Unforeseen

It's the Thought that Counts

As I moved my face away from Loki's, breaking our kiss, I wanted to look away in embarrassment, but I forced myself to look into his eyes, seeing how he reacted. I was not usually the one to make any sort of move, so I wanted to see how he'd respond.

To my own surprise, Loki watched me retreat with vague amazement over his features, like I'd caught him off guard with my kiss. For the span of a breath or two, a number of emotions flicked over his face before a small, well-pleased smile formed on his mouth as he eyed me, humming teasingly, "Mm, rather bold today are we, love?"

I flushed darker, taking note of the smoldering look in his eyes that seemed to have been lighted by my kiss. I hadn't meant to set him off on his flirting again... I'd just tried to express what his words had made me feel, "I wouldn't say that..."

He leaned forward on the table, resting his chin on a fist as he simpered, "I kind of like this cheeky side of you, Penelope, risking being caught in the middle of the garden, saying such flirty things to strike me speechless before kissing me out of the blue... am I really that irresistible to you?"

I couldn't hold his gaze anymore, my eyes dropping to my lap as I tucked my chin down to hide my face under the curtain of my free-hanging hair. This man would not be out flirted would he? Softly, self-conscious, I whined, "Don't tease me."

"But I love it so." Loki chuckled, reaching for my hands again, "There's something about that demure shyness of yours. Every time you start avoiding my gaze, every time you turn your face away it creates a need in me that I cannot control, and I feel I must push you up against a wall and kiss that flushed face of yours."

"W-well, you've already done that, haven't you?" I peeked up at him through my hair as I tried to steady my stammering tongue. My mind flew to last night when Loki had blocked me from the party to share a few minutes alone. The memory alone made my heart race, remembering the feel of his lips and how handsome he'd looked cast in the fire and moonlight.

"Yes, I did, and I have every intention of doing it again." Charm and an air of mischief was etched in his expression before it softened into a purely loving look as he continued, "I wish nothing more than to provoke more blushes and smiles from you. I swear, they are like the very air to me, I need them to survive, won't you show me that smile again?"

His words and the touch of his chill hands on my own warm ones were tender, effortlessly drawing his requested smile to my lips. Loki's own mouth echoed my smile as he saw it. Gosh, how could such a mischievous trickster, a man whose shamelessly flirtatious words could set fire to my skin and make my heart race, smile so angelically? Gently, he reached out, brushing my hair aside and tucking it behind my ear before trailing his finger down my jaw to rest below my chin.

"There it is. There is nothing I wouldn't do to keep that smile on your face." His eyes suddenly flashed like he'd remembered something, "Which reminds me, I have a gift for you."

"Another gift?" I asked as Loki reached into his long, bottle green leather vest. "Loki, you've been so generous already, positively spoiling me! I can't accept another gift. It's all too rich for me."

He quirked a brow at me, "Too rich?"

"Loki, my rooms are double the size of my entire apartment on earth and every bit of furniture is probably worth more than my entire rent had been! These gowns I keep receiving from Bil, their quality alone would make them as expensive as name-brand dresses for special events! I mean, my ceremony gown was red carpet quality! It was gorgeous! Then the fact that you keep sending me jewelry. They're actual gold and jewels aren't they? The most elegant, expensive jewelry I'd ever owned before was my Grams' pearls and this necklace you gave me! I swear, for the ceremony I was wearing as much gold as an Indian wedding! I mean, I'm not complaining in the slightest and I'm incredibly grateful and I've loved every gift you've given to me because I know you put thought into each and every one of them, but it's all a little much, you know? This kind of extravagance is normal for you it seems, being raised as a prince of such a wealthy, influential realm, but to me it's going from being a pauper to a princess!"

"As it should be." Loki replied matter-of-factly to my babbled explanation, "You are the queen of my heart, after all. You deserve only the best."

