AUTHOR'S NOTE: Be warned, the following chapter is as mushy as it comes. Below be strict daddy giving a much needed lesson, a corny bath scene and it ends with a large and corny dash of romance. Dear God, what came over me? lol Must be the entire pint of cookie dough ice cream I just had while watching "The Little Mermaid". God, I need to go on a date lol
I've also been thinking of expanding the story just a tad bit. It's supposed to feature scenes that fit between the end of "Game of Shadows" and the beginning of "Of Madness and Mayhem" but I've been thinking of turning it into a complete tie-in to the series. There may be upcoming chapters that take place when Loki and Barbara are imprisoned at the end of "Mayhem", and some chapters that fit before the beginning of "Born to be a King". What do you think? You think I should? Or not? I really need some feedback on that.
Also, there will be a new chapter to "Born to be a King" this weekend!
Daddy Loki
Chapter 4: Bath Time Troubles
Loki quickly wiped the line of drool that was threatening to drip from Arik's chin. Just one month of spending time with the small toddler had done wonders to his endurance of bodily fluids and otherwise disgusting habits. Loud chewing, regurgitate, dripping drool, snotty nose, infantile crying, soiled diapers and surprise golden showers did not faze him anymore. Changing diapers? He was now an expert. Crying fits at 12, 2, and 4 in the morning that interrupted much needed intimacy with Barbara? Not anymore, Arik now slept soundly through the night. Feeding? Arik did not dare even fuss at anything put in his mouth. Rice cereal was now a breeze. All Loki had to do was sit in front of him with the bowl, cock an eyebrow and offer a spoonful with a stern "open up", and Arik ate his much needed protein. No more spit up, no more fussing, and no more frustrated mommy. Daddy had come and laid down some much needed rules and boundaries. Daddy was now in charge.
He now sat on the plush rug of the study, watching Arik play with his toys. This was an area where Loki spent most of his time when Barbara's house servants roamed the house. Looking out through the large bay windows, he could see that it was mid-afternoon, and the sun would begin its slow descent. With a wave of his hand, the curtains closed, providing the privacy he craved. Then he turned once again to Arik and his hand began to glow. The Odinspear materialized and he presented it to his son with a fiendish smile.
Arik's fingers traced over the runes of the staff, and his eyes studied the intricate carvings. Loki observed how his son's fingers shimmered as he ran them over the spear, indicating that he would one day be able to tap into the force within it. He sighed. Having been born outside of Asgard had doomed his son to be unfit to inherit his father's throne. But then again, hadn't he also been born outside of Asgard, born to a different race, and yet the Odinspear had been placed in his hands when Odin had fallen into his sleep? If the origins of one prince had been kept secret for millennia, so could another's birthplace. After all, Barbara was heavy with child when she had fled Asgard. Who was to say that she had already given birth before fleeing? He would not deny his son his birthright.
"One day, it will be yours" he said to Arik, who looked up at his father with sparkling eyes, delighted with the new, shiny object. "Entire realms will kneel to your might, and races far and wide will stand in awe of your power. One day, my son, you will be king"
Just then, the future king decided that the shiny object was too much to resist. Displaying the strength inherent to his father's race, he picked up the rather heavy spear and brought it up to his mouth. Loki instantly reached for it and reclaimed it, laughing heartily.
"Well, one day you will know how to wield it properly" he jested, wiping the drool from the staff. The sound of his father's laughter caused Arik to erupt into his own fit of loud giggles.
Just then, his sharp hearing alerted him to the movement that suddenly came over the home. Outside, he could hear the muffled roar of the lawn mower winding down, indicating that Rodrigo was finished. In the kitchen, Celia and Barbara were rapidly talking while dishes clanged and drawers opened and closed. He breathed a sigh of relief at the welcome thought that the human intruders would soon depart, and peace was about to descend upon the home. Then the Odinspear disappeared from his hand and he quickly jumped to his feet. He made a dash for the large mahogany desk, settling in front of the laptop, and grabbed the phone from its base just as footsteps began to echo down the hall. Soon, there was a knock on the door.
"Your tea, señor!" Celia's thick accent called from the other side.
"Bring it in" Loki called out nonchalantly.
He pretended to be transfixed on the screen of the laptop as the housekeeper entered and set the silver tray on a glass table close to his desk but facing away from it. He finally looked up when Barbara entered. Arik instantly crawled to the housekeeper and asked to be picked up. He absolutely adored her.
"Mi niño precioso!" she giggled when Arik stood up on wobbly legs and held on to her skirt for support, then she picked him up and smothered him with nuzzles and kisses.
Barbara walked over to Loki and stood behind him, wrapping her arms around him and placing her chin on his shoulder. "Working hard, darling?" she asked sweetly, and only he caught the underlying trace of laughter in her voice.
"Yes" he replied, returning the tone and turning his head to catch her lips with his.
"Will that be all, señora Grey?" Celia asked with Arik in her arms.
"Si Celia. Te veo el Viernes" Barbara replied, reminding her that she was not due to return for two days.
