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Loki closed the file he had been looking over with a sigh, “Well, that one’s good to go.” he glanced at the desk across from him, “Don’t you think it’s a bit odd that some of these timelines are eliminating Kang before even knowing why he’s truly a threat?”
“Don’t say that, it’ll put us out of the job,” Mobius laughed, “But no, it seems like some of these variants just can’t help themselves and try to unsuccessfully conquer the world first. You should be able to understand that, right?”
“A bit of bad judgment on my part, but I’ve obviously moved past it. Anyways,” Loki pushed the pile of folders he had been going through to the side, “That’s done for now. And since you never indicated needing me for anything else today, I’ll be going.”
“Gotta go get ready for your big date tonight?”
He rolled his eyes, “Don’t say it like that.”
“Oh come on!” Mobius said with a slight grin, “You told me yourself you only planned this because you know Sylvie loves Christmas lights. And yet you’re more excited than she is…I might be just an old analyst, but even I can see you’ve got something up your sleeve. So what’d you get her?”
“I can’t just be excited to spend some time away from the TVA?”
“No, because you don’t even live at the TVA. Remember, you two bugged us enough that we let you live on the timeline? I mean, don’t get me wrong, we were all relieved that we didn’t have to listen to you two going at it like rabbits anymore…”
Loki waved him off, “Yes, yes, I’ve heard this before. The walls here are paper thin, I get it.”
“So what’s really got you all excited for tonight? Or is it that you’re nervous, thinking you got her something she won’t like?”
“Something like that.” seeing the analyst’s interest pique, Loki sighed before continuing, “I got her a ring.”
“Doesn’t she wear rings?”
“Not…not that kind of ring.”
It took a second for it to click in Mobius’ head, “Ohh,” he said when the realization hit, “That kind of ring. So you’re worried that what…you got the wrong cut? The wrong gem? I hope you didn’t go too extravagant with it. I don’t think she’d like anything too flashy.”
Loki shifted a bit in his seat, “It’s not the ring itself I’m worried about. We’ve never discussed…well, that. I’m more worried about her reaction.”
“Lokes, I’m gonna be real honest with you here. I’m more shocked you two haven’t had that conversation or just haven’t already gone and done it. You two are practically attached at the hip every possible second, why do you think she’d react badly?”
“Because what if it’s not something she-”
“Only one way to find out now!” Mobius clapped his hands together, “You’ve already got a plan, no point in trying to ask beforehand now. So, let's see this ring.”
Loki smiled a bit as he reached into his coat pocket, the look on his face dropping in an instant. He quickly went to look in the other pocket before getting up and looking around on the floor. “It’s gone,” it came out frantically as he continued to look around him, “I swear, it was in my pocket this morning! Norns, it’s fallen out somewhere hasn’t it?”
Mobius got up now too, “Hey, don’t worry, you’ve only been so many places since you got here. Let’s just retrace your steps, we’ll find it in no time…and then we’ll hope that once Sylvie’s wearing it, she keeps better track of it.”
***
Past Sylvie would’ve never believed that one of her best friends worked for the TVA. Then again, past Sylvie wouldn’t believe a lot of things about the way her life is now. Such as where she currently was - sitting on the counter of a small break room within the TVA, sipping on a lukewarm coffee as Verity, formerly known as B-15, made a new pot.
“Loki’s planning on proposing,” Sylvie said as she took another sip of her drink, “My guess is whenever we leave here today. He said he wants to take me on a special date, since on our timeline it’s the holiday season.”
Verity paused for a second at her words, “Wait, so a special holiday date immediately translates to a proposal?”
“No, but it’s not like we’re celebrating anything Asgardian that he grew up with. He wants to take me to some nice light display, I’m assuming because I mentioned once that I wanted to see one eventually,” Sylvie shrugged, “So I mean, I can connect the dots.”
“Maybe he’s just trying to make some over the top romantic gesture. This is Loki we’re talking about.”
