Two days; it was two days until Thor was to be crowned king, and Loki's prank was to take place. He had been preparing for said prank, but the curly haired mortal that was curled next to him in bed each morning had been the center of his attention instead. It was highly against Asgardian tradition for them to do the things they did, but love cannot be withheld, no matter what tradition states. Yes, Loki Odinson was in love with Taylor Stark; he had been since he'd first laid eyes on her weeks ago at that dinner party; Taylor was as precious to him as a flower was to a bee. However, Taylor did know of the god's feelings, as he'd not had the nerve to tell her. What if she didn't love him back? He didn't think he'd be able to stand it if she rejected his feelings, which is exactly why he'd chosen to keep them hidden.

Taylor had slept a bit late that morning but it was understandable after what had happened the night before. Her Asgardian armor was neatly stacked in a chair by the bed, and her dress neatly draped over the back of said chair. Taylor was curled into a ball next to Loki, her curls creating a curtain over the creamy white skin of her neck. She made small murmuring noises in her sleep, and Loki found them cute. He was on his side with the blonde's back to him, one hand lazily playing in her curls; they were always so soft… Loki was unaware of how late in the afternoon the hour had become until he heard a heavy knocking on the large door of his bedroom. Groaning, he wrapped the blanket from the foot of the bed around himself and quietly slipped from the bed. He created a veil of magic over the mortal she would seem invisible as he padded across the room to the door.

"What?" he hissed as he opened the door to see his brother standing outside.

Thor knew the second Loki's agitated tone hit his ears that he had come at a bad time, but he was there now.

"T'is late in the afternoon, brother, I was making sure you and Lady Stark were all right…" The prince cast a not-so-discreet glance into Loki's room in an attempt to catch a glimpse of Taylor.

"She's fine," Loki narrowed his eyes as he watched Thor's movements and pulled the door closed a bit more. He was still angry with Thor for the library incident, and he wanted it known. "Is there anything else you need?"

Thor shook his head; stepping back a bit as the door was pulled closed some. "No, Loki. I apologize for disturbing you…"

"Goodbye, brother." Loki said dryly.

"Goodbye, Loki." Thor sighed and sauntered off down the hallway in search of food, leaving his brother and mortal alone again.

The god waited until his brother was out of sight before closing his door again and returning to Taylor in the bed; he dropped the blanket back to the floor before climbing in and snuggling up to her.

Taylor whined in her sleep at the movement in the bed. She was VERY tired and just wanted to sleep. The training she and Sif had been doing was extremely tiring, and so was Loki. But she still managed to do all the things she enjoyed about Asgard, including a few tours of places only her prince knew of. Taylor had been on Asgard nearly three weeks now and really loved it. The people there seemed to like her just as much as she liked them, including Sif. Despite the warrior's hate for mortals the tow had become close friends. Everything had been going well, and it was almost perfect. Almost. There was still something missing, yet she just hadn't been able to put her finger on it.

While Taylor curled into Loki's form, he sighed quietly. He wanted to tell her how he felt, but he just couldn't. He couldn't risk losing her again. The first time had been bad enough.

"Taylor… wake up, Princess…" Loki softly rubbed her side as he whispered in her ear.

The blonde whined again, shaking her head.

"No…" she mumbled and attempted to pull the covers over her head, but was stopped by Loki. "Lo…I'm tired.."

"I know, love, but it's late. Thor has been by looking for you…"

She sleepily rolled over, her bottom lip poked out in a pout.

"No, no, no. Pouting doesn't…" he sighed, "fine… stay in bed all day then. But I HAVE to get up, Princess."

Taylor continued to pout until she felt she'd given him a hard enough time, then she giggled and nuzzled his bare chest.

"Good morning, Loki… or afternoon."

Loki smiled softly at her loving affections, "good morning, Tay. Did you sleep well, darling?" He was answered with a small nod on her part. "Good. You've been awfully tired lately and needed a good rest."

She grinned, "and I needed someone to HELP me rest."

