The month had flown by for Loki and it was time to pose the question: would Holly marry him?
He had certainly changed. He had changed for her. Changed because he knew there was no promise of a good life with the way he acted before. A good life consisted of Holly. A good life would mean he had to be a better man.
Tonight was the night. After dinner, he would take her away from the palace and back to the waterfall. There, he would tell her what she meant to him. In return, he hoped to win her hand in marriage. Nothing would make him happier in his life.
"Could you tie my bodice?" Holly asked quietly as Loki adjusted his helmet atop his head. They prepared for dinner with his family now. Hopefully it would be short. Frigga was pushing the marriage and it had made Loki agitated. He could take care of this himself.
"Of course." He grinned, fingers expertly pulling and tying the strings. Once he finished, he slid his hands to her hips and pulled her close.
"Thank you," she said quietly, her hand reaching up to caress the side of his neck. "This helmet makes things difficult."
"But it is fashionable, is it not?" he tickled her sides gently, making her squirm. "Tell your king that his crown is fashionable." Loki backed her up towards the bed, tickling her a bit more, making her laugh.
"Maybe on Asgard." She offered, gently holding his hands away from her.
"Not good enough!" he teased, throwing her onto the bed and attacking her with his hands. Holly laughed incessantly, squirming beneath him.
"Loki!" she laughed, trying to get away from him.
"Tell me that my helmet is the best!" he offered his compromise once more, freezing his hands on her stomach. She linked her hands behind his neck and pulled him down to kiss her gently.
"How's that?" she whispered in his ear, placing kisses down the column of his neck. Loki sighed at the feeling of her lips on his skin, but quickly sobered, pulling back to look at her.
"Ah, ah, ah." He smirked. "You cannot get off that easy." Holly leapt from under him, running around the back of the bed. He laughed at her, rolling onto his back. Suddenly, he heard a thud and a long break in her laughing.
"Holly?" called worriedly, flinging himself off the bed and hurrying to the area behind his bed. He found her lying on the floor, laughing even harder than before as she rolled around. "Are you all right?" he asked, kneeling on the floor beside her.
"Yes!" she said, breathless from her laughing. Loki laughed, wiping the worry from his face as she brought her body to a kneeling position. He kissed her deeply, pulling her to stand. "I'm so clumsy." She blushed, resting her forehead against his.
"And you worked for S.H.I.E.L.D.?" he asked, fixing her hair gently.
"A lot of training." She laughed quietly, walking over to the mirror to put her makeup on. Loki stayed behind, watching her from afar.
She would look lovely in a crown. He thought, studying her careful brushstrokes on her eyes and lips. Knowing that was something that wouldn't happen until after they got married, he turned away and adjusted his helmet once again.
A sense of doubt began to cloud his judgment. What if she said no? Would he relapse to the man he was before?
Feeling two arms wrap around him from behind, Loki pushed his negative thoughts away, placing one of his hands on hers. "Are you okay?" Holly asked quietly, forehead pressed to his back.
"Yes, my love." He smiled warmly, turning towards her. "Are you ready?" She nodded and took his arm.
Holly had definitely noticed the change in Loki over the past weeks. He had gone from her keeper and kidnapper to the caring, protective, kind man that she had fallen in love with. Everything had changed. Odin trusted him (for the most part), he had reconnected with Frigga, and he had been incredibly warm towards her.
"Hello?" Loki asked, waving a hand in front of her face.
"Sorry," she blushed, squeezing his hand gently. The guards opened the huge gold doors to the dining room, allowing the couple to enter and take their seats at their respective places.
Dinner went fairly quickly, but not quickly enough for Loki's liking. He was so nervous, yet so ready to ask Holly to become his wife.
This was a big step for him. Never did he think that he would be drawn to a woman the way he was drawn to her. Everything about her intrigued her. He felt like he knew so much about her, yet there was still so much to learn.
"We're not going to bed?" Holly asked as he steered her away from his chambers and towards the stables. After dinner, they almost always retired to his bed, where you can imagine what ensued.
