Song: Echo by Jason Walker,
(Here we go with the second part of the flashback! After this, it's onward to Chapter 20. Gosh - still can't believe I've managed this when all of this started off as a one shot.)
"Are you sure this is a good idea, Thor? We've been arguing off and on all week and this is the first time I've actually seen you since we broke up a few days ago.." Jane muttered; the sight of the golden palace greeting her as she looked away from the God of Thunder. While she was grateful to be back in Asgard as the idea of being able to see Loki as well as Frigga were both wonderful, she and Thor had been having issues; so much so that she had kicked him out of their shared apartment in London. As much as she cared for him, the continuous arguments over him forgetting to be around at a certain time for dinner plans or disappearing for weeks on end without contact had put a strain on their relationship. The strain was so much that Jane had finally decided that they needed to end their relationship as they weren't good for each other anymore. When it had happened, Thor had seemed to agree; even going as far as taking his belongings and leaving.
"While I do understand what you are saying, Jane, I want another chance with you and given how happy you were here in Asgard, I thought we could rekindle things here. I love you so," Thor murmured while moving to stand in front of her; his hands coming up to cup her face as his thumbs smoothed over her cheeks. "The time apart has made me see that you are the woman I want to marry when the time comes. So, please, allow me this chance to prove to you that I want you in my life. I will make sure you don't regret it," he peered down at her beseechingly; desperation flooding through him as the idea of losing Jane for good did not sit well with him whatsoever.
"Wait - you want to get married?," Jane backed away from Thor in shock; her brunette locks swaying side to side as she shook her head. "Thor, that's ridiculous. When we went back, we had one good month before you went to work with Tony Stark. I get it - I am really proud of you for joining The Avengers, but after that one good month, I saw less and less of you. When we came here the first time, you promised that we'd work on things. I saw you a total of six times before we went back. Again - I get it; you have a lot to get ready for when it's your turn to become King, but for us to work, we need time together. The night we broke up was my birthday, Thor, and we were supposed to have dinner together. But, as usual, you showed up before I was going to bed. I know - you're a busy guy and I'm not getting on you for that. I just don't think you actually want this with me." The idea of marrying him was far too preposterous as she knew she could not commit herself to someone who was terrible at keeping promises. As much as she cared for him, she knew they both deserved better.
".. am I interrupting something..?," a smooth voice wormed its way through her troubled thoughts; the sound of it filling her heart with warmth as she moved to the left of Thor. The sight of Loki eyeing the two of them greeted her and caused her lips to curl up in a surprised smile.
"Hey."
Looking from his brother to Jane, Loki's own heart filled with warmth at the sight of Jane. "Welcome back, Jane. It's good to see you again." His green eyed gaze flickered over to Thor as he nodded in acknowledgement while he found himself wondering what was going on between the two of them. "Welcome back, too, brother."
"I require a private audience with Jane, brother," Thor murmured while turning around to properly look at his dark haired sibling.
"I don't want to talk to you, Thor," Jane said; her smile vanishing as she looked over at him. "I think I should just turn around and go home."
"Jane..," Thor whispered; his heart aching painfully at the thought of Jane leaving and ruining his engagement plans. He had planned to ask her to marry him after dinner that night. "Let's talk once you are able to rest, all right? I know I've given you a lot to think about, but I want you to stay." He paused before looking at Loki in a pleading fashion, "Brother, help me convince Jane to stay a few days. She's been working so hard as of late that a much needed vacation will be good for her."
Having remained silent during their conversation while focusing intently on the Bi-Frost in the distance, the sound of Thor's voice forced him to focus on the conversation. "Ah - is that what you want, Jane?" Worry for the woman filled his eyes as he looked at her with concern. "I mean; it'll be wonderful to catch up with you, but I do not wish to keep you here any longer than you like."
Looking from Thor to Loki and allowing her gaze to stay on the latter, Jane sighed softly while recognizing that it could be good for her to catch up with Loki and possibly allow Thor another chance. She felt she should give him another chance as the notion of doing what was expected of her when it came to him had been the foundation of their relationship. With that decided, "I will stay for a few days. After that, I do need to go home as I need to go through my mom's belongings to get ready for her birthday. You will be able to come with me to the cemetery, right, Thor?," she softly called out to him while looking at the God of Thunder.
