The Art of Lore, Chapter 2: Betokens a Base Nature
Author: starhawk2005
Fandom: Marvel's Avengers
Date: Nov 2015
Pairing: Loki/ Jane (Lokane)
Rating: Adult (18+).
Summary: Loki and Jane have their (final) wedding night. Smut ahoy!
Disclaimer: Marvel owns it all, except for the occasional OC.
Jane watches Loki and Frigga elegantly gliding around the dancefloor, as carefree and graceful as if this isn't their first time dancing to 'Earth' music. And maybe it isn't, she realizes. Thor has been here before, and Loki. Loki had told that they had visited Earth many times in the past, when they were young. Maybe Frigga has been here before too.
Either way, they move far more skillfully than Jane ever has, and she has to brush away a spike of jealousy. The joys of being born with two left feet, she thinks wryly.
Glancing around, Jane takes a second to relax as Darcy is currently too busy flirting with Fandral to bother Jane about throwing the bouquet. Or whatever else is next on Darcy's internal list of Wedding Traditions That Must Be Observed.
Erik and Bruce are standing in one corner of the large grey room, and are deep in conversation. She wonders if they're discussing some new kind of joint science project.
Jane remembers Erik telling her about Bruce – though she hadn't known that was who Erik had been talking about at the time – when SHIELD had taken her research. Well, taken it the first time.
I knew this scientist... a pioneer in gamma radiation. S.H.I.E.L.D showed up and... he wasn't heard from again.
Given his tendency to morph into the 'Hulk', Jane figures she (and Erik) now know why Bruce dropped off the face of the Earth.
The two men had renewed their friendship in Asgard while Jane had been recovering from her near-fatal Chitauri stab wound. Erik had needed to overcome his initial shock at hearing that Bruce was the Hulk, though Jane supposes that after meeting Norse gods in person and visiting Asgard, finding out that a former friend can shapeshift into a 'green rage monster' (in Tony's words) isn't such a stretch.
She doesn't know if Erik is pursuing some new line of research that requires Bruce's knowledge of gamma radiation. The only thing he's discussed with her lately, and it's only been in passing, is his study of some kind of 'convergence' of nebulaes. Or something to that effect. With all the weddings she hasn't had much time or energy to involve herself in his new line of research. Not to mention there's still my portal to fix. Not to mention all the follow-up afterwards. Publications, conferences, trying to use the portal to visit places other than Asgard…
That line of thinking triggers another, so once the present dance is over and Loki bows to his mother, handing her off to Thor and drifting over to sink into a chair next to Jane, she leans over to whisper in his ear.
"I just realized – how are we going to visit other worl- Realms, if you're under house arrest here on Earth?"
Loki grimaces slightly, his eyes following Frigga and Thor as they spin, laughing and smiling as they do their best to imitate the steps performed by the people around them.
"Mother, of course. My understanding is that she badgered Odin night and day into instituting my punishment only once our journey through the Nine Realms is complete. I believe the core of her argument was something along the lines of 'rewarding the Deathkiller for her courage in defeating Thanos'. And perhaps something about tempering retribution with mercy, given my attempts to save two Realms." He shakes his head marginally and raises Jane's hand to his lips, though he's smirking when he lowers her hand again after his kiss. "Possibly she also may have mentioned to him that I would do anything, including flout his sentence, to show you new stars and worlds, as these are the very things you have been seeking knowledge of for your entire existence. However brief said existence has been by Asgardian reckoning."
Jane grins back. "'Possibly?'"
"Most likely," he amends with a wider grin.
The music soon is winding down and Jane finds herself stifling a yawn. She's startled to see it's already past midnight. It's been a long day, and a very long month, and she's looking forward to getting away from it all with Loki. To have some time alone with him and to not have to worry about mothers and fathers and overbearing interns-turned-research-assistants named Darcy (even if she means well).
Thor appears at Jane's elbow moments later as though he's just read her mind. "I believe it is time that we escort you and your beloved to your chambers, is it not?" He grins a little naughtily, and Jane has to laugh though her cheeks redden. Some things never change, like my ability to blush.
"Yeah, we'd better make sure Loki here doesn't cut and run," jokes Tony, who pops up by Thor's side.
"Tony just shut up already, OK?" Jane counters, rolling her eyes. That's another thing I won't miss – Tony baiting Loki every chance he gets.
"I think you would know far more about abandoning your lady love than I ever shall," Loki remarks mildly though his gaze cuts pointedly across the room to where Pepper Potts is standing, chatting with Phil and Maria Hill.
