The Avengers finally get to see the two little babies in this chapter! I hope you all enjoy it :P


Hydrangeas Say Our Family Will Flourish

Chapter Twenty: A Family Expanded

Loki had been smart to craft little makeshift earmuffs from padding and headbands for the babies, because Amelia had not quite anticipated the sheer volume of cheers that would erupt from the crowds on either side of them as they travelled through the residential areas of the kingdom in an open horse-drawn carriage.

Amelia was taken aback by just how enthusiastically the Asgardians expressed their joy at just a glimpse of the tiny faces of their three month old children, and she grinned at the throngs of people jumping up and down, waving their arms and peering over to catch sight of Kari and Aster. She made sure to lift Aster up and angle her face at the horde, ensuring the baby girl was not in any discomfort from the abundance of noise - Loki's quick-thinking was working wonders for their little ears - and laughed as the squeals from the crowd grew louder and happier still.

The two infants had been prettied up for their little parade, dressed in finely-made baby gowns and wearing those circlets Amelia had been gifted at the gala on the day of their birth. The congregation of villagers couldn't have looked more elated at the new prince and princess of Asgard.

Loki had mentioned before that the Asgardian people were not used to seeing children, much less infants, but Amelia had never pressed further on it. Now, however, she was very curious.

"When was the last time a child was born in Asgard?" Amelia leaned over to speak into Loki's ear, barely able to hear her own voice over the noise. He heard, however, with his superior ears.

"It has probably been around eighty years since the last birth was recorded," he informed her after a moment of consideration, and Amelia looked at him in surprise. The fact that the third youngest person in Asgard, not including herself, was around eighty years old - and probably still looked like a teenager or younger due to the slowed aging process of Asgardians - was pretty astounding.

The parade circled through the more clumped-together homes, and Amelia found herself wowed by the infrastructure of the houses - the log cabins invoked an odd desire to go camping in the woods like she had done a few times as a child with her brother - and the fact that even the more common areas of Asgard still looked beautifully built. Nobody in the kingdom spared any expense when it came to rebuilding after relocating to Earth - everybody looked as though they were living comfortably.

That just showed that Thor was a brilliant king who made the needs of his subjects priority, Amelia supposed. Perhaps it was also why every single face just seemed so upbeat and happy.

As soon as that last thought passed through her head, she spied a strange sight - the figure of somebody, man or woman, Amelia couldn't tell, standing a little further back from the crowd. They were barely moving, and they wore a hooded cloak, shrouding their face; it was their stillness that made them stand out, compared to the rest of the masses, and a trickle of nervousness filtered through into Amelia's chest.

She looked to Loki to see if he had seen the figure, but he was looking to the other side, though he must have sensed Amelia's sudden discomfort because he turned to her with a concerned frown. Amelia glanced back to where she had seen the mystery individual, but they were gone.

"Is something wrong?" Loki asked, following her line of sight curiously.

Amelia shifted ever so slightly closer to Loki, cradling Aster closer to her chest subconsciously and shook her head. It wasn't her first time seeing a strange figure in Asgard, but the last time it happened, she had felt there was some truth in Loki's surmise that it had been his mother; this time, however, the unusual presence filled her with a feeling that was far from serene.

She shook herself out of it. It was probably just some elderly Asgardian who wasn't spry enough to jump about like the others and elected to stay back and watch from afar, and she was just reading too much into it.

"I'm fine," she forced a smile and tried to put her attention back on the excitement. After a short while, it wasn't too hard to simply forget about it, because she took comfort in the fact that she would be living in Avengers Tower for the next three months or so anyway.


Amelia had been worried that the babies would not take well to travelling with the Bifrost, but when they touched down on the large balcony, the two infants were still very much fast asleep, completely undisturbed by what Amelia could only describe as a rollercoaster that didn't abide by the laws of physics. It took her a moment to gather her bearings as she clutched Loki's forearm, trying to blink away the dizziness.

Even though Thor had already said goodbye to the babies, he begged for one last look at them before having to return to his kingdom, and bid them farewell with a kiss on each forehead, "Goodbye little prince and princess," Thor sighed as if he wasn't going to see them again for years, even though they would be back in three months, and Amelia couldn't help but snicker at the Asgardian king's pout. He really loved his niece and nephew.

Loki could only roll his eyes.

"And goodbye bigger prince and princess," Thor addressed Loki and Amelia, giving his brother a brief pat on the shoulder and his sister-in-law a big hug, mindful of the baby she carried in her basket carrier.

"We'll miss you," Amelia stated with a grin, she was going to miss the king's lovely banquets, and his booming voice with which he told the best stories and the silliest jokes.

"As will I," Thor returned, a smile upon his face, "I will let you go now, I'm sure the others are very excited to meet the little ones."

Amelia and Loki stepped back, clearing the 'launch pad', and watched Thor depart in a flash of rainbow colours before heading into the tower, making their way down to the floor with the communal living space where they knew everybody was gathered in anticipation.

