Rain tapped loudly against the windows of their apartment building as the two of tem sat on the wood floor of the living room; the God of Mischief focusing intently on his task. What had started as the two of them trying to decide on what to do given how the rain seemed determined to continue wound up being a moment one would label as unexpected. Jane had brought up wanting to paint her toenails with the new polish that she had received from Darcy on her birthday and had settled down onto the living room floor; the aqua polish waiting to be used. When she had started to reach for the bottle, she was immediately interrupted by Loki who seemed curious about adding color to ones' nails. After calmly explaining what she was going to do and going as far as giving him a demonstration by applying the watery hue to her bare left big toe, Jane was about to continue on her own when both the bottle as well as he brushed were plucked away by Loki. Surprise had naturally filled her thoughts as she watched him settle down in front of her and reach for her left foot; the unexpectedly adorable sight of him carefully smearing nail polish onto her pinky toe one of the best moments of her life so far.
"You really don't have to do this," she finally exclaimed as she had been too caught up in the moment to speak.
Smiling slowly as he examined the freshly painted nail, Loki looked at her with a loving gaze. "I like it. Gives me a chance to pamper the typically stubborn Jane Foster who never lets me treat her like royalty."
She let out a faint, irked huff at that. Yes, she was determined to be able to take care of herself, but that was only due to her early experiences of needing to be tough and able to deal with the world's hidden dangers. "I've let you help me before," she retorted while struggling and failing to fight off the urge to pout.
"Name one time, sweetheart," Loki murmured as he slowly slid his right hand up her bare calf.
As she began to feel flushed from the sudden caress, Jane tried to think of any single moment where she had relied on Loki for assistance. Closing her eyes briefly as she tried to regain her composure, she soon began to realize that he was right. With any time that he would offer information about the nine realms for instance, it was always of his own doing. She never asked. "I can't believe it..," she uttered softly in disbelief.
"Believe it, Jane. Even when I've found you standing on top of the ladder at the library with it teetering about, you refuse to ask for help. I cannot tell you how many times I've indirectly used magic to keep you from breaking your..-" he stopped as he caught her eyelids widening; the sight of her ongoing disbelief greeting him. Letting out a soft sigh, Loki reached for Jane's waist and gently drew her onto his lap before continuing to speak. "- you're my world, Jane, and I always do my best to keep you safe, but you need to accept asking me for help from time to time."
All those times when she knew she was going to manage to hurt herself, she somehow always escaped safe and sound. Now as she loked up at Loki with his admission playing itself over and over in her head, it all made sense. "Even that time I was on the roof and it was slippery..?"
He nodded while failing to hide the hint of a pained grimace as he recalled watching her slip; his heart plummeting down deep within his lower abdomen as he used everything he knew to keep her safe from harm. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Loki exhaled slowly while caressing her back softly with his fingertips. "That one terrified me for days which was why I came up with the idea of us moving to this apartment. Love," he started to say as he caught the sight of her feeling guilty, "I know it's hard for you ask, but as the man you'll be marrying in a week, it might be all right to rely on me. You know I will never hesitate in keeping my little astrophysicist safe."
Glancing down at the dark floor beneath them, Jane looked up at him and nodded with a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry for worrying you about all of that. It's just never been easy for me to rely on others. As it is, it took me months to be okay with asking Darcy for help and she's my intern; someone whose job is designed to help."
Drawing his hands up to cup her face lightly, Loki leaned forward to kiss softly at the tip of her nose before speaking. "I only wish to protect you, Jane. It comes with the territory of loving you, after all."
Her smile grew and soon bloomed into one of love and sincerity. "This'll sound corny, but I really am lucky to have someone like you."
"Not as lucky as me, Jane."
End.