*Because I know you all hate me right now (rightfully so), I have posted a second chapter today, and this chapter will hopefully make up for my incredibly long absence. Go on, you know you want to read this most magical of second-post-today chapters!

Simplicity

"Do you think we'll get in trouble?" Noir asked airily as she and Loki walked quietly out of the healers' wing.

"Possibly," Loki shrugged.

"Good. I've missed trouble," Noir beamed.

Loki gave her a sardonic quirk of his lips and shook his head. "Because attending a royal ball, being kidnapped, being stabbed, falling into a coma, and waking from a coma all within the span of seven days isn't enough trouble for you?"

She smiled wickedly. "Mere trifles."

He laughed under his breath and led her down another passage.

Early morning light was pouring in through the windows of the royal palace as the two made their way through the nearly-empty corridors. As soon as Noir had had her first dose of medicine, Loki had slipped into her room and insisted that now was the time to go, to escape before Thor or Marron or his mother or his father could stop them with their own agendas for the day. Giggling, Noir had banished him from the room while she dressed, and they made their clandestine getaway from the healers' wing, whispering and snickering all the way. Noir was doing better than the previous day; she could walk for much longer stretches, requiring only minimal help from Loki. Their hands were still laced together as they walked, though… Just in case, of course. And the golden halls were long and the staircases wound up forever, and Loki was sure he could hold Noir's hand and bear her knowing smirk and adoring eyes for eternity if he had the chance to, and Noir was certain she could bask in his mirth and swathe herself in his caring smile and live in that sanctuary until the sky fell down on her.

"Where are we going, anyway?" Noir asked.

He squeezed her hand and gave her a knowing look. "Don't you already know?"

Excitement thrilled through her, and butterflies in her stomach fluttered their wings. "…I think so," she whispered happily.

00000

Later, Thor and Marron walked into Noir's room, fully prepared to see Noir and Loki already awake and talking animatedly. They paused when they found the room was occupied only by a bemused-looking novice healer.

"Good morning. Where's Lady Noir?" Thor immediately inquired with a bright smile.

The healer turned and blushed pink at the sight of the prince with the neko at his side. She curtseyed clumsily and shook her head, wringing her hands. "Good morning… I'm sorry, I don't know… I don't know where she's gone. She was here for her first dose of medicine this morning, but—now she's not here… I'm sorry…"

Marron offered the healer an understanding smile. "That's alright. I'm sure she's fine, and it's not your fault."

The healer's face was one of shame, though. "But how could I have lost our patient? I have no idea where she's gone—"

"We do," Marron grinned.

"We do?" Thor looked down at Marron, puzzled.

She smirked and raised her eyebrows. "Loki wasn't in his room, and Noir's not in her room."

A sly look came over Thor's face, and he snickered. "Ah, so they wished for time alone." He glanced back to the healer, who was watching the exchange blankly. "You need not worry. Noir is in the company of Prince Loki, and I'm sure he will take most excellent care of her until she returns."

Marron started giggling uncontrollably at Thor's declaration, covering her mouth. "Oh, yes… he'll take excellent care of her…"

Thor snorted and led the way out of the room, leaving the healer looking baffled. He glanced down at Marron as they walked down the hall together, shaking his head as he stifled sniggers. "Scandalous, Marron."

"Only a little," Marron pinched her lips together. "So as long as Loki is taking excellent care of Noir, I suppose we've got the day to ourselves?" She looked up hopefully at him.

Thor stood up a little straighter at the thought and nodded briskly. "I suppose we do. Let's go to your rooms, and I'll show you another card game I have."

00000

"It feels like it's been a long time since we were up here," Noir sighed, settling herself on the roof of their tower.

Loki looked out over the serene vista of Asgard, thinking back to when they had last been here. It did feel like it had been a long time since the night Noir showed up at his door in tears, and he had brought her up here. She had still thought her mother was dead then, and he had apologized for the almost-kiss. "Yes, it's been a long time, I think. Only a little over a week. But a very, very long week."

They were silent for a moment, their eyes wandering the landscape. The sun was already up and on its way to its apex. The golden roof beneath them was already warm from the sun's rays, inviting as a blanket.

"It's too bad we couldn't come up early enough to see the sun rise," Loki murmured absentmindedly.

She hummed and scooted closer. He glanced at her questioningly, and she touched his hand. "That's alright. We can stay until sunset and watch that instead."

