WHY did this chapter take me so long to write? I feel like I've been gone for centuries, I'm so sorry. I have been really busy and not had a lot of time to write :( Plus I've been doing more hours at work, all I want is MORE TIME to be able to write, ya dig me?
Anyway, sexual content ahoy because I need to make it up to you guys ;)
Hydrangeas Say Our Family Will Flourish
Chapter Twenty-Six: A Minor Reprieve
Amelia was slightly embarrassed at the idea which had popped inconspicuously into her head the day before she, Loki and the babies were due to return to Asgard. It was innocent at first. Once Aster and Kari were settled in the palace once again, Amelia wanted to ask dear uncle Thor if he and Inga were free to babysit for the day - or at least for an afternoon - so that she and Loki could have a rest up.
It had been a little more of a struggle as of late, with Aster and Kari both learning to crawl, it made most mornings and evenings a bit of a hassle getting them in and out of their onesies and ready for the day, because all they wanted to do was crawl around, refusing to sit still for even a minute.
Diaper changing was even worse. Babies weren't aware enough to realise just how disastrous it could be for them to explore the room before they were all cleaned up, and it had caused a few mishaps that were rather unpleasant. Why did those two little rascals have to be so active?
Either way, Amelia was just a tad exhausted. She wasn't entirely sure whether Loki felt just as drained, or if she was the only weary one due to the fact she was human. For all she knew, Loki probably had enough energy left to run several times around the Earth before the enervation would even begin to show on his face.
Regardless, it was time for Amelia and her husband to have a little time to themselves, and with their return to the Asgardian palace, she was confident that Thor and Inga would be perfect candidates to fill the roles of babysitters.
It was delightful to touch down in the palace's courtyard with the help of the Bifrost, to be greeted with the eager, warm face of Thor, who appeared just as excited to see them again. It had been three whole months, and in that time the babies had grown an overwhelming amount. It wasn't as noticeable unless Amelia was really thinking about how big they had gotten in comparison to the day they were born, but for Thor - as somebody who hadn't seen them for a chunk of time, it was plain as day.
"They're so big!" Was the first thing out of the king's mouth as he glanced back and forth between the baby in Amelia's arms and the baby in Loki's arms. They were awake and fidgety, still looking a little frazzled from the rainbow light that had engulfed them minutes earlier, but thankfully weren't crying.
Thor's smile was blindingly bright, as it always was whenever he looked upon his niece and nephew. "It's so good to see you both again," he spoke, sounding almost relieved that they were finally back.
"How have you been faring without me here to keep this place afloat?" Loki inquired casually.
Thor snorted, rolling his eyes at his brother, "Well, the palace is still standing, isn't it?"
His joking tone made Amelia giggle, and she stepped forward to hug Thor, noting that he was very mindful not to squash Kari in the enveloping embrace he gave her in return, "We've missed you, Thor," she said softly, stepping back so that Kari could get a good look at his uncle. "Who's this?" Amelia mock gasped, pointing up at the king as she observed Kari's face, "Is it a big teddy bear? A big teddy bear that wants to give you a big hug?"
Kari's string of giggles was evoked by Amelia's lilting voice, he looked up at Thor with a wondrous smile as he was handed over, seemingly very comfortable with being held by the king - Amelia was glad, because a part of her had been worried that the babies wouldn't remember him after being away for three months, but it seemed like she hadn't had to worry at all.
With Kari cradled in one arm, Thor looked expectantly to Loki, offering his other arm to take Aster. Loki sighed, rolled his eyes, and passed the girl to his brother; Aster clutched the material of Loki's jacket as she usually did when she didn't want him to let go of her, but after a little bit of coaxing, she actually paid attention to who she was being handed to, and seemed to relax upon recognising him.
