Chapter Text
Rebecca and Jeff try their best to be understanding. When one of their kids happens to not only be a mutant, but a homosexual mutant, it’s needed. But not only is one of the boys a mutant - he’s a mutant powerful enough to warp reality and be placed on the same level as Scarlet Witch (who incidentally, is Billy’s other mother. It’s a long story.)
And this isn’t even mentioning the fact they’re a family of Reformist Jews.
So yes, Rebecca and Jeff try their hardest to be understanding towards Billy, even when his sometimes-job as a superhero takes him to places like Lateriva, Asgard under siege and in the middle of a Kree-Skrull war.
(The less said of the Civil War, the better.)
It’s difficult, especially juggling their younger sons’ emotions - joy at having a superhero for an older brother and jealousy that they haven’t (yet) shown any signs of being a mutant themselves - while they try to make their home safe and welcoming for not only Billy but his orphaned boyfriend as well.
Admittedly, allowing their son’s superhero boyfriend to move in their home after his mother’s death was a bit extreme in the acceptance scale; but really, after hearing the situation, Rebecca and Jeff just couldn’t deny Teddy sanctuary, regardless of whether or not he was dating Billy.
But the latest twist in Billy’s life may be more than they can handle.
Their son being a gay mutant? Easily handled. Their son dating an equally gay alien? Hardly worth mentioning these days. Their son entering a polygamist relationship with another, older, man? A concern, yes, but something they should be able to get through.
Their son’s second partner being the Norse God of Lies?
Concern really wasn’t the word Rebecca wanted to use, but it was the politest one she could think of.
Thankfully, Rebecca’s psychology training kicked in before she could dive into full-on panic when Billy finally sat them down and ‘came out’ for a third time to them.
Rebecca was glad she had handled that conversation the way she had, what with Jeff being at a loss on how to respond and taking his cues from her and Billy looking so worried yet hopeful that his parents would be just as understanding in this venture as they had everything else…
And really, Rebecca couldn’t disappoint Billy, not like that. Not in something that was so important to him.
So she listened to his reasons, paid attention to the fact Billy didn’t excuse Loki’s more… misguided actions, but accepted the reasoning behind them and helped point out to Loki where he had gone wrong, how he could continue on his path to be a better person…
Rebecca had never felt more proud of her son, when she realized he had taken all the psychology babble she’d sprouted at him at one time or another and used it to help (what was then) a friend in need.
So yes, at the end of that discussion, Rebecca and Jeff had given Loki the benefit of the doubt, and agreed to act as if Billy and Teddy knew what they doing - who they were dealing with - until proven otherwise.
But that still left one problem: neither Jeff nor Rebecca had gotten to met Billy’s newest boyfriend yet.
They wanted to give it time at first: get used to the idea of Billy (and Teddy) dating Loki. To help, Billy and Teddy started slipping casual mentions of the god into their calls home. The picture Jeff and Rebecca got from the sporadic mentions (super-heroing did not lend itself to regular visits or calls home) was reassuring. The name Loki began to be associated with the imagine of a young man more interested in the latest internet meme and devising up pranks with Tommy than world domination or whatever else it was that super-villains coveted.
So when Jeff and Rebecca thought they were finally ready to meet Loki, they brought up the idea of Billy, Teddy and Loki coming home for Josh and Michael’s upcoming three day weekend. This way they would not only be able to catch up but Billy could also reconnect with his younger brothers like he’d been promising to do once he had time.
Luck was on their side. Billy only worked part time, focusing on his education, while Teddy worked full-time and had the proposed weekend off. Billy had told them that Loki had no set hours but was employed as an ‘agent’ to the ruling All-Mothers of Asgardia. Billy had refused to go into details but Rebecca and Jeff both knew that was code for some rather complicated and messy subject and accepted the simplification.
Loki had the most ‘income’ of all of them, but the way Billy had phrased that particular revelation had told Rebecca all she needed to know on how Loki came by his small fortune. Instead of wasting her time being worried over how a former supervillain made ends means, Rebecca decided to put her energy into being relieved that Teddy and Billy were nowhere near being financially dependent on Loki.
Besides, Teddy had told them that Loki owned his own apartment, which was apparently serving as both a training room for Billy’s magical exercise, and a storage room for the various dangerous, magical items Loki collected like a magpie. Loki spent more of his time in Billy and Teddy’s apartment than he did his own these days, but he still owned the apartment.
Billy had been apprehensive at first, wondering if three days was not a bit too much for their first meeting, but surprisingly, it was Loki who was enthusiastic over the idea and had agreed to it first. With the phone call having been placed on speaker, Teddy had also overheard the conversation and placed his own two cents in favor of Loki’s agreement.