"No," he answered, sending her a small smile. She shook her head, hiding her smile. When Loki surprised her he did it in style. Would this be one of those nights?
"Where are we going?" she tried, hand tightening around his as they walked.
"Do you honestly believe that I would tell you that?" he teased, smirking at her. Holly's nose wrinkled as she laughed.
"It was worth a try." She grinned, resting her head against his shoulder. Loki's large hand slid across her back to hold her hip, bringing her body closer to his. They arrived at the stables shortly, Loki motioning to the horse in front of them.
"Does this seem familiar to you?" he asked quietly, helping her up onto the black horse's back.
"It does." She confirmed with a small smile, heart starting to race as he climbed on behind her and took the reins. Holly leaned back against his strong chest as he urged the horse forward, one arm around her waist protectively. The ride was familiar to her. They were on their way to the waterfall that he had taken her to one of the first nights of her stay in Asgard. Why was he bringing her back there?
Loki led her through the forest again, holding her hand tightly. The waterfall was just as amazing as the first time they had visited.
"You know what I wanted to do that night we were here?" she asked, looking back at her lover as she kneeled by the water, her hand testing the temperature.
"What is that, my love?" he asked quietly, sitting beside her.
"I wanted to swim." She replied, biting her bottom lip playfully and finally bringing her gaze to his.
"Ah," he murmured through his breath, his hand rising to cup her cheek. A grin played on his lips as his other hand pulled at her bodice strings. "Shall we go for a swim?" Holly nodded as he pushed her dress off her shoulders, revealing her delicate skin. His lips immediately moved to her neck, placing soft kisses down to her shoulder. They undressed each other slowly and then eased into the water, holding each other close.
Holly gently wrapped her legs around his waist, pressing her forehead against his. "Oh, my beautiful woman." He whispered against her lips, his hand moving to her bare thigh beneath the warm water. She smiled into his kisses, her fingers winding into his long, raven hair.
"You make me so incredibly happy." She murmured as he pulled her body as close as possible. Loki's fingers danced across her skin, teasing and tormenting her. Her eyes closed as he moved his mouth back to her neck, nipping at her wet skin. "I love you, Loki."
"Holly," he breathed back to her as she took over, marking his neck to claim him. "I adore you, my love. Forever." She smiled against his skin, hot breath tickling his sender neck. "There is no one I would rather be with." Gently, his hand grasped the back of her neck, urging her to look up at him. Holly obeyed, giving him a sheepish smile.
"I'm sorry. I got carried away." A blush stained her freckled cheeks.
"Do not apologize." He grinned down at her. "May I say something?" Suddenly, he was quiet and serious.
"Of course, Loki. You never have to ask permission." Holly told him, forehead wrinkling in worry. He looked away for a moment, unsure of himself, but her hand gently turned his face back to hers. "Loki, what is it?" His fingers brushed a lock of soaked hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear before he spoke.
"Holly, I never imagined that I would ever meet a woman like you. I never imagined that I would be able to return to the man that I had been before. With you, I feel complete. I feel safe. And I feel incredibly drawn to you. I need you in my life." his words became desperate, his arms constricted around her waist. "I need you to stay with me. I want to make you happy. I want to be the only man in your life. Forever."
Holly searched his eyes nervously, frozen in his embrace. Was this a dream? She half expected to wake up in her bed back on Midgard.
"Do me the complete and utter honor of becoming your husband." He pleaded. The puppy dog eyes were back. Her heart thumped against her chest and she stopped breathing, but only for a moment. "Become my queen." Loki whispered, watching as tears collected in her eyes. "Please do not cry. I-"
"Yes," she whispered, nodding.
"W-what?" he breathed.
"Yes, I'll marry you." Holly confirmed, a smile taking over her lips. Loki's hand as he threaded his fingers through her hair, kissing her deeply, his body relaxing in relief. "Now…" she trailed off, wiping her tears from her cheeks. "Race you to the waterfall!" Holly slipped from his arms and swam quickly towards the waterfall, leaving Loki laughing in her wake.