Jane sighs and elbows him ungently in the ribs.
"Sticks and stones," Tony smirks cheerfully, and Jane wonders how many drinks he's had, and how much of it was that potent Asgardian stuff. "Anyway, shall we?"
After a brief kerfuffle with Darcy, who insists Jane toss the bouquet before they leave (Sif catches it deftly, though she looks more frightened than pleased when the meaning of the ritual is explained to her), an astonishing procession of people accompanies her and Loki to the quarters they've been assigned on the Helicarrier.
They pause at the door, where Loki turns to address the throng of family, friends, Avengers, Guards, and Warriors Three. "My friends," he announces, and Jane wonders if it's her paranoid imaginings that he sounds just slightly on this side of sarcastic. "I thank you for your support and love, and for witnessing this joyous moment in our now-united lives. But at this time, if you will excuse us both-" here he pauses and sweeps Jane up into his arms, as she emits a completely undignified squeak, "-I yet have some other 'duties' to attend to this night."
The bare and rather ugly metal door closes behind them seconds later, cutting off the cheers, clapping and good-natured catcalls.
"Thank God that's over," Jane mutters to herself as she surveys the little room. A bed, plain but big enough for two people, a metal filing cabinet, a card table and two folding chairs. The Ritz it isn't, especially compared to Asgard's pervasive gold and filigree and jeweled lighting.
I don't think these two wedding experiences could have been more different, Jane observes to herself with a grin.
Loki raises his brow at her questioningly. "Nothing. Just noticing the décor leaves a little to be desired," she explains.
He shrugs off his suit jacket and vest as he replies. "It matters little. I intend to spirit you away at first light tomorrow. Or rather, today. Before Odin changes his mind," he adds dryly.
She stares at him wide-eyed. "Would he?"
"As persuasive as Mother can be, one can never be certain of the turnings of Odin's mind, and therefore it is a chance I am unwilling to take." He glides over to Jane and gently begins working loose the bobby pins which are holding her veil in place. "But that is enough about him. This moment ought to be about us."
Jane quirks a smile up at him. "What, you're not sick of having wedding nights with me? This is our third one, you know."
Loki looks down at her gravely as he carefully pulls the veil free, though his eyes glint with amusement. "It is, but had I anticipated boredom, I would never have married you."
"Gee, what a ringing endorsement. Thanks for that. Besides, I seem to recall some trickery on your part was involved in the first marriage ceremony."
"Was it?" he asks with false innocence, the glint in his eyes even brighter now. He doesn't say anything else as he takes her elbow in a light grip, tugging her with him as he backs towards the bed.
"Uh, yes, yes it wa-" Jane snarks, or attempts to. It's a little hard to get on Loki's case when he's busy kissing her hard, his tongue probing firmly between her lips.
She's dizzy by the time he lets her up for air. How does he do that?
"Turn around," he orders roughly, his eyes darkening as they trace down her body, and the blood slams into Jane's face all over again. While we're on the subject, how does he do that, too? It's not like this is our first time together, not even close, but somehow he can still make me blush like a damned virgin with just two words!
Jane turns slowly, feeling his gaze on her back like a brand. Long, warm fingers guide her hair forward over her shoulders, then delicately skate down the bared column of the back of her neck. Jane shivers and closes her eyes, exhaling slowly as she lets her head droop a bit.
"Yes," he murmurs in a soft voice. "Set all cares aside, my love. We have battled hard to win this time for ourselves, and it would be a waste not to take full advantage, would it not?"
Jane snickers. "Whatever you say, 'Silvertongue'."
His chuckle in reply is both sinister and velvety, making Jane shiver all over again. "You of all people, Jane Foster of Midgard, cannot claim you are…unmoved by my tongue."
She can't help herself; a loud laugh bursts out of her. "You could say that."
"I believe I just did," he agrees as his hand, now caressing the nape of her neck, moves lower to settle on the zipper at the back of her dress. He slowly works it down, tiny tooth by tiny tooth, and lips brush down her spine as it is bared.
Jane closes her eyes, trembling. She feels and hears her dress fall into a pile around her ankles.
"And now what have we here?" Loki purrs.
She opens her eyes and looks back over her shoulder to see Loki studying her bra and matching underwear. Make that her blue bra and underwear.
Oh, right. "Yet another wedding tradition Darcy badgered me into," she explains, rolling her eyes. "'Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue'. These are blue and new, so I killed two birds with one stone." She'd gone shopping with Darcy a week ago to get these, in fact.
