Author's Note: Okie doke. This chapter takes place before the epilogue of Out of Silence. Just F.Y.I.
You'll see why when you start reading. The italics are flashbacks, the regular print is present.
Loki sat at a table in SHIELD headquarter. His arms were crossed as he looked at the clock hanging on the wall opposite from him. He was waiting for Fury to finish debriefing Veronica before she could be allowed to leave officially. His knee bounced up and down, a nervous habit that he had picked up from her.
"So when's the wedding?" came a drawled out voice from the doorway behind Loki. Loki spun around to see Tony Stark sauntering through the door, beer in hand. The billionaire took a seat across from Loki and looked at him expectantly.
"Wedding, Mr. Stark?" Loki said superfluously.
"Well… yeah," Stark said, scratching his head and tossling his already messy hair. "I'm pretty sure that's what you do when you knock a girl up. It's the right thing to do anyway… or so Pepper tells me. Not that I really pay attention to it, but still…"
Loki raised an eyebrow. "I am not familiar with wedding-"
"Jesus Christ, man!" Tony said. The alcohol had gone to his head already and it certainly did not help his language. He stood up quickly, staggering slightly. He ran a hand through his hair again. "Ok. Here's the low-down."
Loki contained a smirk.
"You get a ring. You take her out somewhere nice- not a bar. Girls don't seem to like that- you put the ring in a little box, get a little romantic music going, then, after champagne of course, you get down on one knee, look into her eyes, and say, "Will you marry me?"" Tony finished his little spiel acting out the kneeling part, just as Steve Rogers had come through the room.
The captain's eyebrows shot up so high that they threatened to disappear in his hairline. His face went bright red as he backed out slowly.
"Shit," Tony said as he stood up quickly. He tripped into the table on his way towards the door. "Better go calm Steve down. Don't want any ideas getting spread…" He plopped Midguardian money down for Loki to take Veronica out and was gone, creating quite a ruckus in his wake.
And now here Loki was, pulling at a tie that was really beginning to feel more like a noose than fashionable Midgardian clothing. He never had understood the fashions of mortals…
He was meeting Veronica in a fancy restaurant- just like Stark had suggested- with a ring in a little box- just like Stark had suggested- and a bottle of champagne in a cooler next to the table- another suggestion from the notorious womanizer… Loki was seriously starting to wonder if this was even the correct way to go about proposing to Veronica…
But all doubt fell away when he saw her walking through the doors of the restaurant. She was wearing a blue cocktail dress that accentuated the color of her eyes and she smiled when she saw him.
The host took her coat and she walked towards Loki. He stood up and helped her into her seat when she walked up to the table.
"Champagne?" he asked as he went for the bottle.
Veronica gave him a funny look. "I… I'm not drinking right now," she said quietly.
Loki's ears turned a shade of red that they had never done before. How could one woman make him so nervous? it wasn't the woman, he realized, but the fact that he was about to really put himself out in the open. "Oh. Ok, then"
When she saw he was embarrassed, she piped up. "I'm pregnant, Loki. I can't drink alcohol right now…"
Loki fought the urge to face-palm. Of Course!
The meal passed rather quickly and Loki's palms started sweating.
As the waiter cleared the desert plates, Veronica placed a hand on her swollen belly. How far along was she now? Three months?
He fingered the little box in his inner breast pocket. This was it.
Somehow, he got down on one knee in front of her before Veronica could get up. She looked at him, eyes wide as understanding hit her.
"Veronica Parker," Loki murmured. "I love you and always will. Will you marry me?"
Before the words were out of his mouth, the sprinkler system of the restaurant had gone off. A waiter yelled 'FIRE!" and the room erupted into chaos. One of the ovens in the kitchen must have gone off. Loki could see smoke coming from the kitchen as he got up quickly and helped Veronica through the surging crowd.
The cool night air struck both of their sopping wet bodies as they made it outside. Veronica, in nothing but her dress, started shivering immediately. Loki removed his dinner jacket and draped it over her shoulders. She gave him a small smile.
Veronica looked down to the open jewelry box in his hand. "Yes." She breathed, taking the box from his fingers. He hadn't realized he was still clutching it. That was all that needed to be said and Loki's heart soared.
His hand found hers as he helped her put the ring on. The chaos melted away as Loki planted a kiss on her lips.
All together now, "Awwwwwwww." Yeah. A traditional proposal just wouldn't have felt right! There had to be something, right? ;)