HEY GUYS! I had some truly lovely comments on the last chapter that made me super happy. I'm so glad you're all enjoying this series, I have so much fun writing the blossoming relationships between Aster, Kari, Amelia and Loki. They're such a sweet family, and I really enjoy writing child/baby characters :')

The kids are seventeen months in this one, and I know what you're thinking - WHAT, KUMIKOSEPH, YOU MISSED THEIR FIRST BIRTHDAY? Hear me out, the first birthday is a big milestone, yes, BUT, I couldn't think of any particularly interesting ideas to cover on their first birthday, soooooooo I instead have plans for a later chapter for their fifth birthday perhaps. Either way, I'm sure y'all will enjoy this chapter anyway.


Hydrangeas Say Our Family Will Flourish

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Give Me A Sign

"How's playtime coming along?"

Amelia's voice rang melodically through the nursery as she entered, carrying Kari's and Aster's snacks on a tray to where Loki was currently keeping the children entertained with some creative activities.

Kari was in the process of building a tower of building blocks, though so far he hadn't managed to make the tower more than five blocks high without it collapsing to the floor - the toddler was growing a tad bit frustrated over this.

Aster had several plush toys sitting around her and she appeared to be methodically picking each of them up one by one to pat down their fur - if they were stuffed animals, or to run her fingers through their hair - if they were dolls. She took extra special care to sit them back down after she was done inspecting them, making sure they were sat upright and were neatly positioned.

Loki had been encouraging Kari to keep building up his tower, because the boy was in need of some emotional support over the fact that his glorious building blocks kept plummeting to the ground, while keeping an eye on Aster in his peripheral. He loved to wonder just what his young daughter was thinking about while she examined her toys and placed them orderly in front of her. She wasn't overly interested in constructing a tower of blocks like her brother, she was more fascinated with her soft toys and the different materials they were made of.

"Playtime is going well," Loki answered his wife, smiling as he took the tray from her and placed it down beside him on the floor; Amelia had very kindly brought up some thin slices of apple, cucumber, and cheese for the little ones to eat. It was about time for their mid-morning snack, after all.

"Mama!" Kari exclaimed, arms spread wide in request of a hug, which Amelia happily indulged him with. She knelt down and gathered him up in her arms, giving him a warm kiss on the cheek.

"Hey bug, I've got your num nums. Eat up!" She gently brushed her hand through Aster's hair, even though the girl was entirely preoccupied with her dolls, and then leaned forward to kiss Loki, smiling contentedly once she pulled away. "I'm going to get changed, make sure Aster eats her cucumber. I'll be back in a bit."

"Of course," Loki watched her leave the nursery with the intent to change out of her dressing gown and into some outdoor-appropriate clothing. After lunch, they were going to take Aster to a pediatrician who could hopefully give them a little insight into what exactly was going on in the girl's mind.

She still didn't speak. At seventeen months, it was beginning to seem like something to be fully concerned about, especially when she showed signs of a good understanding of some words and phrases spoken by either himself or Amelia. Aster reacted to certain words. She knew who to point at if Loki asked her to find her brother, or her mother, and she most definitely knew what was coming if the words 'chocolate pudding' were spoken aloud. Loki just couldn't understand why his daughter couldn't replicate the words spoken to her like her brother could.

They'd taken Aster to see Inga about it, but she had been just as stumped. All of her experience with young children was exclusively Asgardian toddlers - and it had been a while since there were any of those in Asgard anyway - let alone a Jotun-Midgardian half breed toddler. Inga had apologetically suggested seeing a Midgardian doctor about her, because from what she knew, it was an issue born out of her human nature as opposed to her Jotun nature.

So, they had gone to Banner, who had put them in touch with an expert who may be able to help them. A human pediatrician. Loki wasn't thrilled at the prospect of interacting with a Midgardian who probably wouldn't have anything enlightening to say anyway, but Amelia pointed out that if Loki was truly concerned for his daughter, he would give it a shot.