So Billy, teddy and Loki were coming over to their home for the next three days, the younger Kaplan brothers celebrating the event as a ‘sleepover’.
What could go wrong? After all, without Tommy joining in the family reunion, the chances of something exploding were drastically reduced.
--
Friday:
Billy, Teddy and Loki arrived in the evening. Though Teddy had Saturday and Sunday off, today he had to work until six. This suited Rebecca and Jeff just fine, as Rebecca herself did not get off until six that day and Jeff, getting off early that day, had gone and picked up Michael and Josh from their school.
The boys were excited to have their elder brother back for the weekend, and even more excited about the prospect of Billy coming back with his boyfriends. To Rebecca’s surprise, Billy had apparently let slip to Josh that Loki was a trickster god, and the boys couldn’t wait to see what sort of ‘mischief’ Loki would be brining to their weekend.
It was a sign of how much Rebecca and Jeff trusted Billy that this was only a minor concern for their weekend plans.
Dinner was nearly half-ready when Rebecca heard the sound of the front door opening, and the cry of joy that was Michael and Josh greeting Billy. Taking a moment to both ensure the brisket could be left unattended for several minutes and to steel herself, Rebecca walked out of the kitchen to greet her children.
Her eyes landed on Loki before she could even think of greeting Billy (who was returning a rather enthusiastic hug from Michael). There was no mistaking him: black hair, tall, lanky but muscular, and sharp, dangerous eyes that were trained on Josh, the youngest Kaplan, who was talking animatedly to Loki.
Rebecca found herself relieved that Loki had chosen not to wear Asgardian clothing; instead he was dressed in rather plain, human, clothes - simple jeans and green sweatshirt. He was even wearing tennis shoes instead of the leather boots that seemed the fashion in Asgardia.
Jeff came up behind her, placing a supportive hand on her shoulder. Rebecca remembered to breath - and that she still had yet to greet them.
“Billy. Teddy. Good to have you back.” Jeff said warmly, nodding his head to Teddy and Loki as well. “Loki… welcome to our humble adobe.” The last part was said somewhat sarcastically, and Loki appeared to appreciate it, smiling slightly.
“Mister and Misses Kaplan.” Loki greeted, standing up smoothly from where he’d been listening to Josh. “Thank you for the invitation…I do hope we get along.”
Loki and Jeff shook hands and for a moment Rebecca was struck at how normal it seemed: Loki, with no trace of his Asgardian garbs or helm could pass as just a normal man, meeting his lover’s parents for the first time. But his eyes gave him away: even Billy and Teddy’s experiences did not make their eyes so heavy, so knowing as Loki’s did. That was a conversation for another day, Rebecca knew, for now they were just trying to get to know each other, build a tentative bridge to gap their knowledge of each other.
“Hello Loki.” Rebecca finally said, drawing Loki’s attention as he released Jeff’s hand. Jeff didn’t wince or flex his hand, so Rebecca assumed Loki had not underestimated his strength and gripped too tightly. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”
“The pleasure’s all mine, I assure you.” Loki smiled, the faint crinkles around his eyes softening his face further. “Billy speaks quite highly of the both of you. I look forward to getting to know you both.”
Rebecca knew those words were a rather common spiel whenever one had the standard meet-the-parents dinner, but she felt there was undercurrent of honesty in Loki’s words, that he truly meant them. But what did she know? Loki was known for his ability to lie; surely Rebecca, even with her degree would be easy enough to fool…
No, she wouldn’t think like that. She had sworn to give Loki the benefit of the doubt, to believe Billy when he said Loki was trying to be good.
“I’m sure we’ll get along fine.” Rebecca decided, smiling as lightly as she could. “Dinner’s almost ready… I hope you’re hungry.”
“Always, Mrs. Kaplan.” Teddy announced, dimples showing as he smiled towards the both of them.
“Well, come along then. Best get settled before its ready. Michael, Josh you still have to finish setting the table…” Rebecca corralled over the boys’ groans as they reluctantly left to the kitchen.
Behind them, Rebecca heard Billy announce he was showing where Teddy and Loki could place their overnight bags, and Rebecca didn’t even try to pretend she hadn’t seen Teddy placing a reassuring hand over Loki’s shoulders as they climbed the stairs.
--
Dinner passed pleasantly, with Teddy and Billy providing much of the conversation as they talked about school, work and the various states of their teammate’s personal lives. Loki was rather quiet for someone of his reputation, never mind one who was supposed to be trying to win the approval of his partner’s parents, but he did interject every now and then again, usually at the prompt of Teddy.