“Oh, and then there’s the ring I found this morning.” She set her mug aside as she pulled out a small black box, opening it up and turning it around for the former hunter to see, “I saw it fall out of his pocket when he left this morning. Why it was in his literal pocket and not pocket dimension is beyond me.”
Verity had to do a bit of a double take, processing the nonchalant way that Sylvie had just admitted to finding what was evidently supposed to be her engagement ring. “So,” she said once her words found her again, “Are you going to say ye or are you going to throw it in his face?”
Sylvie stared down at the ring for a second, “I don’t know. I never really had time in my life to think about the possibility of becoming a wife someday and it’s a bit overwhelming. But then I tell myself that I never thought I’d fall in love either, and despite how much of an idiot Loki can be I am actually happy with him.”
“You two never talked about this? About what your future together would look like? Or were you just assuming you’d stay living together as just boyfriend and girlfriend forever?” Verity teased, “I mean, how many years have you two been together now?”
“By Earth standards or by TVA standards?”
“Either way, I know it’s long enough that marriage should’ve come up at some point. Are you going to tell him that you found it?”
“Oh please,” she scoffed, “He would get so upset if he thinks he somehow ruined the surprise. Come to think of it, is this even how proposals go on Asgard, getting down on one knee with a ring?”
“The hell if I know, I don’t keep track of all the different customs and traditions of literally everywhere across time. If anything, shouldn’t you know?”
“Yes, because by the young age I was stolen from my timeline at, I was very accustomed to marriage traditions.” It was a sarcastic remark with no venom in it - Sylvie knew that Verity had nothing to do with her timeline being erased. If she were to hold a grudge against anyone (which she did), it was Renslayer, whom for all she knew was lost in the Void.
Verity shrugged, “Well, I can’t exactly help you make your mind up on this one. If he does propose, then only you can decide if you’re ready for that or not…or if you even want it. But I would suggest getting that ring back to him before he realizes it’s gone. Can you imagine the freakout?”
“...Actually, I think I’ll have some fun with it.” Sylvie grinned, jumping off the counter, “After all, he might lose it again. I might as well hang onto it.”
***
Loki had looked everywhere he could think of within the confines of the TVA, now having drug Mobius back to his and Sylvie’s apartment to search.
“Are you sure you didn’t…magic it away somewhere?” Mobius suggested as he stood up from looking under the living room furniture, “Because if you did and I just did this for nothing, I’m gonna be really upset.”
“Trust me, I checked. I haven’t gone anywhere else today, where could it have possibly gone? We overlooked it somewhere, we had to have. Okay…you go recheck the TVA, and I’ll look around here again. Got it?”
Mobius wasted no time in opening a timedoor, “Say no more, at least that doesn’t involve me crawling around on the floor.”
Loki hadn’t been alone in the apartment for longer than five minutes when he heard the familiar sound of a timedoor opening up behind him. “Oh, you found it already, per-” he quickly stopped himself when he saw that the person coming in was Sylvie, and not Mobius. “Oh, Sylvie, you’re here earlier than I thought you’d be.”
She studied him for a second, concluding quickly that he had already noticed the ring was missing, “I got hungry, and we all know that I can’t stand whatever it is that the cafeteria tries to pass off as food. And I grew up sometimes having to kill my own food…why are you here already?”
“I ah, I finished up everything that needed to be done. Thought I’d come clean up a bit?”
“...you never willingly clean.”
“I thought it would be nice for you to come home to a clean space.” Loki knew she wasn’t likely to believe it, but he couldn’t think of a better excuse at the moment, “Are you going to be returning to work after a quick meal, then?”
Sylvie gave him a small shrug as she made her way to the kitchen and grabbed an apple, “There’s nothing there that needs my attention right away. I assumed since I’m already here I could start getting ready for tonight. Even if that means just taking a nap.”
“A nap! Yes, go rest a bit. I know you were up late, weren’t you? A bit of sleep wouldn’t hurt.”
