Just Relax

Loki liked to think that he knew everything—which, most admitted, was true on a certain level. He knew how to cook, he knew how to do magic on a level of brilliance, and he knew more of the science and math of Midgard than Midgardians themselves. One thing he wasn't sure of, though, was how to take care of the child screaming in the middle of the floor. He stares at her from across the room, arms folded over his chest as he puzzled out how to shut her up—coddling didn't work, magic scared her, and paint had made more of a mess than he could clean up. The couch would always have a bright red stain in the middle now.

He felt bad, honestly he did, but he was beginning to get a little scared himself. God only knew why Tony and Pepper had left Sasha with him; the others having been out of the country for the past few days and only just returned. Even exhausted, Natasha was still a better babysitter than a calm Loki. He mentally berates himself of being afraid; she's only a small child—barley two—and normally easy to be around. Which brings him to the problem at hand: teething. Her teething ring is basically useless and hidden under the armchair, her fever won't go down no matter what technique is tried, and the stench—good lord, don't get him started on the stench coming from her diaper.

He knew what that meant, of course, but he wasn't willing to go in without backup. She's had diarrhea since this started and her bottom is bright red and sore; she cries whenever someone touches it to clean her. Well, she cries louder anyway. So there he stood, the God of Mischief, a fearsome Asgardian with mighty powers…backed into a corner by a child whose head doesn't even reach his knees. How pathetic. Caught up in his thoughts, he almost didn't hear the small giggle coming from where once was just crying. His head snaps up, worried for a second that she'd gotten into trouble. Quite the contrary, she was sitting beside Pepper's craft box with stickers and fancy paper spread out around her on the floor. Loki chuckles, sitting next to the now pleased baby and helping her in opening the sticker packages.

When Pepper and Tony return after their date, they're met by silence. It was a rare moment in Stark Tower that it was so serene; usually, even at night, there was chaos on the ground floor. As they walk into the TV room they see why, it was a wreck with different containers of paint soaking into the couch and stickers on everything. The pile of people on the floor is what really caught their attention. All the Avengers were spread out and snoring in a sort of circle, in the center are Loki and Sasha, the god asleep with one arm wrapped securely around the baby with a smile on his lips. Sasha giggles up at her parents, pacing a gold star sticker on the space between Loki's eyes.

Tony shrugged, giving Loki a gold star himself for simply keeping Sasha in one piece.