That changed once Josh asked if Loki really was the god of mischief and that if he really was a trickster if he liked pranks. This sent off a laundry list of the pranks Loki had set up with Tommy recently, and somehow divulged into a retelling of what appeared to be a common children’s story for Asgardians.
The tale was called ‘The Giant’s Heart’ and was about a youngest son attempting to rescue his elder brothers from a giant that had turned them to stone. The youngest brother was assisted by a princess that the giant had captured, and to defeat the giant they had to discover where the giant had hidden his heart.
The tale had some… interesting connotations if Rebecca was being completely honest, but she didn’t know Loki enough to do anything other than share a knowing glance with Jeff as Loki finished the tale with a theatrical note; Michael and Josh having been enraptured by the tale.
Dinner finished by all at the end of tale, Josh and Michael cleared the table, and Teddy volunteered to assist with dishes. Rebecca was gathering the dishes when Loki lightly tapped her shoulder, causing her to turn towards him.
“It’s nearly sunset.” He remaindered her gently and Rebecca startled. Surly the tale hadn’t gone on that long! But glancing out the window, she could she Loki was correct. A noise from the hall indicated Jeff had already been aware of the time, and was preparing the candles for her.
“You didn’t sing before dinner, either.” Loki noted. “I appreciate the effort, but I have been living with Billy for several months now. Despite my, ah… species, I don’t take offense to his religion.”
“Oh, um…” Rebecca blinked, slightly startled at the admission; before regaining her train of thought. “I knew - Billy’s told us he’s kept up with the mitzvahs… I just didn’t want to overw- make you uncomfortable. Teddy’s fine with the traditions, we know, but I was going to take you aside later and ask about tomorrow…”
“Ah, I see.” Loki smiled at her. “No need to worry. We pagans are rather used to crossing religions. Thor and Hercules are distantly related, you know?”
No she hadn’t. Thankfully, before Rebecca could try and respond to that, Jeff called for her in the living room, and Loki made a shooing motion with his hand.
“Go. Teddy and I will finish cleaning up.” Loki insisted and Rebecca saw that Billy had already gone to join Jeff and the boys. “They can’t start without you, after all.”
“Thank you.” Rebecca managed, before Josh cried out for her to hurry up.
A few hours in and there was at least one question answered, Rebecca thought. As she lit one of the matches reserved specifically for Shabbat and began lighting the candles, she made sure to pray that the rest of the weekend would go just as easily.
(She tried not to think of the irony of a god being in the next room over.)
--
With sundown officially marking the beginning of Shabbat in the Kaplan household, relaxation was the only activity on the agenda. To be more welcoming towards Loki and Teddy, the Kaplans had no further traditions planned for that night - most of those were being saved for the next day.
With the candles lit and Teddy and Loki tag-teaming to clear up the after-dinner mess in record time, the family was gathered in the living room to watch a movie before bed. The Prince of Egypt wasn’t entirely accurate to the scriptures, but it was a child’s movie, and fit well enough with one of the themes of Shabbat - commemoration of the event depicted in said movie.
The movie passed quietly but with an air of relaxation and peace despite the movie’s heavy themes, and Rebecca took to glancing over at her children occasionally. Josh and Michael were a bit sleepily, near the end, but otherwise fine, Jeff was right next to her, an arm secured around her shoulders, his dark eyes taking in the animation deeply, and Billy…
Billy sat on the floor, right inbetween Loki and Teddy, his attention apparently on the movie, but holding one of Loki’s hand in death grip.
Rebecca had been confused at first - Billy had been rather unwound at the beginning of the movie, and he and Teddy were carefree while Loki, having never seen the movie before, was politely interested. Yet somewhere inbetween the opening scene and Moses discovering his adoption, Billy’s hand had found Loki’s and had never let go.
Loki’s expression, initially calm and faintly interested, became closed off and frighteningly blank, his eyes glinting with something sharp and cold before he realized he was being watched. Afterwards, until the movie ended, Loki’s face fell into a blank façade, his expression not giving even the barest of hints as to his thoughts.
Billy traded nervous looks with Teddy a few times, from what Rebecca could see, but neither said anything. As Loki did not attempt to excuse himself, Rebecca felt it better to not mention his tension, despite the sharp shiver of anxiety it gave her. Jeff noticed her tensing and glanced at her, his eyes flickering back between the movie and Loki, frowning grimly.
Could it be?
Rebecca shook her head. They wouldn’t make a scene, not now. Sunday, Jeff had agreed with her, Sunday they would sit down with Loki and talk fully after they had the chance to get to know him a little. They wouldn’t draw any conclusions until then, and Rebecca certainly would not be turning to ask Loki if there was rather specific myth reason that the plagues of Egypt bothered him so.