"Ah." She predicts there'll be an expression of confusion and a question about the 'two birds' expression from him, but neither happens. He must've been doing research on the Internet again.
"And what of this?" He asks instead, working a finger under the garter around her left thigh. A moment later he releases it, letting it snap sharply against her skin, and Jane turns to glare at him over her shoulder. His answering look is full of faux innocence once more, and Jane sighs. She should expect no less from the God of Mischief, and they both know it.
"That's the 'borrowed' and 'old' part. From Darcy's cousin," Jane shrugs. Am I ever going to be glad when all this wedding crap is done with!
"Ah," he repeats. "Well you have no further need of it now, do you?" At the shake of her head, he works a finger under it again, stroking his knuckles across the sensitive flesh, and tugs it down. Jane steps out of the circle of garter and dress, then kicks off her shoes, shaking her hair free as she steps closer to Loki.
"My turn," she declares, reaching for the collar of his white shirt. He smirks as she does this, moving to help her slip the shirt from his shoulders and arms. His eyes narrow, gleaming, as she works his belt slowly free of its loops, then pulls down his fly. Still no underwear, why am I not surprised? she thinks with a grin as his length practically springs out at her. She ignores it though, in favour of pulling his pants down to the floor.
He kicks off his footwear, socks – Loki's wearing socks? Now there's a shocker – and frees himself from the pant-legs, then takes firm grip of her upper arms before spinning her around so that her back is to him. "For once, my little Valkyrie, you are the one wearing entirely too many garments, a problem I shall now rectify."
Her bra comes loose and Loki tosses it aside, turning Jane to face him once more. Lust shines in his eyes even as his gaze strays to the scar on Jane's shoulder. Her eyes follow the same path as his, taking in the straight, pale line marring her skin.
She feels then like she should probably say something, something loving and grateful. Something Loki would probably be far more practiced at putting into words than Jane is. She envies him that, but it doesn't matter, since he moves before she has a chance to put thought into word.
Seating himself back on the bed, he reaches to grasp her elbow and all but drags her forward between his obscenely spread knees, pulling her flush against him. She can feel his hot shaft pushing between her thighs, though not yet into her, as he takes her mouth and breath with slow, thorough kisses.
Her head is spinning again by the time he changes tactics, kissing, nipping and licking his way down her chin, her neck and throat, and along one flaring collarbone.
The wavy ends of his hair are ticklish, like feathers on her skin, and she weaves her fingers into the inky mass, encouraging him to move lower. He obliges, apparently unfazed by how her fingers tighten in reaction when he reaches the tip of one breast and bites just a little too hard at the nipple. She gasps and his breath strokes across her skin as he chuckles, but he soothes her quickly with a soft suckle, Jane's knees wobbling as she tries to stay upright.
I'm going to fall over- She's tired and she wants to be able to lie down on the bed and concentrate on nothing but the feel of his body on hers, so she tugs on his hair, trying to move him backwards.
Ignoring her silent plea, Loki takes the other nipple between his teeth, teasing the very tip with the edge of his tongue, and Jane groans, struggling again to lock her knees, trying to urge him backwards nonverbally as the words trip over themselves in her throat. How he can still affect her so powerfully after so many months together, she'll never understand. OK, so she hasn't dated that many people in her life, but still-
Low, evil laughter vibrates against her skin, as if he is aware of her fragmented thoughts. His strong hands cup her behind, holding her still as he licks a wet line down the center of her belly to the lacy edge of the panties. He buries his face between her legs, chafing the slightly rough fabric up and down against tender areas, and if he wasn't holding her up Jane's certain that she'd be collapsing to the floor in a trembling heap right now, gravity taking its due.
She prays he'll stop tormenting her and just yank her underwear down, or make it vanish into thin air, but of course he takes his time, lapping leisurely at her through the lace, tracing the tip of his tongue agonizingly slowly around her swelling clit. Jane twists her fingers deeper into his hair and the nails of her other hand dig urgently into his steely shoulder muscle.
Her pulse and breathing are racing, sweat dewing her back and face, and her knees are shaking all the harder now. "You keep this up, I'm probably going to fall on you," Jane pants through clenched teeth.
"Do you require assistance? I assure you, dearest wife, that I always stand ready to provide it," he hums, smirking. His fingers dig a little harder into her soft flesh, just as another pair of hands closes firmly around her waist, with a bare, hard-muscled back pressing to hers. Jane can't restrain a squeak of surprise and a glance over her shoulder. A second Loki leers down at her.
"I hate being outnumbered," she complains, but it's half-hearted at best.
