Chapter Text
“So that is it, Astrid,” Volstagg said. “You have heard three tales of Uncle Loki and Aunt Sif’s love story. Which do you think is the first true instance of their love?”
The little girl looked back and forth between the three adults and swayed a little in thought. Her siblings yelled out the names of each of the warriors, each clearly certain of another, but Astrid did not answer.
“Surely, she believes her favourite uncle,” Fandral grinned, winking at the little girl and showing off his most charming smile. Astrid smiled a little, but the little line between her brows did not disappear as she remained in deep contemplation.
“Yes, she must believe her most favoured uncle,” Hogun said pointedly, narrowing his eyes at Fandral..
“Truly, you are both wrong," Volstagg said. "I am her father, and therefore the most trusted of sources…”
Hilde snorted, causing Astrid and the other children to burst into giggles.
“Perhaps, we can help enlighten you,” came a voice from behind the table.
“Uncle Loki!” Astrid gasped. She jumped off of the bench, and rushed towards the united front that was Uncle Loki and Sif. She hurtled into his leg and hugged it tight, pressing her face against his thigh as she looked up expectantly.
"I guess he's the favourite uncle," Hogun muttered under his breath, earning a chuckle from Fandral.
“I heard that you’ve all been regaling anyone who would listen with idle gossip about us,” Loki said pointedly at the warriors, but his lips twitched with amusement.
“Please don’t be mad!” Astrid said, tugging on his trousers, and glanced over at Sif with big eyes. “Everyone was just answering my questions.”
Sif’s lips tugged into a smile as she got down on one knee beside Astrid.
“What questions were these?” She asked, tussling her hair affectionately. There was always something wild about little Astrid's mane, and Sif couldn't help but smile as a large ringlet fell over the little girl's eyes.
“I just wanted to know how you fell in love!” Astrid exclaimed, trying to push the ringlet aside.
Loki lips stretched into a smirk, eyes dancing with amusement.
“That is a good question,” he said. “But I doubt these three know the answer.”
Hogun huffed, crossing his arms across the table.
“Well, I don’t know what it was like for Uncle Loki,” Sif said, “But I think the first time I thought myself in love with your uncle was when we were little and I had fallen down and scraped my knee badly.” Her eyes glittered at the memory. “He had only just started to learn illusion magic, and instead of fussing about the mess I’d made by playing, he sat down in the dirt next to me and made a little butterfly appear. It was the most beautiful and delicate thing."
She looked at Loki, who reached out to her with a warm smile, clearly recalling the incident as well. He squeezed her hand.
"He told me that even if no one can see me for the warrior I knew I wanted to be," she said, eyes locked with Loki, "I only needed to be patient like a caterpillar and that one day my time would come to be what I always wanted to be.”
“That’s so sweet!” Astrid chirped, clutching her hands together against her heart, barely able to contain her joy. “And for you, Uncle Loki?”
He knelt down beside her, and wrapped an arm around the little girl, never letting go of Sif's hand.
“The day I fell in love with Sif was not too long before that,” he whispered so that the warriors three had to strain to hear him. “The day I fell in love with Sif, was the day she arrived at the palace."
Sif cocked an eyebrow.
"Is that right?" she chuckled.
"Oh, it truly was. You walked up to me after overhearing a few boys bullying me for learning magic from my mother, looked straight into my eyes and said, ‘I want to see your magic someday.’”
He pressed her hand to his cheek, and kissed her palm, his eyes glittering with joy.
“Believe it or not, that little girl accepting me and wanting me to share my talents? That was all it took.”