Besides, it was custom to avoid unpleasant conversations on Shabbat, and Rebecca knew for certain now that Sunday’s talk would be one.
Nonetheless, Rebecca couldn’t help but search Loki’s face as Rameses mourned over the corpse of his eldest son, only to turn away as his visage only grew emptier somehow. She didn’t turn away soon enough however, to miss the way Teddy reaching around Billy and clasped Loki shoulder reassuringly, and Billy rested his head on Loki’s shoulder in a half-embrace.
The movie ended with Moses parting the Red Sea and arriving at Mt. Sinai, and Josh yawned loudly.
“Bedtime.” Jeff announced over Michael’s groans.
“Oh yeah, we meant to ask…” Teddy trailed off, looking uncertainly at Billy and Loki, whose hands were still clasped together. Billy seemed to be having an entirely silent conversation with Loki, and neither seemed interested in standing.
“Oh!”Rebecca knew immediately what he was after. “Well, I had planned for Josh and Michael to share their old room. You and Billy would be in his old room and Loki would have the guest room, if that’s okay.”
Rebecca had initially been rather wary of allowing Loki to share a room with Billy over the weekend; and knowing there wasn’t enough room for all three of the boys to be in separate beds, she had felt better about Billy rooming with Teddy. But now, in the wake of the ill-received movie, she felt rather uncertain.
“Or Teddy could bunk with Loki, if they’d prefer…?” Rebecca offered, only realizing how the offer would sound after the words had already been said.
She hadn’t meant to sound over-protective of Billy, or that she didn’t trust Loki unsupervised in her house. Loki rather looked as if he could use Teddy or Billy’s presence, where they could speak without being overheard by the adults or children.
Teddy shared a glance between Billy and Loki, the offer clear in his eyes. Billy was frowning at her, reproach in his eyes, and Rebecca didn’t need her psychology degree or magic to know what he was thinking. But Loki stood in one swift motion, and smiled faintly at her.
“That’s quite alright, Mrs. Kaplan, Teddy can bunk with Billy.” Now Billy was frowning at Loki. Loki was either ignoring him or hadn’t noticed, but Rebecca was betting on the former.
“In fact I’m rather amazed I’m getting a room at all: I was picturing spending the night on the couch. You’re rather generous.” Loki’s eyes twinkled faintly and Rebecca smiled uncertainly at the show of humor.
“We’re not quite that strict.” Jeff said, his voice tinged with good humor.
“So I see.” Loki hummed, tossing a meaningful glance towards Billy, who sighed and stopped frowning, apparently relenting and accepting Loki’s decision to sleep alone.
With the non-argument apparently settled, Rebecca pushed her concerns to the back of her mind.
--
Later that night, after the youngest boys had been marshaled into brushing their teeth with Billy’s assistance, Rebecca found herself staring at the lights of the night sky as they trickled through the blinds. So far, the weekend had gone both better and worse than she hoped - yet she could not help but think of Loki’s closed-off expression as he sat in the dark, watching The Prince of Egypt.
Stealing a glance at Jeff, who was already deeply asleep, Rebecca made a decision. She had to check, to make sure Loki was recovered enough to spend the long hours of the night alone after possibly being heavily triggered by the Plagues of Egypt. If he was still awake, Rebecca would offer her shoulder, and if his sleep was disturbed she would wake him and lend an ear.
Still, it took her a moment to gather the courage to sit up and slip out from the covers as silently as she could. Shutting the bedroom door almost completely, Rebecca turned her back to Jeff (still asleep) and made her way down the hall.
The second floor of the Kaplan household was rather simple - a single, straight, hallway marked the trek from the master bedroom on one end of the house to both the children’s room and the guest room - which was on the opposite end of the master bedroom; with a small landing broaching off to the staircase.
Unable to resist the temptation, Rebecca stopped to check in on Michael and Josh. Gently opening the door, Rebecca saw that Michael had claimed his bed, leaving Josh to throw his myriad of blankets on the floor in a makeshift bed. This room had originally been the boys to begin with - upon Billy moving out the brothers had decided on their own that Michael would remain in the room while Josh claimed Billy’s room.
They were both sleeping soundly, so Rebecca shut the door silently and moved onto what was temporarily Billy’s room once more. The door was already slightly open, and Rebecca wondered if it was a habit left over from the days Teddy had lived here. Rebecca had known that it would be impossible to expect Billy and Teddy to be separated or supervised at all times, so their only stipulation had been that whenever Teddy was in Billy’s room the door had to be open. For the most part, Teddy and Billy kept to that rule, far more than one would probably expect of a normal teenager.
