"…But if it had to perish twice
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice."

Loki finished reading the poem aloud to the study group and set down his book, glancing around to the three ladies sitting with him, waiting for a response. Three pairs of eyes wandered to each other anxiously before turning back to him. Two of them were a bit enamored simply by the sound of his voice and it took them a moment to come back to reality.

"Well…?"

"I don't get it," Natasha Romanov was the first to speak—and not one of the enamored—following her statement by tossing her black pen down onto the table. Loki chuckled softly at the young woman who had essentially become his best friend in a very short amount of time.

"You never do. Why are you taking this class, Natasha?"

"I had to!" she very nearly whined. She scrunched her nose at the high pitch of her voice and cleared her throat as if to clear it away. "What else was I going to take, Home Ec?"

"I don't think they even offer that anymore, Nat. Not since, like, before the Vietnam War," Maria Hill offered, brushing her dark bangs from her forehead, getting a chuckle from Loki and a tilt of the head from Natasha, which was the closest to a laugh the reserved young woman could give.

"I think it's creepy," the last female to round out the group, Peggy Carter, offered softly, returning to the subject of the poem. "I don't understand why people write about perishing and death."

"Death is a natural part of life, Margaret. Most poets write about life; particularly the harshness and dark side of it." Loki's voice softened, his eyes unfocused on the coffee table they all crowded around. He felt a light tug on the ends of his shoulder length hair and met soft green eyes, one of which winked at him. He grinned up at Natasha from his seat on the floor and patted her knee genially, and brushed off the mood. "Can any of you comment on the style?"

"I'm guessing you're asking because you already know the answer, right?" Peggy asked, playfully poking at Loki with her pencil. He swatted her hand away and laughed richly.

Maria smiled warmly at him. She enjoyed the sound of his laugh, when he relaxed enough to let anyone hear it. "Why don't you just save us time, Loki, and tell us?" Something fluttered in her belly when he set those pretty green eyes on her.

"How does that help you, my dear Maria? I can't whisper the answers in your ear during the quiz tomorrow, now can I?"

Maria smiled, her blue eyes glittering with humor, trying to control the path of her thoughts. "No. But if you tell us now, we can study it for tomorrow then we'll know. And! It would make you our hero." She clasped her hands together at her chest and fluttered her lashes. Natasha fought the urge to stick her finger down her throat and instead rolled her eyes.

"I don't have heroes," she broke in before popping a peanut M&M into her mouth.

"Well, that's because you scare everyone, darling. No one wants to be your hero." Loki only smiled widely when Natasha flipped him her middle finger.

"Why don't you just hurry up and tell us, smart ass? So I can go home and eat. I'm starving."

Loki grumbled but pulled out his notes. They spent the better part of an hour discussing the poem's style, structure, and meaning, before he glanced at the clock on the wall and noticed the time. "Would any of you mind if I excused myself early?"

The three ladies answered no and Natasha was already packing up her things. "What's the rush?" she asked as Loki hurriedly got to his feet.

"I just want to get back to my room. Don't read so much into it."

Natasha's shrewd green eyes watched Loki as he bid goodbye to Maria and Peggy and joined her at the door. Maria and Peggy lived in a different dorm, so after every study session Loki would walk Natasha back to her dorm before continuing on to his. It was on these walks that they had gotten to know each other and bonded over the fact that they were both orphans and had a rough start at life. Though they had shared a lot and were close friends, Loki sensed there were things Natasha still held back from him, as he did with her. She knew nothing of Odin and Frigga's betrayal and, like most people who knew both him and Thor, figured their brotherly issues boiled down to simple sibling rivalry.

"Why are you walking so fast?" She asked as she widened her steps to catch up with him.

Loki slowed his steps and shrugged. "Am I?" He saw her eyes narrow and swore in his mind. Natasha noticed everything.

"You're trying to avoid Thor and Jane aren't you?" He refused to look at her. How did she always know? Smiling smugly, Natasha slipped her arm through his, sidling up to him. "Why do you hate him so much? He seems nice enough."

