'Here,' said Loki, dropping something into her lap.

Sigyn put aside the skirt she'd been trying to sew and smiled up at him. In the sunlight his hair seemed to glow and she took a moment to admire him before looking down to see what he had brought her. It was a bracelet and she thought it was silver at first, but silver wouldn't be so pale, almost white, and when she picked it up it looked translucent. Was it glass then? It felt like silk against her fingers but solid as metal.

'What is it?' she asked.

'A moonbeam. It took me all night to catch one so you'd better like it.'

Like so many things about Loki it was both entirely implausible and not particularly unlikely. His eyes were guileless, which meant nothing at all, and Sigyn decided that whatever the bracelet really was it was still the most beautiful thing she'd seen. She held it admiringly up to the light. 'It's lovely,' she said.

Loki draped himself around her shoulders, far warmer than the sunlight against her back.

'Loki,' said Sigyn slowly. 'Are you courting me?'

'No,' he said. He didn't sound surprised, though, and he didn't pull back.

'You've never brought me jewellery before. And a bracelet…' A bracelet could be a sign of betrothal.

'I was hardly going to give it to Thor, was I? I'll have it back if you don't like it.'

His hand snaked down for it and Sigyn laughed, quickly slipping it onto her wrist before he could reach it. 'No, it's mine now.'

Loki's arms slipped around her waist and squeezed her, she could feel his breath against the back of her neck, and then he was gone and even in the sunlight she felt cold.

X

The bracelet Sigyn made wasn't gold or silver, and certainly nothing as fanciful as a moonbeam, only carved and polished wood. But the dainty braid pattern carved into it was neatly done and it made Loki smile when she dropped it into his lap.

'Very nice,' he said, turning it in slender fingers. 'Should I ask if you're courting me?'

'Yes,' said Sigyn. 'I am.'

She leant against his back and wrapped her arms around his waist, the same way he had done with her. Although she thought it was partly to stop him running away.

He laughed. 'I'm going to have to turn you down,' he said lightly, as if the whole thing was a joke. 'There's no way I could keep a lovely thing like you in the manner to which you're accustomed.'

'I'm not accustomed to any manner,' she said. 'You forget how minor I am as a goddess.'

He was actually quiet for a moment, quiet and still in a way that made her aware of how rare it was for him to stop moving. 'This isn't funny,' he said softly.

'I'm not joking.'

'I don't have a house or anything.'

'Loki,' said Sigyn gently. 'I know you.'

He laughed and stood up, pulling out of her arms as he did so. To her surprise he turned around and kissed her quickly on the lips before walking away. It made her lips tingle the way her hands did when she held them close to the fire on a cold day.

X

It wasn't unusual for Loki to disappear from Asgard, sometimes for months at a time, so Sigyn wasn't worried when it was weeks before she saw him again. It was a feast day and she was talking to some friends before he came in.

Thor boomed across the hall, 'Loki! What have you been up to?'

Loki laughed and waved making Sigyn catch her breath as she saw the gleam of polished wood on his arm. He didn't look around for her, though, just walked over to Thor and started some tale she couldn't hear from across the hall. She forced herself to return to a conversation she couldn't remember.

The hall seemed to get hotter the longer she spent in it. After a while she excused herself to get some air. It was nearly the end of summer now and the air was crisp in a way that reminded her of a drink of cider. She was starting to shiver after the warmth of the hall when she felt arms wrap around her and smiled as Loki held her against him.

'Hello,' she said. 'Where did you get to?'

'Here and there,' he said. 'You're still wearing your bracelet.'

'And you're wearing yours,' she agreed. 'Did you accept my proposal then?'

He pressed closer, nuzzling against her hair. 'I guess I did.'

Sigyn turned around in his arms and kissed him. He tasted of mead and smoke from the hall and his lips were rough with scars. Her own lips still tingled with the heat of his kisses and it was perfect.