But Billy and Teddy weren’t normal teenagers, Rebecca remembered. They were a mutant and an alien shapeshifter, part-time superheroes and were now in a polygamous relationship with a Norse god.
Asleep as they were now though, one wouldn’t guess their lives were so interesting, Rebecca noted. Their features were completely relaxed, their dreams untroubled as they slept. Teddy was hugging Billy from behind, and Billy was half curled into a ball in an attempt to be as close as possible to his fiancé.
Fiancé. It had never been directly addressed, but Rebecca knew that neither Billy nor Teddy had proposed to Loki yet. Rebecca knew Billy and Teddy’s marriage - nevermind engagement - had been put on hold for the duration of the Mother Incident. In the aftermath of their reconciliation, Billy and Teddy had wiped the slate - started over anew in their relationship. They had been young, after all, and gone through things no one should have, and Rebecca had been somewhat relieved that the wedding had been held off for a few years.
Rebecca supposed it was a good thing, in the aftermath of The Mother Incident, that Billy and Teddy hadn’t gotten rings beforehand. They wanted proper rings, but inbetween their superhero adventures and not having jobs they hadn’t the money, time or motivation to do so. After Billy had started to recover from Cassie death’s, and he returned, Mother defeated, Rebecca had thought she had known it was only a matter of time before Billy or Teddy decided to propose again; this time with the full intention of marrying in an applicable state.
With Loki now added into their relationship, marriage was no longer an option, at least not in the United States. While there were some states that allowed same-sex marriages, there were no states that allowed polygamous relationships like theirs. Rebecca didn’t know how asgardians viewed a relationship like theirs either, but that was a question she planned on asking Sunday.
For now, Rebecca pushed those thoughts away and took a minute to take in her son’s peaceful faces before shutting the door and walking to the guest room.
Loki’s room had originally been a guest room in the Kaplan house, and then it had belonged to Teddy once he moved in. Tommy shared the room with Teddy for a while, until he moved out. When Teddy moved out with Billy the room was regulated back to its original purpose.
After a moment of hesitation, Rebecca pushed the door open slowly.
The guest bedroom had not been changed much since Teddy had moved out. Originally, before Teddy had moved in, the bed had been placed in the center of the room. After the Teddy’s mother died however, the bed had been moved to the corner closest to the window.
The change had been prompted by a change Rebecca had noted in both Billy in Teddy - after the Civil War they slept only with their backs to each other, or the wall. Billy moved his bed on his own, back up against the wall (or Teddy, if he had snuck in and hadn’t left before Rebecca or Jeff saw them).
It had taken some adjusting, to get used to coming into either Teddy or Billy’s room and seeing them curled into a corner against the wall, or some other strange position that was more for their perceived safety than comfort.
Loki was an Asgardian: a culture well-known for producing warriors, warriors by definition saw more violence in day than Rebecca had seen her entire life. Given that knowledge, Rebecca could readily admit to expecting to see Loki in at least a somewhat similar position to the ones Teddy and Billy unconsciously fell into all those years ago.
Yet Loki did not truly live up to that expectation.
Yes, his back was to the wall, but he was sprawled out casually on his side, one hand underneath his pillow and the other crossed over his stomach, lying above the sheets. The moonlight from the window fell over him, highlighting his face enough for Rebecca to see it clearly, even this late into the night.
Loki’s features were completely free of stress, apparently perfectly unaffected by whatever had bothered him earlier. His breathing was long and slow - a sign he was as deep asleep as everyone else in the house was. Well, anyone except Rebecca, that was.
The pale moonlight made Loki’s black hair stand out even more starkly than his skin tone already did, and for a moment, Rebecca had a hard time believing this figure, so small in sleep, was a former supervillain.
Yet… why was Loki sleeping so peacefully after this evening’s incident? Surely, if he had been truly affected his sleep would not be so unaffected. He could simply have only recently fallen asleep, Rebecca argued with herself, that he had not yet an opportunity to enter sleep deep enough to dream.
Or… he could be faking sleep, Rebecca thought, and then felt guilty for doing so. She had sworn to give Loki the benefit of the doubt, yet here she was, questioning Loki’s audacity to have a fulfilling night of sleep. Shaking her head, Rebecca pushed the thought away, trying to feel glad that all of her family was sleeping so well on Shabbat.
Perhaps Loki was simply pretending to sleep though, and was waiting for her to leave? If he were still suffering from whatever unpleasant memories that had drudged up, however unintentionally, Rebecca didn’t wish to leave him alone with his thoughts the entire night.
“Loki?” Rebecca asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “Are you alright?”