"Do you?" the second Loki inquires, idly tracing a fingertip down the scar on the back side of her shoulder. "A pity we have not convinced you otherwise before. We shall have to further demonstrate the advantages." He leans into her, his teeth raking the side of her neck, and randomly Jane remembers their very first encounter, and the bite-mark he left – and then hid – on her. It's long healed, of course, but the memory obviously remains.
She's almost too distracted by the new Loki to notice the dexterous fingers of the first Loki taking her underwear down, dropping them around her ankles. He nuzzles the dark hair of her mound, in no hurry to pick up where he left off, his gaze dark with amusement as he looks up at her. Christ, he's going to tease me to death on our wedding night. Our third wedding night. Wha- whatever.
Jane groans in dismay and pushes her hips forward, hoping, but the second Loki drags them back again, nipping at the lobe of her ear. She can feel him, throbbing and rigid against her ass, and she bucks fruitlessly when he reaches around her to tug on each nipple. The rising ache between her thighs is only going to be tamed by one thing, and they're doing their best to deny her that.
"Please," she finally begs hoarsely, after the first Loki has spent entirely too long licking little trails up and down her thighs, the second Loki rolling her nipples between his slender fingers, while his teeth work at the shell of her ear.
"Please what, little one?" The first Loki questions her. "As I have mentioned many times, I am not a mind-reader." His grin resembles a hungry shark's.
Fuck you, she growls mentally though she won't feed his amusement by saying it out loud. Her arms are still free, so she opts for winding her fingers into the soft mane of the first Loki's hair, spreading her legs as wide as the panties hobbling her angles will allow, and guiding him eagerly between them.
He hums a laugh into her slickened skin, the vibration dancing along her nerves, but he gives her what she needs so badly, surrounding her most sensitive spot with his enthusiastic mouth and sucking hard, before licking her in long, broad strokes that leave her shuddering and crying out. The other Loki continues to knead her nipples, whispering heated suggestions in her ear about the many ways two of him can have her at once, and Jane shudders once more, abruptly right at the edge.
The first Loki pulls away at just the wrong time, unaffected by Jane's feeble attempts to keep him right where he is, breaking the illusion of her control. She gasps frantically, chest heaving as she tries to catch her breath, and glares at him through the damp strands of bangs hanging in her eyes.
"Have we discussed the Earth notion of divorce yet?" she snarls. "Or of 'being in the doghouse'?"
The two Lokis don't ask about that expression, either. "So fervent. You'll gift us with your climax soon enough, my Jane. Position her," he orders the second Loki. Jane is effortlessly manipulated like a life-size doll as she is turned to face the second Loki and lifted, poised over the first Loki's lap and the taut, reddened shaft he's gripping.
She clutches at the shoulders of the second Loki, mindlessly digging her nails in again, as the first takes her hips and guides her inexorably down, impaling her deeply. He fills her completely, the pleasure washing over her in tingling waves. Though that's nothing compared to what she experiences when the second Loki, grinning like the Devil himself, kneels between both their legs, spreads Jane's folds wider, and applies a slippery tongue to her throbbing little button.
"Oh God!" Jane cries out, not caring who might hear. She tries to grab for the second Loki's hair but the first Loki captures her wrists and pulls them behind her back, defeating her protest with a sharp thrust of his hips, stabbing up into her in the most delicious way.
She can't think, she's too overwhelmed, she can only feel. The iron fingers handcuffing her wrists, the slow slide of the first Loki methodically moving in and out of her, the second Loki working her with the expertise of long familiarity.
They work in tandem to drive her completely crazy, developing a rhythm that she's powerless to resist. The first Loki thrusts hard, shoving so deep into her that it nearly hurts, and it's always when he's buried to the hilt in Jane that the second Loki suckles hardest at her tender bud.
She comes at least twice, shaking and screaming Loki's name. Everything grays out as her brain goes fuzzy, and by the time she's regained the ability to focus, they've shifted things on her. The original Loki – or is it the second one? She can't be sure any longer – is lying under her now and cradling her to his chest. Her arms are wound around his neck but try as she might, she can't move them. Magic?
His hands are digging into the cheeks of her behind again, positioning her for his advance, Jane shivering as he slides smoothly in and the angle massages new areas inside her.
Jane has just enough time to wonder about the second Loki before her question is answered in a very unexpected way; the first Loki changes his hold slightly, spreading her cheeks apart wider, and then a cool tongue swipes wetly, shockingly, across the tight pucker of her ass.
"Loki!" she squeaks, trying wildly (and failing) to pull her hands from their place around his neck as he grins unrepentantly at her.
