The kiddies go swimming for the first time in this chapter!
Hope you enjoy this one, it's a little short and kinda filler-y but I needed a little more time before the plot gets thrown back into action xD
Hydrangeas Say Our Family Will Flourish
Chapter Thirty-Seven: Jump In
"I'll catch you."
Loki stood in the palace pool, the water up to his stomach as he held out his hands and beckoned his daughter to jump in and land safely in his arms.
Amelia had bought the kids little swimsuits and inflatable rings and armbands before they returned to Asgard a few weeks back, and she'd had the foresight to bring them along under the surmise that the Summer weather was getting a little too warm, and it was about time they taught the children how to swim. Or, at least, they wanted to acclimate them to the water before they hired a professional to teach the kids how to swim.
Loki was comfortable in the fact that Amelia was holding onto Kari the whole time while he was watching Aster, that way there wasn't a moment where either of the children weren't being surveyed.
Kari took well to the water, splashing with his hands while Amelia guided him around with a hand on his inflatable ring, never once taking an eye off him. He was smiling, vocally excited, and giggled joyfully as he floated through the water.
Aster was a little more apprehensive, she could see that the water was deep and it put her off, but she probably didn't understand that the flotation ring and armbands she was wearing would stop her from sinking in. She had put up a bit of a fuss when Loki had initially picked her up and started getting into the pool via the steps, so he had placed her down on the step where the water reached up to her knees and waited for her to decide herself when to advance.
However, nothing seemed to be able to convince her. Seeing Kari and Amelia swimming around in the water did not convince her, and seeing Loki sink down to his shoulders and then reemerge perfectly fine did not convince her either.
Loki didn't want to hurry her or force her into any discomfort by picking her up and taking her into the pool. As a child, he had been forced to swim before he even knew how, and it had been a traumatic experience; he would not do the same to his daughter.
"It'll be fine, I won't let you go under," he beckoned her again, holding out his hands expectantly, "You trust me, don't you Aster?"
Aster paced slowly back and forth along the edge of the pool, looking pouty and unsure in her adorable light green floral swimsuit, clutching her yellow rubber ring at her waist. She turned around and walked to the bench a few steps away where their towels were piled up and climbed onto it with quite a bit of trouble thanks to the armbands and ring. She sat there and watched as Loki leaned on the edge, sinking his head onto his crossed arms as he stared at his daughter, trying desperately to figure out a way to urge her into the pool.
"Aren't you hot?" Loki asked. It was the middle of Summer and the sun was shining overhead; he knew that Aster being half Jotun definitely meant she was not faring well in the harsh sunlight beating down on them. "The water is nice and cool."
Nope. Aster looked entirely unswayed. She appeared more than ready to face the heat of the sun rather than the frightening depths of the pool. All the while Kari was giggling audibly behind him, his laughter should have been everything Aster needed to realise that it was fun and safe to swim while their parents were there with them.
"Come on," Loki tried, "once you get in, you'll have so much fun. What are you so afraid of?"
Aster shook her head, frowning.
"You don't even have to jump in, I'll hold onto you the entire time."
Aster's gaze remained pinned to him just as she remained pinned to the bench. Loki let out a sigh, glancing over his shoulder at Amelia and Kari.
"Hey, Kari. Why don't you tell your sister how much fun you're having?" Loki prompted, hoping his son would be able to persuade his sister to join them.
"It's fun in the water!" Kari obliged, calling out to his twin as he splashed his palms against the surface of the water. "Come on! Come in! Come in!"
"It's fine, sweetheart, daddy will hold onto you the whole time," Amelia also encouraged the girl, showing her that she had a secure hold on Kari, "and you'll be extra safe with your rubber ring and armbands."
Aster made a whining noise in the back of her throat, shaking her head again. Loki sighed again. This wasn't going anywhere fast, so he pushed himself up on the edge of the pool, climbing out of the water. He was dripping wet as he crossed over to the bench and moved the pile of towels aside to sit beside his daughter.
"What's wrong, hm? Can you tell me why you don't want to go in the water?"
Aster looked up at her father with wide eyes and then crawled onto his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck; Loki bent his head down, encouraging her to whisper in his ear, and the girl tentatively whispered, "The water is scary."
Loki straightened up, locking eyes with his daughter as a look of curiosity fell over him; he didn't understand exactly why Aster was afraid to go in the water, she had never shown any fear when taking a bath before, so he remained baffled as to the reason.
"Why is the water scary?" He asked quietly.
Aster looked back at it, her face forming an oddly worried expression, and then she signed, "Big."
Loki tilted his head, glancing to the pool and then back to his daughter. "Big?" he repeated, "You're scared because the pool is a lot bigger than a bath? Are you scared you might go under the water?"
Aster nodded meekly, peering up at him with glimmering eyes, and Loki gave his daughter a gentle, apologetic smile.
"You have nothing to worry about, little flower." He indicated her ring and armbands, "These will help you float, and I will never take my hands off you for a moment, okay? You won't sink under, I promise you." He paused for a moment, "I think your brother would very much like you to join in the fun, and while we're at it, you can pretend to be a mermaid, like in that Disney movie… uh, what was her name?"
