Daddy Loki
Chapter 3: Babysitting Duties
Loki looked up from the charts laid out on the table at Barbara who was tapping at the screen of a small technological device. Then she put it to her ear.
"Hello Emma! It's me, Mrs. Grey! Yes, Arik's doing great. Sure... I'll give him a kiss for you. Listen darling, my husband is home so I won't need you to watch the baby for me tonight. I'm so sorry to let you know at the last minute, but his visit was a surprise..." Barbara looked back at Loki and winked "haha, yes. Thank you! I'll let you know. Have a good day sweetheart!"
She ended the call and put the cell phone on the table.
"Another servant?" Loki asked.
"Emma Lancaster. No, she's not a servant. She lives only a few estates down the road and watches over Arik when I'm not home. She's a really sweet girl, only an adolescent. She loves Arik very much and he loves her"
"Hmm" Loki mused "my son making friends with mortals. How lovely"
Barbara scoffed. "Well, he has his father's charm. Everyone who sees him just adores him. You saw Celia. Arik loves her and she spoils him like the little prince he is"
Loki rolled his eyes at the memory of Barbara's house servant. The stout woman was as annoying as she was boisterous and most of the time spoke in a language he didn't understand. She had squealed upon seeing him and literally groveled before him.
"Celia, may I present my husband, Mr. William Grey. Darling, this is my new housekeeper, Celia Rodriguez" Barbara had introduced them.
"Señor Grey, que sorpresa mas maravillosa! I love your wife so much... Señora Grey is the best, señor! The best! And Arik, ay mi niño precioso! I am here to serve you, señor, es mi gran placer..."
Loki had raised an eyebrow at the last words though he didn't understand the rest. Behind Celia, Barbara had stood shaking her head in disbelief. Loki fought the urge to laugh at the ridiculousness of the woman. When she turned back towards Barbara and began running on about how delightful it was to finally meet "Mr. Grey", Loki made a throat slicing motion, sliding his fingers over his windpipe. Barbara had to use every ounce of strength to keep from bursting into laughter.
"Your choice of servants is absolutely astounding, my dear" Loki now said, looking back down at the charts "tell me, what will you do when they realize that Arik is not like other human children?"
"We will be gone by then. If not, then I simply find a way to fire them before they realize anything is out of the ordinary, and a hire a new one"
"A quieter one" Loki said. They both laughed. Then Barbara's faced turned serious.
"Loki, I have to go tonight. They're scheduling maintenance in their security system, which gives me the perfect window to do what I have to. If not, I will have to wait at least three months before I can find another vulnerable bank. By then I would have already used up all my resources"
Loki shook his head. The queen of Asgard had been reduced to a common thief to survive and to raise their son. She was a tigress who would stop at nothing to provide for her cub. He looked around at the grand estate that was her abode and her hideout. He had spoiled her in Asgard and now she required nothing but the best. She had developed a necessity for opulence.
"What?" she challenged as if reading his thoughts "I'm queen of Asgard. It's the least I deserve"
He chuckled then wrapped his arms around her. "You won't have to do this for much longer" he whispered into her hair.
"I know" she answered, melting into his embrace "I would love for you to come with me but we can't risk S.H.I.E.L.D finding out you're here. Besides, it's the perfect opportunity for you and Arik to have some quality daddy-son bonding time"
"Ah..." he said, looking at her cautiously "about that..."
"Oh, is the king of the Nine Realms scared of spending a few hours alone with a toddler?" she gasped in mock surprise "Are you intimidated by the all-powerful and all-conquering little prince?"
"I... ummmm" he tried to put it as best as he could "I have not spent any time with children. Not since I was one"
"Oh, don't worry, it's not hard. Just put on a movie for him, and feed him when he gets hungry. Play with him. If he falls asleep, just watch some t.v and keep the sound monitor with you. Watch a football game, eat pizza and drink beer like the rest of human husbands do... you know..."
"Wha...?" was all he could manage. His look of utter loss and confusion caused her to erupt with laughter.
"Just kidding. It'll be fun, I promise"
Loki stood in front of the couch with the remote control in his hand. He looked at the vast array of buttons and cursed human technology. They complicated everything, thinking that creating such elaborate technological devices even for such trivial purposes as entertainment made them a great, intelligent species. As if. They were as primeval and stupid as a band of Morodeurs.
Next to him Arik sat on the couch, looking up at his father and waiting for his favorite movie to start playing. On the coffee table was the empty Blu-Ray box of the beloved children's film "Despicable Me", which Barbara had handed to Loki saying it was Arik's favorite thing to watch on the holographic device she called "television". Loki had frowned at the title, then nodded in approval at his son's choice of entertainment.
Finally, the image came on the screen and the opening credits for the film began playing.
"Ta-da!" he said enthusiastically to Arik before he sat down on the couch and pulled the small, personal table towards him. He picked up the bottle of red wine from the floor and pulled the cork with his teeth. He poured himself a glass full of red wine , then he picked up his knife and fork and cut into the big piece of prime rib steak cooked to perfection by Barbara before she left.
"Mmm..." he purred, closing his eyes and inhaling the wonderful smell of the meal before him. As much as he hated seeing Barbara doing the duties of servants, he had to admit that she was an amazing cook. He was going to miss her meals once she returned to Asgard. With his mouth salivating in anticipation of the delectable meat, he pulled the fork to his mouth, then stopped when he felt a pair of eyes on him. Looking down to his left, he was met with the adorable sight of Arik looking at him wide-eyed and with a long line of drool dripping down his chin.
