A Gift

Getting ready for events was always part of the spectacle for Ava. She loved the process and found it to be quite remedial. Other girls always complained about how long it had taken them to get ready, about how stressed they had been. Ava smiled at the though, not maliciously but because she knew she had been the same at one point. She did not know when the preparation period had become calming, but it was definitely more enjoyable.

The woman ran a long brush under her cheekbones and glanced at a movement in her vanity mirror. Loki slipped into her room quietly and kissed the top of her head.

"Are you nearly ready?"

"Nearly." Ava looked up at him as she reached for a perfume bottle and removed the stopper. She dabbed the scent behind each ear and into the curve of her knee. "Did you sneak past my father or is he fully aware of your presence?"

"I never sneak past your father." Loki looked about the room with a mischievous grin. "He's a grown man, as am I. Perhaps if we were younger I would be afraid of him."

"Or if you were not a Prince of Asgard." The girl mentioned with a light laugh as she slid an earring into place.

Loki came up behind her again and stopped her hand as she reached for her necklace. "Wear this one." In his hand sat a slender, wide black box.

Ava glanced at him, at the box, and back again. She squinted at him suspiciously and the god could do little but increase his smile and open the carton. Inside was a gold necklace with diamonds woven into its surface. It draped like leaves falling in the autumn and had some of the most intricate detailing that Ava had ever seen. The girl's eyes widened and she looked at Loki.

"You didn't." She spoke as she half reached for the necklace. It was…beautiful.

"I did." He lifted the piece from its box and gently turned Ava back to her mirror. He lowered the jewellery around her neck, kissing the curve above her collarbone as he did so.

The girl touched the gift as he clasped it into place and met Loki's eye in the mirror. She reached up and put a hand on the side of his face, smiling before twisting to kiss him warmly. "Thank you. Its…" She bit her lip. "Its beautiful. And you're wonderful."

Loki pressed a had to her waist and stood, lifting her against him. He didn't say anything. Ava was so selfless when it came to gifts – she had no idea how to respond or express how grateful she was. But he saw the light in her eyes, and they way she appreciated that he had thought of her even if there was no grand event for gift giving. That's all he wanted to see; that happy little confused piece of her soul that came out when she didn't know how to respond to being spoiled. She gave so much, tried to hard; Ava was his gift. Every day. Loki knew she deserved more than what he had given her, more than what he could ever give her, but the thing was that Ava felt the same about him. He was a blessing to her life – in the good times and the bad. There would always be these memories, these times of kindness and selflessness – there would always be something driving her toward him, always be something that made her, with all of her heart, want to give everything to him.