The moment they appeared in the entryway of the room, Tony was up on his feet, his face beaming with excitement - it wasn't such a common expression for the man, and it was truly endearing as he crossed the room to gather Amelia in his arms in a quick, encompassing hug.

"I've missed you, kid," Tony exclaimed, "look at you, no more big belly." His eyes were suddenly pinned to the two baskets in the hands of Loki and Amelia, and it was clear he was begging with his whole being to get a good look at the babies without saying the words.

"I've missed you too," Amelia smiled widely, "all of you, of course! Who's ready to meet the babies?"

"Oh, please," Tony implored, palms pressed together below his chin.

"I've been waiting months for this," Natasha spoke up, raising her hand in affirmation.

"Don't keep us waiting," said Bruce, smiling with nervous excitement.

Amelia laughed, glowing with happiness to know that the Avengers were just as thrilled to meet the babies as she and Loki had been; the two infants in question were still sound asleep, having not stirred since they left Asgard - they were probably a bit sleepy from all the hustle and bustle of the parade earlier that day, but she hoped they wouldn't be too dismayed to be woken up by the curious Avengers wishing to greet them.

Amelia and Loki approached the sitting area where everybody was gathered, the latter of the two strangely quiet amongst the enthusiasm of the others as they placed the two baskets on the centre coffee table and carefully peeled the blankets back to reveal Kari and Aster. It was an instant wave of smiles all around.

Tony murmured a delighted 'oh wow' at the sight of the slumbering infants, Natasha had to cover her mouth to avoid making a noise that might have embarrassed her, Bruce managed to only just contain his delight, and Steve leaned in to observe them while Clint sat back with a cheery-laced smirk. The slight commotion of their captivation prompted the two babies to begin to stir.

"Can we hold them? Please, kid?" Tony questioned eagerly.

"No," was Loki's immediate response.

Amelia nudged her husband in the side in a sort of reprimand, "Of course you can hold them, after they wake up a little more. They were fed not too long ago, so hopefully they're not too grumpy," she spoke, kneeling down beside Kari's basket so that the little boy could awaken to the sight of his mama instead of what he perceived as strangers.

Predictably, after Kari blinked his eyes a few times, he gave Amelia one of his cute smiles, capturing the hearts of everybody in the room. "Hi, baby," Amelia greeted in a sing-song voice, and made a move to lift the boy into her arms.

Aster, on the other hand, stretched her little arms in the direction of her father, who looked almost complacent that his daughter wanted to be held by him specifically. He picked Aster up and held her close, brushing his finger against her cheek until she gripped it with her tiny fists and refused to release him.

"They're so precious," Nat remarked, something that everybody in the room readily agreed with.

"God, I still can't believe you two have kids," Tony exclaimed, dragging his fingers through his hair, clearly incredulous from just how adorably perfect the two infants were.

"Well, believe it," Loki responded bluntly.

After a few minutes, Amelia surmised that Kari was in a good enough mood to be passed over to Natasha, and did so gently, placing the child in the woman's awaiting arms.

"Say hi to Auntie Nat." Amelia made sure to stay close by in case Kari got nervous, but it seemed almost immediately apparent that the infant boy was a fan of Natasha if the wondrous look in his eyes was anything to go by. Contrariwise, Nat was just as enraptured by the baby, sporting a smile that stretched across her whole face.

"What a cutie," Nat whispered, "look at these curls." She tickled the ringlets with her fingers, making Kari babble and squeal in a very gleeful way. "Alright, it's official," Nat added, "I'd die for this kid."

Amelia snorted, grabbing Kari's flailing foot and giving it a little shake, "Tell me about it."

Tony looked at Loki with imploration in his gaze, clearly envious of Natasha and too eager to wait any longer, "Can I hold her, please?" He begged, gesturing to the baby girl in Loki's arms.

Amelia could tell Loki was about to offer another snarky response, so she gave him a look urging him to behave, to which he rolled his eyes and sighed, before stepping closer to Tony and leaning down to lower Aster into his arms.

"Don't hurt her." Loki said, an unspoken threat wavering beneath his words.

"Of course I'm not gonna hurt her," Tony murmured, looking down in awe at the baby as she was placed in his care. Aster clung to Loki's finger to the point where he had to gently pry her fist away so he could escape her grasp, but once she was safely in Tony's arms, she redirected her attention and began looking him over with curiosity.

"Hey, kiddo," Tony spoke, smiling wide at the infant's inquisitiveness, "oh, aren't you adorable. Got such big eyes there, I can tell it's gonna be difficult to ever say no to you."

It was sweet to hear Tony speak to Aster, and very clear from his words that he was going to strive to do everything he possibly could for the babies to ensure they grew up in a safe environment.

Upon offering his index finger for her to hold like Loki had, she tentatively gripped it in her hands, as if testing whether it was a good finger to latch onto in her shockingly strong fists, before deciding that indeed it was.

"Oof, you're pretty strong for a three month old," Tony chuckled, booping her chin with the tip of his finger, and he almost bounced out of his seat when she gave him a subtle smile, "oh you did not just smile at me. That's it. I'm giving you everything you ever ask for. You want a pony? I'll get you a pony. A spaceship? A mansion? Name it, it's yours."