"You want to stay that long?" His tone was half-teasing.

"If it's with you, yes." Her tone was not teasing.

Letting out a sigh, he placed his hand over hers. "Then you and I can stay up here all day. We don't have to do anything but sit here."

Noir smiled longingly for a moment. No, they didn't have to do anything. She did want to talk to him, eventually. But it was far too early in the day for those kinds of conversations. She wanted to take a while to simply enjoy being here, on their roof, and being warm, and in Loki's company. "Lie here," Noir corrected, lying back and stretching luxuriously. "And bask in the sun like lizards that know winter is coming soon."

Loki reclined and put his hands behind his head. "Quite like lizards. With furry ears and tail. Undoubtedly reptilian."

"Shut up. I'm sleeping."

"With your eyes open."

"Lizards do it all the time."

"Actually they don't."

"Shut up or I'll bite you."

"Please do."

"Oh, Norns."

00000

"You know," Marron murmured. "I'm actually glad that everything so far has gone the way it has."

Thor glanced up from his cards, raising his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

Marron peered through her hand of cards. "I don't know. I mean that I'm just glad Noir and Loki have fallen in love, and that Loki let us stay in the palace, and that he took us to the ball and all."

"Why wouldn't it have gone the way it has?" Thor asked, studying her tiny frown. He wasn't sure what she was thinking so hard about: the game or what she was saying.

"Well, at first Blanc and I kept telling Noir to stay away from the prince, and I wasn't sure if we could trust him. But I'm glad Noir didn't listen to us, and that I trusted Loki." She started to draw a card and set it down, but she hesitated and returned the card to her hand, resuming her perusal of options.

"Why are you glad?" Thor asked, stifling a smile at Marron's intense concentration.

Her eyes left her cards for the first time, and she looked at him from under her lashes. "Because if that hadn't happened, I wouldn't have ended up here."

"Here meaning what, exactly?" Thor held her gaze a long moment until she broke the eye contact, blushing and smiling sheepishly.

"Just… here. In the palace. With you." Her answer was said with uncertain hope, and she set down a card face up, showing a sword.

Thor smiled faintly and firmly flipped a face-down card he had set there two turns earlier, revealing a picture of a shield. "Well then, if you're happy here in the palace with me… we'll just stay here forever. We can stay late into the night and play cards."

"Or dice," Marron frowned slightly as she peered at her hand. "This game is getting old."

"No, Marron, you are just not winning and therefore no longer want to play. I didn't know you were such a sore loser," Thor grinned at her.

Marron pursed her lips and gave him a stubbornly grim look. "I am not a sore loser."

"then let's see your next card."

Marron sighed and looked at her cards again. "Mmm…" She set down a picture of a rearing horse.

Thor smiled and set down a card showing a mace.

"Blast."

Thor reached forward and gently patted Marron's shoulder. "We can play a dice game."

"Thank you, Thor."

00000

Loki and Noir lay on the roof of the tower, silent and contemplative as they looked up at the clouds above. They had been there for some time, merely letting the contented silence continue.

Loki's eyes drifted closed, and he sighed in satisfaction, hearing Noir shift slightly only a few feet away. It was the most comforting thing in the world to know that she was there, and she was next to him, and she was conscious, and he knew she would be alright.

"Hey, Loki?" Noir asked quietly.

Loki's eyes fluttered open again. He had almost started to fall asleep. He looked up at her, absentmindedly rubbing his eyes. "Hmm?" he hummed lazily.

Noir smiled slightly. "Oh, don't mind me. Go back to sleep, then," she teased airily.

Loki rolled his eyes, propping himself up on his elbow to look at her. "Excuse me," he said, mock-haughtiness permeating his voice. "You bloody well stopped me from going to sleep. You may as well make the best of it. What were you going to say?" he queried.

Noir smiled wryly. "I was thinking…" Her smile disappeared, replaced with a pensive look. "What would things be like if I weren't a neko?"

Loki felt his brow immediately crease. "…What? Why?"

Noir smiled humorlessly. "I don't know. Because odd thoughts occur to a girl sometimes, that's why." She shrugged slightly. "So… what do you think things would be like if I weren't a neko?"

Loki just stared at her, uncomprehending.

"Do you think we'd still be…" she paused, glancing away from his eyes for a brief moment before meeting them again. "…close?"