"Ariel!" Kari yelled from the pool, followed by an adorable little gasp, "I wanna be a muh-maid! I wanna be one!" His exclamation had Amelia giggling.
"Right, Ariel." Loki smirked, seeing the new spark of interest in his daughter's eye. He knew for a fact that she held some interest in the idea of being a mermaid because she had been enamoured with The Little Mermaid when she had originally seen that movie some time ago. "Do you want to be a mermaid too?"
Aster's vibrant green eyes widened and shone with excitement as she nodded; it was clear she thought that was an excellent idea. Naturally, the temptation to be a mermaid would win out over her fear.
"Do you trust me to keep you safe in the water?" Loki asked his daughter. Before she could answer, a flicker of doubt attacked him. He had failed to keep her safe in the marketplace some weeks ago, was it possible she didn't believe she was safe with him any longer? The thought was devastating to him, but he needn't have worried, because Aster hit him with her brightest smile, wound her arms around his neck again and hugged him tightly while nodding her little head.
She still trusted him to keep her safe, despite what had happened. Loki held his daughter close, looking past her into the pool where Amelia was giving him an adoring look. Loki rose from the bench with his daughter and approached the poolside once more, placing Aster down before slipping back into the pool. The water was pleasantly cool in comparison to the heat of the sun coming from above and he welcomed it.
Loki raised his hands, "Come on, jump in," he urged Aster, ready to catch her the moment she did.
Aster bit her lip, moving from one foot to the other as she gathered up her courage. She dipped forward and changed her mind at the last minute, oscillating in place in a way that was absolutely adorable. Her face held a look of nervous hesitation, and Loki gave her the warmest smile he could muster, holding out his hands again.
"I've got you."
Finally, Aster leaned forwards again, a little too far to stop herself if she wanted to, and she fell forward, face scrunching up as she anticipated falling in below the surface.
Loki caught her, of course, and the water didn't even reach above her waist thanks to the inflatable ring and armbands keeping her afloat.
"Yay! Well done!" Amelia praised joyfully and Kari echoed her excitement similarly.
"You were so brave," Loki remarked, lifting his daughter to nuzzle his nose against hers, and the action pulled a giggle from Aster as her nerves sizzled down a little.
"Now we all muh-maids!" Kari exclaimed.
Aster played with the water, running her hands through it curiously, a lot calmer now that she realised her father was right when he told her he wouldn't let her slip below the surface. Once she was fully acclimated, Loki carried her and drifted over to Amelia and Kari, finally able to enjoy a light swim altogether.
They stayed in the pool for about thirty minutes before climbing out. Amelia and Loki towelled themselves and their children off, changing back into their royal Asgardian wear before redressing the kids. A little casual magic from Loki insured all of their hair dried in an instant, leaving them presentable.
"Listen up. You two have been doing very well with your education, so I have a surprise waiting for you both in the gardens." Loki explained as they exited the pool area. The children beamed at the mention of a surprise; they had been kept from the gardens while Brynjar worked on the woodworking to build what had been requested, and in the process Amelia and Loki had had to fabricate a reason as to why they couldn't play in the gardens during that period. They hadn't wanted the surprise spoiled, so Loki and Amelia had put up with the children asking almost daily whether they could go play in the palace gardens, and endured their pouty faces every time they'd had to deny them.
The knowledge that they would now be able to play there again clearly enlivened them.
Aster and Kari practically skipped through the halls, led by their father as they held hands with their mother, the two little ones entered the garden area and came face to face with two small, unfamiliar structures. Loki smirked at the sight, pleased with the work Brynjar had put in to create exactly what he'd asked for.
The jungle gym was like a little dream come true for Kari, with a whole lot to climb and a neat slide to boot, while the playhouse was built to look like a miniature cottage, with a small table and two chairs within, a toy chest, a tiny book shelf and a comfy cushioned nook to relax or read in. It was big enough that Loki could just about fit inside if he kept his head low.
"Surprise, children." Loki motioned the kids' rewards with his hand and gave them a look that urged them to explore and inspect the new structures, and that was all they needed to dart towards them at high speeds - well, high speeds for a small child. They squealed in delight, and it brought Loki pure happiness to see his children so excited.
"Oh, Loki," Amelia murmured as she stepped up to his side and curled her arm around him, "they're wonderful. Brynjar might be an odd person, but he did a good job here."
Loki chuckled, nudging his wife closer to his side and letting his hand rest on her waist, "Yes, quite. I am pleased with the finished product, and from the look of it, so are they."
They took a moment to watch their children. Kari had already discovered the slide and was in a perpetual loop of climbing the steps and sliding down, his joy evident by his laughter, while Aster had entered the playhouse and was examining every new thing in sight.
"I love seeing them happy." Amelia remarked, her eyes somewhat cloudy with a far off look, and Loki wondered what she was thinking about.
"As do I." There was perhaps no greater joy than seeing his offspring grinning from ear to ear.