"Now now," he coaxes. "We are quite certain that such did not hurt you. In fact, we would hazard a guess that you enjoyed it, much as you might wish to pretend otherwise." His eyes darken further as Jane gapes at him. "In any case, you are ours to do with as we please, so you have little choice but to submit, little wife."
She's just about to yell at him for the insulting 'little wife' thing when the Loki behind her curls his tongue languidly against that spot again, breaking her thoughts into shards. "You-" is all she manages, and even that is barely intelligible.
But Loki is right about her being helpless. And if she does enjoy it, well…that's her poorly-kept secret.
They work her back gradually to the cliff's edge. The first Loki thrusts as slowly as he can, the strain evident in his tense muscles though he doesn't seem bothered by this at all, idly running his hands up and down her back and moving to take her hips in a near-bruising grip whenever she's foolish enough to try to push the pace. The second Loki has taken over spreading her open, sometimes licking and sometimes pushing the tip of his tongue just into her. She's pretty sure she's dripping onto the bed beneath them, and the noises coming out of her would be totally mortifying if they were giving her any kind of chance to stop and realize it.
When Jane comes again, it's so hard that stars explode and wheel behind her eyes. From a distance it seems, she registers Loki grunting in her ear and pulsing himself dry inside her. The force binding her wrists together behind his neck releases all of a sudden as Loki lies back on the bed, and Jane slumps down onto the planes of her husband's chest, curling into him.
"Have I…mentioned…that…you're evil?" She mumbles between shaky breaths.
A breath ghosts across the top of her head as he chuckles smugly. "Perhaps once or twice. And yet, somehow you always manage to find yourself in my bed. I believe you are heading in entirely the wrong direction if you are attempting to flee, my dear."
Jane snorts and swats him ineffectually on one solid pectoral. "Oh shut up."
A silken laugh greets this pronouncement. "For now, very well. You mortals do require extensive sleep, if my memory serves."
She's too tired to dignify that with an appropriately snarky reply.
At least Loki listens to her in the morning when Jane tells him that they can't just leave. Well, they could, but there's a few people she feels she needs to see first.
So Loki waits with thinly-veiled impatience while Jane goes to say goodbye to Darcy, Erik, and the Avengers. She also takes it upon herself to thank Frigga and Thor for coming.
Odin pretends to ignore Jane during her entire visit, so Jane returns the favour. She knows she's not the only bride with a difficult father-in-law to deal with; it won't kill her.
She saves the two hardest visits for last. First she gathers her courage with both hands as she walks into the high-ceilinged, echoing room which serves as the Helicarrier's bridge.
Although approaching Fury in private would be much easier for her, at the same time she knows that doing this openly will send a message. Jane isn't ashamed of being married to Loki and she's not going to let anyone, even the head of the largest clandestine agency in the States, look down on her for it.
"Director Fury," she says in a firm, loud voice (just like she practiced) as she walks up behind him. He's standing in the very center of the room in front of a bank of monitors arranged in a semicircle. There, that went well. Even if for a fraction of a second she gets a very unwelcome flashback to the first time she encountered Thanos.
Fury's dry, flat tone brings her back to the here and now quickly. "Doctor," he answers neutrally, not looking at her.
Jane takes a breath, trying not to rush anxiously through her words. "Thanks so much for hosting the wedding. And for marrying us. I just thought I'd let you know that Loki and I will be gone on our honeymoon for a month or two, but that when we get back, I'll be ready to reconstruct my portal."
She waits on his reply, shifting from foot to foot. She's almost hoping he's invested enough in the rebuilding of the Stark-Foster project to complain about her not being around for a while, but he only answers: "Fine. I heard something about you two doing the fly-by tour of the universe."
Jane allows herself to chuckle as excitement rises inside her. "I guess you could call it that, yeah."
"Good," he says, his face unreadable as he finally swings around to face her. "Keep Loki as far away from here as you can, for as long as you can, Doctor." His eye glints down at her but Jane can't tell if he's joking or being serious.
She decides it's probably better if she doesn't know which one it is.
"Sure," she agrees amiably, "I'll do my best." Fury nods curtly and turns away, dismissing her. It doesn't matter, she's done her duty, and in any case Phil appears at her elbow in his usual low-key fashion, shaking her hand and telling her to enjoy herself.
After Jane leaves the bridge, it's time for the hardest goodbye. All too soon Jane is standing hesitantly outside the dull metal door to the room Fury assigned to her Mom. It would be so much easier just to walk away, to let Loki take her across the stars right now. One last obstacle, she comforts herself. I've faced down worse. The Other and Thanos, right? This is Mom, for God's sake!