"Of course I will, Jane. Does this mean you will consider what I asked of you earlier?," Thor asked, the idea of Jane agreeing to marry him filling him with joy.
"I'll.. think about it, Thor. In the meantime, I'm going to go rest a bit and go find your mom."
"I'll escort you, Jane," Loki exclaimed while making his way over to his friend; the need to get her away from the stressful situation prodding at him. "Brother, while I take Jane to her room, Father wants to speak with you in his chambers; something about Vanaheim."
"Will you be all right, Jane?," Thor said; eyeing the brunette astrophysicist worriedly.
She nodded in his general direction while moving to meet Loki halfway.
Opting to match his typically long legged stride up with Jane's, Loki quietly escorted his friend to her assigned room; the lack of conversation one that he found alarming as the two of them had spent several hours in the past talking about anything and everything. Having sensed his brother's arrival, Loki had abandoned the book he was reading about Midgard to make his way to greet Jane; the woman having played an important role in both his daydreams as well as his unconscious thoughts since her departure. When he had seen Jane with Thor, his heart had exploded with excitement at her return; so much so that he had used his magic to close the distance from where he stood to their location. However as soon as his boot clad feet touched the ground, he caught the tail end of their conversation and could not help but notice how tense Jane seemed. While he had once made a comment about the fault ridden nature of his brother's relationship with Jane, the more he had been able to get to know her, the more he didn't want her to have to go through anything that wasn't good for her. Even after he had announced his presence to the two of them, the tension between Thor and Jane felt uncomfortable; the fact that she had suggested going home just as she had arrived confirming a dilemma between the two of them.
Glancing down at the silent astrophysicist, Loki began to think of what he could do or say to help cheer her up. As his mind was presented with thoughts of all varieties, one shone out brightly and caused him to smile. "Jane, your birthday was recent, yes?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah; it was. Why do you ask?" The conversation she had with Thor had been playing itself over and over in her thoughts to the point of causing her to forget that she had wanted to catch up with Loki.
"Well, I'll need you to close your eyes for a moment. Can you do that for me?"
Curiosity at where all of this was leading up to caused Jane to nod in agreement as she stopped while her eyes closed. The sound of him brushing against her caused her skin to tingle in a way that she had never experienced before. While she had tried her best to push away thoughts of Loki from her mind, the harder she pushed only caused them to retaliate as she found herself thinking about what the dark haired God of Mischief was up to. During their time apart, what had comforted her the most during post arguments with Thor or being buried under piles of work and projects were thoughts of how Loki would react to what was going on. She would usually imagine him shaking his head in disgust and threatening to turn anyone who upset her into a toad or pulling her out of her chair just to hold her close; the latter becoming a more prominent option as time went on. It didn't help that she could still recall the moment he had cupped her cheek the day they had gone on a tour of the libraries; the cool temperature of his palm along her face a memory that seemed determined to stay in her mind for an eternity. Why did she feel so strongly around him?
Satisfied that Jane had obeyed his request, Loki allowed himself the chance to openly gaze at the woman who had bewitched him the moment she arrived in Asgard. The fact that she was here; that if he closed his eyes briefly and opened them, she wouldn't be there any longer caused him to sigh softly in relief. While he wasn't sure the full extent of his feelings for Jane Foster, he felt it safe to confirm that he was fond of her; that he enjoyed her company. The desire to lower his head and kiss her lips softly filled him as his eyes lowered themselves down to her lips; their fullness alluring. But, he knew he needed to be sure she and his brother were no longer romantically involved before he allowed himself to play out one of the fantasies he had of her. Drawing a deep breath through his nostrils, Loki pushed away the wonderful idea of kissing Jane as he recalled the reason why he wanted her to close her eyes in the first place. Focusing his magic on his pocket dimension, a thick hardcover book appeared from thin air just as he caught it; its weight substantial as he recalled the struggles to find the book before remembering that he had placed it in his private library. "Open your eyes, Jane," Loki whispered; the desire to kiss her returning as he watched her eyelids part.