He said that like it was the most obvious thing in the world, and yet, I still struggled with accepting gifts like I struggled accepting compliments. Loki and I were engaged, and I knew there was no reason for me to feel like I owed him for all the luxury he gave me so willingly, but still, it was kind of overwhelming. "You don't need to give me all these gifts though..."

"It is my pleasure to give you gifts." Loki said firmly, trying to convey the truth of his words through his eyes as he removed his hand from his vest and encircled both of my hands in his, "Up until now, I have not been able to give you anything. In fact, all I have done is take from you, it seems. I took you from your family and friends, stole away your life and your freedom when we first met. Then, when I was imprisoned I could give you even less. I could not even offer my presence or be with you in your lowest hours. I could not protect you or offer you anything of value... The only thing I gave you was more reasons to cry. Now I want to give you the world, Penelope. I want to give you everything that the realms have to offer!"

"But I don't need the realms!" I retorted, trying to convince him as I leaned closer to him and I shook my head. I'd never wanted him to feel like he'd been a burden on me or that he had to make up for anything in our relationship. It broke my heart to think that he'd been kicking himself over this for so long. Yes, it had been terrifying what I'd gone through during my kidnapping and that it had been hard dealing with our separation during his imprisonment. I admit that I'd lashed out in my pain over my grandparents' death and had thrown the fact that he wasn't there for me in his face. However, that was the past and there was nothing to make up for, nothing more to apologize for. I knew that in his position now, Loki could give me the world, and in a way that terrified me, but I didn't want the world. I never had. "You've already given me all I could ever ask for. This right here, you and me, here together, is the most precious thing to me."

"And to me." Loki seemed genuinely touched, squeezing my hands as he brought them to his lips, kissing them lovingly. He contemplated my words for a few minutes, letting them absorb before he spoke again, "However, I must insist that you accept this gift. I am sure you will want it."

I brought my brows together, confused for a minute at what he meant as he released my hands. As soon as his elegant, pale fingers uncovered mine, my jaw dropped. There, inside the palms of my hands was another small, green velvet bag like the ones his other gifts to me had been wrapped in. Completely fazed, it took me a second for my mind to come to grips with what my eyes and fingertips were telling me. My eyes shot up to his in amazement, "How did you-?"

"Ta-da!" he grinned, holding his hands up and wiggling his fingers.

"Magician." I declared accusingly. How in the world had he slipped this into my hands without me noticing? What kind of crazy slight-of-hand was this? I could've sworn that there hadn't been anything in his hands when he'd moved to encase mine in his. The soft cloth bag was big enough that I would have noticed it!

"Guilty as charged." Loki snickered in self-satisfied amusement as he watched me as my face was probably showing exactly how much my brain was short-circuiting trying to figure out how he'd done his little trick.

"Guilty of many other things too, I would imagine." I charged him in jest as my fingers fumbled to open the bag. Loki laughed allowed at my words, crossing his arms in front of him as he watched me tip my gift out of its bag. My eyes grew impossibly wider, "My phone!"

The sleek rectangle felt so familiar in my hand and yet looked so out of place in the environment Loki and I were sitting in. Amongst the glorious, exotic flowers and grand architecture of the realm, the little Midgardian device stood out. I clicked its power button, getting overexcited as its screen lit up. It worked! I'd thought that its battery would've died by now!

Loki smiled at my evident joy at having my phone returned, "The inventors were rather intrigued by your device here. They had their fun and found a way to adjust your... you call it a battery do you not? It should be able to charge on this device here." He explained, handing me a small, bronzy pad that he pulled from his vest. I looked over the odd Asgardian tech, trying to figure out how it would work. If my phone could charge here on Asgard, that meant...

"So, I'll have all my songs again?"

"Yes." He nodded, "It should work just as before, except I do not think you will be able to call anyone from Midgard, of course."

Unable to contain my excitement, I got up from the table again and threw my arms around his shoulders, "Thank you!"