Learning to Cope

Chapter Three

Loki's P. o. V:

My body feels weak; drained, even, after Odin's visit. My belly sticks out from between my hips, and I can feel everyone's eyes on me. My cheeks burn a bright red, and Bruce squeezes me. "It'll be okay," he whispers in my ear. I snuggle against his warm body, allowing myself to relax. Suddenly, Natasha gasps and runs out of the room. I look her way, but she is already gone. I quietly get up and follow her to the bathroom. The door is locked, so I knock gently.

"Natasha? It's me. Please open the door," I say. The door cracks open, and Natasha's tear stained face appears.

"Hurry up," she commands, pulling me inside. I hurriedly shut the door behind me.

"What's the matter?" I ask, curious. Natasha uncrossed her arms and clasps her hands around her swollen belly.

"How am I supposed to hide it now?!" she sobs. I stare at her in shock.

"How are you pregnant? I was just pulling a prank on you!" Now, it's Natasha turn to look shocked.

"But-What's going on?!"

"I guess S. H. I. E. L. D. lied to you. You are capable of becoming pregnant," I offer in way of explanation. Natasha sinks to the floor, sobbing once again. I unlock the door and let myself out. Clint is waiting outside.

"What's the matter with her?"

"Just go talk to her. She'll explain," I tell him, walking off. Before I know it, my feet have carried me to Bruce's room. He is sitting on his bed, talking to Thor. Thor doesn't look happy. You can almost see the thunderclouds forming over his head. When I enter the room, he whips around.

"Brother!" he yells angrily. "You used magic to seduce this man?!" I raise my hand, trying to wave him down, but Thor doesn't listen. "You seduced Bruce?" I open my mouth to explain, but Thor slams me against the wall. I cry out in agony as I feel some ribs break. Bruce springs up off of the bed and rushes over. He pulls Thor off of me, and I sink to the ground, sobbing. Bruce is staring at my belly. I glance down, only to start hyperventilating. My belly is swelling and moving, as if something under the skin is trying to break out. A wave of nausea hits me, but I can't move.

"Loki, you need to get the baby's heart rate down! Breathe deeply, close your eyes, and relax." I follow his instructions, allowing my mind to wander. I hear Bruce and Thor let out a sigh of relief, and I gently crack open my eyes. My belly has returned to it's naturally swollen state. I try to move, but quickly stop when my ribs protest. A small whimper escapes my lips.

"What hurts?" Thor asks, looking guilty.

"You broke a few ribs, you big lug!" I hiss angrily. Bruce rushes out of the room, only to reappear a few minutes later with medical tape. He helps me sit up, then proceeds to wrap my ribs tightly. I wince every once in a while, but the pain is bearable. At last, he finishes. Bruce shoots Thor a stern look.

"You have to remember that Loki is more fragile now. He can't deal with as much strength as he once was able to. You're lucky he didn't die!" Bruce exclaims. Thor looks sheepish.

"I did not know that he would be so breakable. I shall refrain from touching him in the future," Thor says, exiting the room. I gingerly stand up, being careful of my ribs and belly.

"Are you okay?" Bruce wonders. I nod.

"I just need to remember that I cannot be stressed. It would seem that she has your strength and power," I groan, massaging my swollen belly.

"I'm sorry," Bruce apologizes. "I wish our child wasn't forced to carry my curse." I walk over to the bed and wrap my arms around Bruce's shoulders.

"She will be amazing, the first of a new race. Half Frost Giant, half Hulk. It is a powerful combination. She will be respected and feared, as she should be. I only fear that I will not see her live," I sniffle, tears stinging my eyes.

"Don't say things like that. We will find a way for both of you to live, I promise. I can't live without either of you. I know that I haven't known either of you very long, but now, I can't imagine life without you. At first, I was shocked, and a little angry, I'll admit, but-," I cut Bruce off abruptly by kissing him firmly. Bruce is a little surprised, but soon, his lips are moving under my own. I pull myself back before things can get too serious.

