An Interesting Arrangement

Chapter Eleven

Phil looked up from where he was working on his files and smiled at the three kids, two puppies, super assassin, and emotional god coloring his files on the floor. No one really seemed to grasp why Phil had them do that, but since he'd started having them do it, both Loki and Bucky had been considerably more stable, using the coloring to expel the negative energy they had. Phil assumed that it calmed them down because they'd never really had the chance to do it when they were kids, Loki trying to survive bullies on Asgard and Bucky trying to survive the Depression. Besides, even though he would never tell anyone this, he really enjoyed seeing the things they drew. For instance, every time Fury was mentioned in a report, they would draw a little flaming pirate. Maria Hill was a dragon, Natasha was a gun, Steve was a little American flag, etc. It made him happy looking in there and seeing their drawings. Some of them were quite good, others (mostly the ones that Stephanie, Jace, and Oki drew) were cute but more along the lines of stick people.

But right now, Phil was watching as Oki and Jace were carefully drawing blue and green paw prints all over his files and Stephanie was drawing pictures of the two puppies all over the same files. Loki and Bucky seemed to be seeing who could draw a better SHIELD logo on the background of all the files.

Phil shook his head and turned his head to the puppies. They were currently playing with the squeaky toy Loki had conjured for them. It was really handy sometimes having Loki around. For instance, instead of running back to town for dog food, Loki had teleported and grabbed it himself.

Phil was pulled out of his thoughts by the front door opening.

"Hey guys!" Natasha called out. "We're home!"

"Mommy!" The kids all shouted, running to their mother. Unfortunately, the puppies were faster. They jumped up and down at Natasha and Steve's feet, barking excitedly.

"Uh, guys?" Natasha said, pointing to the dogs in confusion. "Did we have these guys when we left?"

Loki shrugged as he walked over and scooped up Pancake. "Maybe?"

Natasha gave him a dirty look. "'Maybe'? Really, Lok? Cause I know for a fact we did not have these guys when I left."

"We found them in an alleyway, Mommy." Stephanie explained. "They'd been abandoned! We had to take them in!"

Natasha pinched the bridge of her nose. "Look guys, I know they're cute, but we can't ..."

"Nat." Steve said quietly, drawing Natasha's attention.

"What?" She asked, and then she saw it. While she'd been talking to the kids, Steve had picked up Syrup and had immediately grasped why they now had puppies. And when Natasha saw Syrup's missing limb, she knew it too.

She sighed. "All right. We can keep them as long as you guys take care of them." If she was going to say anything else, Natasha was cut off by the excited squeal from the kids and their hugging and bouncing.

Once the squealing died down a little, Steve asked the big question. "So what are their names?"

"Pancake and Syrup." Loki said, smirking when Natasha facepalmed.

"Did Barnes name them?" She asked, groaning when Loki nodded.

"And there's no way we can change them?"

"Not unless you want war with the Winter Soldier." Bucky said firmly, finally taking part of the conversation.

"Then Pancake and Syrup they'll stay!" Steve said, grinning.
*
It didn't take long for them all to love having Pancake and Syrup around, especially after they'd been potty trained. Natasha, despite her initial hesitation, adored the two puppies, feeding them scraps from the table and petting them.

Pretty soon, the two puppies were even allowed up on the couch, which was something no one had expected. Bucky was, naturally, more attached to Syrup. Surprisingly though, Pancake doted on Oki, even going so far as to sleep in his bed at night. But Stephanie and Jace certainly weren't lacking in the pet department.
*
"What on earth is that?" Natasha exclaimed, staring at the four foot long scaly creature. Despite its somewhat reptilian look, it actually gave her an adorable smile.

"Isn't it obvious?" Jace asked, grinning. "It's a dragon!"

Natasha turned to Loki in shock. "Dragons still exist?!"

Loki shrugged. "Sure. And don't worry, they're very easy to take care of. And this variety barely grows twenty feet in length."

Natasha was flabbergasted. "But how did we end up with a dragon?"

"I was practicing making portals and he just flew out!" Jace said, eagerly hugging his new dragon.

Natasha looked at Loki hopelessly. "Please tell me we're not keeping this thing!"

Loki shrugged again. "They've already bonded, Tash. It'd be pretty cruel to tear them apart now, wouldn't it? Besides, we'll make it a nice house away from anything flammable!"

Jace beamed. "I'll call him Firespurt!"

And that was how they ended up with a dragon. But Stephanie's pet might've been even more of a shock.

"But where did you find a baby bald eagle?" Natasha asked, almost speechless at the sight of the baby bird.

"Its nest fell from a tree and it hurt its wing so I brought it home!" Stephanie explained proudly.

Steve stared at the baby bird. "Isn't owning a bald eagle illegal?"

Bucky, who enjoyed the household drama immensely, put in his two cents. "Steve you're Captain America for crying out loud! Who's gonna care?" Bucky laughed. "That guy is practically your mascot!"

Loki shrugged. "Besides, who's gonna know?"

Stephanie smirked. "I think I'll name him America."

And so Stephanie acquired a new pet. Then came Loki's personal favorite.

"Pegasi?!" Natasha shook her head a few times as she watched Loki lead six Pegasi towards the house. One was a golden palomino, one a dusty gray, the third a brown and white paint, the fourth a deep chestnut, the fifth a gleaming white, and the final one was a deep black.

Stephanie had already claimed the golden one, Oki the chestnut, Jace adored the paint, and Bucky the dusty gray.

Loki chuckled as he handed Natasha the reins to the white one. "Tash, I think you're outnumbered on this one too."

Natasha sighed and then smiled as she gently petted the pegasus's nose. "Fine. They can stay. Whose named theirs?"

"Her name is Champagne!" Stephanie said grinning.

"Bronze Sword." Oki said, giving his a more typical Asgardian name.

"Marshmallow Sundae!" Jace said, his face lighting up.

"Dusk Girl." Bucky said, gently petting the pegasus.

"Snow Flurry." Natasha said, a slight smile gracing her lips.

"Night Wing." Loki said grinning.

And that was how they ended up with so many pets.
*
Hey guys! I hope this didn't bore you, but the origin story of their pets is actually important. This wasn't mentioned, but I chose the bald eagle for Stephanie partly for the American aspect, but also because eagles are the only birds that can fly through a storm, and I thought that fit Stephanie's powers. Also the beginning was in answer to a question from @danielle120240 regarding why Phil had them color his files. If anyone has any questions, I'm more than happy to address them! Have a great day!