Nothing. Loki did not respond to her question verbally or physically. There wasn’t so much as a hitch in his breath, and his eyelids did not even flutter at the effort of staying shut when he was addressed.
Truly asleep then, Rebecca realized, and felt foolish. She was overthinking things. Like she had thought earlier, if Loki had truly been disturbed by the movie, he would’ve asked to leave, or even for a different movie to be put on, yet he had not.
She was worrying over nothing, overcomplicating simple things. This was a weekend to get to know each other, and Rebecca wondered if she should not have taken Billy’s side and waited a bit longer before being introduced to Loki. Perhaps she should have just kept the meeting to dinner tonight, and saved the weekend for another time.
It was too late to back out now. Jeff was more reserved in his concern than Rebecca was - he let her voice his concerns for the most part - but he was deeply concerned with Billy and Teddy’s relationship with Loki. After Billy had come out and explained his relationship, Rebecca had to spend quite some time calming him down after Billy had left.
It wasn’t until Jeff had set her down for once and told her everything he knew about Norse myths (from days long past when he would read them to Billy)- and how many of them were true based on declassified SHIELD files - that she understood his concern, even with Loki being ‘reformed’ these days.
Rebecca had thought of Loki as unstable when he was a supervillain, but the points Jeff rose… Well, Billy was already fragile; recovering from his earlier years as a Young Avenger and the trauma it had induced. Though it was usually good to talk about your experiences with someone who underwent similar trauma, Rebecca didn’t know if Loki was well enough to actually assist Billy and not drag him down with him.
So far, everything Rebecca had seen indicated Loki was recovering well from whatever had so traumatized him into becoming good (something Billy and Teddy both refused to speak of), but Rebecca wouldn’t truly feel safe in entrusting Billy’s mental and physical welfare with Loki until she could air her concerns.
Everything ended up coming back to Sunday.
Sunday would decide everything.
--
Saturday:
Rebecca had woken later than she anticipated. After her late night musing, she had taken one last look at Loki’s sleeping countenance and returned to her room, eagerly sinking into Jeff’s warm embrace. She had fallen asleep shortly afterwards, so quickly she didn’t even remember doing so. Last night had been more emotionally draining than she had anticipated, but today was Shabbat, and there was no room such unpleasant thoughts on this day of rest.
The space next to her was cold - Jeff had already been awake for some time then. No doubt he had risen early at Michael and Josh’s prompting. Dressing for the day, including her white blouse specifically set aside for Shabbat celebrations, Rebecca finally went down to the living room.
It was crowded: all the others had already awoken and were gathered there.
The entire family was dressed well today: it was traditional to wear something ‘festive’ on Shabbat, and something white. All the men of her family had worn white at the least: even Teddy had put on a plain white tee-shirt and rather clean khakis.
Loki was wearing green again, but had switched his jeans for black leather. If there was any white on his clothes to be found, it would only be on his socks, which Rebecca could not see.
“Oh, Mom!” Josh noticed her first, turning halfway out of his chair to face her. “Dad says we’re not going to service today, are we?”
“No, sweetie, not this week.” Rebecca confirmed.
“Really?” Billy asked, frowning. “Why? You usually make a point of going…”
“Your mother and I talked last night, before sitting down to watch that - delightful movie.” Loki said easily, a reassuring smile crossing his face. While the family had turned their gazes to him at the pronouncement, Loki only had eyes for Billy and Teddy.
“She asked how I felt about joining the services for today and I said I would rather not.” Loki continued, covering one of Billy’s hands with his own. “With all the tradition and belief stacked in your practices… and on hallowed ground? It’s very nearly magic in itself, and well, my magic wouldn’t react rather well to such… heartfelt worship. And it wouldn’t be rather fair to make Teddy stay behind (your parents are smart enough to not trust leaving me alone in their home for several hours after all…) so it was decided we’d all be staying here today.”
“Yes, that’s the gist of it.” Rebecca confirmed uncertainly, not entirely sure she liked the way Loki brought up being left alone in their house. Judging by the way Teddy was looking at Loki in concern and Billy was holding a staring contest with Loki, they didn’t like it either.
Rebecca was really starting to wonder if Billy’s magic made it possible for him and Loki to speak telepathically to each other, the way they kept staring at each other. Not that Billy (and Loki) stared at Teddy any less, but they did not seem to have the same length of conversation as Billy did with Loki.
“Then I didn’t have dress up!” Michael complained, looking down at his chosen clothes and pouting.
Jeff chuckled and reached out to ruffle Michael’s hair, prompting another round of complaints. Rebecca gave a small laugh herself and finished walking towards them, intent on taking her own seat next to her husband. While she did so however, Loki spoke, so quietly that Rebecca was sure it had been meant for Billy’s ears only: for Loki was still starring Billy down.