Celia said her goodbyes, placed a final kiss on Arik's forehead and returned him to the rug and his toys. Loki and Barbara watched her go, and continued to look at the empty hall until the click of the front door and the mechanical voice of the security system alerted them that all doors and windows were now locked. Then Barbara tapped on the laptop and a screen opened. Loki raised an eyebrow at what he saw.
"It's called The Avengers Mansion" Barbara said with disgust as she walked to the silver tray and began pouring "It's disgusting really. I mean, who do they think they are?"
"Earth's mightiest heroes" Loki scoffed, recalling the words the man of iron had taunted him with. He looked at the newly reconstructed Stark Tower, adorned with a large "A" atop it, like a crowning glory. He rolled his eyes and growled, remembering the events that unfolded within, and the feeling of lying in a small crater, breathless and beaten.
"If it's all the same to you... I'll have that drink now" he had said, crawling on the steps and looking up at the team of freaks that had thwarted his plans.
"Take that drink and shove it..." he now muttered just as Barbara placed a cup of steaming infusion in front of him.
"Well, that's the fine thanks I get for pouring your tea" she said appalled, but she knew Loki was lost in the past.
"Not you" he said, taking her hand and depositing her on his lap, causing her to laugh. He took a sip, enjoying the soothing feeling of the peculiar infusion wash over him. "Thank you" he sighed, looking up at Barbara adoringly and stroking her cheek.
Just then, the sound of fussing broke the moment. Arik was standing next to the table where the tray was set, reaching over and trying to grab one of the pastries. He was unable to reach it, and was now looking at Barbara, babbling and fussing, voicing his desire to have one. Barbara instantly moved to rise, but Loki held her back.
"Wait" he said, securing an arm around her. He looked at Arik and narrowed his eyes.
"But Loki..."
"Look at him" Loki interrupted "he's demanding you to give him what he wants"
Arik continued to fuss, his babbles now turning to urgent and impatient whines as he continued to look at Barbara and motioning towards one of the pastries. To Loki, it was the mirror image of someone he knew. Someone he grew up with. Thor, who throughout their childhood only needed to say it once, and everything he wanted was placed in his hands unquestioningly. The favored child, who thanks to the lenient upbringing he received, grew up to be petulant and spoiled, arrogant and insufferable.
"No. Step away from the table. You can't have it if you're whining" Loki instructed, gesturing towards Arik to do as he asked. Arik's eyes filled with tears, his lip quivered, and he made one last gesture towards the delicacy he demanded, whining loudly and now angry. When neither of his parents moved, he was about to cry, then Loki put a finger up, stopping him in his tracks.
"No tears. Cease your whining or you will have none" he now said sternly, and to Barbara's amazement, Arik's expression went from upset to resigned. Slowly, he let go of the table and sat back down on the rug, looking up at Loki. His tears dried, and the look in his eyes was not one of heartbreak or resentment, but of acceptance and admiration.
"Good!" Loki nodded.
"How did you do that?!" Barbara asked amazed.
"He needs to learn that he can't simply demand things and they will be given to him instantly. I'm not saying he can't have it; he will, just not on his terms. He may be a prince, but I will not see our son grow up to be an obstinate and entitled brat. No one likes a snotty imbecile for a king"
Barbara raised an eyebrow at his words. Obstinate and entitled: Two words that described her husband perfectly. And yet, he wished to do right by his son...
"You may give it to him now" he said, watching Arik return quietly to his toys, all thought of the pastry he had demanded now forgotten.
Barbara rose and took the fruit tart Arik had wanted, then she picked him up and placed him on the desk. She sat back down on Loki's lap and began to feed Arik the delicious treat. Loki simply watched satisfied.
"Delayed gratification" Barbara said, appreciating the lesson Loki had just taught their son.
"Lokiiiii..." Barbara called out from the wardrobe adjacent to the nursery.
"Yes" he barely managed to choke out through his laughter. He was laying on the floor with Arik sitting on his chest, and they were both drowning in giggles as Loki tickled him.
"Would you mind getting his bath started?"
The tickling stopped.
"Bath?" he called out to her.
"Yes. Just fill the tub about a foot with lukewarm water and add the bath solution. I'll be along"
Loki sighed. He had changed diapers, he had fed, he had dressed Arik after baths but he had yet to give him one. He looked at Arik, who was eyeing him with wide eyes.
Couldn't be that hard to give a toddler a bath, could it?
"Alright" he called out to Barbara. Just what was she doing? Didn't certainly take that long to find pajamas for Arik to sleep in.
He took Arik to the washroom and proceeded to fill the tub. He twisted the knob this way and that way until the water temperature was just right. He added nearly half the bottle of bath solution, then he removed Arik's clothes and nappy and placed him inside. For once, he was grateful for the light, human garments he still wore even though all servants had long gone. He knelt at the edge of the tub and began to pour the water over Arik, wetting him thoroughly. Arik began to play and to splash around.