“Alright then,” she was quick to finish her fruit before giving Loki a small kiss on the cheek, “Don’t let me oversleep.” Walking into their bedroom, she closed the door behind her and glanced around for a place to store the ring box. She had considered leaving it behind on her desk, or even with Verity, but had decided in the end that she should at least give him somewhat of a chance to find it.
After all, who was she to ruin his proposal to her?
Sylvie hadn’t actually planned on falling asleep as she got into bed, sliding the box underneath his pillow. It wasn’t creative by any means, but in her mind he wouldn’t risk checking in fear of waking her up. Or rather, not think that he left it somewhere where she could’ve easily found it. Not that his original hiding place was much better, considering she had found it.
Yet before she knew it, she slowly drifted off as she listened to her boyfriend try to quietly - yet frantically - look around all the other rooms he could. Unfortunately though, Loki was correct in stating that she hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before.
She wasn’t sure how much time had passed by the time Loki gently shook her awake, “This is your ‘don’t-oversleep’ warning, darling,” he said gently, “I planned on us leaving in about an hour, I hope that’s enough time for you.” He knew it was - Sylvie could be ready to go in just a few minutes if needed. But still, it was a nice enough gesture for him to give her time to fully wake back up and consider a quick shower before they had to head out.
By the time it crossed her mind to check to see if Loki had found the ring, it was too late to check in a discreet way. He seemed jumpy enough, but that could be for either reason; either he had found it and was nervous about proposing, or he hadn’t found it and was having to rethink his entire plans for the night - and for a second attempt at a later day.
The entirety of the drive to their destination didn’t help in giving Sylvie any indication either way, and for a bit she worried that perhaps she should’ve just placed the ring back where she had originally found it on the ground. What if he didn’t find it, and she actually had ruined some grand plan? Not that she wanted a flashy proposal by any means, but knowing Loki he had probably put quite a bit of thought into it.
Yet his spirits didn’t seem dampened in any way as they finally reached the grand light display, Loki holding her hand tightly as they bought entry tickets.
“It’s a walking trail.” Sylvie stated as she looked at the start of the lights. While they were the main attraction, there was also a small candy shop, hot chocolate stand, and bonfire that people were gathered by to stay warm and socialize.
“Yes…that is alright, isn’t it?”
“I like it, we can take our time looking at everything this way. I’ve seen a lot that are hayrides or you’re taken through them on a train.”
“Hayrides?”
“I don’t know how to explain it other than it’s exactly how it sounds. You sit on some hay while a truck drives you around. Granted, I’ve never done one, but people seem to enjoy them well enough.”
Loki let out a bit of a laugh, “Well this one was highly recommended by…well, our neighbors. I didn’t really have any clue where to begin to look so I asked for a bit of help.”
Did they know that Loki was planning on proposing? Sylvie couldn’t help but wonder. She gave his hand a bit of a squeeze, “Let’s see what all the hype is about, then.”
The two walked under the giant light arch at the beginning of the trail, taking their time appreciating the work that had gone into putting it all together. Sylvie was mesmerized by it all, stopping to watch a few that gave the illusion of being animated. Loki, for his part, hoped it wasn’t too obvious that he was looking at her more than the lights.
The way her face lit up at everything, her smile, the overall excitement that was radiating off of her…it was exactly what he had wanted for that evening. When Sylvie had first mentioned wanting to go look at Christmas lights, Loki hadn’t exactly been for or against the idea. But the more he saw her gazing at simple house decorations people had put up, the more he also wanted to experience this wonder that she had.
He had already been thinking of a way to ask her to marry him, so combining the two seemed like the perfect idea. Well, until he had misplaced the ring earlier. Loki had been so panicked when he couldn’t find it, and then Sylvie had shown back up at home earlier than he expected and threw off his search.
It wasn’t until he had given up and decided to still make the best of the night that he went to wake up Sylvie, spotting something underneath his own pillow.