Loki just looked at her. "…I… don't know…"

Noir lay back on the roof for a moment, looking at the sky. "Well, I suppose it would depend on the circumstances, wouldn't it?" she asked nonchalantly. "I mean, depending on if I were, say, a noble, or a commoner… just… say I were a noble. Then we would actually be allowed to be close. What would you think things would be like?"

Loki was puzzled. "Noir, what exactly are you trying to get at here?"

She didn't meet his eyes. "I was just thinking," she repeated quietly.

Loki scooted a few inches closer to her, reaching out and tapping her shoulder gently. Her eyes flicked to him, and he said, "No, things wouldn't be the same."

Noir said nothing. "…Why not?" she finally asked, hesitantly.

"Because you wouldn't be the same," he shrugged. "If you were a noble, that means we would have most likely met at some royal function, and you would have been wearing some fantastically beautiful gown, and you would have been positively stunning. And you would be proper and know everything you were supposed to. And you would be the perfect picture of grace and beauty and all that a noble should be," he whispered.

Noir looked up at him silently, not following. This was almost hurting… him telling her that she would be perfect, if only she weren't a neko. How was this supposed to make her feel? Because if it was supposed to be some kind of comfort, it wasn't working.

"But," he held up a finger. "You would be a noble at a ball. And you would be the perfect picture of grace and poise… and so would every other lady there. And you know how much I despise balls and other such gatherings. I would meet you… and you would be in a parade of all the other ladies being introduced to me in a flurry of names and gowns and forced smiles. I wouldn't remember you for more than five minutes, if even that long. I would be counting the seconds until I could slip away. If you were a noble, Noir, things would not be the same. If you were a noble, I wouldn't have the slightest interest in you. The only way we would have developed the relationship we have is under the exact circumstances we now are under," he finished. He trailed a finger down her cheek gently, and Noir smiled slightly.

She let out a quiet breath of laughter. "So what you're saying is you find attractiveness in a pariah, shunned by everyone else."

"No; I'm saying I find attractiveness in you. The fact that you are a pariah is merely what distinguishes you and makes it possible for me to have met you, and to have you as something more than a passing glance an offhand formal greeting," Loki explained, now absentmindedly stroking her hair languidly as he lay down next to her, less than an arm's length away. "If you were not a neko, Noir, then you wouldn't have my handkerchiefs, and we wouldn't have shared our pastry, and we wouldn't have danced together at the ball, and you wouldn't be my little thief."

Noir looked up at him, smiling at the nickname. "Are you really happy we met the way we did?"

He considered, humming quietly. "Well, granted, I would have preferred to not have to chase you halfway across the city in pursuit of my gold, but still."

Noir chuckled. "It was not halfway across the city. It was only into the next district. I wasn't even out of breath. And neither were you. And you got your gold back… so quit complaining," she ordered jokingly.

"I didn't just get my gold back," he said in a hushed voice. "I got you too, didn't I?"

Noir quirked an eyebrow. "Do you really think that was when you got me? You think you got me the moment we met?"

Loki considered for a moment, giving her a critical look. "Well, didn't I?"

Noir scoffed. "Why, yes. You got me the moment I saw you, honestly, but it's terribly arrogant of you to conclude that yourself," she scolded.

Loki laughed out loud, shaking his head while Noir giggled self-consciously. She resisted the urge to shift closer to him, entranced by his voice and his laugh and his hand still touching her hair slightly. Their laughter died away shortly, and they were once again in silence, looking at each other perceptively.

"Noir," Loki murmured.

"Yes?" Noir asked nervously, fidgeting slightly under his keen gaze.

"Noir, Noir, Noir," Loki whispered, smirking at the girl as she squirmed, growing tense as he repeated her name in a hushed voice.

"Loki, what?" Noir breathed, letting out a breath of amusement.

"Chatte Noir Voleuse," Loki said slowly. "I've just recalled something." He scooted a little closer to her. "When we first met, you made me a promise."

Noir stared at him, mind racing. He was a foot away, whispering to her so irresistibly that her head was practically spinning.

"Do you remember what that promise was?" he asked.

