"You want me to, WHAT? No, really, what?" Tony nervously shifts from foot to foot behind his liquor bar, palms flat down on the cold counter. Loki stands on the other side, holding Loona against his chest as she sleeps soundly. The little girl only is able to sleep during the day, for she is terrified of the dark and is plagued by nightmares that Loki can not fight off for her. He watches Tony's reaction, evaluating it, and coming out with not liking how the human is acting.
"I want you...the rest of the Avengers...to watch Loona for me while Thor and I have to head back to Asgard," Loki bites on his bottom lip, not really liking to admit he needs help or that he is even seeking help from a mortal.
"Ridiculous! Why can't you just take her with you?"
"The trip through the bifrost would be too harsh on her body. She is not well enough to make the journey," Loki looks down on Loona's calm sleeping face. His little girl is just about 18 months old and is still quite small, having been born premature by a whole month. Her body is weak and she has yet to build up an immune system; Bruce giving her a series of shots once a month to help with her health. Her fight is no where close to over. Loki adjusts the little oxygen mask over her nose and mouth so she can breath more clearly. He then looks back to Tony, green eyes narrowed in annoyance.
"Look, I'm not good with kids," Tony holds up his palms in the sign of surrender. "I'm sure I'd...turn out just like my father."
"How do you know?"
"I...okay, that was a white lie."
"Exactly," Loki smiles cooly. "It's not just you I'm asking to watch over her. You do have the help of...Steve...and Bruce..."
"Like they will be any help," Tony rolls his eyes. "Wait, I have to change diapers?" Loki arches a brow and smiles. "Fuck no."
"It's not that hard, Anthony."
"I...I...don't you use my real name against me like that."
"Here, hold her," Loki comes around the bar and settles Loona in Tony's arms without waking her. He showing the human how exactly to hold her, a hand under her bum, a hand against the back of her head to support her neck. "There, not so bad now, is it?" He watches Tony's expression of pure terror melt away as he holds sleeping Loona in his arms.
"I..could get...use to this."
"Good, for I shall be gone for a week."
"A WEEK?" Tony blurts out, startling Loona awake and she begins to wail. Loki frowns at him, stepping forward to take Loona back from Tony. Cradling her in his arms, swinging and singing to her softly, a Norse song. Within a few minutes, she begins to calm and he watches her eye lids slowly come down over her lazy eyes and he smiles. "A week?" Tony asks again, whispering this time.
"Yes, in your time, a week. Thor has some business with the council and I must be present. So I must leave my daughter behind, here, where I know she'll be safe. Hawk and the BlackWidow, I know have been sent off on a mission by SHEILD, otherwise I'd have them looking after her. Instead I leave her in your care." Tony still looks nervous and at unease about having the watch the small girl. "I'm sure the time will 'fly'."
"Sure, sure. Let me hold her again," Tony holds out his hands and Loki allows him to take back Loona. This time he has the holding part down pat. Loki then shows Tony her crib, changing station and her toys. Down in the Avengers kitchen, in a spell locked cabinet, he shows Tony her formula. "You expect me to know how to make that?" Loki frowns at him.
"There are directions, Stark."
"I don't do directions."
"Don't you build weapons?"
"Don't go there," Tony growls.
"Then there is Bruce."
"True, mr. scientist."
"Exactly, I am sure he knows how to make up the formula," he sets it back in the cabinet, shutting the door with his boot, turning to look at Tony with Loona again. "I'm sure she'll be good for you all," he smiles, knowing in his head he is hoping she'll be mischievous, as she is his daughter after all. "I leave soon. So I'm sure you have everything under control here?"
"Yeh. I can hold the fort," Tony answers, but his attention is all on Loona in his arms. "We're good here, Loki," he finally looks up and Loki nods his head in agreement. Turning to pack up his things and look for Thor before they use the bifrost back up to Asgard.
When he returns with his bags packed, he walks over to Tony standing with Steve and Bruce. Standing in front of Tony holding Loona, leaning in to give his daughter a soft kiss. "Be good." He whispers to her and she peeks open her eyes. "I'll be back in no time, you'll see." He turns turns and walks over to his brother, standing on top of Stark tower, the bifrost opening, they take their leave.
"Well, that was eventful," Tony turns to look at Steve and Bruce standing and staring at him. He frowns. "Don't look at me like that."
"Well, it is kind of funny, and you are holding a toddler," Steve snickers a little and they head back inside.