As to where he was going to follow the Midgardian tradition of getting down on one knee and asking…he hadn’t planned that out. There wasn’t a walkthrough available online, so Loki was just hoping he’d know the perfect spot when he saw it.
A bit of the way through the trail, a tunnel of lights came into their line of sight. Sylvie couldn’t help herself, she let go of Loki’s hand and quickly ran under it, staring up at the lights now above her with a childlike wonder.
There was a family slowly approaching from behind them, and Loki quickly turned around and hoped Sylvie couldn’t hear him, “I’m so sorry…do you mind waiting just a second? I’m going to…” he fiddled with the box that was once again in his pocket, where he had been consistently making sure it stayed, “You see, that’s my partner and-”
The woman grinned, picking up her toddler to stop him from running ahead and handing the boy over to her husband, “Give me your phone, I’ll get some pictures for you. Trust me, she’ll want them.”
“Oh, uh, thank you,” Loki fumbled for the smartphone he rarely used - truth be told, he only had it because Sylvie insisted it would help him fit in on the timeline. She used hers obsessively, but he didn’t understand the appeal all too much.
“Good luck!” the woman waved him on as she opened up the camera app, “Go, go, go!”
Loki took a deep breath before making his way over to where Sylvie was still gazing up at the top of the tunnel, as if trying to memorize every inch of it. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” she said, “I know I’ve been out of apocalypses for a while now but…seeing things like this, it just reminds me how amazing life really is. Reminds me of what I spent so long fighting for.”
“I don’t think I would have ever considered something like this amazing,” he admitted, “Until I hear the way you describe it. But I will admit, the lights aren’t the most beautiful or amazing thing here right now.”
“Oh shut up. I wasn’t trying to set up a pick up line for you.”
He grabbed her hand again, turning her around to face him, “I know, and I know I tell you this constantly, but you are amazing, Sylvie. If it wasn’t for you…I’d be nothing without you now. You’re my entire life, my priority above anything else. So you’re going to have to get used to hearing me compliment you at every opportunity I see.”
She smiled up at him, “I suppose I could use the ego boost. Yes, go on, tell me how utterly amazing I am.”
“Oh, be careful what you wish for,” he grinned, “I could go on for hours and hours on that subject, but unfortunately I don’t think anyone would appreciate us staying here all night while I do so. But I will tell you that I love you more than I ever thought possible to love another, and I hope you’ll allow me to continue to do so for as long as I’m breathing.” taking a deep breath, Loki slowly got down on one knee and pulled out the not-lost box, slowly opening it, “And I hope that you’ll allow me the honor of being able to call you my wife. Sylvie…will you marry me?”
Sylvie blinked as if trying to comprehend what was going on before a smile spread across her face, “Yes,” she said before laughing a bit, “Yes, Loki, I will.”
Loki let out a sigh of relief as he slipped the ring onto her finger, getting off the ground and pulling her into a kiss. He had momentarily forgotten about their small audience (which had since gotten slightly bigger as more people reached that part of the trail), until he heard a chorus of ‘wooo’ and clapping.
The woman who had taken his phone ran up to hand it back, “I think I got some good ones. Congratulations!” she said with a bright smile before turning back to her family, the others now making their way through the tunnel of lights.
Loki and Sylvie waited until everyone they had held up had walked past them before continuing on, Sylvie clutching Loki’s left hand tightly in her right. She paused again at one point, in front of a giant light up display of Santa’s sleigh, staring at her left hand, “It’s perfect, you know? I’m glad you found it.”
“So am I- wait, what do you mean ‘glad I found it’?” he raised an eyebrow, “How did you…?”
“...Lucky guess?”
“Is there something you want to tell me, Sylvie?” he asked teasingly, connecting the dots on how the ring box ended up where it had.
“I love you?”
Loki laughed and pulled her in for another kiss, “I love you too. Merry Christmas, darling.”