Noir blinked. Helheim, she wouldn't be able to remember her own name right now if he hadn't just been whispering it repeatedly. How was she supposed to remember what she had promised him almost a month ago, in a passing meeting? Her mind raced to recall. She had stolen his gold… he had gotten it back… had she made him some promise during that little encounter? Her pounding heart was distracting her from recollecting all that had transpired during that encounter. She remembered his thoughtful look when she had said something about nekos having fluff for brains… but she couldn't remember the particulars… "No, I don't remember," she whispered. "What did I promise you?"

Loki smiled faintly and sat up, turning so that he leaned over her, with one hand on either side of her head. "Why, Noir, you promised you would never steal from me again. Remember?"

Oh, yes… Loki had asked if she would stop robbing people on the street… she had informed him that was the only way she could make a living. Then he had requested that she simply not rob from him anymore, at least. And she had given him her word. "Y-yes, I remember now," she answered uncertainly, looking up at him.

"So why didn't you keep that promise?" he asked simply.

Suddenly it seemed like all of Loki's mischief had disappeared, and he was giving her an honestly inquiring look. Noir blinked. She had kept her word. She hadn't robbed him again. What was he talking about?

"But…" she laughed softly, not understanding. "Loki, I have kept my promise… I don't know what you mean."

Loki looked down at her and just sighed, shaking his head. "Maybe you hadn't noticed when you took it, Noir, but you stole something from me."

Noir frowned. "Loki, no I—"

"Noir, you've stolen my heart," he said simply, interrupting her denial.

She broke off and looked up at him, surprised. "Wait, what?" she asked.

Loki smiled slightly.

"No, really. Come again?" Noir said urgently, lifting herself onto her elbows. Had he just said what she thought he said? No… he would never be that forward, would he? Did he just say she stole his heart?

Loki sighed and laughed slightly, closing his eyes. "Please don't make me say it again," he muttered. "You have no idea how hard it was for me to say that just once…" he opened his eyes again and gave Noir a wry look. "Come on, Noir. You heard me."

She lifted herself a little higher on her elbows. Loki was still leaned over her, half-pinning her to the roof of the tower. As she lifted herself on her elbows, she left only about six inches between them. "Well, I certainly thought I heard you. But I'm almost half-certain my ears are failing. Because for some reason they are informing me that you just said I stole your heart."

Loki sighed and gave her a dry smile. "Yes, thank you, Noir. It sounds terribly clichéd and horrible when you just repeat it. You have just utterly, totally, brilliantly shattered what little confidence I had just gathered to—"

Noir cut him off by lifting herself off the roof just a few more inches and touching her lips to his softly. His sentence immediately died, and he froze in shock. Noir started to pull away, exploding inside. She had done it. She had done it. She had done it. It was all that she could think. It could hardly even count as a kiss, really; their lips hadn't been touching for more than a second before Noir started to draw away… but before she could part her lips from his, Loki's hand cupped her cheek, keeping her where she was, with their lips brushing. Then he pressed his lips to hers a little more firmly and surely, letting the kiss last just a few seconds longer before his hand slid away, and they parted.

Noir tried to catch her breath as she dropped back to lay down on the roof, and Loki wordlessly lay back down next to her. Neither of them made a noise for a long moment. Noir sucked in a deep breath as Loki let out a shuddering breath, both trying to calculate what was to happen next. Neither was quite sure. So silence endured for a long time, both of them keeping their eyes shut as their heart rates returned to normal.

"Well," Noir said quietly. "Well… that was…"

"Long overdue?" Loki suggested

Noir was quiet for a moment, and then giggled. "I was just thinking something along the lines of 'nice,' but 'long overdue' is probably more appropriate."

Loki let out a breath of amusement. "Mmhmm."

Noir sucked in a breath and let it out again, laughing shakily. "You know, I was halfway to thinking I could make some joke about me managing to not only steal your heart, but steal a kiss from you, too… but I'm so befuddled right now that I can't even think of any clever way to word it."

Loki laughed softly, feeling something like amazement at their situation. "Well, to be perfectly honest, I can't even remember how to breathe. Let alone think of anything clever to say. So don't feel too bad."

Noir chuckled, still trying to come up with something brilliant to say. Nothing came to mind. She had thought… she had thought that a kiss would signal something absolutely momentous and life-changing. And, well, it kind of did… but no, not really. Loki was still next to her, uttering his charming words and making her heart flutter just by being close. She was still here, absolutely smitten with him in every way. And they were both still lying on the rooftop, merely talking. It wasn't quite like nothing had happened… but in a way, things were still the same. In a… well, once she thought about it, in a kind of wonderful, delicious, simple, comforting way. It wasn't like a kiss would entirely change Loki's relationship with her. That realization was somehow… striking.