"We might want to stop before we do something to hurt my ribs or the baby," I caution him. Bruce sits back, breathing heavily. I shoot him a worried look.

"Don't worry, I've got him under control," Bruce pants. I nod.

"I'm going to go downstairs. I'm sure Natasha has something to announce, and I require sustenance. I will see you later," I inform Bruce, exiting the room. I go downstairs into the kitchen and grab a protein bar. It is by far one of the best Midgardian inventions that I have encountered. Just as I am finishing it off, the Avengers enter the kitchen. Natasha enters last, and everyone sits down.

"I have an announcement to make," Natasha informs us. We all wait expectantly for her to start talking. She is wearing a baggy sweatshirt, highly unusual for the assassin. Clint walks over to her and pulls her close to him. "I am going to have a baby." A stunned silence meets her announcement.

"So there's going to be two babies running around the Tower?" Tony asks, looking horrified. Pepper smacks him, having recovered from her accident. "What? We just replaced the flooring!" Tony exclaims defensively. Bruce looks sheepish.

"Sorry about that," he apologizes, rubbing the back of his neck. Steve breaks his silence.

"It's not your fault. You had no control over it." Bruce's face grows red with anger, and his hands start shaking. I walk over to him and whisper in his ear.

"Breathe. Relax. Think of our baby." At last, Bruce manages to get the shaking under control.

"It was my fault. I can control the Other Guy. I knew what I was doing," Bruce says. Everybody just nods sympathetically, and the subject drops. I turn to Natasha.

"Congratulations on your news." I turn to Clint. "I assume you're the father?" Clint nods slightly.

"I am." I offer him my hand to shake. He takes it gingerly and shakes.

"Congrats," I smile. Clint looks taken aback, but I exit the room before he can comment. The rest of the Avengers get up and go congratulate Natasha and Clint. I go up to my room and lay on my bed, my ribs aching. Bruce comes in shortly afterwards.

"That was sweet of you." I snort.

"You would have done the same thing, but I beat you to it. It hurts that everyone was so shocked though," I grimace. Bruce gently rubs my back, being careful not to harm my ribs.

"You're not a bad guy. You just have to stop pretending that you're something that you're not," Bruce reassures me. I frown.

"You really don't know what I truly am, do you?" I ask sadly.

"I know that you're a Frost Giant, but I'm not quite sure what that means," Bruce admits. I pull away from his hands. He looks hurt.

"This is for your own safety. Please do not touch me at the moment." I focus on dropping the Aesir illusion that Odin allowed me to keep. My skin turns a deep blue, and my eyes turn a brilliant crimson. The temperature in the room drops several degrees. I look at Bruce, looking for some form of fear in his eyes. To my surprise, only love shines there. "Are you not scared of me?" I ask, bewildered. Bruce shakes his head.

"You are gorgeous," he breathes.

"I am a monster," I growl, quickly changing back to my Aesir form. Bruce comes over and hugs me.

"You are not a monster. Anybody that dares to say otherwise will deal with the Other Guy," Bruce promises. Tears of joy form in my eyes, before I wipe them away. I am a God! I do not cry like the common mortal! Bruce guesses my thoughts and pulls me in for a kiss, gently wiping away my tears. "Loki, I love you and our child very much. I couldn't imagine life without you. I know how you feel. It took me a while to accept the fact that I wasn't a monster. I'm unique, which scares some people. Don't let such narrow minded mortals tell you what to think about yourself. As long as you believe that you are not monster, nothing else matters," Bruce concludes. I hug him tightly, glad that he is my child's father.

"I've been thinking; what should we name our child?" I ask.

"It would have to be something elegant, considering that she would be a princess. I want her to have a strong, powerful name, because doubtless she will be a strong, powerful individual. Do you have any suggestions?"

"I was looking through a book called "Baby Names and Their Meanings", and I came across the name Emaralyn. It's elegant, and it means power. What do you think? We could call her Em here on Midgard." Bruce grins happily before pulling me in for another hug.

"It's perfect!"