Curled up within the warm cocoon of blankets bundled in her arms, the baby was fast asleep, nestled in the soft comfort of familiarity as Sif smiled down at her, tucking the edge of the blanket beneath her chin, and as she ran her fingers down she could feel her tiny hands beneath it, pressing her palms to them in amazement. The baby's cheeks were flushed with warm blood, her tiny little nostrils flaring as she slumbered, her pink mouth moving as she dreamed.

Beside the goddess, Loki was well on his way to dreaming himself, face pressed to the downy pillows as his eyes flickered beneath their lids. She glanced at him, noticing how wild strands of hair fell before his eyes and tickled his skin, cheeks pale and cold to the touch when she brushed the back of her hand down his face gently, his breaths soft and slow, his arms spread out before him as he slept on his stomach, still in his leather and armor.

Reaching over him with one arm, the other holding their sleeping daughter, she pulled the sheets up around him, smirking as he shifted positions lazily, eyes remaining closed as he mumbled incoherently. She looked over at the drawn curtains, seeing the glow of the dying sunlight just behind them, and she carefully rocked the child in her arms, slowly swaying back and forth as her smile widened.

She could almost see the peace within Loki, could almost trace the relieving warmth running through his veins. He'd always been so closed off, even after the birth of his son, always so distant, afraid that whatever child he had would have blue skin and blood red eyes. It came as an immense and welcome surprise to discover the opposite, and she could finally believe that he was starting to accept it all as something that would never change.

He could never quite believe in the steady reliability of certain things, could never trust it, and for that reason, Sif was thankful that he was changing his mindset-all for his two children, surprisingly. He'd never been the caring type, never the kind of person to sacrifice anything for anything else.

She liked to believe that she was the reason he'd broken himself of that, and turned at the sound of shuffling beneath the sheets, eyes widening as she watched him wake, blinking like the room was too bright for him.

He sat up groggily, looking around him with a disoriented gleam in his green eyes, and he caught her amused stare, frowning.

"I fell asleep?"

He'd been up all day attempting to coax their daughter to sleep, annoyed at how Sif had forbidden him to use magic on her, tired from the lack of sleep he'd gotten the night before and frustrated at the lack of it he was getting throughout the day.

She stifled her laughter, shaking her head at him as she glanced back down to watch the tiny movements beneath the baby's eyelids, but not before she caught the mirth shining in his gaze, the one and only sign that he was truly different from how he'd been so many years ago.

She felt her heartbeat quicken at the revelation.

Based on a prompt given over on Tumblr.

Please R&R! Feedback of any kind is always appreciated! ;)

All rights go to their respectful owners.