Loona is awake now and quite alert about her surroundings. It's only a short about of time before she begins to panic and fuss about in Tony's arms as he is sitting on the couch with her, watching T.V. She begins to worm and squirm in Tony's hold till her oxygen mask nudges off her face and she begins to hyperventilate, gasping loudly like a fish. He almost pushes her off the couch till he thinks of Loki and he doesn't wish to be castrated by the god of lies if does anything to harm Loona. Snatching Loona up, adjusting her mask quickly back over her nose and mouth. His heart was pounding in his chest, watching her slowly calming down once more at that little heart attack moment.
"This is not going to be as easy as I thought," he tries rubbing her back as her small body shakes. He continues to rub her back till the shakes stop and he feels she has slipped off to sleep. Loki has only been gone for an hour and he is already wishing the god was back. Well that's new, he always wants Loki gone and the one time he is gone, he wishes to have him back. He pushes his other hand against his face and groans, hoping what he feels towards the other guy isn't 'love' or 'lust'.
"Here, I fixed her up a bottle while I was down in the kitchen," Bruce walks up with a small bottle in hand, holding out to Tony. He leans forward and takes the bottle and Bruce sits down beside him.
"Look, I don't know why Loki really chose me of all people to watch his daughter."
"He must have deep trust in you, you know," Bruce motions for Tony to hand Loona over to him. Tony does the pass slowly and Bruce cradles her up one arm, careful with her oxygen mask, moving it up over her nose as he pushes the nipple of the milk bottle against her small rosy pink lips. She wakes enough to open her mouth and take it, beginning to drink and that makes Bruce smile. Tony can't help but lean in and watch.
"So that's how you do it."
"Yeh, you would make a horrible father, Tony."
"Thanks, Bruce," he turns back to the television and 'The Girls Next Door'.
"Really horrible father. How you can watch that in the same room with her?" Bruce frowns at him, continuing to give Loona the entire bottle till it's finished. Moving her over one shoulder to pat her back for a few minutes.
"I can watch what I want. This is my place. Plus, I'm sure she doesn't understand about whores and hooters," he glares at Bruce for scorning him so. "Look at how good you are with her. Why didn't he leave her with you instead?" Tony frowns at how good Bruce is with Loona. He's almost like a pro at it and Tony does not want to know. "I just hope Clint comes back soon from his SHIELD work so he can take her off my hands and I can return to my normal routine.
"Tony."
He groans as he hears Cap's voice, he has been caught.
"Loki gave you a job to do. You should do it and try to do is well. Tony tries not to look up to meet Steve's frown, the mamma hen not happy.
The following days have been filled with Loona screaming, with Loona being sick, with Loona crying her eyes out. All the while Tony does not get any sleep over it. Having moved her crib to his room so he can keep a closer watch over her. Coming to learn and understand her fear of the dark. The poor girl is petrified about being left alone in any amount of darkness. So her allows her sometimes to sleep on his chest, knowing she's comforted by the blue glow of the arc reactor. Tony has learned how to make her laugh, her favorite toys and the games she likes to play. In time, he feels himself bonding with her, becoming attached to having Loona around all the time. When Pepper is around, he allows her to take Loona off his hands so he can work down in his lab on his Iron Man suit.
Pepper takes her out and around the city, taking her shopping to New York's many plazas and to the ice cream shop. All the while, getting looks from many people. Pepper informs him that Loona loves mint ice cream the best and loves a nice scenic stroll through Central Park.
During the time of Loki's absence, Loona has finally settled down and is happy. Clint and Natasha having come back from their SHIELD mission and the hawk takes Loona off his hands, which saddens him a little. But he always be able to see her. Clint seeming happy to see his little bright eyed girl happy to see him home once more.
"Where's Loki?" Clint asks Tony, Loona nuzzling against his chest.
"Asgard," he points up. "He said Thor had some council business and that he needed to be present. So he wanted me to watch Loona, at least till you guys got back. Which I see is in one piece."
"Yeh," Clint arches a brow, rubbing his daughter's back. "How was she for you?"
"The first three days were a total drag. She was so upset that she made herself sick. But after all that, she was...bouncy. She has spent a lot of time with Pepper," he finds himself smiling at Clint, the hawk listening closely and nodding his head up and down. Being a tentative parent.
"Thanks, Tony." He turns and takes Loona back to his room, leaving Tony standing there with his heart a little broken. He tilts his head up as he walks to his bay view windows.
"You better come back," he more or less whispers to nobody. "You better not break that little girl's heart by not coming back." He then turns and heads down to his lab to work.