"Num num, dada," said Kari, pointing at the tray with grabby hands, and Loki chuckled, picking Kari up as he tried to dive across his dada's lap to obtain the delicious little pre-lunch snack Amelia had prepared for them. He sat Kari back down and picked up the boy's plastic bowl.

"Alright, here you go. Don't eat too quickly," Loki warned him gently, knowing how enthusiastic the boy could be when it came to food; he watched as Kari plucked up a thin slice of cucumber and put it in his mouth to begin munching delightfully. Loki waited until Kari had chewed and swallowed before asking him, "Kari, can you say 'cucumber'?"

"Koo-bah-bah," Kari responded confidently before picking up another piece.

"Close enough," Loki nodded and then glanced over to Aster appraisingly.

Aster had turned her attention away from the food Amelia had brought and was now standing next to the small bookcase which housed the growing collection of children's books they owned. She seemed to be searching for one to pick out, always keen for her dada to read to her.

"Aster, it's time to eat. Come over here," he held out his hand, beckoning her over, but the girl only looked back at him briefly, sucking away on her pacifier, and then turned her attention back to the books before her. Loki tried again, a tad bit firmer, "Come over here, Aster."

Aster picked up one of the books, holding it to her chest with both arms as she approached, and instead of sitting down like Kari to eat her snack, she tried to make herself comfortable in Loki's lap. Loki wasn't having it. He picked her up out of his lap and placed her down opposite himself next to her brother, to which she gave him a very unhappy frown.

Oh, she was in a mood today.

"Food first, then book." Loki told her, pushing her bowl in front of her with an expectant look, hoping the action would be enough for his daughter to understand that he wouldn't read to her until she ate.

Aster sulked, staring down at the bowl as if she wanted it to disappear; in her hesitance, Kari made a move to steal her apple slices after having finished his own.

"Ah- no," Loki reprimanded, his stern tone causing Kari to sheepishly retract his hand and quickly act as though he hadn't done anything wrong. Loki could tell he was going to be a huge mischief maker when he was fully grown. Stealing food from a sibling - that was something he himself used to do to Thor all the time.

He looked back to Aster, who was looking up at him with her big, round eyes, probably hoping he would give in and read to her instead of forcing her to eat her tiny little snack first and foremost. It wasn't going to work, not this time. Usually that look made him weak and inclined to let Aster have her way, but she needed to eat her snack, mama's orders, and Loki was more afraid of Amelia's wrath than that of his daughter.

"Eat, now." He tapped the bowl.

Aster lifted the book up, showing him the cover. The Very Hungry Caterpillar. That was a little bit ironic. Loki took the book from her and placed it down on the floor beside him before pointing at the bowl yet again. "Aster," he said her name in a terse, warning tone that left no room for argument, and the girl made the whining noise that she typically made as a precursor to crying.

Loki sighed, face softening, and he picked up the bowl, plucking up an apple slice and holding it out to her, "If you eat these, we can read the book, okay?" Aster sniffed, but appeared to relent at his gentler tone. She took the apple slice and pulled her pacifier out so she could eat it, which was all it took to get her in the groove of devouring the rest of her little snacks. For some unearthly reason, Aster was always averse to snack-time and meal-time until she took her first bite, then she'd eat her food without much fuss; it was like she always had something else she wanted to do first.

She still seemed to have an issue with the cucumber though, because despite eating the apple and cheese without further reluctance, she paused when it came to the sliced vegetable. Aster pointed at the book, looking up at her father questioningly.

"Two slices of cucumber, Aster," Loki said, picked them up and holding them out to her, tilting his head when Aster frowned at his hand, "come on. It's green. You like green, remember?" He held a slice up to her lips, and she glared at the cucumber before tentatively opening her mouth and taking a bite. Her face scrunched up slightly as she chewed and swallowed it.

"It's really that horrible, huh?" He took pity, looking up at the door to see if Amelia was lurking outside or if she was still in the bedroom. The coast was clear, so he popped the remaining cucumber in his own mouth and ate it himself, "Mama doesn't have to know," he whispered, giving his daughter a wink.

He never ate his vegetables as a child either.