"Look at you both, look how you've grown," Thor doted, and in response Aster reached her hand up and dragged it across her uncle's chin, feeling the scratchiness of his beard. She looked at her hand, an almost startled look on her face, probably from the sensory feedback of feeling the short, coarse hairs, and then she did it again, running her hand through Thor's facial hair.
"Oh, do you like my beard?" Thor spoke as if he had received the finest compliment. He carried the babies back into the palace, with Amelia and Loki trailing in behind, as if they were his own, and told them just how much he had missed seeing their little faces, and how excited he was to have them back. They were too preoccupied with touching Thor's beard or his cape to really pay any mind to what he was saying to them.
It was two days later in the banquet hall at lunch time that Amelia began to think thoughts that were less than virtuous.
If Thor and Inga agreed to look after Aster and Kari - and Amelia had no doubt that they would do so happily, and have a great time doing it - she and Loki would have plenty of time to do… things. Things that they had been wanting to do for a while now. Things that had to be pushed aside in favour of looking after their two children.
Amelia had paused partway through eating as her mind went adventuring to the more titillating areas of her brain, pushing pleasant images into the forefront of her thoughts; she found herself staring openly at her husband across the table, thinking about all the things she would do to him the moment she had the chance.
He ate his buttered bread slowly, his intent gaze on Kari who was currently in the care of Thor - the king was playing with him, the little boy sitting on the table in front of him, and Amelia figured the concerned hint in Loki's stare was owing to the fact that he feared Kari could fall off the table at any moment. Amelia would share this concern if it wasn't for the fact that Thor was clearly ready with his hands to scoop the boy up the moment he chose to move even a muscle. Loki was, as always, overly protective.
He had nothing to worry about, Thor had already shown Amelia many times that he was serious when it came to ensuring the safety of the little ones whenever he got the chance to hold them or play with them.
It didn't change the fact that Loki looked very attractive when his brow was furrowed in concern, especially when pointed in the direction of his children. Amelia found it incredibly sweet just how closely he kept an eye on them.
Amelia wanted to touch him in the privacy of their royal bedroom, to unbutton his silky green shirt and push the material down over his shoulders so that she had access to his beautiful, pale chest. She'd graze her fingertips over his skin until he shivered at the feather-light touches and she would absolutely relish the moment. She would kiss him slowly, their hot lips pressed together, drinking each other in, swallowing each other's moans.
Amelia could feel her lower abdomen growing hot inside with desire. It had been too damn long.
She could perfectly visualise in her mind just how things would go; Loki would grow impatient with her teasing contact and take control, manhandling her into position with her back against the soft mattress of the bed, he'd crawl over her and begin kisses every inch of her body, doing everything he could to make her desperate with need, trembling from his ministrations, and he would make her beg before finally giving in.
The thought of having Loki inside her gave her pleasant tingles between her legs, and she subconsciously pressed her thighs together.
"Amelia? Hellooooo? Oh dear, I think your mother is in a trance," Signy's voice fluttered through Amelia's focus and she inhaled quickly, realising there was saliva slowly escaping the corner of her mouth. She had been caught drooling, ugh.
Amelia quickly wiped her mouth with her sleeve, her cheeks burning bright red as she looked to Signy beside her, then down to Aster who was being gently bounced in the Asgardian woman's lap, looking up at her with a curious expression.
"I'm fine, sorry," Amelia quickly answered her friend, noticing that Loki's stare had drifted to her in her peripheral vision. He gave her an odd look, and Amelia shook her head dismissively, shrugging her shoulders as she tried to look inconspicuous and not like she had just been envisioning herself getting fucked by her dear husband.
Amelia looked down the table, spotting Inga and Thor making silly faces at Kari. She needed to ask them at some point, but she knew it would be difficult to convince Loki to take the kids off his mind for one day so that they could do what they wanted in peace. Which left Amelia only one idea - to ask Thor and Inga in secret and then spring it onto Loki on the day.