"Arik" Loki protested when he began to get splashed. He suddenly stood rigid when a splash hit him right in the face. Then he turned to Arik with the most mischievous of smiles.
"So that's how you want to play? Alright, I'll play" he goaded, and began to splash Arik back. The aquatic battle continued until Loki's hair and upper torso were completely drenched.
"Time to take this to the next level" Loki said, and took the rubber ducky, the pirate ship and the large array of sea animals from the cubby next to the tub and put them in the water. With a wave of his hand, the toys took on a life of their own.
"Quack, quack!" went the duck as it swam around Arik. The flag on the pirate ship blew in the wind as it sailed around the tub, its canons producing loud explosions and small puffs of smoke. The sea animals swam around in the water, the dolphins jumped around, and the bubbles...
...the bubbles kept on multiplying, creating large formations in and around the tub, almost reaching the ceiling and threatening to spill into the washroom.
"Oh, oh" Loki said, eyeing the unwanted effect his magic had on the bath water. He moved to wave it all away, but then his bare foot touched the wet tile floor... and he slipped, falling right into the tub.
Upon hearing the loud bang, Barbara quickly dropped the box she had been searching for and ran out of the wardrobe closet, across the nursery and into the washroom. She stopped in her tracks upon seeing the thick and rapidly expanding wall of bubbles that almost spilled out. Waving and cutting her way through it, she finally made it to the tub.
"What on Earth..." Barbara gasped at the scene before her.
His head thrown back in uncontrollable laughter, Loki was sitting in the tub, drenched and covered in bubbles. In his lap, Arik was playing with the animated rubber ducky, and on their heads they each wore a spiky mohawk, held up by the thick foam.
"Having fun, you two?" she asked with mock disapproval, but she couldn't contain the fit of laughter that instantly overtook her.
"Mmm-hmmm" Loki replied, spiking Arik's mohawk even higher.
To Barbara, it was the most ridiculous and most beautiful sight she had ever seen.
Now bathed and changed, Loki emerged from the cavernous washroom and into the master bedroom. He ran his hand over his hair, ensuring it was perfectly slicked back. He stopped and raised an eyebrow upon seeing Barbara fussing over Arik, trying to keep him still while she dressed him.
"No..." he breathed upon seeing just what it was his son was wearing.
"Ta-da!" Barbara said triumphantly "remember this?"
Arik was dressed in an immaculate black suit. The jacket reached his knees, his white shirt was perfectly starched, and he wore a black tie. His somewhat long hair was slicked back, just like his father's, and Barbara was now removing a green and gold scarf from the box.
"I had the whole ensemble custom made to look exactly like yours" she explained, placing the scarf around Arik's neck. She smiled upon seeing the look of utter amazement on Loki's face.
"So that's what you were digging out of his wardrobe" he said, still stupefied at the little 'mini me' that sat on the bed.
"Look at me! I'm the most adorable little god!" Barbara said, waving Arik's arms "I'm going to steal the hearts of your women and make them all kneel with my cuteness!"
Loki took Arik's hands and took a step back, admiring the ensemble that was an exact replica of the one he had donned that night long ago, when he had made himself known to the world.
"You remembered every detail" he said, looking at the intricate weaving of the scarf, right down to the golden threads at each end, and the wide green ribbon that ran down the middle.
"Of course" she replied "it's a night I will never forget"
He looked at her and gave her his most charming smile. Then his own garb shimmered and was replaced by the very same suit. Barbara gasped when her nightgown disappeared and she was now clothed in the exact same dress she had worn that night in Stuttgart, complete with the gold shoes on her feet and the diamond choker around her neck.
"And you remembered every detail" it was her turn to be amazed. She looked at herself in the full length mirror, and for a brief second, allowed herself to be transported back to that fateful night in May.
"Of course" he replied 'it was I who chose it for you"
"I didn't know..." she breathed, looking into his eyes. For a moment, they held their breath when suddenly, they were no longer inside a large bedroom, but back inside the Staatsgalerie: He a dashing, handsome stranger; a god on a mission. She had been a vision; an impressionable and smitten mortal who obeyed her master and captor.
Arik's giggles broke the moment, and they finally breathed, returning to the present. Had it really been that long ago?
The night ticked on, and two lovers now lay on the large bed. Between them, the offspring of their love lay sleepy, playing with his tiny little feet. The two lovers talked of times past, a time in which there had been absolutely no idea of what the future held for them. Their love story had such dark, cruel, violent, and sinister beginnings, and yet, somehow, by fate or by luck, it had morphed into something so delicate, unbreakable, precious and wonderful. Perhaps the Norns had cursed him only to bring about a blessing he had never before dared to fathom. Love and acceptance were the greatest form of adoration. Not even the sight of millions on bended knee came close to the euphoria he felt when he looked into Barbara's eyes and heard Arik's laughter.
Soon, all three were lost to slumber. The magic dissipated and she was once again in a sheer nightgown, he in a tunic and breeches. Only Arik remained dressed as he was, clothed in a very stylish and very costly Dolce & Gabbana suit.
End of Chapter 4