At the tower, Snow and Loki head up the elevator in silence. She was dying to say something, anything, but managed to keep her mouth shut, till they split paths to their rooms.
And the minute Loki entered his, it all came rushing in.
Reality.
As he subconsciously moved about, washing up, placing clothes in the closet and changing out of the armor, his mind worked tirelessly, taking in fact over fact.
It wasn't just a matter of going back, it was a matter of what he'd lost along the way.
Too much.
He'd lost too much.
Time.
The respect of his supposed family, turned to ash.
His mother…
No. Not his mother. Not his real mother. She wasn't.
Lies.
All lies.
His whole life. His birthright.
Lies.
Who was he then?
Odinson? Laufeyson?
No one.
He was no one.
Even the God of Mischief,
he was not.
Stranded amongst a world not his own.
And what world was he from?
XXXXX
*Crash!*
Snow jolts up at the sound of glass breaking. Realization hits her hard.
She knew this would happen.
Rushing out of the room, Snow hurries to Loki's. She swings the door open, to find the room in dismay. He snaps to her, a raging fire in his eyes, igniting her sense of caution extremely.
"Get.
Out,"
he spits, threat spilling from every word.
"…Loki, just-"
"OOOUUUUT!" He hurtles a vase at the wall beside her to scare her off. She shakes off her shock, and stands her ground firmly.
"No!"
"Miss, White, shall I initiate emergency protocol?" Jarvis asks in haste.
"No! Don't!" she shouts in panic. The last thing she wanted to do was provoke him.
Loki chuckles harshly. "You are…utterly foolish," he says, approaching her with heavy steps, causing her to take her own steps back, till her back hit the wall. "You see me as some lost, broken soul. But you refuse to acknowledge the truth…staring you right in the face," he speaks each word with such intensity, such harshness,
it hurt,
but she'd be damned to ignore the look in his eyes.
Utter desperation.
"Open your eyes, Snow. This, is what I truly am…
a monster."
Snow witnesses with wide eyes as he transforms against her,
to his true,
darker form.
Ocean-blue shades succumbed his face, spreading lines, and circular engravings.
His eyes…
from gorgeous-green to
a fierce-red.
A moment of silence passes between them. Her teary eyes darting all around his new self, till they halted at his eyes.
A dagger stabbed at Loki's heart.
Was he happy now?
This was what he wanted, right? To scare her.
Well, now he's done it.
What was he hoping to achieve? What form of truth did he think would satisfy?
But he misread.
She wasn't scared.
All she felt, was her own heart drowning in sorrow,
for him.
Shocked, he was, would be an understatement, when her finger-tips brushed the side of his face, rising to caress his cheek, causing him to exhale as if in pain as her touch forced back the darkness, and he transformed back.
She swallowed the lump in her throat, and spoke. "You are not a monster," she told firmly. He eyed her in disbelief.
After everything she'd seen,
everything he'd done,
how could she say that?
"You only believe you are…But you're forgetting that I'm the only person…who knows how you truly feel…Maybe I should, but I don't…give a damn, what you'd done,
nor who you were…
all I care about…
is now."
Every word forces its way into his stone-turned heart, every word hurt badly, in a strange form of relief,
of need.
Denial.
He couldn't find it in him to believe her. To believe she was even real.
But she was.
She was,
and she was right there.
He wasn't entirely aware what came over him as his stubborn heart took lead.
Loki crashed his lips onto hers with such force, taking her breath away.
At first, she was shocked. But when she realized what was happening, she couldn't resist. And it was when a deep flame in her chest arose did she discover just how badly she'd been waiting for that moment, since he'd arrived.
Her hands got hold of his face, cupping it between her warm palms. She kissed him just as forcefully, and just as passionately.
Satisfied with her reaction, Loki placed a firm hand on the small of her back, pulling her as close as possible, and another behind her head, his slim fingers toying with her soft, brown locks.
Even though it seemed unreal, neither dared let the moment slip away.
They tore lustfully at each other's lips. The kiss grew deeper, rougher, till it seemed they would never stop.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, entwining her fingers in his hair as he kneeled down and held her tighter, aiming to get all he could out of the White opposite him, and she didn't dare oppose him.
It was only when Jarvis claimed that Tony was home, did they pull apart, gasping for air, minds ablaze, and hearts at race.
Slowly, they pulled apart. And wordlessly, Snow opened the door, and slipped out, locking wild eyes with his once more, before shutting the door behind her.
But her legs couldn't carry her further. She rested her back on the door, leaning her head back as well, as she struggled to control her staggered breath, or collect her scattered thoughts.