Opening her eyes, Jane blinked in confusion for a moment before looking down at the object in Loki's hand. Mouthing the name of the title, her eyelids widened in comprehension as she discovered the book was about Asgardian constellations. "Is this for me?"
Watching her reaction closely, Loki smiled slowly before nodding. "I was wanting to give it to you on your - oof!," the rest of what he was going to say was cut off as he felt Jane rush up against him and wrap her arms around him tightly; the action surprising him thoroughly.
"You didn't have to do this, but thank you so much!," Jane exclaimed, hugging her friend close as she rested her head on his shoulder. The fact that he had remembered her birthday had been enough to break through her confusion from Thor; the simple gesture of finding a book that she was curious about such a wonderful moment for someone like her. From the moment Erik had placed her deceased father's telescope in her room when she was nine years old, Jane had spent countless hours studying the stars in wonderment. Now, as an adult, being able to locate Orion's Belt or the Big Dipper with ease had become a way for her to unwind. To think someone that she barely knew had been able to find a book that dealt with one of her favorite topics of all time and had been considerate enough to give it to her as a belated birthday present was almost too much to deal with. "You are such an amazing friend, Loki, and I'm so glad I came back to see you."
Wrapping his free arm around Jane's waist, Loki closed his eyes as the sensation of her holding onto him tightly made his fantasies feel all the more fictional. If he had known giving her books was the way to receive hugs from her, he knew he would have done so long ago. "I know how much you love constellations, Jane, and I wanted to give you a book that contained each of the constellations here on Asgard. Maybe someday soon, I will be able to take you to the observatory and we can find a handful of them."
"That sounds such a great idea. Oh! I almost forgot," she said as she pulled away from him to reach for the small journal that she had stowed in a pocket of her tan jacket. Smiling in excitement as she found herself hopeful that he would enjoy the gift, Jane handed it over to him. Watching him curiously take the offered journal while handing her the thick book, Jane took the book and moved to set it down on the floor beneath them.
Eyeing the dark green book curiously, Loki stepped back from Jane as he opened it; the sight of writing in the upper left corner greeting him as he proceeded to read the small note aloud, "To my dearest friend, you told me how you wanted a copy of the constellations here on Midgard/Earth so I've decided to copy each of the ones I have in my journal and more. Thank you for being in my life." Turning the page, the sight of the Big Dipper looked back at him as he felt tears form and spill down his cheeks; the sweet gesture overwhelming him. No one aside from his mother had ever taken interest in his curiosities; the others preferring to talk about war stories and such. His love for science and the stars had been topics that bored his previous romantic encounters to tears and the fact that Jane had gone through the trouble of drawing out each of Midgard's constellations made him so incredibly happy.
"Are you crying?," Jane whispered, frowning up at Loki as she reached up to wipe the trails of tears from her friend's face. The sight of him crying was, understandably, a surprise as she had only expected him to be happy. Watching him tear up in response to the book threw her off guard.
"This is the most wonderful gift anyone has ever given me, Jane; so much so that I cannot help but cry. You have been such a wonderful person in my life so far and I don't know what I did to deserve it. You are the first person to ever honestly take an interest in what I like and it's -" he paused as he laughed softly; emotion soaring throughout him as he shook his head in amazement. Words began to fail him as he looked from the book to the person that had given him such a perfect gift and he found himself wishing he could find another way to express himself. Closing the distance between them, Loki partially gave into his desire to kiss Jane by bowing his head and kissing her forehead softly. As usual, the connection between them sparked brightly from the simple touch.
As they were so busy lingering in their own privately made world, the two of them would not have known that they were being watched; the concern filled eyes of the dark haired warrior peering at the two of them before she scrambled away. The idea that Thor's lady love was having what she deemed as an intimate moment with his brother while Thor was away was too much to bear.
( O: Well! Flashback is complete. Now that Sif has been introduced once more in the past, there's a likely chance she'll be around for the present. ;) Thank you all for reading and see you at Chapter 20!)