The god smirked down at her, before pressing a small kiss to her forehead.

"I suppose that may have helped, yes…"

After prying herself from the bed, Taylor took a long bath. She looked over the various bruises she had obtained from her training with Sif and sighed. The physical activity was hard, but it was definitely worth it. Once her bath was done and her hair dried, she put her normal Asgardian ware back on and trotted out of the room to grab a small snack. Taylor was still very unfamiliar with the large castle and still got lost often. She had tried to make a mental map of the place, but it was just too big! The blonde's mind wandered back to the first time she had explored the fortress and what she had found, causing her grip on the sword that hung on her side to tighten. She walked for a good twenty minutes before she finally accepted the fact that she lost. Again.

"SERIOUSLY?!" She huffed in frustration and leaned against a wall. Taylor drug her hand lazily through her mass of curls and closed her eyes as she tried to mentally picture the map Loki had conjured for her. It had reminded her of one of those holographs she'd seen in a spy movie; one that looked like a virtual house. Her mental actions were no use, as no map made itself present in her mind. Another frustrated groan was about to escape the female's lips until voices, soft and whispered, wafted through the air.

The curios blonde poked her head inside the doorway of the room she was beside in an attempt to hear what the people were saying. One she could tell was Frigga's, but the other was unfamiliar. Inching closer, she nearly stumbled over a pile of books. She froze momentarily before she carefully stepped over them and continued to silently slip through the rows of books. She was in the library that much she knew, but she still was unsure of her location in the large castle. With each step the voices grew clearer, and her heartbeat increased in speed. When she finally reached the source of the voices her heart was pounding so loud in her own ears that she could barely hear the people talking anymore.

"I just don't understand your problem with her. She makes him happy—" Frigga was cut off as Taylor watched Odin move closer to his wife from her place behind the bookshelf.

"It is not tradition, nor is it healthy. He barely has time for anything other than that mortal anymore!"

"Is your son's happiness really such a bad thing, my King?"

Odin shook his head and left the room almost immediately after his wife had spoken, leaving her to pick up the stack of books he'd knocked over on his way out.

The books had fallen to the floor with a loud thud, causing Taylor to jump and cover her mouth so that she didn't audibly gasp. Odin was a cruel man, or that was what she thought anyway. He'd been talking about her and Loki with Frigga, which me he know. The mortal, as he'd called her, was unaware if that was a bad thing or not, and judging by the Loki had spoken of his father's hatred of mortals, it was bad. She had become so lost in her own thought that she didn't notice Frigga moving towards where she was hiding until it was almost too late. In one swift movement, Taylor dodged beneath a nearby table, staying there until she had passed. The Queen paused at the table on her way out and Taylor had wondered if she knew she was there, but Frigga soon left the library quietly. When the blonde finally found it safe to come out, she emerged from under the table.

"THAT was CLOSE." She let out a relieved breath and ran from the library.

Meanwhile, Loki had been in deep conversation with his brother about his feelings towards the mortal. Thor was the only one he felt comfortable speaking with about this situation, so he wasted no time in explaining his reason for the visit to his brother's room.

"Why don't you just tell the mortal how you feel, brother?" Thor asked.

"Because… what if she doesn't feel the same way? What if I scare her off...?" Loki kept his eyes on his hands as he picked at the skin around his finger nails; a habit he often divulged in when nervous.

"Brother, you mustn't fear such things in life. They only slow you down!"

The god rolled his eyes and sighed, "you may not understand this seeing as you can have most any woman you wanted, mortal or not, but I am not very…" he looked up at his brother, who now had his attention fixed on Loki, "I may be a Silver Tongue, but when I try to speak to he about this, I can find no words to do so." His head dropped again, this time in shame.

Thor sat down beside his brother on the bed, placing a firm hand on his shoulder to give him a small shake.

"That is how you know you truly love her then."

"How would you know?" He lifted his head again, a small gloss over his emerald optics.

"Have you forgotten already, Loki?"