“Besides, Billy, you already had a hard enough time getting approval for Teddy to come to the occasional service. How did you plan on explaining me?” Loki’s whisper was nearly a hiss, and there was a dark undertone to the question, but Rebecca couldn’t stay close enough to hear Billy’s response without tipping either of them off that she was listening.
Teddy seemed to have it in hand anyways, as he grabbed Loki’s shoulder - gently, but still sternly - forcing Loki to break his gaze with Billy and redirect it to Teddy.
Rebecca forced herself to not interfere. She had to trust Billy and Teddy to manage their own relationships, and the relation between Asgardian (and Greek, and others) gods and her own was one she never really wanted to contemplate.
The morning passed peacefully. Jeff pulled out an old prayer and hymn book, and read aloud the prayers. The songs he quizzed Josh and Michael on, challenging them to sing which parts they remembered, with Teddy occasionally piping in when he remembered one as well. Whatever discussion they had with Loki was apparently resolved, because Billy joined in as well.
Loki didn’t sing with them, but once it grew closer for the cholent to be served, he began assisting Jeff to prepare the table. When Jeff mentioned the rotating schedule they had on who picked what was going to be served for Shabbat, Rebecca ended up asking what sort of schedule they had, having been wondering how, exactly, Billy was able to keep kosher.
“Hmm, I usually end up being the one who makes full-course meals, don’t I?” Loki mused, tapping his chin thoughtfully. So far it had been discovered that Billy made meals at least every Saturday, while Teddy ended up fixing simple meals the majority of the time, due to the strange hours Loki sometimes kept.
“That’s because your definition of a ‘simple meal’ is drastically different than ours.” Billy said, smirking slightly at him. “You’re the one who somehow decided that ‘I’m feeling like fish tonight’ meant caviar, sushi and salmon tartar.”
“Don’t give me that sass, young man.” Loki wagged a finger in Billy’s direction. “I went through the trouble of finding actual kosher caviar for your delicate stomach - and you ate everything I put on your plate.”
“Aww, your life is so hard.” Billy leered, the teasing tone belaying his expression.
“As a matter of fact, it is. I gave up bacon for you Mister Kapaln, so you could have your kosher kitchen, and don’t you forget it.” Loki said, half seriously, half joking. “Bacon, Billy, bacon. You know how I feel about bacon.”
“Such a great and noble sacrifice,” Teddy added, joining in the fun. “What with you going out to diners almost every other day and ordering bacon to go with your pancakes every single time.”
“Yes it is,” Loki sighed dramatically, leaning onto Teddy’s arm. “I’m glad you understand.”
Josh let loose a stifled giggle at the display, and it seemed to surprise Loki, as if he had forgotten the children were present. Nonetheless, he caught Josh’s eye and winked conspiratorially at him, causing yet another outburst of giggles.
Rebecca managed a laugh as well. Today was shaping up to go well.
--
“Where’s Billy?” Josh asked, his head peaking up from the book he’d been reading.
Jeff frowned and looked up from the radio - broadcasting a Shabbat service - searching the room with his eyes. Rebecca looked up from her own book and glanced around as well. She was surprised to see that Loki was gone as well, though that perhaps explained how quiet it had been since cholent.
“Oh, he’s taking a nap with Billy.” Teddy answered nonchalantly. Rebecca and Jeff both turned to look at him in surprise.
“Why?” Michael asked. “They’re too old for naps!”
“No one’s too old for naps.” Jeff refuted wisely. “But it is surprising Billy is taking one - did he not sleep well last night, Teddy?”
Teddy blushed slightly, aware of the undertone of his question. “No, he slept well. It’s just ah, a routine for Loki and Billy?”
“Routine?” Rebecca prompted.
“Yeah, Loki… doesn’t exactly like to sleep. He doesn’t need much of it either, so it’s not unusual for him to go a few days without sleeping at all.” Teddy explained sheepishly, scratching the back of head. “He’s really good at faking sleep too, so even if we’re - sleeping together- it’s not a guarantee he’ll actually fall asleep.”
Rebecca suddenly remembered the night before, and how Loki didn’t react to her calling his name. Had he not been asleep after all? He hadn’t seemed tired this morning, but if he truly didn’t need as much sleep as Teddy was saying, would she not be able to tell anyways?
“So we came up with a compromise.” Teddy continued, unaware of Rebecca’s mental debate. “Loki takes an hour long nap with Billy every day. It’s short enough that it won’t interrupt anything either of them has planned for the day, and we’ll know Loki at least got that much sleep. Billy uses the time to meditate and ‘connect with his magic’. Loki taught him how to; apparently it’ll really help him in getting his powers under control.”