It's this thought that encourages her to knock. Her mother opens the door a few seconds later, and Jane is struck again by just how much her mother has aged in the intervening years.
"Hi Mom. Can I come in?"
The room is neat and tidy, almost obsessively so. Jane wouldn't be surprised if Mom gave the room a thorough once-over with bleach before she even went to bed last night.
"I just wanted to thank you for coming-"
Her mother cuts off Jane's words with a snort. "Your overbearing husband didn't leave me much choice." A small, uncertain smile glimmers on Mom's face as she clasps her hands uncomfortably in front of her, though it removes any sting from what she said.
"I'm so sorry, Mom," Jane replies sympathetically. "Believe me, I know the feeling." She rolls her eyes for emphasis, then smiles as warmly as she can. "Remind me to tell you the story of our first wedding ceremony sometime." Jane intends to leave out all the x-rated bits in her retelling, of course.
Mild panic flashes in Mom's eyes then. "You're not staying?" It reminds Jane all too powerfully of the last time she left Mom. How strange that those emotions and memories are still so vivid, when that all happened so long ago.
If you walk out that door and leave me now, you're no longer my daughter!
"No, Loki and I are leaving on our honeymoon within the hour. We're going on a long trip, and probably won't be back for a month or two." Her mother's troubled expression doesn't change and, trying to anticipate Mom's next question, Jane adds: "I've already made arrangements with Agent Coulson to get you back home in one of the Quinjets later today. He's taking Darcy and Erik home that way too."
Jane pauses, unsure, but then she decides that if Loki can try to reconcile with his family, why can't she? "But I promise I'll come visit you when we get back, and we'll talk." She stops again, taking a deep breath. "If that's what you want, of course."
Her hands trembling, Mom steps forward and hugs Jane awkwardly. "Yes honey, I'd like that a lot. I've…missed you so much."
Jane swallows past the painful lump in her throat and hugs her mother back, praying that things can be better between them.
It's what Dad would want.
When Jane returns to their room it's empty. Loki probably has his own farewells to make so she settles down to wait, holding the wedding gift she got for him in her lap and fiddling with the bow as she replays the events of the recent past in her mind. The beginning of their 'arrangement'. SHIELD finding out. The Other. Loki cutting and running, and then coming back to her. Thanos. The 'elopement'. The weddings.
And now a honeymoon that will span the known universe. Or rather the universe known to Norse gods, anyway.
It makes her wonder if things will ever go back to some semblance of normal for her, the 'normal' that she lived before Thor fell to Earth. But do I really want that? It may have been calmer and quieter, but…
Would she have had her portal built by now, if Thor had never appeared?
That assumes SHIELD will let me do anything with my portal, Jane reminds herself uneasily. Fury has always kept a very tight leash on Stark-Foster, and Jane is under no illusions that once it's rebuilt, that the Director will just give her carte blanche to use the portal any time she wants, to go to anywhere she wants.
Mind you, having a 'god' husband who can whisk me across the universe on a whim kinda negates all that, right? Not to mention I'm sure Tony will have something to say about all this, given his name is on the portal project too-
Loki bursts into their room just then, once more wearing his usual armour. He's smiling but it turns into a mild frown as he witnesses Jane's thoughtful expression. "Does something ail you, my love?"
She shakes her head, unwilling to spoil the mood over things that haven't even materialized as real problems yet. "It's nothing. Here, let me give you this before we take off." She holds the package, wrapped in metallic green paper and tied with a golden ribbon, towards him.
He cocks his head as he takes it from her. "And what is this?"
"Let's call it a belated wedding gift. Earth custom," she adds, when it looks like he might actually refuse it.
He seats himself beside her on the bed, tearing the paper open with his usual precision. He pulls the gift out and holds it up, letting it unfold down to the floor.
"We call those 'jeans'," she explains. "You've got 'Dressy Asgardian' and 'Dressy Human' down pat, so I figured it was time to introduce you to a more…casual look." It was a good look on Thor, anyway, she thinks, though it's probably not a good idea to mention that particular bit of information.
Loki painstakingly examines first the front of the jeans, then the back, and then tugs experimentally at a leg. "A strong fabric, despite the generally substandard skills of your Midgardian weavers," he observes, and despite his rather insulting words, is that faint approval she hears in his voice?
She knows better than to take the bait. "At the very least we'll match better now. Since, you know, I practically live in jeans most of the time," she notes, indicating the dark blue pair she's currently wearing.
