His Dove (Loki Laufeyson)

Part 95 (Loki's POV)

Loki

"What are we here for?" Thor asked his brother as they walked through the tower's hall.

"I need to speak with Stark. You need to leave us alone to discuss things."

"You know I cannot leave you with the tesseract, Loki. I gave father my word."

The youngest brother sighed, rolling his eyes as he materialized the cube in his hand and threw it into his brother's stomach. "Have it, Oaf. But do know I could've escaped over a dozen times already."

"You wouldn't leave her." Thor countered, smirking at his brother.

"Obviously. Now shoo."

From there Thor simply nodded, turning the corner to head towards the kitchen while Loki went further towards Tony's lab.

"Stark." He said, clearing his throat as he walked through the open door.

"I thought we agreed I'd come tomorrow?" Tony's eyebrows furrowed a bit as he tilted his head.

"Correct." Loki replied, taking a deep breath. "However, there's a matter I'd like to discuss with you."

"That's my cue to leave." Pepper breathed out with a laugh, standing up from the corner before quickly striding towards the exit.

"Thank you, Ms.Potts." Loki said softly, only giving her a quick glance.

He was aware of how uncomfortable his presence made Stark's lady, as she usually tended to avoid him or stay close to Tony's side when he was around. He was unsure, though, whether or not it was a conscious decision.

"Alright." Tony huffed as he watched Pepper walk away. "Let me see it."

"What?" Loki suddenly felt a wave of fear wash through his body. Why? He wasn't fully sure. What was the worst that would happen? Stark would say no?

That was the worst that could happen. Dani loved Tony more than anything; he was the only family she had, no matter how hard Thor and Frigga, and even occasionally Odin, tried. If Tony didn't approve, there was little point in asking her. No matter how much she would want to believe she made her own decisions, Tony's opinion could change her mind easily. He was, after all, the man who had raised her.

Tony chuckled, shaking his head. "Thor told me your people don't date, something about courting and bonds or whatever. I don't know. However, I do know-" He stopped to look at Loki again, chuckling again. "-I do know you're nervous, which means there's only one topic you want to discuss. Show me the ring."

Slowly Loki held out his palm, the small gold box materializing into it as he strode forward. Opening it showed the dazzling kite cut emerald at the center with circular diamonds on each side. Each stone sparkled in the lab lights, the gold seeming even brighter in the shining lights.

"Woah."

"It was my mother's." Loki said before clearing his throat again. He was practically begging the lump within it to go away, still unsure of Tony's reaction to all of this.

"Sentiment." Tony's word lingered in the air for a moment.

Had someone claimed Loki to be the sentimental type a year ago, he would've laughed. Sentiment had never been important to Loki, but now... Perhaps he had grown the same odd quirks of Danielle. Perhaps he had grown to be sentimental.

"It's good." Tony started. "Ladybug likes sentimental stuff. And she adores your mom, she talks about her all the time." He stared for another moment before looking up at Loki. "You wouldn't be my choice of... Individual, for my sister."

Brave? Insane? Perhaps Stark was a mixture of both for looking the god of mischief in the eyes, telling him directly how much he didn't deserve his sister. And Norns, did he. Narcissistic, entitled, and asshole were among the plethora of descriptive words he used. And Loki stood there, tongue pressed firmly to the roof of his mouth and jaw clenched as he allowed it.

If it weren't for Danielle, Tony would once again get a demonstration of the word defenestration.

"You know, I've seen Dani with many different people." Tony sighed after a pause.

Loki's eyes narrowed.

"She never said she loved them, especially not to me. She never did love any of them, I don't think. Cared for, surely, but love?" Tony's own eyebrows knitted together, almost as if he were staring at a puzzle he couldn't quite complete. "You're one lucky asshole." He breathed. "For every complaint I have, she has a hundred compliments. For every time I can say she deserves more, she tells me you're all she could ever want and more, that my idea of who you are is wrong."

Loki felt his shoulders lower, his jaw unclench as he opened his mouth to speak, but Tony only continued.

"She loves you. And when Dani loves, she loves with everything she has. You saw what she did for the team. She ruined her life here as if it were nothing, because she did it out of love. You better never take that for granted."

"I wouldn't."

Tony almost looked as though he were staring through Loki as he slowly began to nod. After a second, a small smile broke out onto his face.

"You gonna kneel to ask her? That's pretty customary here."

Loki fully relaxed as he breathed out a laugh, "Perhaps."

Tony nearly cackled, "Getting the chance to see that is worth saying yes."

"Then I'll kneel."

Walking back into the front room of the home, Loki felt elated. He was nearly sure Tony was going to decline, only to be thoroughly surprised when he didn't.

"Lo!" Dani giggled from her seat at the table, cards spread amongst her and her two friends.

"How in the nines did you manage to get tipsy on midgardian drinks?" Loki chuckled, shaking his head when he walked closer to see the empty bottle of wine sitting alongside two empty bottles of what he was sure were once filled with whiskey. "You're incorrigible, darling." He murmured as he kissed the top of her head.

Loki might have been frustrated, had he not already known the effects would dissipate soon. Midgardian alcohol wasn't half as good as Asgardian, and Dani had built up an Asgardian tolerance after living in the palace for so long.

Dani smiled up at him, her eyes doe like and full of admiration. Loki couldn't look at that site without smiling, especially not in his current mood. His thumb was running across her jaw before he could stop himself, but he soon did to help Thor pull food out from the large paper bags.

Dani sat happily, a pair of chopsticks in hand, as she ate on the floor of the front room, looking up at the tv which aired some odd midgardian show Loki hadn't caught the name of.

"That was possibly the worst snatch game in the entire franchise." She huffed, taking another bite. "I really wouldn't have missed much if I skipped this season."

"They tried their best!" Wanda responded, taking another sip from her wine glass.

"Aja is going home." Thor commented, pointing to the left side of the screen. "That was horrendous."

"Peppermint wasn't any better." Loki felt himself comment before he could stop. Dani turned to him, a grin lining her features.

"I love you." She said before she put another bite of chicken in her mouth.

Loki faked a glare, though his smile refused to fade. "As you should, darling."

Dani rolled her eyes and turned back to the tv, but Loki still looked at her, unable to wipe the stupid smirk off his face.

Norns, was she always this perfect?