A/N: Another Thor and Loki babysitting chapter. Fluff to make up for the delay. I've just recently gotten a job, so my updates will probably be sporadic at best. Enjoy anyway!
Thor and Loki found themselves faced with a dilemma. Maddie refused to go to bed. Tony and Pepper had left them in charge of Maddie while they went out to dinner. The evening had gone smoothly. Maddie had eaten her dinner without complaint, she hadn't gotten into anything she wasn't supposed to…but at the mere mention of 'night-night', she burst into tears.
Thor picked her up, attempting to soothe her, but was rewarded with a fresh round of tears. Loki rolled his eyes.
"Hand her over, Thor." Tucking her against his side, as he had before, he bounced her in his arms. She quieted for a moment.
"See, it's okay. I'd cry if he picked me up, too." Loki said conspiratorially. Maddie buried her face in his shoulder. "Let's see if you'll fall asleep for me…" He set her in the crib. Maddie stared up at him, completely heartbroken by this betrayal. Loki watched her, recognizing the emotion behind the look, even if the child couldn't speak. Quiet whimpers drifted up from the mattress.
Surprisingly, Thor was the one who came up with the solution.
"Brother, perhaps reading her a story would calm her down enough for sleep?" Loki mentally cursed himself for not thinking of it earlier.
"Of course! Madison, would you like a story?" Maddie glanced up at Loki with those big tear-filled eyes, and nodded. Loki smiled slightly, and lifted the sniffling child out of the crib.
"Very well, do you want to pick which one?" He set her gently on the floor, and she toddled over to the bookshelf, and pulled out a bright orange book with white words. She handed it to Loki, and grinned. Loki stepped over to the rocking chair in the corner, and sat down. Maddie clambered up onto his lap, and waited for the tale to begin. Loki read aloud.
"Green Eggs and Ham…" Loki wrinkled his brow at this odd title, but kept reading. Maddie seemed entranced by his voice, nearly nodding off. But no sooner had Loki read the last words, she woke back up.
"Another!" she squealed, clapping her hands. Loki sighed.
"You've been spending too much time with Thor, my dear. This will never do." She pulled another book off the shelf. Loki shook his head in exasperation, but he didn't deny her. He examined the cover. Did he really have to read this foolishness again?
"The Cat in the Hat?" Maddie giggled, and clapped her hands, and his icy heart melted. "Fine. Only for you, little one." Maddie pointed to the first row of words.
"Read da book!" she demanded. Loki smirked.
"As you command, milady." She gave him a scathing stare, which rather surprised him. "Yes, yes, I'll read it!" He shifted her to a more comfortable position on his lap, and began reading again. There were several others, which Loki barely dragged himself through, but Maddie seemed to enjoy it. The words did have pleasant rhythm, but they were complete and utter nonsense.
Finally, after half an hour of reading this nonsense, Maddie nodded off. Loki carried her over to the crib, and tucked her in. She didn't wake up, which was a small mercy. Loki watched her for a moment, and then left. Thor glanced up when he walked into the living room.
"Is she asleep?" Loki nodded.
"Yes, at last. She is a lovely child, but she is nearly as stubborn as her father."
"I'm glad you think that Reindeer Games." Loki's head whipped around and he saw Tony and Pepper standing in the doorway. Pepper was smiling, and Tony was trying to keep a straight face.
"What I meant to say was that she seems to possess an extraordinary power of will. Of iron, as it were…"
"Don't bother, Loki. I know what you meant. So, how was she?" Tony asked, laughing. Thor raised an eyebrow.
"All was going smoothly until we tried to get her to sleep." He reported solemnly. Pepper grinned as she drifted across the living room to go check on her daughter.
"That sounds about right." She said. Loki held up his hand.
"I have one question, though." Tony glanced over at the demigod.
"Seriously, raising your hand?" Loki scowled.
"What in the Nine Realms is a Wocket, and why would I have one in my pocket?"
A/N: Let me just say that this chapter was random. I've never really been much of a Dr. Seuss fan, but I was commenting to my sister that maybe I'd like it more as an audiobook and then only if Tom Hiddleston was reading it. I could seriously listen to him reading a phonebook. His voice is amazing.