"Hm," Loki replies. He performs a swirling motion with a hand and the jeans vanish, presumably into his Interdimensional Closet. "I will assess the accuracy of their fit at a later time. You will forgive me, I trust, if I prefer to wear my armour for the moment?"
Jane's eyes widen at the serious look on his face. "Is there trouble?"
"Not any that is known to me at this time. But as we discussed I intend to take you to see each of the Nine Realms, and as you will soon discover, not all of the Nine are as hospitable as Midgard and Asgard. I would rather therefore err on the side of caution."
"Oh, OK," she agrees. He's the expert in all of this, so she's not going to argue.
"Are you ready to leave now, my Jane?" he asks. She scans the room, noticing for the first time that there's no sign of the wedding dress she left folded over the bridge chair when she left the room this morning. Nor does she see the overnight bag she pushed under the table last night after brushing her teeth.
"As there are no servants here to see to our needs, I took the liberty of collecting our personal items," Loki tells her, standing and offering Jane his hand.
Jane doesn't bother to withhold her snort as she takes it. "I wouldn't get used to servants if I were you. I have zero plans to hire anybody to take care of us when we're on Earth; I do just fine on my own."
They've never discussed how much time they'll be spending on Earth together as opposed to Asgard (or elsewhere), but Jane supposes that's one thing she can kind of thank Odin for; his edict that Loki has to remain on Earth indefinitely (once the honeymoon is completed) has delayed that possible point of contention between her and Loki.
Loki smiles crookedly down at her. "That you do, my wife. But we will have extensive time to further discuss that, and other matters, during our travels." He tugs lightly on her hand. "Shall we?"
Jane nods and the familiar sensation of his teleportation spell envelops her, all sound and light bleeding to white for a fraction of a second. She blinks the mild disorientation away to discover they're in the desert outside Puente Antiguo, with morning sunlight beating down on their heads and gleaming on the sand. When she looks down she realizes they're standing next to where the Bifröst's mark still faintly colours the earth.
"Wait, isn't the Asgardian 'Rainbow Bridge' still broken?" Jane asks, confused as to why they're here.
"It is, yes. But the natural pathway between Realms that I have become accustomed to employing originates from this point as well."
Is that just a coincidence? Jane wonders. Before she can pursue that line of thought further though, Loki asks: "Now, which Realm did you wish to see first?"
They'd talked about them a few times in the past, but Jane can never keep half of them straight in her head. "Remind me which one is which again?"
Smirking, Loki settles himself down on a flat-topped rock jutting out of the sand. "Alfheim, home of the light elves," he intones, making another graceful motion of his hand. A ball of light curls into existence in the palm of his hand, before drifting from his fingers and sailing to hover in front of Jane. In the middle of the ball of light an image forms, one of forests with trees with that appear to have golden, spiraling trunks and silver leaves. The image shifts, zooming out, and behind the forests Jane can now see massive mountains thrusting snow-clad shoulders high into the sky, with huge clouds hanging in the sky beyond those.
"Vanaheim, home of the Vanir." Another wave of his hand and a new ball of light forms, wafting past the first to take its place in front of Jane's amazed eyes. Its depths show Jane a glimpse of a similar world, though the trees are the more typical brown-trunked and green-leaved versions she's familiar with.
"The home of the dwarves, known as Nidavellir." The contents of this bubble of light surprise her. It seems to be a world composed entirely of water, at least to judge by the expansive ocean, and nothing else, revealed so far in Loki's illusion.
Dwarves, seriously? And they live there? Tolkien couldn't have gotten it more wrong.
"But several of the other Realms are sadly much less hospitable than these. They lack both civilization, and many comforts. Muspelheim, for example, the home of the Fire Giants."
Jane gasps as the newest ball of light halts in front of her, jostling the others as it spins itself into visions of exploding volcanoes and steaming geysers of yellowed, probably sulphur-laden water. "Wow, that's-"
But Loki is already moving on, and is it Jane's imagination, or is he attempting to rush through these descriptions? "Svartalfheim. Once the home of the dark elves, but now an empty, burned husk of a world after many wars with both Asgard and Alfheim." Where the dwarves' planet seemed to be covered entirely in water, this one is a desert. Nothing but sand, high dunes, and the occasional dark hulk that seems to be either rock or a pile of rusting metal. Jane frowns as she observes the dark, bruised-looking clouds that fill the sky from end to end. "But-"
"Strangest of all, Niflheim. Time and place behave...differently there," Loki comments as this ball unfurls, though the center of it is filled with a gray mist so thick that Jane can make out only dim shapes. What they are – trees, rocks, people – she couldn't say.