Kari and Aster sure were lucky to have the Avengers as their essentially extended family; without a grandmother or grandfather alive on either side of the family, having Tony, Nat and the others present in their lives was absolutely a blessing.

Loki and Amelia weren't going to be alone in raising the twins, they would have plenty of help, and for that Amelia was endlessly grateful.

When Aster was handed on to Bruce, she made a precise grab for his glasses, pulling them eagerly from his face.

"Yeah, careful. She likes stealing glasses," Amelia warned a little too late. There had been many times while holding Aster where the baby had made a habit of appropriating Amelia's eyewear.

"Thanks for letting me know," Bruce responded with playful sarcasm, trying to pinch his specs back from the child. Aster probably wouldn't give them up too easily.

Natasha eventually gave Kari to Steve, who had waited patiently for his turn to hold the baby, and Amelia watched the infant stare up at the blond-haired, blue-eyed Avengers for all of ten seconds before he began to scream with his mighty pair of lungs.

"What did you do?" Loki was quick on the accusation.

"I didn't do anything!" Steve responded, looking dismayed and a little lost at Kari's reaction to him. He tried gently patting the child's tummy in a way he thought was comforting, but let out a sigh when Kari did not cease his vociferous wailing. "I've… never been good with young children," he murmured over the incredible volume emitting from the baby.

"He'll get used to you," Amelia smiled apologetically, "he's just not used to loads of new faces."

"Here, let me-" Clint quickly intercepted, lifting Kari from Steve's arms, and Amelia saw Loki visibly jerk in the corner of her vision, his back going rigid as he burned his gaze into the man's face.

Clint seemed to know what he was doing, Amelia wasn't worried about him accidentally hurting Kari as he knew to be careful, and Amelia didn't share Loki's apparent dislike of the man.

Folding Kari's arms against his chest, Clint secured them there with his hand before supporting the infant's bottom with his other hand, and held him at a slight angle before beginning to rock him gently. Moments later, Kari was completely quiet, looking almost completely pacified by the motion.

Amelia's jaw dropped open, "What are you, a wizard?"

"Neat trick, huh? Learned it after having my second kid," Clint revealed, looking smugly at Steve, "guaranteed happy baby in five seconds or less."

"Wish we'd known that for the past three months," Amelia murmured, still in a state of amazement, "you gotta teach me exactly how to do that."

"Sure." Clint gave the baby a little smile.

Loki finally moved after minutes of standing like he had a rod up his ass, and let out a barely audible grumble as he walked around the back of the sofa where Clint was standing and promptly took the child back, glaring at the man as he held Kari to his chest. Clint didn't resist at all, easily letting Loki take his son back, but he did return the none-too-friendly look he had received.

Amelia rolled her eyes at the constant rivalry between the two of them, wondering if they'd ever really get along.

"Right," Amelia announced, clearing the atmosphere that had manifested as a result of the two men, "I want to get Kari and Aster settled. They're probably gonna take a good long nap, but we'll bring them back later this afternoon."

Tony looked mildly disappointed that the babies were being taken away from the group so soon, but he quickly got over it, nodding in understanding, "Of course, you get yourselves sorted. Just give us a call if you need anything, I'm happy to help."

"Maybe later I can get acquainted with Aster?" Natasha asked with subtle hopefulness.

"Absolutely, I'm sure she'll love you," Amelia grinned and turned to Steve, "and you'll probably have better luck holding Aster - she's pretty quiet compared to her brother." Steve looked optimistic that he'd have better luck with the second baby.

With that, Amelia and Loki carried Aster and Kari out of the communal room and headed to the elevator where they could return to their room that had been vacant for three months; while Amelia did love the huge bed in Asgard, she was glad to be back at the Tower. It was the same feeling as coming back from a long vacation - the relief of returning to a more familiar environment was bubbling up inside her.

Once in the lift, Amelia opened her mouth to quietly reprimand Loki for his brash attitude towards Clint, but he beat her to the punch.

"Did you see the way he snatched Kari from Rogers without warning? Abysmal, it's hard to believe that clown has three children when he treats them like stuffed toys."

Amelia blinked, "He wasn't that rough. You're just seeing into it because you don't like him, for some reason."

Loki looked mildly affronted that Amelia would take Clint's side, "He should've asked to hold him."

"You would've said no anyway," Amelia pointed out with a quirked eyebrow.

"Yes, and?" Loki replied.

"You're ridiculous. You're gonna have to get over your bias against him, Loki," Amelia's tone became a tad more serious, "I don't want you teaching our children to dislike him, you hear me?"

Loki frowned, looking down at Kari who was now peacefully snoozing in the crook of his elbow, but didn't bless Amelia's question with a response. Amelia let it go for now, but she wouldn't be so lenient if Loki was so blatantly rude to Clint again.


I hope a lot of people are still enjoying this story. I didn't get as many comments as usual on the last chapter and it made me worry that I might be doing something wrong, so if you do read and enjoy this story, I would really appreciate if you left a comment!