Superfamily One Shots

MoF Day 20: Babysitters

**I am so sorry for the delay, I've been binging Avatar the Last Airbender again with my dad and he's never seen it and we got super into it and I kinda forgot about anything else. But I'm doing all three chapters today, so yay for you guys! Enjoy!**

"We'll only be gone a couple hours," Tony reminded the two Gods as he straightened his tie. "If you need anything, you can call us and we'll come right back."

"It will be a perfect bonding experience for the young Stark!" Thor boomed, his voice echoing through the penthouse and down the hall. Loki smacked his brother's arm.

"Don't talk so loud, you'll wake him up."

It was too late, though, and Peter's little cries were heard from the living room. Pepper, who was still in her and Tony's room getting ready, quickly ran across the hall to Peter's nursery while sticking a hoop earring through her ear.

Tony shifted uncomfortably. When he and Pepper had made the reservations for anniversary dinner, he'd been way more unsure about leaving Peter than Pepper was. Pepper called Natasha and Clint first, but they were on a mission this week and unavailable. Tony kind of panicked after that, and begged Steve to watch the baby, but Steve had already made plans for the night. Bruce was lecturing, Bucky wasn't even on the list of sitters Tony would consider, Wanda was staying at the compound. Thor and Loki had been last picks, and not-so-luckily, they were both free.

Pepper came out into the living room, Peter clinging to her side as she shoved lipstick into her clutch. Tony came over to take Peter and leaned into her ear to whisper "are we sure we can't just cancel?"

Pepper rolled her eyes. "You two know where the snacks are? And he's been teething, so you might need his teething ring in the freezer, it's the only bright green thing in the ice tray, you can't miss it."

Tony apprehensively transferred his son to Loki's arms. "We'll be fine, Pepper, we know where everything is. We'll put on a nice Disney movie and color with those fat crayons you guys have." Loki bounced Peter a little as he talked.

"And I'll put him down for sleep!" Thor assured. Loki sent Pepper a look.

"We'll both put him down later tonight."

Pepper smiled happily at her husband, who looked like he was about to cry, and ushered him out into the elevator.

"Well," Thor said, clapping his hands together. "I shall put on the movie then!"

Loki went to the kitchen and got out Peter's teething ring, just in case, and a bottle of milk. Between Loki and Thor, Loki was, surprisingly, better with babies. Sure, Thor was a hit at elementary schools and whatnot, roughhousing with the bigger kids and picking up and swinging kids around, but he was a little too... enthusiastic with babies. Loki, on the other hand, liked quiet activities like reading. He was often found curled up with a good book, and on the few occasions he'd been at the Tower with Peter, he was often found curled up with a good book and a baby tucked into his arms.

Thor was already on the couch, practically vibrating as the opening number for The Lion King came on. Loki shook his head in amusement, sitting on the other side of the couch. Peter caught sight of the movie and pushed his way out of Loki's arms, settling himself on the middle cushion of the couch and clapping excitedly. Loki passed the baby the teething ring, which he immediately stuck in his mouth.

"He likes this movie!" Thor said, his face split into a massive grin.

Loki couldn't help but smile at his brother's goofy expression. "He sure does, brother."

Peter sucked on the teething ring for most of the first part of the movie, but by the time Simba, Timone, and Pumba sang Hakuna Matata, the green ring was long forgotten, and Peter was pushing his way back into Loki's arms.

"Why does he never want to sit with me?" Thor muttered to himself, his eyes a little darker than before.

"I think he thinks I'm Pepper," Loki mused. "I'm about her height and weight. You're just too big for him."

"The anatomy is all wrong! How could he think that?"

Loki laughed, pulling the baby closer. Peter was snuggling into the God's arms and chest, his little face hidden in Loki's shirt. Something unfamiliar pulled at Loki's chest, like a feeling of sadness, and the God cleared his throat.

"Do you think Odin held us like this?"

Thor looked over, his eyes melting as he watched Peter close his eyes slowly. "I think he must have at least once. And we both know Frigga did."

Loki nodded. "I like babies, brother, I think I would like one some day."

The two brothers went back to watching the movie, even though Peter was fast asleep at this point. Loki shifted Peter in his arms, then moved so he was laying completely flat and Peter was sprawled out on his chest. Thor slumped down over the side of the couch, sticking his legs out and nearly kicking Loki in the groin.

"Watch it," Loki hissed, careful not to wake Peter again.

Thor sheepishly smiled. "Just trying to get comfortable, brother!"

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Tony bounced his leg obnoxiously, waiting for the waiter to return his card.

"Tony, calm down. I'm sure everything is fine. No one called, FRIDAY hasn't sent any alerts, everything is fine." Pepper tried reasoning with the billionaire, but he was too worked up. He'd been worked up all night, actually, and nearly ruined the whole date when he suggested they head home after the appetizer salads.

"I just think we should be getting back. We've been gone nearly 2 hours."

"You're insane."

The waiter brought back the receipt, and Tony's card, saying thank you to the couple before heading back to the kitchens. Tony scribbled a hasty tip and his signature, then grabbed his and Pepper's coats. "Ready?"

"You're tipping a hundred dollars?"

"I don't have time for the math!" Tony said, wiggling Pepper's coat in the air. The woman raised her eyebrows, but didn't say anything. It was actually pretty endearing to see how much Tony cared for Peter. The red-head turned, letting Tony help her with the coat.

"Let's go home."

Happy drove fast. He would have gone faster if Pepper hadn't pulled Tony away from the driver's seat and scolded him for being so pushy. Still, Happy had picked up the pace, and soon they were back in the Tower garage.

Tony  took the steps to the main floor 2 at a time, then bounced about on his feet as he waited for the elevator.

"Calm down," Pepper said, putting a hand on Tony's shoulder. "You're making me nervous just watching you."

The couple made their way up to the penthouse, and when the elevator dinged open, they were careful to not make too much noise.

"Hello?" Pepper called quietly. When there was no response, Tony panicked, skidding down the hall to look for his son. Pepper peeked in the living room and chuckled.

There, sprawled on the couch in a tangled mess of legs, were Thor and Loki, both fast asleep, with Peter sleeping on Loki's chest, an arm draped lazily over the baby.

"Tony, they're in here."

The billionaire came dashing out, looking around wildly. When his eyes fell on Peter, he instantly relaxed. "Oh."

"Told you they'd be good babysitters."