Loki made a clucking noise with his tongue. "He's a fool," he said quietly. "It's difficult to make anyone else understand where I'm coming from."

"I bet I could." She turned up her face to his and gave him a nod when he set his eyes on her. Natasha Romanov rarely smiled, and she didn't still when Loki pressed his lips to her forehead. But he remained tight-lipped. "So when are you going to ask Maria out already? I'm sick of her giving you that puppy dog look every time you speak or…breathe. Or blink."

Loki smirked. "Does she?" Natasha made a very unlady-like noise in the back of her throat. "I really hadn't noticed!"

"Oh, come on!" She shouted, shoving him away from her. "Loki, you're a people watcher. How do you not see the effect you have on them?"

"Them? You only mentioned Maria. And what effect would that be exactly?"

Natasha narrowed her eyes at him and stuck her hands into the pockets of her jacket. "Don't even stand there and tell me that you can't see the way Maria and Bucky and a whole mess of other girls and dudes totally check you out? They practically fuck you with their eyes."

Loki pretended to be scandalized, gasping dramatically and pressing a gloved hand to his chest. He earned another hard shove. "'I do notice, Natasha," he said seriously. "But that does not mean I have to act on every single lewd glance cast my way."

She considered that for a moment. "If I had a heart, I'd probably fall in love with you myself."

Loki barked out a laugh, louder than he meant to, and wrapped an arm around Natasha, tucking her into his side. "You have a heart, my dear Lady Romanov. I am simply not the one who is meant to thaw it out. Have faith; he does exist."

She snorted but laughed harshly as they paused in front of her building. "No wonder you're acing poetry." She turned into him and gave him a tight squeeze.

"Do you need me to walk you in?" His words were muffled against her burgundy curls.

"No. Just go. I know you're going to run home from here to avoid Thor, anyway."

"Brother!"

"Whoops…"

Loki scoffed and groaned. "Damn it!"

"Just play nice," Natasha muttered between her teeth as Thor approached them, towing Jane along. "Hey guys. How was your class?"

Jane smiled, panting as she fought to catch her breath from running to catch up. "Oh, Dr. Banner's classes are always great! He makes physics fun!"

"Brother, how are you this evening? I've not seen you in the halls much this week." Thor slapped a hand to Loki's bicep, and the thinner man bumped into Natasha, quickly apologizing to her and rubbing at the ache where Thor hit him.

"Hmm. Shame, isn't it?" He ignored the elbow that jabbed into his side.

"Have you spoken with Odin at all?"

Loki glared at Thor, but as usual, the older Odinson failed to notice. "What would I speak to him for?"

Thor shrugged a shoulder. "Do you not wish to hear of his efforts to pass his newest energy bill?"

"No, actually, I don't. If you'll pardon me, I need to get home. I'll see you in class tomorrow, darling." Loki turned and placed an absent kiss to the corner of Natasha's mouth and started off toward his dorm, leaving the trio behind and looking after him. Natasha frowned. It frustrated her that she couldn't solve the puzzle that was the relationship between Loki and Thor. Colder now that he had left her side, she wished Jane and Thor a goodnight and practically disappeared into the shadows.

"My lady, do you believe my brother is smitten with the Lady Romanov?" Thor's large arm slipped over Jane's tiny shoulders as they continued to walk past other students on the lighted path.

Jane shrugged as much as she could under the heavy force that was Thor. "I don't know. Why don't you ask him?"

Thor grunted in response. "My brother doesn't seem to be in need of my company much these days. He has changed, Jane," he said quietly, drawing Jane's full attention. Thor was never quiet. "The young lad I left behind in Switzerland is not the young man I see before me today. He is…darker, somehow. He refuses to speak to me. He is short with me. Nothing I do seems to penetrate his suddenly icy exterior." He dropped his arm from Jane's shoulders and laced their fingers together. "I confess I am at a loss."