It was only seconds before Amelia opened her mouth to ask her brother-in-law whether he could watch the kids that Thor, the King of Asgard, was likely a very busy man. He was in charge of a whole kingdom, there was no way he was going to have the time to watch Aster and Kari for an entire day. But Amelia had come this far, so it was worth a shot asking.
"Hey… Thor." She began awkwardly. Loki had taken Kari off to change him, which gave her a few spare moments to broach the question to the king, so she couldn't dawdle for too long or her chance would quickly pass - it was difficult to get away from Loki without arousing any suspicion, and Amelia wasn't the greatest liar.
"Are you enjoying being back at the palace, Amelia?" Thor queried. He was presently entertaining Aster, playing peekaboo by repeatedly hiding and revealing a little plush toy bear, and the little girl seemed very amused by it.
Or maybe she was just very amused by Thor.
"It's wonderful and I'm so happy to be back, but I wanted to ask you something," she trailed off, hesitating, and Thor looked up at her, a hint of consideration in his gaze. Amelia pushed herself to ask, "Um, well… for the past six months, we've constantly had our hands full with the kids, so we haven't really gotten a day to ourselves at all. I know you're super busy, so I won't be shocked if you say no, but I was wondering… perhaps… would you and Inga be able to watch them for a while? Just for tomorrow - or maybe just the afternoon - so we can, ah, have a little time to… recuperate."
She made sure to be vague about exactly why she was requesting this of him, because being candid with him about the matter would bring her a lot of embarrassment. However, the king smirked, his eyes alight with understanding, which made Amelia think that he probably knew precisely why she was asking.
"Amelia, I'm never too busy to do you a favour. I may be the king, but I'm also Aster and Kari's uncle. I'd be happy to watch them for the day," he glanced at Aster, giving the little one a wink, "isn't that right, little one? We'll have some fun tomorrow while your mother and father take a break."
Relief washed through Amelia's body, the gratitude showing on her face, "Thor… thank you, you don't know how much I appreciate this. Oh, but- I haven't told Loki yet, kinda wanted to surprise him," she gave a bashful grin.
"I see," Thor looked amused, "Inga and I will take them at breakfast in the morning and return them in the evening, you can count on us - we'll take good care of them."
"I know you will," Amelia sighed, "thank you again, Thor. You're awesome, you know that?"
Thor grinned as Aster reached up and began rubbing her hands through his beard again, "Oh yes, I'm well aware."
Amelia knew for a fact that Loki had picked up on her excitable energy when they had settled in for bed that night, partly owing to the fact that she kept shifting every five minutes and struggled to get to sleep, and perhaps also because she couldn't stop smiling as she snuggled up to her husband, imagining with extreme enjoyment all the things they would get up to the next day.
She was no better the next morning, her high spirits blatant as she performed her morning routine, making sure the babies were fed, changed and happy for when Thor and Inga would take them off for the day. Loki still had no idea, and it wasn't long before the king came knocking.
"What are you so chipper about, exactly?" Loki inquired after exiting the bathroom to the sound of his wife humming melodically - not that that was an unusual occurrence, but it was obvious Amelia had been hiding something from him since the night prior, and Loki usually would've figured out what that was by now.
"Just delighted to be back in Asgard. It's a beautiful place and a whole different atmosphere from the busy city," Amelia explained, the words rolling off her tongue - very conveniently, it wasn't a lie.
"Hmm," was Loki's succinct response. He came around the bed where Amelia was sitting on the edge and eyed her with suspicion, eyelids lowered in a narrow gaze, eyebrows furrowed; his intense scrutiny made her shiver, and the little smirk on his face made her feel electrified, further solidifying the fact that she and Loki needed a day together to fuck through the sexual tension.
"Are you going to tell me the real reason, or not?" Loki asked in a low voice, crossing his arms over his chest.
