#nova writes

— marvel

loki laufeyson james logan howlett stephen strange

— dc

clark kent bruce wayne jonathan crane

— the pitt

The idea of children was always met with a "not yet". Only once had it caused an argument between the two of you—one that ended in the both of you storming off for all of the day and half of the night.

Loki had his concerns. A flurry of spiraling thoughts that he hadn't conquered yet - could he be a good father? Would he know how to be a better person in such a profound way?

You had your wants. A baby to hold and keep. Little eyes that you could show the wonders of the world to.

Neither of you could settle on an ideal.

So—not yet.

Which is fine.

Your life, both married and as an individual, is fulfilled. You have hobbies. Books to read. Land to travel.

You're not lacking.

Still, you picture what your house would look like with a little one running around. The possibility that they would inherit Loki's eyes and quick hands. Your laugh, and hair. A combined cleverness that would leave the nearby town cowering.

Not yet.

It's fine.

Until the most interesting thing happens.

Thor knocks on your front door, a little before suppertime. The places have already been set at the table, and company wasn't expected.

You answer before Loki can say no.

It's been raining all day, he would've said, given the chance, let me continue to enjoy my peace.

The door swings open.

You expect to see Thor, towering and boisterous—possibly returning from a conquest of some sort or another—offering ale and stories to pass the night.

What you do not expect is the small being underneath his arm.

"This is not normal," you say, hand still on the doorknob. Of course, you meant hello.

Thor is not deterred. He grins, tilting his head to the side in his boyish manner. "Extraordinary circumstances."

Your gaze drops down to the tiny human that is dwarfed next to Thor. A child, little older than a toddler, with hair that you think would be untamed even if the weather was dry and big, curious eyes.

Loki finally makes himself known, standing behind you. "Brother."

Thor's eyes soften, and something about the action makes him feel all the more serious. "Could we speak inside?"

Loki takes Thor into the kitchen. They sit at the table, the placemats temporarily forgotten, speaking with lowered voices that you couldn't quite hear.

You don't like being separated while they're clearly discussing something important. However, Thor had suggested that there were details he needed to share that he did not wish to repeat in front of his guest.

You knew how to handle children. You're not scared. You're just... not sure how to fill the silence.

The little one has on a cloak that is too big for them, the rain-speckled fabric dragging in places across the floor. They almost look like a ghost with it on, you think, as they stand in the middle of the floor awkwardly.

A little ghost.

"It's okay," you tell them, once it's obvious they aren't going to move from their spot. "If you want to look around? There's books. You can touch any of them."

The child looks but does not move.

You’re careful to not move too quickly as you step towards the bookshelf. You pluck a hardback from its place, opening the pages. “This one has nature in it, I think. If you like nature?”

Little Ghost hesitates. Then they come closer, standing on tiptoes to peer at the book.

A fire, a few towns over.

A house no longer standing.

A family reduced to its smallest member.

The details make Loki's stomach churn as he sits across from his brother.

"I would take the babe myself, if I were home long enough."

Loki's eyebrows furrow. Babe? "You speak as though you brought an infant into my home."

Thor waves his hand, dismissing Loki's tone. "You know what I mean."

Loki sighs, leaning back in his chair. "Unfortunately, I do," he replies. "Though it does not change the fact that I—we—are not keeping the child."

"A temporary solution," Thor quickly corrects. "Until there is someone else."

Loki frowns. A temporary solution to be taken away. "No."

Thor scrubs a hand down his face. “You haven’t even asked—“

“Exactly,” Loki interrupts, his voice firmer. “Because they will get attached, and I will still have to say no, and you know that.”

A bad guy yet again, in another story.

“You accuse me of seeing into the future.” Thor smiles. It feels patronizing to Loki. “Very well then, brother, if you are so set—“

“I am.”

“—then I believe it would be best for me to venture elsewhere tonight.”

Loki stands first. “I’m sorry I do not have a more favorable answer.”

Thor shrugs. “It will be what it will be, brother mine.”

They both walk into the living room, with Loki leading the way. He stops in the threshold, and Thor nearly knocks him over.

“Wha—“ Thor’s words are cut short when he sees what Loki is looking at.

The child is peering over the book, and you have crouched down to accommodate them. Occasionally, you turn a page, pointing at an illustration and explaining what was being shown.

Loki notices that the little one looks less undone, less likely to crumble on the spot, than when Thor brought them through the door. They peer over your shoulder with a curiosity that feels familiar to him.

He curses Thor in his mind. As if he could feel it, Thor quietly snorts.

You look up from the book, meeting Loki's eyes. You don't say it, but it's clear, the question—Well?

Loki looks at you. Then at the book in your hands. Finally, at the child, and how they tap on the page. "What's that?" They ask. Their voice is small, but they are persistent in getting more information.

"A coyote." Your attention turns back to the book, to the tiny being next to you. "They howl."

"Howl?"

"Mmmhm." You point at the text next to the picture; Loki knows this animal encyclopedia well, can almost imagine what the next paragraph will say.

He turns to Thor, who looks like he has won a prize.

"And to think, I'm known as the tricky one."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." He does.

"How long?"

"I don't know."

A pause.

"And you truly believe it's the best option?"

"I believe they will be safe while they are here," Thor responds. "However long that may be."

It sounds so honest coming from Thor that Loki feels like he needs to take a walk. Instead, he casts another look at you and the child, and how neither one of you pay attention to him. Then he looks to his brother. "You owe me a child-sized bed," he says.

"That's all?" Thor asks, visibilly perking up.

"For now."

Thor claps a hand against Loki's shoulder, keeping it there. "I'll be back tomorrow morning."

By the time the sun has fully settled underneath the horizon, the rain has also slowed to a barely-there pitter-patter against the roof. The lights in the house are mostly off, save for the ones in the guest room where the three of you have gathered.

Loki had disappeared sometime after supper, tasked with making the spare room feel more comfortable for their small guest. Windows opened to clear the air. Blankets, shaken out and then remade on the bed.

Now as you sat on the edge of the bed with the small child tucked in towards the headboard, and Loki standing near to the side, you couldn't help but wonder if you were doing the correct thing. It felt right but—

They picked at their food, eating timidly. When you offered new, clean clothes (an oversized tee), they only took it when you reasoned that you would run their current clothes through the wash.

How could you comfort someone who had gone through something so big? How could you help them understand it when they still had such a small view of the world?

The silence felt heavy. You had already ran through goodnights, and were prepared to offer bedtime stories when Loki speaks.

“Did you like the coyote?”

It’s the first question he’s directly aimed at the child.

They nod their head.

“Would you like one in your room for protection?”

Your brows raise. You do not own a coyote, guardian or not.

Loki pays your expression no mind. He conjures a small orb, green and hazy. The child looks concerned.

“It won’t have a name,” Loki says, so softly. “Will you be able to name it?”

The child thinks about it. Then slowly, they nod.

The orb grows, accepting the permission it’s been given. The form starts to appear, with a mouth, and legs, and then finally a fully formed animal. Loki keeps the apparition close to his palms.

Delighted, the child gasps. "Magic man!"

You feel entirely too pleased that Loki has conjured a solution from thin air. "Indeed," you muse, mostly to yourself.

"It'll stay here throughout the night, if that's okay?"

They nod their approval.

Loki lets the illusion grow until it looks like it wandered in from outside. It sniffs through the air, as if it were truly testing its surroundings, then settles on the floor next to the bed.

"Goodnight, then," Loki says. He looks at the child, his face impossibly soft with the glow of his magic illuminating off of his features. He steps towards the door, pausing to wait for you.