Loki looked at his plate then back at Arik. Only moments ago, Arik had finished his own supper of grilled chicken, peas and apples. He had eaten to a full belly, but watching him staring with his big eyes and salivating lips was irresistible.
"Oh, alright. Here, have some" Loki relented, offering Arik the piece of steak he had cut. He and Arik laughed as they shared the meal, with Loki giving him small pieces of steak and some of his herb potatoes and grilled vegetables. The only thing he didn't share was the wine.
"No, not yet. You're too young to enjoy such delicacy" he winked at Arik when he noticed him staring as he took a sip.
Together, they enjoyed the ridiculous yet engrossing children's film. Arik climbed all over his father while Loki laughed at Gru's villainous antics and evil scheme to steal the moon. He looked on befuddled and amused at the Minions' shenanigans, the villain's own personal army of small, yellow henchmen. What tickled him the most was their ridiculous language.
"You have to get the little girl a new unicorn toy!" Gru, the villain, ordered.
"Eh? Papoy? Ma ka na ra papoy?" asked a minion, confused.
"No, no, no, no, no. Papoy" another explained.
"Ah, papoy!"
"Hey, a toy!" emphasized the villain.
"Ta, ta, ta, papoy" the minion pfft'd, then moved to obey.
By the time the movie was over, Loki watched perplexed as the villainous main character learned the meaning of family. Something about this ludicrous, childish and seemingly pointless child's film had struck a chord with him. Beside him on the floor was now an empty bottle of wine, and on his lap was Arik, who had fallen asleep two thirds into the film. Reaching for the remote control, he fiddled with the entertaining system and found a series of short films that Barbara had been watching. Pressing 'play', he adjusted Arik so he now lay on his chest and began watching "Game of Thrones".
Upon reaching a scene that almost graphically showed a man and a woman making love, Loki instinctively covered Arik's eyes and ears, then he laughed at himself when he noticed what he had done. The drama playing out before him was engrossing, with families being torn apart and bloodlines being put to question. Kingdoms fought, schemed and loyalties were tested. He was so caught in the action of watching Ned Stark fall to Jaimie Lanaster and having a spear stuck into his leg when another sounded gathered his attention. Arik was stirring, and a rumbling sound was heard somewhere below the seat of his pajamas.
"No, no, no, no, no" Loki begged, but then the unmistakable stench of soiled diaper reached his nostrils. He sighed and rolled his eyes, then with a groan, pressed 'pause' on the remote control and carried Arik up the stairs.
He placed a sleeping Arik on the changing station then stood back and gathered his bearings. This was it. The challenge was great and his experience was zero. It was daunting. He rubbed his hands together and tried to remember Barbara's instructions. Then he took a deep breath and charged the beast, mumbling to himself as he reached for the items under the table.
"Nappy... wipes, wipes, where the bloody Hel are the wi... ah... here they are... ointment, ointment, where the fuc... ahem... where did she say she put it? There it is... alright... here we go... shhh... shhh... don't wake up, oh please don't wake up... phew... alright... take off sleeping garment...now the flaps... oh for heaven's sake... by the Norns... how can you do so much?!... here we go... wipe... uh huh... and here... and there... and all gone... alright... where is that garbage pan? Ah... UGH!... Odin's ravens... blech... I would rather face the hordes of Hel... alright... new nappy... and now the sleepi... oh fu-... umm... the ointment... take off nappy again... rub, rub... this is more difficult than escaping from Malekith's dungeons... alright... sleeping garments again... all done! Phew!"
Loki let out of a breath of exhaustion as he finished zipping up Arik's pajamas. Thick droplets of sweat moistened his forehead. He wiped them off with the back of his hand before picking up Arik from the table. He walked to the windows and opened them before he placed him in his crib. Then he walked to the small washroom adjacent to the nursery. After washing his hands, he walked to the sound monitors but thought better of it. He reclaimed Arik and holding the small bundle against him, he walked out of the nursery and down the stairs back to the spacious family room. He settled on the couch and continued watching the series where he left off.
For his first time being alone with a toddler, it hadn't gone so bad.
It was well past midnight when the front door opened and in walked Barbara. All the lights in the house were off save for one in the family room and one in the nursery upstairs. Taking off her heeled boots, she walked silently on the plush carpet and reached the entrance to the family room. Upon seeing the sight that welcomed her, the most radiant smile graced her face and her eyes sparkled.
The television was on. One of the later episodes of season two of "Game of Thrones" was playing, but no one was watching. On the couch, Loki lay with his head resting on a cushion that was pressed against an arm of the sofa and on his chest Arik was curled up against him. They were both sleeping soundly. Loki had his arms protectively wrapped around Arik's tiny frame, and the small bundle rose and fell with his father's deep breathing.
Barbara walked silently into the room and reached the sleeping pair. She carefully brushed a stray lock of hair from Loki's forehead, and tenderly kissed his lips. Her life was now complete. She had her son, and she now had the man she loved. Everything would be alright.
Smiling, she stood up and reached for the remote control on the coffee table and turned the t.v. off.
End of Chapter 3