Aster was already crawling back into his lap, ready for Loki to read the story book like he had promised, and Kari was quick to join in, his building blocks sitting forgotten as both toddlers bundled onto his crossed legs. Loki chuckled, picking up the book and opening it to the first page.

"One Sunday morning, the warm sun came up and - pop - out of the egg came a tiny and very hungry caterpillar," Loki began, but was interrupted by Amelia before he could turn the page as she walked in, all dressed and prettied up.

"Hey," she greeted, and then stopped, looking down at the empty bowls in surprise, "you actually got Aster to eat the cucumber?"

Loki looked at her for a second.

"Yes."

"But she never eats the cucumber?" Amelia sounded stumped.

"I'm just that good," Loki smiled smugly and turned his attention back to the book, trying to pretend he wasn't wholly amused by the impressed look that passed over his wife's face.


Loki watched Kari stumble around the waiting room of the specialist's office, babbling to himself loudly and causing a general fuss in the otherwise silent atmosphere; the boy seemed a little skittish and excitable, unlike his sister who was, of course, completely quiet and sitting still in her father's lap. Kari didn't want to seem to calm down no matter how many times Amelia repeatedly shushed him, whereas Aster appeared to be oddly apprehensive, as if she knew they were there because the pediatrician wanted to see her.

The girl leaned her head against Loki's chest, sucking tentatively on her pacifier, her brow furrowed like she was anxious; he let his fingers drift through her thin hair in an effort to soothe her apparent discomfort. Perhaps she was put off by the new environment and the fact that they had been sitting there waiting for the past thirty minutes.

Their appointment was supposed to be twenty minutes ago, but the pediatrician was running late with his appointments, much to Loki's dismay. He could be patient for his children, but having to wait for Midgardians was just such a chore for him - it was stupid, their appointment was set for 12:30 that afternoon, so that's when it should have been. It was coming up to one o'clock now and Loki found his mood dropping with every passing minute; being in close proximity with humans who weren't his wife or the Avengers was just so tiresome. He was lucky that none of the humans in the waiting room were even glancing his way - his glasses and ponytail disguise combo hadn't let him down yet, but he didn't want to push his luck.

The pediatrician wasn't aware that he was going to be appraising the child of Loki, of Asgard, and Loki damn well hoped he wasn't an Avengers fan. When outside the tower with his family, it was of the utmost import that he remained anonymous to those around him.

Amelia's voice cut through his train of though, "I think one of us should stay out here with Kari when Aster's called in," she murmured, a slight weariness to her voice, "something tells me he isn't going to sit still and be quiet for more than a few minutes, if at all. I don't want to disturb the doctor…"

Loki nodded his head, "Yes, I agree. He's rather out of control… so did you want to go in or shall I?"

"It's probably best that I go in," Amelia said with a slight smile, "I mean, what if he asks you a question and you don't know the answer?"

Loki frowned, "Why would I not know the answer?"

"I mean-" she lowered her voice a tad, "what if he starts talking about something Midgardian-related and you have no clue what he's on about. You'll seem weird if you have to ask him to explain something that's, like, really basic knowledge for me but not for you?"

Loki sighed, "Right, okay. Fine, you go in with Aster. I'll stay out here and try to wrangle Kari into a seat."

After another five minutes, the door to the doctor's office opened up and a woman walked out with her young child, followed by who Loki presumed was the doctor they were here to see.

The Midgardian doctor looked to be in his mid-thirties, had tan skin and very short, dark hair along with a beard that was neatly kept; he wore a pure white coat and had some strange device hanging around his neck.

"Aster Avery?" the doctor called, glancing around the room.

Finally, Loki thought as Amelia stood up and moved to take Aster from his arms. Aster, however, did not want to leave her father's lap, because she gripped the lapel of his coat and gave an anxious whimper as Amelia tried to get her to release her tight clutch on him.

"Aster, come on sweetheart," Amelia tried gently, "we won't be too long."

In an instant, Aster revealed her displeasure at her mother's insistence by breaking out into a loud, sharp cry. Loki glanced over to the doctor, who stood with complete forbearance while Aster kicked up a loud fuss and bawled her eyes out, till eventually Loki stood, taking his daughter back from his wife's arms, "It's okay, I'll take her in."

