Chapter Text
Chapter One
"GIVE IT BACK!"
"NO!"
"FATHER!"
"FATHER!"
Loki sighed and rubbed his face. His sons' screams continued from the other room, and Thor was the next one to sigh. He glanced over at Loki, took one look at his face, and spoke, "I will take care of this."
Loki waved him off gratefully. All he wanted was a nice, calm breakfast before he had to spend another day teaching Vali to control his magic. Loki loved his son, and was proud of how he had improved over a few short months, but he was as stubborn as his other father and just as impatient. For all his innate talent and strength, Vali didn't yet have the disposition to learn anything more than basic magic, though he didn't have a choice. Loki was exhausted, close to snapping and nearly nine months pregnant. Vali's magic couldn't have chosen a worse time to spike.
"My sons!" Thor's voice boomed, and the boys' bickering stopped, "Why is it you disturb breakfast with this fight?"
After a moment of silence, the boys started again, one trying to be heard over the other. Loki assumed that he would have to help deal with it eventually. For now, he was going to ignore it as long as he possibly could.
He was doing just that when the pain shot through his abdomen. Very slowly, Loki put down his fork and got to his feet. He had been through this too many times to feel any sort of panic (especially since Thor had proved himself with Vali and Magni). Granted, that it was twins this time was a tad nerve wracking, but certainly not enough to panic over.
He walked into the next room, mentally counting the seconds until his next pain. The boys were still arguing, and Thor was attempting to mediate. They didn't even notice him enter the room.
"-Stole it!"
"-Borrowed it!"
"-Boys-"
"It seems I'm in labour," Loki said calmly, lightly. He didn't raise his voice, but they all heard him anyway.
The voices died as the three of them whirled to face Loki, eyes wide. A moment later, it was proved that it was still possible for his sons and husband to panic.
l.l.l.l.l.l
For all that there were two of them, the labour was shorter and easier than all his others, save Hela. Thor was better this time as well, not looking like he was about to pass out while sitting at Loki's side and holding his hand. Thor kept murmuring comforting words that Loki didn't actually need but appreciated nonetheless.
For the first time in a long time, Loki felt no fear. He felt no worry, felt no dread and didn't pray that, this time, his child would just be normal. He didn't silently hope that there would be nothing strange or different. For the first time, Loki knew it wouldn't matter. No matter how they felt, the people of Asgard would follow their king. The king loved his children, no matter what form their took. No matter what these children -a boy and girl, Loki knew that- were, Thor would love them no less.
For the first time, Loki knew everything would be alright.
The first child came, and Loki was surprised to hear the wails of an infant. That meant nothing, of course, but it surprised him. The second came minutes later, and her cries joined those of her brother. Only once the children were born did Thor leave Loki's side, and only to go to them. Loki heard Thor's sharp intake of breath, and he opened his eyes again.
Thor held one child - looking down with a soft expression of awe- and the midwife - face as blank as it always was at the birth of his children- held the other, and when Loki first beheld his twins, he was confused. At first be believed it to be the lighting, why the children seemed to be such a strange colour. It wasn't until he saw the lines -covered in fluids, but the whorls and curves visible all the same- that Loki realized he was seeing.
Thor said something to him, but Loki couldn't hear him over the blood roaring in his ears. His stomach lurched painfully, and he felt bile rising in his throat.
All he could see was two wailing children, blue and marked. All he could see were two squirming Jotun infants. All he could see were monsters.