Amelia bit her lip, glanced over to the kids and then back up to her husband and shrugged her shoulders, "I'm not gonna tell you yet, you'll find out soon enough." Loki quirked an eyebrow at her mischievous answer, clearly he hadn't expected her to say that, and it only fuelled his curiosity. He started looking around the room, trying to figure out what on earth Amelia was hinting at, to which she laughed.
Then, just on time, there was a knock at the door.
Loki paused his perusal of the room, looking curiously to the door and then to Amelia. "Yes?" he enquired loudly, expecting a response from a maid or a guard, but instead received a reply from his brother.
"Loki, I'm here at Amelia's request!"
Now Loki's eyebrows were quirked in suspicion, narrow and angled at his wife, "Why?"
Amelia snorted and called out, "Come in, Thor!" She stood and approached the cribs to check on the mood of her babies. Kari was sucking on his own big toe and Aster was sitting up, looking awfully impatient and exasperated at the fact she had not been picked up, despite having already received cuddles earlier that morning. Overall, they appeared content in that they weren't about to cry their heads off for any particular needs they may have. Good. She hoped Thor and Inga would have an easy day taking care of them.
"Why exactly are you here?" Loki questioned as his brother walked through the door with Inga stepping in behind, the Asgardian woman trying her best to hide the knowing smile on her face.
"I'm here for the children," said Thor, shuffling up to Aster's crib. As soon as Aster spotted the opportunity for attention, she raised her arms expectantly, and Thor abided her request, lifting her up into his arms joyfully; the baby babbled happily, her hands going immediately to his beard - Amelia suspected that she found a sensory delight in feeling the coarse hairs against her palms, it was utterly adorable to witness.
Loki glared at his brother for a few moments before scoffing, "Tch. Go make your own." He stepped forward to take his daughter back but Thor withdrew, turning quickly so that Aster was out of her father's reach, and the king looked to Amelia for help.
"It's okay, Loki," Amelia chuckled, "I asked them to watch the kids for the day."
Loki looked at her like she was mad, "Come again?"
Inga walked around Thor to pick Kari out of his crib and the baby boy rewarded her with a gleeful squeal, "How's this little darling this morning?" Kari reacted positively to her sweet, melodic voice, giving her a huge open-mouthed grin.
"Thor and Inga have agreed to watch the kids today, so that we can have a day to ourselves," Amelia explained, carefully watching Loki's reaction, "I figured it was about time we had a short break, and the kids are more than happy with these two."
Loki narrowed his eyes and sighed as he looked back at his brother. He seemed to eye the kids with uncertainty, mulling it over in his head - forever concerned that he could never be sure the kids were safe if they weren't with him, and him alone. This was exactly why he needed a break, in Amelia's opinion.
"Thor and Inga will look after them, you don't need to be worried," Amelia tried, "your brother is one of the strongest people we know, and if they fall ill or somehow get hurt, Inga is literally the best healer." The couple in question brightened at the praise.
Amelia stood from the bed and came to her husband's side, holding onto his forearm, batting her eyelids delicately, "Come on, love. It'll be fine." Loki examined his wife's face, and Amelia made sure to throw in the extra cute puppy-dog eyes - after a few seconds, his brow unfurrowed and he turned his eyes on Thor and Aster.
"You best behave," said Loki.
"Oh, I'm sure she will," Thor laughed.
"I was talking to you."
Thor's smile turned into a pout, but it didn't stick for too long, "Right, well, we'll take these two down to the breakfast hall and feed them. We were thinking of taking them for a walk in the gardens, and then they can have their nap after that," Thor smiled at Aster, "does that sound like a good idea, little one?"
Aster made what sounded like a noise of agreement, and that was all the reassurance Thor needed. Amelia quickly fetched the duffel bag full of baby supplies - from diapers to bottles of milk she had pumped that morning, and a few jars of baby food for later in the day; she had outlined the day before when they would need to feed them milk and when they could treat them to some solid food.