Loki was smiling very faintly, arms folded behind his head as he stared up at the clouds. It had finally happened. Finally. He had practically fantasized about it countless times… well, perhaps worrying about it was more accurate. Daydreams and nightmares in equal amounts. Always hopes and fears. He had thought a kiss would lead to something… monumental. Like some kind of heartbreaking rejection, or a moving confession of complicated emotions. All the trepidation he had felt… all the hesitation, indecision, all the fear and anxiety. There had been no reason for all of it. No reason for all the moments he and Noir had hovered an inch apart, unsure. It was… relieving. It almost made the sun above seem brighter, and the breeze seem just a little more playful. There weren't any difficult conversations involving intricate words of adoration and pledges of everlasting devotion. No shattering rejection, no world-shaking change in reality. The thought made his smile grow just a little more, and he let out a breath of contentment. He reached out and discreetly slipped her hand into his own, squeezing it gently. He closed his eyes when she interlaced her fingers with his and squeezed back. "This isn't what I expected," he admitted quietly.

"Mmh. Me, neither," Noir acknowledged. "What were you expecting? Some kind of shift in reality, or a hole to open up and swallow us, or deep and philosophical conversation about… I don't even know what this is anymore. Friendship and affection?"

Loki sighed. "Actually, yes, I was expecting some kind of groundbreaking…. Something. I thought some profound confessions or rejections or explanations would happen."

"Me, too," Noir acknowledged.

"I think I prefer this," Loki confessed, rolling onto his side to look at her.

Noir rolled onto her own side. "I prefer this, too. Infinitely. I don't know about you, but just lying here and talking like normal people is a million and a half times better than some kind of dramatic speech."

Loki smirked. "I could get used to it, I think."

"This meaning which part, exactly?" Noir asked.

"Hmm. Lying next to you. Holding your hand. Holding deep philosophical conversations about how simplicity is better than deep philosophical conversations. How contradictory," he observed.

She laughed lightly. "Now that you mention it, yes, quite contradictory."

Loki reached forward with his free hand and cupped Noir's cheek. He hesitated briefly, and then just scoffed quietly and shook his head. And then he leaned close and touched his lips to hers again tenderly. Noir scooted closer, not breaking the lip contact as she tentatively slipped an arm around Loki's waist. Their lips lingered together for another long moment before they parted with a giddy sigh.

Loki smirked slightly. "Alright. I don't know about you, but I'm used to it. I think I could do that all day and it wouldn't bother me in the least."

Noir just laughed, shaking her head. She could feel herself blushing as Loki gave her a soft smile. She nuzzled her face into his neck and hummed in contentment as he wrapped one arm around her shoulders and the other around her waist, holding her close. "Wish we had done this sooner," she murmured.

Loki could feel her soft breath on his neck, and he recalled the same feeling when she had been unconscious for those three days… but this was different. Now she was snuggling close to him of her own accord, and not because he was desperately clinging to her in the hopes that his touch would save her from death. "Me, too," he mumbled back.

"It's a nice feeling," she added. "Just… this. Us. Being this close to you while I'm actually awake… it's just nice, you know?"

"Perfectly," he acknowledged.

And they were quiet, lying together and holding to each other not as if their lives depended on it, but merely because they wanted to.

Note from LoquaciousQuibbler: This chapter is dedicated to the blueberry. That won't make any sense to anyone but the blueberry lol. If it doesn't make sense to you, then know that this chapter is dedicated to first kisses: the rare first kisses that are lucky enough to go perfectly, so perfectly that they should be in a romance novel… or at least a romance fan fiction.

This is the first "first kiss" scene that I've written since having my own first kiss (Emmie and Naomi's first kisses were written with absolutely no personal experience), so that was kind of new lol. This scene has been written for quite a while, actually, and I'm glad that I've finally been able to post it. I hope that this kiss, the kiss you have all been so desperately waiting for, has lived up to your expectations. After all, you have waited 36 chapters, and roughly 155,000 words to get to that kiss lol… Yikes, that's actually a little frightening lol. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it, my ducklings. Please favorite, follow, and review!