Aster wasn't going to accept being taken away from him, not while she was so visibly distressed, which left only option - he was going to have to talk to the Midgardian doctor in Amelia's stead.

Amelia looked uncertain, "Are you sure?"

"It's fine," Loki nodded, and Aster quietened down almost as soon as she was fully handed back to him. Amelia gave him an encouraging half-smile as she sat back down and Loki crossed the room and entered the doctor's office.

As the pediatrician closed the door, Loki realised with a start that Amelia had been right, he was kind of out of his depth - he could only hope that the doctor would speak plainly and ask relatively straight-forward questions.

"Sorry for the wait, Mr. Avery. Please take a seat," he indicated the empty chair opposite his desk, "I'm Doctor Hayes, I understand you have some concerns about your daughter. What exactly can I help you with?"

Loki quickly wiped his face clean of the initial confusion he felt when the doctor called him Mr. Avery, realising that Amelia must have given them an alias in place of his real name, because obviously he couldn't list his name as Loki Odinson if he wanted to be incognito.

He cleared his throat, "Uh, I think my wife explained when she called…" Did he really have to relay all the information Amelia had already given them?

Doctor Hayes smiled, "Yes, of course, I have a vague idea, but I'd like to hear the unabridged concerns you have."

Loki frowned, but humoured the man, "Well," he began, slightly awkwardly - Amelia really would've been better off in here - "...my daughter doesn't speak." There wasn't really a more detailed version of what Amelia had told them over the phone. Aster didn't speak. That was literally it.

"She doesn't speak? Okay," Hayes glanced down at his notes and then looked back up, "it isn't unusual for children of seventeen months to have yet to say their first words. It is on the later end of the period in which children typically begin to speak, but not necessarily a cause for concern. Can you tell me why this worries you?" He spoke kindly, but Loki found himself feeling irked as if the doctor was maybe reprimanding him for wasting his time.

"It's not just that she doesn't speak, she barely makes a sound," Loki glanced down at the toddler in question, who seemed to be overly interested in staring at her wiggling fingers, "her twin brother already knows quite a few words, I don't see any reason why she would be so far behind him when we've been encouraging their progress at the same pace."

The doctor nodded, seemingly understanding where Loki's worries had arisen from.

"Do you have any reason to believe there may be anything wrong with your daughter's hearing?"

"No," Loki answered, "she… she knows when we're talking to her. When we say her name, she looks at us. She can hear just fine, I'm sure."

"Alright, I would like to know - does your daughter have any unusual or repetitive behaviours, trouble making eye contact with you, or a tendency to get angry or upset very easily?"

Loki didn't quite know what constituted unusual behaviours, but nothing particularly stood out; repetitive, however, was something that he could attribute to Aster's almost obsessive sucking on her pacifier.

"She's rather attached to her pacifier… she gets upset when we try to take it from her, I'm not sure if that counts. She doesn't have an issue with holding eye contact." Several times, Loki had practically had staring matches with the girl - she liked to stare at him a lot.

"I see, I see," said Hayes, glancing down at his notes again, "and does your daughter respond well in non-verbal ways when you interact with her?"

"Such as?"

"Well, does she wave to people, nod or shake her head as a response, point to things that she wants…?"

"She does all of those things." Now that the doctor had specified, Loki supposed that Aster did make an effort to communicate non-verbally. While Aster's lack of speech made it difficult to understand her exact needs sometimes, Loki didn't really find it impossible to figure out what the girl wanted to convey most of the time.

"Good, that's good," Doctor Hayes assured, picking up a pen to scribble something down in his notes. He turned his attention to the girl who had yet to even acknowledge the doctor's presence, Aster was still very much looking anywhere but the direction of Hayes.

"How are you, Aster?" the doctor inquired, leaning forward on his knees slightly so that he was talking more at the girl's eye-level. Loki looked funnily at the doctor - did he really think she was going to answer his question? Did the doctor think he could get Aster to talk when both Loki and Amelia had been trying for months upon months?