"Ah, yes… Lady Sif." Loki shook his head slightly. "I have not forgotten, brother."

"Then you have answered your own question!" Thor grinned and stood up. "Go tell her, brother."

Loki stood up at the same time as his brother, a small smile on his face. The talk they'd had made him feel a bit better, but he still wasn't ready to tell her how he felt yet.

"I will. Soon."

"Soon?" The god raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, Thor. Now if you'll excuse me," the young god headed for the door, "I have a blonde to find."

On the far side of the castle, Taylor had finally managed to find the kitchen, and was hungrily devouring a bowl of freshly picked grapes. The food on Asgard wasn't that different from Earth, she mused as she picked the last grape from the bowl and popped it into her mouth. The food may not have been very different, but the taste certainly was. The grapes she'd just eaten had a sweet and tangy flavor unlike anything she'd ever tasted before.

"I need more food." She said to herself as she hopped off of the counter she had been sitting on. Just then Loki materialized in the far corner of the room, the smile still on his visage.

"Still hungry?" He asked, grinning a she jumped in shock.

Taylor jumped when Loki appeared, but smiled after a moment. He seemed unusually happy.

"A little." She replied.

The god appeared in front of her now, pulling her close as he pressed a lingering kiss to her lips.

Taylor raised a brow at him after she pulled back, her head tilting slightly.

"What'cha dooooiiin'?"

"I can't kiss you without being questioned?" He met her raised brow with one of his own.

The female rolled her ocean tinted orbs and shook her head, wiggling out of Loki's arms, much to his dislike.

"I'm hungry, though. I don't have time for kisses unless they're made of chocolate."

Loki's brows now furrowed as he watched the woman move from bowl to bowl, building a plate of fruit and meat for her consumption.

"Chocolate…kisses? I'm afraid I don't understand…"

Taylor placed her plate on the counter she had previously been seated upon before daintily hopping back up onto it again. She picked up a piece of Pheasant between her fingers, looking over at Loki as she slipped it into her mouth.

"Mortal food."

"…FOOD?"

She chuckled and chewed the food, swallowing before replying.

"It's a kind of candy called Hersey's Kisses. Its chocolate shaped like a raindrop. They call it that because you're supposed to kiss someone before you eat it, I guess." She shrugged and hopped down to find a glass for water.

Loki held his hand up and conjured her water beside her plate. She gave him a small smile and returned to her place, continuing to eat.

"Are they good?" He now moved to stand beside her, eyes falling on her luscious curls.

She nodded, causing her curls to softly bounce up and down upon her head.

"They're my favorite." The female finished off her plate and Loki vanished it away. He had been working up the courage to voice his feelings since he'd left Thor's room, but each time he looked at the mortal, he lost it. She had a power over him that he couldn't understand.

"Describe it to me…Please." Loki gently drug his hand through her curls, causing her to close her eyes. He knew she loved it when he played with the golden trusses the adorned her head, so he did it often.

"Uhm…Ok." She sighed softly, contentedly, as the god played with her hair. "They're small… milk chocolate, and they're wrapped in shiny tinfoil with a piece of paper sticking out of the top… I don't know. I've never had to describe it before." The blonde opened her eyes, speechless at what she saw. Loki had conjured one of her favorite treats, and was holding the wrapped delight in front of her. She gingerly took the candy into her hands, looking up at him with glossed eyes. "Loki…"

Judging by Taylor's reaction, Loki had successfully conjured the treat she had spoken so fondly of. He smiled softly at her as he tucked a golden curl behind her left ear.

"Isn't there a rule you are to abide by before you eat that?" He asked in a whisper, the candy unwrapping itself in Taylor's hand.

"Oh, yeah… I guess there is." The mortal slipped the chocolate into her mouth, letting it melt a moment before leaning forward and pressing her lips to Loki's; she made sure the taste of the chocolate was shared between the two of them; that one kiss, that once piece of candy, was the sweetest thing either of them had ever tasted.