"Aster can be a little fussy with the solid food, so make sure she eats at least half a jar, but if she insists on refusing it for more than a few minutes, don't force it," Amelia explained, "oh and when you're changing Kari's diaper, I've found that singing a song tends to keep him occupied and he won't try to crawl away." She handed the bag over and proceeded to give both Aster and Kari a kiss on the forehead, "If you end up really struggling with them, I will understand if you need to bring them back… they can be a handful."
A small part of her felt almost forlorn to part with them, if only for a day, but she knew it was only because it would be the first day since they were born that she would be apart from them. Perhaps that was also the reason Loki was reluctant to watch Thor take them away for the day.
"I'm sure everything will be fine," Inga assured them, "I've cared for infant patients before, so I know how to look after babies, you need not worry."
"Thank you for this, we owe ya one." Amelia smiled, and gave her children a little wave as Thor and Inga left the room. She knew there was truly nothing to fear, but she hoped Aster and Kari would behave - their mischievous streak was almost too much for Loki to handle sometimes, what with their propensity to crawl away at the worst of times.
The door fell shut behind them, and Amelia sighed, feeling her body flop slightly in relief, before she turned to Loki, and was surprised to find him pinning her with a low-key glare.
"What?" Amelia squeaked, finding immediate amusement in his expression.
Loki stepped towards her, his frame slightly hunched as if he was stalking his prey, "Nice of you to talk things through with me, Amelia," he began, sarcasm on full display, "I wonder what kind of plans you have for us today, given that we are unlikely to be interrupted. Do you perhaps want to visit the library, maybe partake in a game of chess? Or did you have other things in mind?" He was just teasing her now, and Amelia did not appreciate being teased, especially since she'd been wound tight since the day before.
"Well… what do you want to do first?" Amelia spoke, her voice low with a suggestive lilt.
"What do I want to do first?" Loki parroted softly, his breath hot against Amelia's neck as he leant in, lips brushing her ear, "Do you even have to ask?"
In an instant, Amelia went from standing upright to being flat on her back upon the bed of soft furs, letting out a short yelp at the suddenness of it, but was promptly cut off as her husband began to kiss her; not like the chaste or softly drawn-out kisses she had received whenever they were in the presence of the babies, but rather something truly desperate and animalistic.
Amelia was practically dizzy with it by the time Loki pulled away, and she saw immediately that his pupils were blown with arousal and excitement, and his cheeks were pink as he panted, a slight quiver in each breath. It really had been far too long if a simple, passionate kiss was enough to set him off like this.
"Loki, I need you," Amelia whispered, her heart pulsing in her chest, just as turned on as the man above her.
"Then you'll have me," Loki responded, dipping down to suck the sensitive spots on Amelia's neck, and they were sensitive. Amelia struggled to suppress the gasps and moans that Loki's actions pulled from her, she bit her lip, her breaths catching in her throat, and then she realised - why the hell was she trying to be quiet?
Loki must have been thinking the same thing, "I want to hear you, Amelia. Don't you dare try to be quiet, little dove." He nibbled a spot just below her ear which made her toes curl; she pressed her thighs together in an automatic response, releasing a needy sigh as she tilted her head to one side - she was so enthralled by the feeling of his tongue on her skin that she almost missed the use of that nickname.
That wasn't fair. He wasn't allowed to call her that unless she was expecting it.
"Loki, I swear to every god in existence, if you don't fuck me right now, I will never suck your dick again." Regardless of whether her words were empty threats, that one always seemed to get her what she wanted.
Loki pulled back, his slightly parted lips wet from the kisses he had covered her neck with, and a subtle smile formed on his face just moments before he took a fistful of her gown and ripped it in half, pulling it effortlessly away from her body like it was made of tissue paper.
"You-!" Amelia was caught between arousal and irritation, she'd liked that dress, but she appreciated that Loki wasn't going to waste time fulfilling her desire. He was most certainly about to make it up to her.