At the mention of her name, Aster looked up at the doctor with wide eyes, her pacifier going still in her mouth as she stared at him for a moment and then turned away, shoving her face into Loki's shoulder as if to hide. Loki automatically rubbed her back soothingly in reassurance.

Hayes didn't seem put off by Aster's unwillingness to face him, in fact, he looked almost like he expected it, and a small smile formed on his face, "It's okay, I know I have a scary face. But I don't bite, I promise." Loki gave the man a cynical look, he didn't look scary at all, what was he talking about?

"You know- I've got something for you, Aster. It's something very special, only the bravest kids get one of these," he turned slightly, opening up a drawer. He pulled out what looked like a piece of paper with rows of stars across the page in many different colours, all of them glittering in the light of the room.

Aster turned her head ever so slightly, looking at what the doctor had uncovered; she observed the page of stars with abundant curiosity, but still remained reluctant to pull away from her father to get a good look.

"It's a sticker, see?" the doctor peeled one of the stars away from the page and placed it on the lapel of his whiter than white coat. "If you wear one of these, it means you're fearless. Plus, it looks pretty!" The man grinned, holding up his lapel like he was proud to show it off, talking in an excitable way that appealed to the girl.

Aster seemed interested enough to sit up straighter and lean over to look at the rows of star stickers laid out before her.

"Would you like to have one?" Hayes asked gently, and Loki watched silently as Aster nodded her head, reaching out with grabby hands towards the sheet. The doctor smiled brightly, "which colour would you like, Aster?"

Aster pointed towards the sparkly green stars and Loki felt a small swell of pride, smiling at his daughter.

"Ohh, good choice!" said the doctor animatedly as he peeled the green star from the sheet, "Green is a very cool colour, oh- and it matches your eyes!" He placed the sparkling star on Aster's top and she gazed down at it in delight, running her finger over the slightly rough texture of the glitter in wonderment.

Then she looked up at Loki, her mouth stretched into a grin around her pacifier as she pointed at the sticker on her chest, and Loki mirrored her glee, admiring how bright and happy his daughter looked all of a sudden, as opposed to the nervous state she had been in just a short while ago.

"It's beautiful, Aster," he praised, stroking her head adoringly.

Loki understood now why the doctor had pulled out the stickers in the first place; the man was obviously good with children if he worked as a pediatrician, and he probably was used to children being withdrawn and nervous, so this was a great way to urge them out of their shells a bit.

And it worked. Hayes proceeded to pull out a small poster which showed cartoonish pictures of a bunch of different animals; he asked Aster to point at her favourite animal and she indicated the image of a bird, and then when he asked her to point to several different animals that he named, she was able to do so. Loki believed she could identify the animals well thanks to one of the children's books they had back at the tower that told a story about the lives of farm animals.

The doctor seemed impressed that she was able to point to every animal correctly as he named them, and seemed to come to some sort of prognosis about Aster's lack of speech.

"There are a few different causes for delayed speech and language development in children. At the moment, I think it's unlikely to be Autism from what you've told me, she doesn't appear to have most of the indicators that come with it."

Loki didn't bother to ask what Autism was as the doctor seemed to think he should know what it was already, given the way he was talking about it. He'd ask Amelia later.

"It generally isn't diagnosed before twenty-four months anyway." He went on to say, "Shyness could also be a potential cause. It's clear she's put off by strangers, which isn't at all unusual for children, but it can sometimes be debilitating enough that it dissuades a child from speaking aloud… however that doesn't usually happen with close family." He licked his lips in idle thought, tilting his head to look at Aster with consideration.

"Selective mutism is a possibility, though just like shyness, it generally doesn't stop a person from talking to their close family. Most cases of selective mutism have a child who cannot speak in certain social situations with people they don't know very well, so… perhaps not." Loki didn't like how uncertain the doctor seemed. He'd hoped the Midgardian pediatrician would have clear answers for him, but the variability of the man's words was not promising.

