The streets of Asgard held an aura of light; that singular quality that illuminates the streets with shades of deep red and flashes of gold that happens when the setting sun streaks through narrow passages. Reflections of dying light danced across the sprinting woman's face, her skin flushed with effort and with the rapidly changing temperature. A chill was setting in as the night drew near. She drew her billowing robes tighter about her shivering body, pulled some mysterious parcel into her chest, and moved more quickly toward the palace, racing the waning sunlight and the rising moon.
She reached the palace just as the first stars of dusk began to paint the skies. Dashing up staircases and ignoring calls of friends and courtesans, the woman reached a massive set of pale doors, carved of birch wood and shining against the dim glow of torchlight. She paused and gathered her composure, slowing her breath slightly before entering. The room within was empty. She smiled. He was still at court, then, she mused, and would likely not return soon. She would have time to prepare his surprise. Allowing herself to breathe again, the woman let out a loud sigh, somewhere between a ragged breath and a laugh of amusement, before sweeping off her outer cloak and laying her package upon a nearby stand.
"Does something amuse you, Jane?"
The voice rang from a side room; Jane's breath hitched in her throat and she closed her eyes. She had only wanted to surprise him. Damn him, she thought, damn him for being in their quarters now. A light hand upon her chin broke through her damnations, and she opened her eyes to stare into his green ones. Moonlight from a nearby window illuminated his gaze, and playful curiosity danced at the edges of his smile.
"I was planning on surprising you, Loki," she muttered. "But seeing as you're home early, I guess you've ruined my present."
Loki's smile widened. Releasing his light hold on Jane's jaw, he crossed his hands softly behind his back and approached the wrapped package on the side table, circling it as though it contained something mysterious or powerful.
"And to what do I owe this surprise?" he asked, his eyes glancing up at Jane before again returning to their examination of the parcel before him.
"Well, in Midgard we - oh, for Odin's sake, Loki!" she cried out, interupting her previous thought. "It's not a damned Infinity Stone!"
Loki had crouched down at eye level with the package, gazing at it suspiciously. A few muttered enchantments spilled forth from his thin lips as he encircled its wrapped surface with a number of spells. The situation was altogether absurd, Jane realized with a start, and her previous indignation gave way to uncontrollable laughter. Loki's glare shifted from the package to her shaking form, and as he rose to stalk toward her, Jane attempted to bring her laughter under some form of control. Still, Loki's intense gaze was too much, and another fit of laughter consumed her. Loki waited, stone-faced, until her laughter had subsided some before speaking.
"I do not care much for surprises," he said quietly.
Jane placed her hands squarely on his shoulders, noting the softness of the black fabric beneath her fingertips and the soft shiver that echoed through their bodies when they touched.
"Loki," she said softly, "I promise that you will enjoy this one."
He stared down at her suspiciously before sighing and giving in. Pulling her tiny form into his broad chest, Loki held her in a tight embrace for several moments before releasing her and smiling down.
"You never answered my question, Jane," he said, his voice now tinged with amusement and lacking the previous concern. "What have I done to merit your surprise?"
Jane smiled.
"Today is Valentine's Day on Earth - on Midgard," she said, correcting herself. "It's a day when couples buy each other gifts like chocolate or wine or dinner."
Loki's face fell; his mask dropped slightly at Jane's words. She frowned. This was not at all the reaction she had hoped for. She truly wanted to do something special for Loki, and had assumed that her small gift would make him happy. Apparently, this was not the case.
"What's wrong?" she asked sincerely as Loki paced slightly.
"I...I am sorry, Jane," he said finally. "I was unaware of this particular Midgardian custom." He glanced up at her with pain in his eyes. "I have nothing to give you."
She rushed toward him without thinking, gathering his face into her hands and laying a soft kiss on his lips as the moonlight flashed outside and the stars rose higher into the sky. They stepped back, breathing softly in the cool nighttime air.
"You have already given me so much," she said quietly, leaning her forehead against his pale skin. "There is nothing more to give."
He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them. Gone again was the pain of the previous moment, now replaced with an airy quality of love and affection, and with a darker quality that sent a welcome shiver through Jane's body. He grasped her hands and pulled her away from the center of the room, and toward the bedroom chambers that lay beyond the entrance.
"I can think of something to give," he said with a slight smile.
They disappeared into the chambers as moonlight danced overhead and and soft beams of light landed upon a solitary table; upon its surface, a discarded cloak and an unopened package.