"Do you remember… when you were worried that you wouldn't be a good dad?"
Loki scoffed, shaking his head. It had felt like so long ago when Amelia had been pregnant with them. It was more than three and a half years ago now that Loki found himself full of worry day to day that he would fail at being a father in some way. Now, although he didn't feel those worries nearly as often, he always remained vigilant that he might say or do the wrong thing at any moment.
"I'd say you had nothing to be afraid of," Amelia smiled, tilting her head back to gaze up at her husband.
Loki hummed, locking eyes with his wife. "Yes, I've done well… so far," he answered her.
"So far," she parroted with a snort, "I don't know how we could possibly fuck up now, we've gotten this far."
Loki shrugged his shoulders, "You never know. We might be greeted with a situation that we have no clue how to deal with, and everything will go downhill from there."
"Don't be so pessimistic," Amelia lightly poked him in the side, which was the wrong thing to do because she was immediately at the mercy of Loki's long, tickling fingers digging into her ribs. She almost screamed, grabbing his wrist to pry his onslaught away, and Loki found it unequivocally hilarious. "Don't you dare!" Amelia snapped, though her lips tugged up at the edges into a smile she was trying so hard to hide.
Loki eased up on the tickling, allowing his wife time to recover before pulling her in and initiating a long, chaste kiss. A soft and sweet steady press of his lips to hers, and she sighed against his mouth, forgiving his attempt to start a tickle war.
When they parted, Amelia sunk her head to his shoulder and whispered, "I love you."
Loki kissed her forehead, "And I love you."
They embraced for a few minutes, the Summer sun warm on their skin, but were interrupted when the pitter patter of Kari's footsteps approached. He ran up, somewhat out of breath from repeatedly climbing and sliding down the slide on his new jungle gym, and stopped in front of Loki.
"Dada, I wanna ask a question!" Kari exclaimed, looking like he had something very important he needed to inquire about.
"Of course, little one. Ask away."
Kari smiled and opened his mouth, "Where do babies come from?"
Loki blinked, eyes widening, and his gaze flickered subtly to Amelia, whose jaw dropped at the inquiry. That was entirely unexpected, what in the world had prompted him to ask that?
"Uh… um," Loki murmured, uncharacteristically speechless. He cleared his throat, "What… what made you want to ask that?"
Kari shrugged, "Cause I wanna know." He blinked innocently up at his parents.
Loki hummed, inwardly trying to think of a way to answer his question without straying into territory that would only trigger more and more curiosity, "Well… uh, you see…" Loki let silence hang for just a moment and then held up a finger, "-actually, you know, your mother knows more about all that than I do, and I think I can hear Aster calling for me so..." he began stepping away, throwing his wife an amused, unapologetic glance as Amelia held her hands out as if to say 'did you really just shovel all that over onto me?' and quickly marched off towards the playhouse to avoid answering.
Amelia was smart, she'd figure something out.
In the meantime, Loki knocked on the door of the playhouse, peering through one of the tiny aperture windows and waving to his daughter when she looked up from her toy box. She grinned and rushed over to open the door, ushering him in and closing it behind him; he had to lean over so as not to hit his head on the low ceiling.
"Your house is very quaint, are you going to show me around?"
Aster giggled and took his hand, escorting him to the table and chairs. "Sit," she commanded, pointing at the tiny seat. It was far, far too small for him to sit comfortably in, because it was meant for Kari and Aster, not a fully grown adult, but he knelt down and sort of half sat on it in order to appease her.
"Oh, are we having tea?" Loki inquired as Aster lifted a tray out of the toy box which had a wooden-carved teapot and two teacups. She nodded and placed it on the table, climbing up onto her own chair opposite him and began to pour the imaginary tea from the pot. After doing so, she offered Loki one of the teacups and observed as he took it, waiting patiently for him to take a sip of the imaginary liquid.
Obviously, Loki had to abide. He took a fake sip and then hummed, "Ah, just how I like my tea."
Aster's eyes shone and she nodded, taking a sip from her own empty cup. She soon became distracted again, peering into the toybox once again to see what other goodies had come with the house.
Loki leaned down and peered out the little square window, seeing Amelia knelt down in front of Kari and supposedly explaining to him where babies came from. Or perhaps she was making something up to avoid having to discuss the subject. Either way, Loki knew he was going to get an earful later for pulling the stunt he did.
He still didn't know exactly why the question had arisen in Kari's mind. Children were unpredictable. He hadn't expected to have to answer a question like that for a long while yet, and as such he had been entirely unprepared. He didn't like being caught off guard and unprepared, especially when it came to parenting his children.
Little did he know, there were more unexpected things to come, and he certainly wasn't going to be prepared to face them.
Okay, next chapter will be longer and funny - it's gonna be a prank/mischief war between Amelia and Loki with a little input from the kids, because I've wanted to write a chapter like that for freaking ages. And then AFTER that, the plot resumes, and guys... it's gonna be a crazy chapter. It will absolutely leave you all shook, so you've got that to look forward to ;) Specially all the angst lovers out there... mwahahahaha!
Please review!