And just on the other side, he stood, hand and head on the door's form, wondering what in the world he'd just done,
and why he hadn't done it sooner.
XXXXX
Rushing to her room, Snow closes the door behind her, requesting Jarvis not to say anything about what had happened to Tony, unless he asks.
She understood that the AI was unwillingly loyal to its creator, but confusing machines always seemed to work in movies, so she tried and hoped for the best.
Funny, cause, confused, she was.
What was she thinking?!
Well,
she wasn't.
In that moment, no thought in the world, it seemed, would work to prove that what had happened never should have, blinding her to all risks, and all she could think about,
was the kiss,
in its every detail, especially the fact that he'd started it.
It took her three hours of just lying on the bed, to actually get any sleep.
He however, found it as impossible as it usually was. Kept up by the wander of why.
But no.
Everything.
Literally everything
in his life right now, made no sense, whatsoever.
Nothing seemed as it should be. Nothing was clear.
But, her?
She was the only thing that seemed to fit.
After hours of brooding, Loki walked willingly out of his room for the first time in the past days. He makes his way to her room, as if scouring for proof.
Almost silently he opened the door, creeping in.
Loki makes his way to her bed, where she lay soundly asleep. He kneels down beside her, his eyes taking in every detail of her glowing face as if for the first time.
And with every lingering second, his heartbeats quicken,
and he knew,
it was just right.
Whatever it was he was feeling, whatever it was he knew she was feeling.
It was right.
And that was all he needed to know, to find the strength, to pull back up, feeling something he hadn't felt in months.
Hope.
Loki gets to his feet once more, and strolls out, softly shutting the door behind him. His eyes dart around as if noting his surroundings just then, and a familiar trait kicks in.
Curiosity.
XXXXX
The next morning, Snow comes out of the shower, with a towel wrapped around her form, hair loose and dripping, back into her room. She gasps in shock, grasping the towel firmly. "Loki! Wha-" she exclaims as he simply sat on the armchair near the window, one leg resting on the other, fingertips touching near his smirking face, fully dressed in one of the outfits they'd picked out the other day.
Her eyes dart to the door. "How did you get in?! I locked the door!" she says, baffled. The door was still locked.
"Trade secret, I'm afraid. Did you know," he starts, rising to his feet casually, like she wasn't in a towel or anything, "that Stark stays up all night, in his lab?" he asks curiously. The topic confuses, and surprises her.
"I…No, I didn't. How exactly-"
"I may have wandered about last night. Couldn't sleep," he shrugs. Such a revelation was quite a step, she thought. She processes his words, nodding slowly with wide-eyes.
Something was different.
He…
was different.
"Right," she chuckles, eyeing the floor, getting a pretty good idea as to why that was. He eyes her intently, a mere two feet away. "Loki…last night," she starts, noting they had to discuss it. He gets it, but cuts her off.
"Do you regret it?" he asks seriously. Her eyes lock with his, and she wasn't sure what she could see in them, but it made her heart go crazy. Her answer seemed almost automatic, but she meant it.
"No," she said firmly. Loki smiles brightly at that. Even though he already knew her answer, hearing it was different, more appealing.
"Then there's nothing to discuss," he tells.
Snow can't help but smile upon hearing that. A few seconds pass, their eyes locked as if in a daze, a soft, excited smile held by each.
Her awareness returns, and cheeks redden. "Loki…I…kinda have to change," she notes awkwardly. He cocks a mischievous eyebrow.
"Are you implying I stay for the show?" he asks coyly. Her eyes go as wide as windows, face flushing red.
"Loki!" she punches his arm out of irritancy, grinning in embarrassment. He seems unfazed, and amused by her attempts as he was amused by her reaction. "Out!"
"Very well," he retorts calmly.
Loki strolls to the door. He opens it, then halts, turning to give one last long glance at her form, just to tease her. He then leaves her, with her mad heart, and the room, behind.
XXXXX
Tony's alarm blares harshly. On his bed, he furrows his eyebrows irritably, blindly reaching to shut it up, only to end up shoving it off the bedside table. He groans into his pillow, then decides to suck it up.
He pushes up with both arms, unsteadily getting to his feet. Tony washes up tiredly and puts on some fresh clothing, readying for work, or any form of distraction.
The Stark makes his way to the kitchen, to find an odd figure rummaging through the fridge.
The figure, soon found to be Loki, comes out with an orange-juice box, furrowing his eyebrows at it. "Did you know," he starts, not even glancing at Tony, "that your supposed healthy beverage is laced with a considerable amount of ill-fitting elements?" he notes, reading through its contents.
