Thank you, Uncle Loki."
Loki turned his attention to me. "Now for the bane of my existence," he said with a sigh.
I started laughing and moved up next to him. "Don't be like that, Loki."
He ignored me and tapped his charcoal on his parchment. "What are you thinking?"
"Something that doesn't make me look like a whale," I said.
Loki looked at me askance and leaned down, bringing his face down to my stomach. "Do not listen to her, little ones. You do not make her look like a whale."
"Aww, Loki," I cooed. "That's so sweet of you to say."
"Hush, wench," Loki scolded. "This isn't about you."
"Did you just call me a wench?" I asked, trying not to laugh.
"I would watch that tongue of yours, Loki, if you do not wish to lose it," Thor warned.
Loki looked at him deadpan. "Of course, brother," he snarked.
"It's fine, Thor. It's just Loki," I said.
"There is nothing 'just' about my brother, my life," Thor said. "But if you are okay, I am okay."
I leaned in close to Loki. "They're kicking if you want to feel them," I whispered.
Loki pursed his lips and his hand subtly touched on the side of my stomach. I moved it to where I knew Thour was kicking but didn't say anything. "Do you have a color you wish to wear?" Loki asked.
"I like blue," I said. "But I wore blue to the last feast. I guess as it's Thor's coronation, it might be nice to tie into what he wears."
"There is no need for that, my heart," Thor said. "Wear whatever you like best."
"Hey, Loki," Sam said, interrupting as Wanda handed me some fabric samples. "Is there anything for us guys that wasn't made for Thor specifically?"
"Those are garments fit for a king," Loki said, in a bored voice.
"Yeah, but I'm not exactly as big as my beefy husband here," Sam said.
"Just beefy in other ways," Clint said.
"I hope that was a reference to my dick, bird boy," Sam warned.
Marya, Rose, Sarah, and Rebbecca all yelped at once. "Dad!"
"No one wants to hear that, dad," Pietro complained, making Sam laugh.
"For the record, that was not what I was referring to," Clint said.
Sam pulled Clint into a headlock and I returned my attention back to Loki. "Will Thor be in his usual colors?"
"Of course, but with a slightly iridescent sheen to them," Loki said.
"Wanda and Natasha are both wearing red?"
"A soft maroon and a blood wine," Loki confirmed.
I looked over to Natasha and Wanda. "Should I be in red too, so we all match? Or something else to stand out?"
"Stand out, mishka," Natasha said. "Another shade of red would just look odd anyway."
"What about silver?" I asked.
Loki chewed on his bottom lip and took his hand off my stomach. "Yes. I think I can work with that," he said and began to sketch. "I can incorporate wings similar to the ones from last time which should tie you into Thor nicely."
Tony came over and sat down beside me and I cuddled into his side. "You find something you liked?"
"You know me," Tony said, running his hand over my stomach. "I am a magnet to good fashion. Are my kiddos awake in there?"
"Yeah, they're kicking," I said, moving his hand to a slightly different spot on my side.
He smiled as he felt a kick and leaned down to talk to them. "Hey there. You both being good?"
"They're kicking my bladder," I said. "So not really."
"Now, now, kids. That's just being mean to your mother," he whispered. "She might retaliate."
I laughed and played with his hair. "What exactly would I do?"
"You'd wait until they had established sleep patterns, and then wake them up?" Tony suggested.
"That's you who does that. You're always like 'I think they stopped breathing, I need to check!'"
"They don't move!" Tony argued.
I laughed and kissed his cheek. "Well, you'll be poking new babies in no time. This is nice now though, right? Everyone here? It'd be good if Eddie was here too."
"Yeah," Tony said. "He'd hate this bit though. The kid got everything from me, but my sense of style."
I snorted. "You looking forward to getting back in the lab and setting up the communications?"
"Sure am, just have to work with my lab buddy to figure out how to break the speed of light," Tony said. "That'll be fun, won't it Brucie?"
"What? Who said my name?" Bruce said, looking around startled from where a tailor was holding up different fabrics against him.
"Just saying we're going to do some impressive things in the lab," Tony said.
"Oh, right, well, hopefully," Bruce said.
"The lab is ready for you both," Thor assured them. "I made sure of it."
"Thank you," Bruce said, rubbing Thor's back affectionately.
Bucky came over with Piper and Zak hanging off his arms. "Excuse me, Grandpa Tony, I seem to have these growths hanging off me, and it's making it hard to try on clothes."
The little ones started giggling and when Tony wrapped an arm around both of them they squealed in delight. "Come here, trouble makers."
They clung to Bucky, kicking their legs and giggling, before letting go and starting to climb over Tony like he was a jungle gym. Tony smiled at me as he struggled with them, flipping them over and tickling them. "You're right, Elly, this is really good."
I smiled and kissed his cheek as Marya flopped down on the chair opposite us, sinking into it and spreading out so that she took up as much room as she could.
"Gross, can you not with the PDA," she complained.
"You'd think you'd be used to it by now," I teased.
She huffed and blew her hair up off her forehead.
"Got your clothes sorted?" Tony asked.
"Yeah, they said I'm done for now," she said.
"So now what?" Tony asked.
She shrugged. "Nothing really. I guess I can find some trouble to get into."
"Maybe the Warriors three or the Valkyrie can help you scrounge up some trouble," Clint called out.
"Sarah was hitting on one of the Valkyrie," Marya said.
"Hey!" Sarah yelped, from her spot over by the tailors. "I was not."
"You so were," Marya said, turning in her seat to look at her sister. "You think I don't know what it looks like when you're hitting on people."
"Okay, okay," Steve said. "Girls. Calm down. Sarah is allowed to hit on as many Valkyrie she likes. She's a grown woman."
Tony started laughing. "Did you seriously just say that?"
"I'm just trying to be sex-positive. That's what they call it, isn't it? Sex-positive?" Steve said.
Half of the kids stuck their fingers in their ears and started chatting 'la la, la, la, la.' "Oh my god, no. I'm not hearing that," Tommy said, grimacing.
As the ruckus died down again, Billy and Teddy came and sat down near Loki. "Uncle Loki," Billy said. "Will this be the kind of thing we'll be expected to wear at the bonding ceremony?"
"There are a few rules about the cut and there's lore regarding the color choice, but yes essentially it will be styled similar to this," Loki said without looking up from his drawing. "I have nearly finished this design for your mother and I'll come over and show you some things and tell you what you can expect."
"The whole bonding thing is really intense," I said.
"Now, now, don't sour the boys on the idea," Loki said. He blew on the parchment and held it out for me to see. He'd designed an empire-cut dress with wings forged from metal acting like a belt that hugged my baby bump, and a pauldron and rebrace to match it. "These pieces will be forged in Uru," Loki said, indicating to the armor pieces and belt, and if you find a soft grey or metallic white for the fabric it should match nicely."
"I love it, Loki," I said, taking the parchment from him. "Thank you."
He waved me off. "Go, find your fabric and speak to the tailors and stop bothering me."
I laughed and heaved myself up out of the chair. It was the first time I felt mostly stress-free since I'd gotten here, and I realized, with everyone here doing this together, it actually felt like we were home.