“I see.” Rebecca didn’t know much about magic, but anything that could help Billy was good in her book. Jeff nodded approvingly from his seat as well.
“Billy usually only sleeps for the hour - only every now and again he’ll take a longer nap.” Teddy persisted, encouraged by their approval. “But if Loki doesn’t wake up when Billy gets up we just leave him until he awakes on his own. Doesn’t happen as much as I’d like, but it’s not like he has regular working hours anyways, so…” Teddy shrugged in a what-can-you-do motion.
“Do you take naps too, Teddy?” Josh asked, before Rebecca can think of something to say.
“Sure I do. It’s hard work, being a superhero.” Teddy said, bending down to Josh’s level so he could ruffle the boys’ hair.
Josh squawked indignantly, but laughed shoved Teddy’s hand away playfully. Rebecca smiled, letting her worries fall away for the moment.
--
The rest of Shabbat is almost unnoteworthy. Billy and Loki do end up coming back downstairs at the end of the hour, looking rather rested. Josh and Michael give Billy a great amount of grief for taking naps everyday even when they’re old enough to not take naps. Billy responds as any older brother would and the playful argument continues (aided by Loki) until it’s time for Sudah Shilishit - the third meal of Shabbat.
Sudah Shilishit was usually the smallest meals on Shabbat, but mindful of both Teddy and Loki’s metabolisms (Billy has a regular appetite, unless he’d recently used a lot of magic) Rebecca and Jeff prepared more than they usually would. Teddy and Loki were not the only ones pleased at the selections of fruit salad, gefilite fish and challah; Michael and Josh were particularly pleased at the store-bought cakes Rebecca had decided to get on a whim, remembering Billy had once said Loki had a sweet tooth.
Loki did indeed have his fair share of the fruit salad and gefilite fish, but ended up taking the smallest portion of cake, allowing Michael and Josh the larger slices. Loki also left the challah untouched - not participating as they recited Kiddush.
Neither Rebecca nor Jeff were insulted by Loki’s refusal to participate; they hadn’t pressured Teddy to participate when he first began dating Billy (though he gladly did so when he could) so they certainly wouldn’t expect Loki - an actual god - to do so. Rebecca thought he was rather polite about it, as he never disparaged their practices, nor according to both Billy and Teddy tried to convert Billy away from his religion. Loki didn’t even leave the room when they began singing - rather he watched them with such solemnity that Rebecca was reminded of the morning, when he said Jewish practices were ‘nearly magic’ with how long they had been practiced and how ‘heartfelt’ they performed them.
It was not until Havdalah - the ritual farewell to Shabbat was started that the most exciting part of the day occurred.
Electro had somehow managed to get close enough to a power source that he was able to break out of prison (again) and it turned out Billy, Loki and Teddy were the closest superheroes to his current rampage. Billy hesitated a moment, when Kate Bishop called them to assemble, looking towards his parents for approval.
“Pikuach Nefesh, Billy. Go.” Jeff reminded him, and he was off, Loki and Teddy right behind him. While no work was to be done on Shabbat, like most other mitzvahs, Pikuach Nefesh, the principal of the preservation of human life, overrode any Shabbat duties.
It wasn’t hard to find a news channel that was covering Electro’s rampage. Rebecca had turned on the television the moment they had left, and Tommy was already on the scene with Kate. Michael and Josh were excited to see Billy in action, however shortly the actual ‘battle’ lasted. Electro was a reoccurring villain, but not an A-lister like Loki had been. In between two magic users, Tommy’s speed, Kate and Loki’s sharp minds and Teddy’s strength, Electro was easily handled and handed over to SHIELD in short order.
They came back only slightly singed, with Billy and the other two handling Michael and Josh’s excited ramblings rather well. The fight had been quick enough that Jeff had held off finishing havdalah, and Billy, still smarting over a singe in his costume, lit the braided candle.
The fight had been unexpectedly reassuring to Rebecca, seeing Loki guard Billy and Teddy’s backs, their motions synched together. Even seeing Loki temporarily don his Asgardian armor had not alarmed her as much as it would’ve before this weekend, so different did it look from his previous garb. Even his signature horn headpiece was different, and Rebecca found herself truly believing, perhaps for the first time, that Loki truly was turning over a new leaf.
These were the things Rebecca thought of as her family said hadalah blessings, as Rebecca held Billy’s debris-stained hand in her own.
The only thing that kept her from truly giving Billy her heartfelt approval was the questions that loomed over her, the answers she needed from Loki.
Tomorrow would decide everything, and she dearly hoped Loki would pass the test.