Amelia quickly pushed down her underwear, kicking it off the bed before spreading her legs, her breaths coming out laboured and hungry; before she could scold her husband for being overdressed, she caught herself stammering at the sight of his pants already pushed down, revealing his hard cock in hand, more than ready to do as she wished.
"O-oh," Amelia breathed, relieved that they were finally, genuinely going to have sex again; her clit pulsed at the thought, and she could feel herself dripping wet, "please- Loki, please."
"No need to beg, my love," he whispered, leaning down to capture her lips as he lined himself up. Amelia felt the head of his cock brush up against her folds and she suddenly grew rigid, her hands flying to his shoulders to push him back.
"Wait, wait, wait!" She cried, much to Loki's dismay. He practically flinched back, confused and concerned at his wife's sudden protests, until she went on to quickly explain the reason for her call to cease, "We- we don't have any birth control!" Her hand went to her temple bashfully, "We forgot to bring condoms." It was perhaps the biggest error, in her mind, but Amelia really didn't want to risk getting pregnant again so soon.
Loki relaxed, letting out a quiet huff, "Inga will have something you can take to prevent another pregnancy." The impatience was palpable in his voice, but Amelia wasn't sorry for wanting to be careful.
"You mean like a morning-after potion?"
"Yes, whatever the fuck that is, you won't get pregnant again, now can I- please," Loki grumbled, clearly agitated at being delayed when his body was clearly so ready. Amelia had to giggle despite herself.
"Yes," she said, squeezing her thighs against Loki's hips.
Loki's cock slipped into her with ease, like a key fitting a lock, and a noise of pleasurable surprise left Amelia's mouth; she could feel the obscene squelch as he pressed snugly inside her and Amelia was flooded with a wave of warmth. It felt so good to have him inside her again.
The sound of Loki's pleasure only spurred Amelia's own, she already felt horrendously close to dropping over the edge, which was both blissful and terrible given they had literally just begun. Amelia's hand buried into his hair, pressing against his scalp, desperately wanting him to be closer still, as if they could meld together into one being of pure, intimate love.
"Mmph… I've missed this," Loki admitted with a groan, "I don't think I can go slow."
"Don't go slow."
Loki grunted. At once, he began to piston his hips in and out of her at a speedy pace, and Amelia let her delight be known to anybody who may have been passing by outside the door at that moment, not even thinking of stifling her rapturous moans.
The expectation Amelia had held since the day before had been that of savouring this moment, allowing herself to drown in the euphoria at a more leisurely pace, but that notion had shattered quickly when it actually came down to it. There was no savouring it. Amelia was drooling for it, and she had definitely been overestimating her own patience.
It was like being handed a glass of water after walking through a hot desert for days, that glass of water wasn't going to be drunken slowly.
Amelia had already tipped over the edge before she'd even realised it. Her orgasm was explosive, zipping throughout her body like ocean waves, again and again, and it left her shaking, the tremors causing her muscles to twitch beyond her control.
Her mouth had opened in a silent scream, followed by noisy moans as she tried to catch her breath. No longer than a minute later, Loki finished inside her, the wet heat of his come filling her up wonderfully.
He trembled as he let himself collapse against her, the silk of his shirt sticking to her nude body due to the layer of sweat on their bodies. Amelia didn't care about that though, she clutched Loki in her arms, holding him tightly.
"Oh, baby," Amelia whined, "we're gonna have to do that at least three more times today."
Loki's responding laughter was muffled against her skin, "I'm counting on it."
Meanwhile, in the breakfast hall, Aster is spitting out all the baby food Thor is trying to feed her with and Kari is discovering his inner artist finger-painting with soup on the napkins.
I HAVE A QUESTION GUYS, are you all chill with me doing larger time skips? I'm planning to cover all the good main things with first steps and first words, etc, but I wanted to double check that you're all happy for me to jump ahead? I do have a plot for this story but it won't be relevant until a little later in, and I'll be honest, I really wanna get to that plot, LOL.