Jane squeezed his hand. "I'm sorry to hear that, Thor. I know how much you care about him. I say, keep trying. He's bound to give in at some point, either because he wants to or because you broke him down. Either way you'll get your answers, right?"

Thor smiled warmly down at Jane. "You are wise, Lady Jane."

She shrugged sheepishly. "I try." She pressed her closed mouth to his upper arm, inhaling his earthy scent and swung their arms as they entered her building. "If you find out about Loki and Natasha, tell me. I'll have to break the bad news to Darcy."

"Does young Darcy have intentions toward my brother?" Thor tugged on Jane's hand to stop her just before they reached her door.

"It was a joke, Thor. She just thinks he's cute. She's not in love with him. In fact, she's also got a crush on the guy in the dorm next to hers, Loki's roommate Clint, and some other guy in her acting class. They never last and there's always a new one around the corner. Don't worry about it, okay?" She reached up on her tiptoes to cup his bearded face and bring his mouth down to hers. She got the reaction she was looking for. Thor wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her from the floor entirely.

"Your lips will be the death of me, my love."

Jane sighed happily as Thor rested his forehead to hers. "My roommate's staying with her boyfriend." Thor raised his head to focus on Jane's amber eyes. "Will you stay with me tonight?"

Thor's lips spread in a toothy grin. "I have a class in the early morn." A low growl rumbled in his chest as her fingers swept through his blond mane.

"I have an alarm." Her arms came to rest over his shoulders, slowly enveloping his neck. "And I promise I won't keep you up too late." She laid her lips on his again and Thor quietly laughed against them.

"Do not make promises you have no intention of keeping, Jane Foster." He set her on her feet again and let her pull him into her room.

By the time Loki reached his building, his sour mood had almost faded. Glad to be out of the brisk fall air, he flew up the steps to the third floor, his floor, and came to a screeching halt when he turned the corner at the end of his hall. He sprinted to the heap on the floor outside his door. He bent to one knee and helped Bucky into a sitting position.

"Bucky."

"Loki?" Bucky's eyes were barely slits.

"Yes, it's me." Loki cupped his cheek and lifted his face. With his other hand, he forced open one of Bucky's eyes, only to have his hand slapped away and his face pulled down. Loki wrestled a bit with Bucky, clenching his lips tight to keep Bucky's tongue out of his mouth. Finally, shoving him back, Loki fell back onto his backside, panting from the effort. Bucky smiled.

Loki sighed, resigned, pushing the hair that fell into his face back. "It is but Wednesday, Bucky. Starting your weekend early, are you not?" Bucky's only response was to giggle softly. "Why didn't you go inside?" Loki asked through grunts as he struggled to get Bucky on his feet. He reached for the doorknob and kicked the door open.

"I couldn't," Bucky mumbled before his knees gave out again and he slid out of Loki's hands. He landed with a soft thud on his back before giggling again. "The door was locked, wannit?"

Loki swore again, this time in French, and walked back into the hall to retrieve his book and notepad and Bucky's backpack. He dropped it all on the rusty dining table Clint contributed to the room and went to Bucky's side again. "No, it wasn't. You know Clint and I leave it unlocked for just this reason. Come on, love. Help me out here."

Bucky was dead weight and Loki wasn't at his strongest at the moment. The drunken man fell onto his back one more time.

"Come on, Bucky."

"Is everything all right in here?"

Loki's eyes rolled up to the ceiling. First Thor then Bucky and now Tony. Could this night get any worse? He twisted around to glare at the man in his open doorway. "Do you need something, Stark?"

Tony leaned against the doorframe, a glass of some amber liquid in his hand. "Well, actually I was looking for your brother. He hasn't been back all day. You seen him around?"

Loki turned back to Bucky, practically asleep on the carpet at this point, and gritted his teeth. "I am aware that my brother enjoys keeping tabs on me and my every move. I, however, do not enjoy the same pastime."

