"Are you sure this isn't a little over the top?" I asked, staring at myself in the reflection of the mirror.

"Oh, not at all." Frigga laughed, fiddling with my hair as she carefully styled it. "I could do a lot more to you, but I figured that I should give my son some sort of chance of breathing."

She grinned and my cheeks heated as I ducked my head, staring down at my feet which were completely hidden under the dress. I couldn't help but admit that it was a stunning dress; a soft white that bordered on cream with gold detailing along the straps and down the pleats. There was a thick golden band around my waist that curved under my breasts, holding in place a flowing, sheer green fabric that was gently fluttering in the wind coming through the open balcony door. Frigga had carefully styled my hair into a twisting braid around the crown of my head, with the rest of the gently curled locks tumbling down my back. As I looked back at myself in the mirror, I couldn't help but admit that I did look like a royal.

"I do look really nice." I smiled softly and she chuckled, moving to stand next to me in the mirror as she carefully slipped on a gold choker.

"That you do." She smiled, squeezing my shoulders softly.

"Do I really need to wear something this... extravagant though?" I couldn't help but ask, fiddling with the sheer green fabric fluttering out from my waist.

"Believe it or not, this is considered normal Asgardian fashion." She replied. "Especially for us of a higher status than others." She fixed up a couple more strands of my hair before gently turning me around to face her instead of the mirror. "I know you remember Odin to be slightly... prickly the last time you came to visit. And unfortunately, he probably hasn't changed his attitude towards you. But you must not take anything he says to heart, because it is most likely not true. I will try and keep him in his place, but I'm sure Loki will also be doing the same. Hopefully this meal can pass without too much drama." She chuckled and swept back more of my hair. "I think you're ready. Come on."

She gently guided me towards the door out of the room I was temporarily staying in, our heels clicking on the floor of the palace as we walked towards the dining room. My heart was hammering in my chest and I was so tempted to turn back around, but as we approached another pair of golden doors, I knew it was a little too late for that. Frigga offered me once more small smile before she pushed open the doors to reveal the dining room that I hadn't seen in so long.

Odin was sitting at the head of the table, as to be expected, with Thor on his right and a spare seat next to Odin's left, which I assumed was for Frigga. Loki was sitting next to the empty seat and my eyes focused on him almost instantly.

He was dressed in a black suit with a dark green shirt underneath, paired with gold detailings on each button and seam. His eyes instantly fell on me too and I was suddenly overcome with the urge to hide behind Frigga as his eyes widened and blush crept up onto his face. Frigga gently nudged me forward and I slowly sat down next to Loki as she sat down on the opposite side of him. His hand gently grabbed mine under the table and squeezed me gently.

"You look... breathtaking." He tilted his head down a little to softly murmur in my ear. "Asgardian fashion looks good on you."

"Thank you." I could feel my cheeks burning now too. "You look really handsome too."

"I try my best." He chuckled before slowly straightening as servants began to bring out food to us.

"I must say, your visit was unexpected." Odin spoke up, eyes not even on me as he began to scoop food onto his plate. "My son and Loki have explained your reason."

I swallowed thickly, gently brushing my thumb over the top of Loki's hand as he stiffened. I stared dead at Odin, fighting all urges to back down and not speak at all.

"Then I'm glad you understand." I said in an even tone, causing Loki to choke slightly on his drink. Odin's eyes flew up to me immediately.

"You have some nerve to be waltzing into my home demanding protection." His eyes quickly narrowed. "I have every right to kick you straight back into your pathetic mortal land."

"Because you're afraid of what I can do?" I raised an eyebrow, surprising myself with the courage bubbling up out of nowhere.

"Because you're a danger to me and my people." He snapped.

"Our people." Frigga interrupted, shooting him a sharp look. "Emily is part of our family now, she deserves to be treated with respect. And she is no danger to anyone, she has remarkable control of her abilities now."

"She is in no way family." Odin snorted. "She couldn't be further from it."

"She is with Loki, our son." Frigga's tone sharpened. "She is like a daughter to us now."

"He is no son of mine." He spat and Loki's hand flinched in mine.

I tried to squeeze it gently in comfort but he had already untangled our fingers and stood up before anyone could say anything, stalking out of the room and still managing to slam the heavy gold doors shut. My eyes quickly darted to Frigga's and they softened as she nodded softly, letting me stand up and quickly move out the doors. Thankfully, one of the guards on the inside pushed them open before I had the chance to make a fool out of myself. I pushed them shut behind me and instantly, I spotted Loki sitting against the opposite wall of the hallway. He had his knees drawn up to his chest but his head immediately lifted as I slowly approached him.

"I'm sorry." He murmured, letting his legs slide to the floor as I sat down next to him. "I couldn't stay in there."