"Wha…um…yeah. I know," he says weirdly, not sure how to react as he walked over to him, running on a very low battery. Loki then looks to him, furrowing his eyebrows.
"Then why do you have this nonsense?" he scolds, throwing it back into the fridge. Tony's mind scours lazily for an answer.
"…Because it's easier than squeezing fresh orange-what…uh…what are you doing out here? I mean, huh," he gives a light, tired chuckle, placing one hand into his suit-pocket. "Finally decided to come out of your shell?" he grins.
"Maybe I'm making space to bury you in it," Loki retorts coyly, making Tony flat out laugh.
"Good one," he tells, hurriedly heading to get his morning cup before he passed out on the kitchen floor. "Ever had coffee before?" he asks instead.
"No. What is it?"
"Well, it's like fuel, but for people," Tony smirks. Loki furrows his eyebrows. Tony hesitates for a second. "It…helps keep you awake," he explains quickly.
Loki smirks knowingly, but Tony doesn't see it as he fills two, handing him one. Loki senses its strong aroma, grimacing a little. Tony takes a big gulp from his, knowing well it wouldn't do much. Loki eyes it doubtfully. "So what's the catch?" he asks.
Tony turns to him, confused. His mind then clicks, somewhat waking up. "Uhhh its not particularly healthy," he states.
Loki looks to the cup in his hand. What's the worst it could do? He drinks it carefully, ignoring the smell, and cringing the minute it activated his taste buds.
Tony chuckles at his reaction. "It's an acquired taste," he states, amused. Loki eyes him irritably, then their attention is driven to Snow, who'd just entered the floor, smiling graciously at them.
Almost immediately, Loki lights up, but Tony doesn't notice. "Morning!" Tony greets.
"Morning," she smiles back. Snow approaches them, furrowing her eyebrows at the mug in Loki's hand. She turns to Tony.
"Did you give him coffee?" she questions, slightly shocked. Tony grins.
"Yeah."
She then turns to Loki, not ever expecting how good it would feel to see those two getting along.
"How is it?" she asks, uncertain what else to say. Loki hums thoughtfully.
"As disgusting as everything else in the ice-box," he notes, placing the mug onto the counter.
"Ice-box?" Tony grins. Loki turns to him.
"Do you find my lack of Midgardian knowledge amusing? I'd like to see how you'd fair in Asgard, or any other realm for that matter," he notes sarcastically. Snow smirks. Tony fakes a wince.
"Touchy!" he exclaims.
His phone then buzzes in his pocket. He suppresses an eye-roll, pulling it out. Happy.
He hadn't even had his second cup of coffee and the day was already reeling in. "Yeah?" he answers, faking interest, heading off and leaving the two of them with only each other's company.
She finds it unnerving to lock eyes with his after everything that had happened between them. Fortunately, that ends quickly. "I'll be in the library if anyone needs me," he states.
"Oh, Uh, do you know where it is?" He smirks.
"Of course I do." She smiles.
"Okay, mister know-it-all. Keep in mind that we're having breakfast later, whether you're hungry or not," she tells. He finds her confidence appealing.
"Whatever you say," Loki last states, finally walking away.
She turns her attention to Tony, who was rubbing his eyes tiredly as he spoke through the phone. She then turned to Loki's steaming cup of coffee on the counter. He'd barely touched, and she would make some for herself anyways, so she simply took his.
Tony hangs up the call, making his way back to her, furrowing his eyebrows. "Where'd he go?" he asks.
"Library," she smiles unwillingly. Tony stood, leaning on the counter across her with his elbows.
"Okay, spill. What the hell happened last night?" he questions suddenly. Her heartbeat rises nervously. She attempts denial.
"What…um, what do you mean?" she retorts. He cocks an eyebrow.
"Seriously? Don't tell me he's all rainbows and sunshine today because we went shopping for underpants….What. Happened?"
Snow hesitates, then sighs tiredly. No point in hiding it.
"…We kissed…" she lets out, awfully aware of the Stark's reaction to that.
"…Wha…again?!"
"…Yes."
"Wha!...Snow! What the hell are you doing?! Okay, look. I'm all in for the 'victim, let's help him' thing, but don't you think you're 'helping' a little too much?" he scolds worriedly.
He was more concerned about the whole thing than jealous. She sighs again.
"Tony, it's really not that big a deal."
"Not that big a deal?!"
"Yes!...Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do. And so do you," she tells, cradling the cup and heading to walk off, wanting the subject closed.
"Snow," he calls. She turns. "…Just be careful." She considers his words.
"I will."
XXXXXXXXXX