"A simple 'no' would've answered my question." Tony grinned and his eyebrows did a playful lift when Loki turned to glare at him once more. Boy, if looks could kill… Tony found he quite enjoyed annoying Thor's baby brother. It was just too easy to do. He cocked his head to look down at a passed out Bucky and pointed with the hand he carried his glass in. "Do you need some help with him? I could go…find somebody…"

Exasperated, Loki slapped his hands to his knees and pushed himself to a standing position. He stalked to the door and slapped a hand to it. "Thank you for your concern, Stark, but I think now I'll bid you goodnight." Before he could respond, Loki slammed the door closed in Tony's face. He scoffed when a gleeful "goodnight!" came from the other side. Insufferable creature, he thought sourly. He heaved a heavy sigh and knelt by Bucky's head, running a hand over his dark brown hair.

"Bucky…sweetheart, I need you to wake up so I can get you to my room." Bucky groaned and rolled onto his side toward Loki.

"Loki…" Bucky's hands clawed at Loki's jacket and sweater. Loki took them in his, holding both in one hand, and used the other to brush back the hair sticking to his sweaty brow. "Gonna…be sick…"

"Oh, no…" Loki leapt to his feet and frantically searched the kitchen for something for Bucky to throw up in. He found a discarded Target bag and rushed back to Bucky's side just in time. Bucky was still heaving into the bag when the door swung open and Clint froze at the sight before him. His eyes met Loki's and seconds later Bucky fell back to the floor, exhausted from the effort of ridding his body of the alcohol.

Without saying a word, Clint closed the door, set his stuff on the table next to Loki's and Bucky's, and removed his jacket before kneeling across from Loki on the opposite side of Bucky's sprawled out form. He slid his arms under Bucky's back and knees and with little strain, lifted the passed out young man from the floor. Loki quickly discarded Bucky's mess and moved to unlock his bedroom door. Clint carried Bucky into the room and laid him across Loki's bed.

"Thank you," Loki virtually whispered as Clint passed by him.

"It's not a problem," the other man answered, resting a hand on his arm briefly, before retrieving his belongings and disappearing into his own bedroom.

Loki grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and set it on the nightstand next to his bed along with a bottle of Tylenol. He placed the wastebasket from the bathroom next to the bed and pulled Bucky into a sitting position so he could wash down a couple of pills. He gulped down half the bottle along with them, gargling with some of it to wash the sick from his mouth. Once Bucky was settled back on the bed, Loki was able to get into a hot shower.

He stood under the spray, letting the water pummel into his skin, reddening it, and frowned. This was starting to become a habit with Bucky, and from what Loki could pull out of him when he was sober, it was something that had started just recently. At first it was a late-night phone call here and there asking for a ride back to his dorm. Then it progressed to Bucky at the door at three o'clock in the morning a few nights a week looking for a place to crash because he'd had his latest conquest leave him at Loki's dorm instead of his own.

Eventually, Loki and Clint agreed to leave their dorm door unlocked so Bucky could come in whenever he needed. Loki was grateful that Clint didn't make a fuss over this situation once he explained he would rather Bucky had someplace safe to go than be lost on the campus somewhere or worse. Nor did he ask any questions when it was clear Bucky slept in Loki's bed rather than the uncomfortable futon in the communal area.

There were no questions to be asked, Loki thought, as he stepped out of the hot shower and towel-dried himself. Fond as he was of Bucky, there was nothing romantic or physical between them. Not to say that Bucky never tried, as tonight proved. Like Loki, Bucky didn't have a preference when it came to whom he invited into his bed, but he only really made advances toward Loki when he had been drinking. Lately, Loki had begun to fear that Bucky was heading into dangerous territory.

Too exhausted to deal with it now, Loki set his alarm, turned off his phone, and crawled into his bed. When Bucky turned and curled into the warm body next to him, Loki merely wrapped his arms around him and drew him in closer.

A/N: Poem is Fire and Ice by Robert Frost.