"Perhaps this is a case of Einstein Syndrome," Doctor Hayes spoke, looking at Loki as if he should have any hint of recognition as to what that may have been. At the blank look the doctor received, he continued, "well, Albert Einstein didn't start talking until he was five years old!"

Loki continued to stare at the man with a clear lack of understanding. Who was Albert Einstein?

Doctor Hayes seemed momentarily confused by Loki's perplexed look, so he clarified, "Albert Einstein was a certified genius, you see. Very smart man, one of the smartest for sure! He had a speech delay problem, all the way up until he turned five, but he was gifted in many other areas. Your daughter strikes me as a very bright girl. Her cognizance seems to be far more progressed than many other children her age, she knew each and every animal on that poster. Quite a feat at seventeen months. I don't believe there's anything wrong with your daughter, Mr. Avery, I think she may just need time."

Loki breathed a sigh, glancing down at Aster. He was disappointed that the doctor did not have a definitive solution to their problem, but at the same time he felt a sort of contentment at having his daughter's intellect praised so much.

"Have you thought about alternative ways of communication?" the doctor asked, and Loki gave him a questioning look. "I think it would be beneficial for you and your wife to learn some sign language, your daughter may feel more comfortable communicating non-verbally as opposed to out loud with her voice."

Sign language? Loki didn't know a lot about sign language, but if it was a way to help communicate with his daughter more clearly, he was open to it.

"I can… look into it," Loki confirmed.

"I can print off some pages for you with helpful information," the doctor told him, turning to do just that, "and I would very much like to see Aster again around twenty-four months so that I can monitor her progress. Perhaps by then we will be able to understand her point of view a lot easier, and I can give you some more conclusive answers."

"Right," Loki nodded, "okay."

He lifted Aster up as he stood, taking the sheets of paper that the doctor offered to him. Hayes opened the door for him and Loki walked out, politely thanking the man for his consideration, taking a moment to watch how the doctor waved at Aster, and she returned the gesture tentatively.

Amelia had managed to get Kari into a seat, the boy was now sitting relatively quietly as he drank apple juice from his sippy cup, and it seemed as though it may have taken some insistence, because Amelia looked somewhat enervated, slumped in her seat. She'd brightened when Loki exited the doctor's office with Aster in his arms, and immediately stood up, her face awash with curiosity at what the doctor had said.

"Well? What does he think?" Amelia asked, and her eyes went to the glittery green star on Aster's chest, pulling a smile onto her face.

"I'll explain everything on the way back," Loki told her. It would be easier to relay everything he had been told in the limo back to Avengers Tower, he didn't want to talk while there were a handful of Midgardians about.

Amelia agreed, and they grabbed their things and made their way out of the building and around the corner to the awaiting limo with Stark's driver. As they were walking, Loki watched his daughter carefully as she admired her green star sticker. The doctor had likened her to some Midgardian genius named Albert Einstein - he smirked pridefully, it was no surprise that his daughter may grow up to have superior intellect, she was his daughter after all; and her knowledge would no doubt be finer than that of any Midgardian, regardless of when she decided to start talking.

"Hey," Loki murmured quietly, and Aster looked up at him, eyes wide as usual, "I love you." He said the words warmly with a smile, and Aster's eyes appeared to shine in response. She circled her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, and Loki knew that was her non-verbal way of saying 'I love you, too.'


"ASTER STILL ISN'T TALKING?" I hear you cry. Yep, she isn't talking yet. I have plans for her, don't you worry~ There will be pay-off eventually ;)

As a child, I absolutely had selective mutism. My first two years in primary school, I did not speak to anybody, not the teacher, not the class. I said maybe just a few words to ONE girl in my class who I considered my only friend, but even then she wasn't exactly my friend cause my lack of communication skills meant I had no way to make real friends. It was legit awful. I didn't say 'here' when the teacher called my name for the register every morning, it was like I was physically unable to, I just couldn't handle having any sort of attention on me for even a moment. That's anxiety for yah. While I still suffer from anxiety, I don't suffer from selective mutism anymore, I've grown out of it and even if my social skills are scratchy, I can make friends x'D