She has so many questions that she doesn't know where to start, but the first one dies on her tongue as another ball of light manifests in the middle of the others. This one showcases a blue-tinged world, with sharp spires of rock and ice stabbing up into an inky sky sprinkled with stars. Snow blankets everything, and a few large flakes drift from one side of the bubble of light to the other, as if Jane is looking into the universe's most grim and cheerless snow-globe.
"And…Jotunheim." Loki's expression is bleak as Jane looks over at him.
Now she knows why he's been rushing. He might be OK with showing her that side of himself in bed, but that's as far as his acceptance of his true heritage goes if his current mood is any indication.
"Of course," she echoes him, keeping her voice and face neutral. "I'd really like to see where you were born. Where you came from."
For a moment dark rage flashes in his eyes, and Jane can imagine the denial he's about to scream – I come from Asgard! – but then it's gone, and his expression carefully bland once again.
Jane shakes her head and starts towards him. "Loki-" she starts, trying to reassure him.
Two more balls of light appear in her path, blocking her, and Jane catches glimpses of familiar sights forming inside them. The Great Hall of Asgard gleams golden in one and the familiar roof of her lab, the fire-pit flickering brightly in the nighttime scene depicted, hovers in the middle of the other.
"Asgard and your Earth are also counted among the Nine. Though naturally both are rather well-known to us." He smirks slightly and Jane sighs inwardly and decides to confront his self-hatred at another time.
"Well-known to you, maybe," she counters. "There's plenty of Asgard I haven't seen yet. And Earth too, come to think of it."
"Then pick one, and we shall begin expanding your knowledge," he says as he rises, brushing the dust from his leather pants.
She's about to choose when the obvious hits her. "But…wait! I haven't packed anything."
He smiles warmly. "What could you possibly need that I cannot provide, my wife?"
Uh, how about recording devices? This could be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and even if it isn't, Darcy will want details. Probably SHIELD too, knowing them.
"I don't mean clothes and bathing suits, Loki. Look, I just need…" She turns, flustered, starting to shuffle through the sand in the direction of her lab. "I just need to grab a few things, alright?"
To her relief Loki doesn't argue, he just trails silently after her.
After about twenty-five minutes Jane has amassed quite the pile in the center of her lab. There's three empty notebooks (the one she was using most recently is still in the bunker in Nevada as far as she knows) and a handful of ball-point pens. A small collapsible telescope. A few of the more esoteric and homemade instruments she uses to track atmospheric phenomena (and she's still not sure how many of those phenomena were caused by the Asgardian Bifröst). There's also her old laptop computer, her SLR camera, and a handheld video camera that's surely obsolete by now. But since the last time she used the video camera was when Thor originally fell to Earth, she figures it's brought her luck.
Done at last, Jane dusts off her hands and looks over to see Loki lounging against the wide doorframe, still smirking. "A few things, did you say?" he remarks dryly.
"Hey, at least all this stuff is useful. It's not like twenty pairs of shoes, or something," she challenges him, hands on her hips.
"True enough," he concedes. He stores everything magically away within an eye-blink then grins at her, holding out a hand invitingly.
"It is time to choose, Jane."
She can feel her brow scrunching as she thinks hard. She could easily pick Earth or Asgard, though the former would take some planning on her part; she needs to do some research first, to decide where she'd like to go with him. The latter would probably require more planning work on his part, but Jane also feels like she needs a break from the royal family, at least for a little while. Besides, I was just there.
The thrill of the unknown calls to her.
Jotunheim? Hmmm. As much as she's dying to see the world Loki originally came from, she's fairly certain he's not ready for that. And besides, he tried to kill all the Frost Giants not so long ago, right? So when they do visit he'll probably spend most of the time on edge for various reasons, constantly looking over his shoulder. Not exactly her idea of a relaxing honeymoon destination.
Yeah, like a planet of fog or fire is any better. What had he called those worlds? 'Less hospitable'? Jane's not sure she's in the mood for that right now, as fascinating as those places surely will be. Let's have a relaxing visit first, if that's possible. And then we'll take on more of a challenging 'Realm'.
What did that leave? She thinks back to the images Loki had spun for her. Vanaheim, Alfheim, or that other place, Nida-whatever.
'Light elves' sound interesting.
She places her hand into Loki's and smiles up at him. "I choose Alfheim."
Feedback and reviews are always appreciated, and help me keep up my motivation to continue this fic.
