Beauty and the Beast

Chapter 24

Morgan nodded to Loki, trusting his words and trusting in the lie that he fed her. The lie that everything would be alright. Loki knew perfectly well that Stark would try to kill him for courting his daughter. That didn't mean he wanted Morgan worrying, or wanted her and her father upset with each other.

Morgan opened the door, only to squeak in surprise when she's hugged tightly by Tony. Tony didn't hug anyway, though he made exceptions for his daughter. He made a lot of exceptions where his daughter was concerned.

"I can't breathe!" she squeaked with a laugh, even as she hugged him back. Loki smiled warmly at the pair, trying not to laugh and draw attention to himself. He didn't need Stark trying to kill him before it was necessary.

Tony held his daughter for a long minute before he looked past her into the room and saw Loki in her living room. "What's Reindeer Games doing here?" He demanded, his voice turning to a protective growl.

She huffed in reply, stepping out of his arms. "Dad, we've spent practically every moment of the past few months together. You'd be stupid to think we weren't friends by now, and you're hardly stupid,"

Stark huffed, but kissed her head. "You do have an uncanny ability to befriend everyone you meet, while claiming you have no friends," he told her warmly. Loki couldn't help smirking at Stark. He knew there was more to it than that, but he let Morgan take the lead on how much to share.

"Dad... it's more complicated than that," Morgan started. Loki stiffened, but knew she wouldn't be able to hide it from her father, nor was it fair to ask her to try. Tony deserved to know the truth, even if Loki didn't like the fact that Tony was going to try to kill him.

"What'd'a mean?" Tony asked suspiciously while Loki tried to look innocent.

Morgan paused, steeled herself and finally said quickly. "Dad, Loki and I are dating," she blurted the words out and spoke in blunt terms. She knew her dad worked best in blunt terms, especially with news he wouldn't like.

Tony's mouth dropped open in shock and he gaped like a fish.

It was too bad Morgan couldn't see it. Loki did, though, and couldn't help bursting into laughter at the look on Tony's face.

"But he's-" Stark was about to say 'blue' and give away Loki's secret. Luckily, Loki's laughter cut off and he saw the word forming. He glared Stark quiet. He wasn't ready to share that particular secret with Morgan yet. He knew he would have to soon, but now wasn't the right time for that. Stark glared right back. "What?" he demanded at Loki's glare.

"Not a word, Stark," Loki said, trying to sound civil. He needed to be civil to Morgan's father. He had to be civil to his girlfriend's father.

He was going to kill the man.

Stark's glare intensified. "Morgan, wait outside," he said and pushed her out of her own room, closing the door behind her. Naturally, she protested this treatment. Loudly, creatively, and not entirely in English, but she stayed on the other side of the door so Tony and Loki could talk in relative privacy. "You're hiding this from her?" Stark demanded of Loki. That was only the first of his many problems with Loki.

"This isn't something I'm proud of. I'm not proud to be Jotun, I'm not proud of being a monster, and I'm not proud of being stuck in this form," he explained to Stark. He was really trying hard to be civil to Tony. It was difficult at best. "I really do care about your daughter. I know you don't believe that, but it is true. I do not wish to risk losing her by telling her I'm a monster before the time is right," he admitted.

Stark glared at him. "And you think hiding it is going to win her trust? Or love?" he demanded of Loki. He, unlike everyone else in the tower, didn't correct Loki's misconception that he was a monster. Even stuck in Jotun form, everyone else in the tower would have argued with Loki.

"No, I do not," Loki agreed. "And I will tell her, when the time is right,"

Tony nodded, grudgingly accepting Loki's words. He thought over the situation and sighed heavily. "I don't have to like you," he stated as he started his little speech, "but I also know better than to think I can tell her who she can or cannot date. Since I can't forbid her from seeing you, much as I'd like to, I'll have to settle for threatening you with painful bodily harm up to and including death if you hurt her in any way shape or form," Tony told Loki calmly, with a maliciousness that rivaled Loki's own when defending someone he cared for. Loki actually respected the man for it.

He inclined his head. "You have my word that I shall do everything in my power to make sure your daughter comes to no harm, including from myself," Loki told him formally. He could be polite and princely when he felt like it. Convincing his girlfriend's father not to kill him n sight definitely counted as a reason to feel like it.

Stark considered his words and weighed them against how much he wanted to throw Loki out the nearest window. It was a close call, the window was really tempting, but Morgan's happiness was more important. He wouldn't get in the way of that. Not without reason. He sighed and finally nodded. It wasn't the decision he wanted to make, but he wouldn't hurt Morgan. "Then I won't waste my breath trying to talk her out of this," that was the best Loki was going to get out of Stark.

He was surprised Stark was even being that civil and knew that one tear from Morgan would have Tony throwing him out the nearest window. Even without his suit.

Loki couldn't help chuckling and teasing though. "Like she would listen anyway,"

Stark huffed and rolled his eyes. "She wouldn't listen to a damn word," he growled.

"Your daughter is about as stubborn as you are,"

"That she is. Yet, you like her and we can't stand each other," Stark replied, amused that Loki could like his daughter when she was so much like Stark himself. He was at least trying to be civil so Morgan didn't get mad at him. He wouldn't risk her anger unless it was necessary. And he had to admit that it wasn't necessary to kill the man who'd guarded her, protected her, and from what he understood, helped her in Asgard. Loki would be teaching her magic as well, which was necessary. A lot had changed and he wasn't allowed to actively hate Loki on principle.

That didn't mean the men didn't still hate each other. They did.

Loki inclined his head. "True, but I can at least be civil," he conceded.

Stark nodded as well: a gentleman's agreement. "As can I. For her sake,"

Loki nodded, sighing in relief that this went easier than expected. Mostly because they both knew the lady involved was too stubborn and neither of them wanted to lose her. "Thank you for understanding,"

"Just don't hurt her, or take advantage of her handicap and we can be civil," Stark replied gruffly. It was hard to give Loki even that much.

"That will never happen,"

Stark nodded. "Then we have an agreement," he replied and opened the door to the very puffed up grumpy Morgan before Loki could reply.