Chapter Two:
"Loki!" Thor burst suddenly into the lab-or-was-it-a-study of the Jotun in question, causing Jemma to gasp and accidentally bite her soulmate's lip mid-kiss in her haste to put distance between them.
Thor froze where he stood in the doorway and Jemma stilled too, her hands falling quickly from around Loki's neck. Loki tensed irritably, licking his wounded lip as he turned towards Thor, still keeping a hand on Jemma's hip as he snapped, "Yes?"
"I-" Thor managed to stammer. "Lady Sif said she believed something to be amiss."
"She was mistaken," Loki ground out.
Thor looked uncertainly at Jemma, trying to ask, "Lady Jemma… is…"
"I'm fine, Thor," Jemma assured him calmly. "As a matter of fact, I'm better than fine." She beamed, declaring unabashedly, "I just found my soulmate!"
Thor's eyes doubled in size as he looked at Jemma, his gaze swinging slowly to Loki as comprehension set in. "Your soulmate is…? That is to say that-?"
"Yes, Thor," Loki said, looking like he was growing impatient with his brother's inability to quickly grasp the situation. "The lovely Dr. Simmons is my soulmate."
Thor didn't look pleased. Jemma found herself biting nervously on her lip. Was there some law against Asgardians and Midgardians being soulmates? Would Odin and Thor try to separate her from Loki? She didn't even know him, and she couldn't bear the thought. His hand on her hip was warm and firm as he held her close.
"Brother, I am truly glad for you," Thor declared after a few moments. "But – the Son of Coul is Dr. Simmons commanding officer. And, forgive me for pointing it out, but you killed him. I cannot see that he will be pleased by this development."
"Maybe they'll understand?" Jemma offered weakly. "Perhaps make an exception to their feelings toward him for the sake of my happiness?"
"In an ideal world, yes," Loki sighed as he looked down at her. "But unfortunately, neither your realm nor mine is what I would describe as such. Perhaps, however," Loki looked slowly back towards Thor, saying pointedly, "They would take to it better if someone smoothed the way for us?"
"How so?" Thor asked hesitantly.
"Couldn't you just go tell them that I'm safe?" Jemma asked Thor. "If you do that, Loki and I can spend a couple of days together here on Asgard, figuring each other out and, of course, how to best break the news to my team. You could tell them… that I'll meet them back at the base once they're done at Avengers' Tower. That will give us two days. Please, Thor?"
For a long minute, Thor studied the picture she and Loki made then he sighed, agreeing solemnly, "Very well, but I will only assure them of your safety; it's hardly my place to inform them of your finding your soulmate, Lady Jemma."
Jemma smiled a small, grateful smile, thanking him. The god of thunder nodded before exiting the room after telling them, "I'll go to Midgard now; your comrades will be worried for your safety, and it would be best to give them the information they need as soon as possible."
Once Thor was gone again, Loki pulled her flush against him, and as he leaned down to kiss her, Jemma couldn't help but mutter worriedly, "He's right, you know."
Seeing that her thoughts weren't on the same track as his at the moment, Loki stopped, his breath ghosting over her face, their mouths only an inch apart as he asked, "About what?"
"All of it," Jemma answered, staring at her hands where she let them rest on Loki's chest while she gave voice to the thoughts that had instantly begun swamping her. She was trembling slightly as she said, "Concern for my safety… but they still need to know."
"And we'll tell them -" Loki said evenly, his loose hold around her waist tightening protectively to show that he understood what she was really getting at. "Together." The firmness that had been in his voice a second ago was replaced by a pained hesitation as he asked, suddenly refusing to look at her, "But I must know, my darling Jemma… are-are you afraid for your safety?"
"What?" Jemma whispered, gasping with horror at the very idea as she realized what he meant. "Loki, no! Of course not! Look at me," she ordered, placing a hand on his cheek to ensure that her demand was carried out. Tumultuous eyes met her own as she said, "I am not afraid of you – of all things! You're my soulmate, and I don't want to be without you again! I love you, don't you understand that?" she asked, mimicking the question he'd asked her not an hour ago.
At that, he smiled, nodding as he moved one hand to the base of her skull and kissed her breathless.
When Jemma could no longer breathe for lack of oxygen, she pulled back grudgingly, regretfully pointing out, "Someone could walk in again."
Loki flicked his fingertips, the handle of the door flickered green, and he replied, "Now they won't."
"Loki," Jemma moaned, taking a half-step away from him. Not out of his embrace – she didn't think she'd ever want that – but just enough so that she could think clearly enough to say what needed to be said. "We only have two days to figure out how to broach this subject with my team – with Coulson – and it's extremely important to me that this meeting go well, and that they accept you-" she spoke slowly, softly, trying to adapt to the feeling of the words on her tongue as she spoke them. "And I… as us. Please, can we decide what to do?"
"As you wish," Loki murmured as she leaned her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat as he asked, "Do you have any suggestions?"