"It's okay." I took his hand in mine as I shuffled in close to rest my head against him. "I wouldn't have expected you to. Odin is a bitch."

He chuckled and I looked up at him in confusion as his chest rumbled under my ear. He was looking down at me, the lines of anger from Odin quickly disappearing as his green eyes glittered.

"I'm sorry." He smiled at my expression. "I've just never heard you swear."

"Is it that surprising?" I wrinkled my nose, thinking back to all of the times I had sworn during HYDRA.

"It doesn't really suit you." He chuckled again. "Not when you're looking all... angelic." His eyes ran over the dress I was wearing again.

"I'm far from angelic." I snorted, relieved that he seemed to be a little better.

"You are definitely angelic to me." He smiled. "Come on, what do you say we have our own dinner?"

"I think that's a perfect idea." I nodded before he teleported us away.

We landed on a balcony and instantly, my eyes widened in awe at the view of the city. It looked like it was completely made of light, helped by the bright moon which was also reflecting on the large expanse of water beyond the city.

"I figured this would make a good dinner setting." Loki spoke up from behind me and I turned around to see him sitting on the ground on a blanket.

My eyes widened even more as I took in the cushions scattered over the beige blanket. He was sitting with his legs stretched out in front of him and in the middle were multiple bowls and plates of steaming food. Candles were scattered all across the balcony, including between the servings of food.

"Conjuring darling." He chuckled as he took in my surprised expression. "Come on, come sit." He patted the spot next to him and I slowly moved over, still trying to take it all in.

"Is that the honey pasta?" Excitement bubbled up inside of me as I began to look at all of the food.

"I remember you loving it from last time." He chuckled. "Go on, I can always conjure up more."

I didn't hold back, immediately scooping the pasta into my bowl and inhaling the sweet smell deeply. The flavours burst in my mouth, and I could have fallen back on the pillows from how good it tasted. It was better than I remembered from last time, and I could have honestly eaten bowlfuls of it, but I had to eventually slow down because it felt like I was going to burst. I slumped back onto the pillows and watched the floating candle lights that Loki had conjured up, the patterns dancing over my face.

"You look beautiful in this light." Loki murmured from where he was also lying down next to me on his side, his head propped up on the pillows as his hand gently fiddled with a strand of my hair.

"You say I look beautiful in any kind of light." I smiled, rolling on my side to look at him too.

"That is very true." He chuckled, sweeping my hair out of my face and resting his hand on my cheek. "You look beautiful all of the time."

"So do you." I blushed, my cheek burning under his touch.

"I know." He smirked and I rolled my eyes, a laugh escaping my lips as I grabbed one of the extra pillows and threw it down on his face.

He dodged it easily and propped himself up on his elbow, a grin lighting up his whole face in the golden light.

"Now that's a fight you don't want to get into." He warned.

"Bring it on." I grinned back and grabbed the pillow again just as he conjured away all of the leftover food.

I brought the pillow down on him again just as he grabbed a pillow and blocked it. I didn't back down and brought it back down onto his again, successfully landing the blow. He let out a laugh and hit me in the side of the head with the soft pillow, laughter taking over me at his messed-up hair to the point where I could barely land a straight hit on him. He took advantage of this and kept pelting me with the pillow in the lightest way possible. I couldn't stop laughing, my pillow long forgotten as I weakly tried to defend myself against his relentless attacks. Eventually, I fell backwards onto the pillows and he toppled forward, hands braced on either side of my waist on the ground.

"Your laughter is the best sound." He was still grinning, his hair a frizzy mess hanging all around his face. "I would love to hear it more."

I blushed, chest heaving as I tried to catch my breath, the laughter slowly dying down. My eyes met his green ones and I slowly realised how close we were, basically sharing the same breath. My heart thumped hard and I watched as his eyes darted over my face.

"Just kiss me." I breathed, basically being able to see the thoughts racing in his head.

I knew he was going to hesitate anyway, so I reached up with one hand to the back of his neck and tugged his head down until his lips were pressed against mine. He didn't hesitate then, his lips moving over mine like they never had before. I arched into him and one of his hands gripped the back of my head to pull me even closer while his other slipped under my waist. My hands gripped his shirt tightly to try and keep myself grounded somehow. He pulled back, his lips a soft red as his fingers tangled in the strands of my hair, eyes flicking over my expression.

"It's okay." I nodded, knowing exactly what he was checking for as I smiled softly.

"It's more than okay." His voice was slightly breathless before he leaned in again.

He pulled me upright, my legs on either side of his hips as my eyes fluttered shut again. My fingers tightened in his shirt, nails digging painfully into my palm but that pain was easily washed away by the sparks that were flying through my body. The golden lights continued to float around us and, just like the sunset in the distance, they eventually disappeared.