Maybe Natasha was a little too excited, after the dinner the team had decided that tonight: they'd pack, call their families and inform SHIELD and tomorrow morning they'd journey to Asgard. But it was now 5:30AM and she was in the kitchen where they had arranged to meet. With a roll of her wide eyes Nat turned to go back to her room when she slammed straight into Steve's chest. Without hesitating she folded her arms around his waist, holding onto his strong torso.
"How did I know you'd be here already?" He teased, she replied into his shoulder "Figures you'd be the only one up, even if we were traveling to another realm you'd still go for a run before." He pushed away, but still close enough that their foreheads touched. "Actually 3 hours before, you're a little early Nat." She smiled as he kissed her lips, but before he let her deepen the kiss he pulled back. "I should go and get ready anyway, I need a shower." Romanoff's eyes travelled down his ripped body, and her temptation was clear, her fingers pulled at the hem of his vivid white vest. "Well, looking at how sweaty you are...that could take a while and we still have..." She paused looking down at her watch and cursed herself, how had she let herself get ready 3 hours before they needed to meet?
Pulling her out of her curse, Steve redirected her "You were saying?" Rogers' stepped forward, his hands like irons on her hips. Natasha didn't have to say anything else because seconds letter their lips clashed together in a passionate and tight embrace, each one of them recuperating the desire and need and love with just as much power.
Arriving exactly half an hour late, Natasha and Steve; slightly out of breath, stalked into the kitchen. Receiving multiple eye rolls and stuck up noses. "Sorry." Steve panted. "I was having a shower." Eagerly Romanoff raised her hand "And I was helping." Which caused Steve to excessively blush and Stark to pretend to vomit.
"Right well, we better get going. They'll be expecting us." The team grabbed their bags, there was still a race between Nat and Tony over whose bag was biggest. They soon made their way onto the roof, despite drastic protests from Tony; "Should we really be doing this on the roof?"
They then arranged in a circle with Thor in the centre, he instructed them all to hold onto him and under no circumstances were they allowed to let go. Then Thor grabbed Natasha and Bruce, whilst Steve, Barton and Stark gripped him and each other. Suddenly, a flash of colours wrapped around the team, the rainbow was everywhere their unblinking eyes looked. The journey was beautifully sickening, Rogers was so tempted to close his eyes, but he caught Nat's expression. She was in sheer wonder at the revolving colours; her intensifying hues finally reminded Rogers of what a younger Natasha Romanoff would have looked like; when she was a child. A proper one, what she would have looked like if she'd not being training to become an assassin and actually lived: had play time, gone to school, made friends, had a family.
Her view of the world was enchanting, even though Nat was one of the harshest persons Steve had met and despite the fact that out of all the team she had the biggest reason not to do what she does, she still does it. And that was one of the reasons he was with her, because she was brave enough to not let others go through what she went through. She was the hero she never had as a child and Steve knew that's why she's an avenger. She may be sharp and concealed and secretive and somewhat untrusting, but she knows what's right. That's why during the battle of the Winter Soldier she stood by him and gave up her painful past, and that's why Steve loved her. He was in love with her. Shock shivered down his spine, Steve knew he would love Natasha. But that didn't make the realisation anymore anticipated or planned; a wall of soft flowers hit him. And he smiled, Steve Rogers was in love with Natasha Romanoff and he was going to tell her. Excitement bubbled in his blood.
Natasha was astounded with the priceless beauty of the realm they landed in; the sky was a precise blue, painted by the finest artist who could master a whisper of clouds and a shining sun. The soft sound of smashing summer swells swirled around the stunned avengers, as they attempted to take in the dashing atmosphere. Towers taller than their own dazzled the sky, draped in a sheet of gold. The island like realm looked like a pile of spilled treasure, diamonds and jewels rising out of the ocean, sandy beaches dotted around the canopy of cliffs. Sweet and minty smelling grass decorated the cliff tops. Nat was overwhelmed, her senses rushing to take in the breath holding heaven.
"Thor, this is beautiful!"
"That's it, when can I move in?" A batch of laughter bounced down the multi-coloured bridge, Nat smiled with glee as Thor's friends; Volstagg, Hogun, Fandral and Sif paraded towards the almost star-struck team. Nat and Sif engaged in friendly embraces as the men mingled before the gang strolled to Heimdall, who had a revealing conversation with Stark. "So...er...you're the eyes ha?" "That I am, I guard Asgard as well as watch over all the 9 realms." Tony stuttered "So..huh...do you see...everything?" Barton and Bruce choked out muffled snorts as Steve took Natasha in his arms; they didn't have to be discreet here.
Heimdall's face broke into the closest thing Romanoff could have interpreted to be a bold smile. "Enough, but you're secret is safe with me." Tony grimaced as the avengers simultaneously inched forward. After a bewildered glance from Tony, Thor hurriedly scurried off with a tail of heroes behind him. Steve and Natasha silenced their giggles when they heard Clint pat Heimdall on the back and whisper "Later, all will be revealed, my man!"
At some point during the angelic tour, Sif, Fandral, Volstagg and Hogun disappeared and the awe struck avengers entered the palace; where they would be staying.
Natasha's fingers were interlaced with Steve's as the group neared the massive expansion of a stair well. They were the only people in the heavenly corridor, which was bigger than Stark's lounge. Now that was saying something.
Out of the shadows stalked a lanky and lean Loki; his hair shorter but still un-kept, his eyes brighter but still lacking a certain light, his cheeks fuller but skin penetratingly sharp.
Natasha fought back the uncontrollable urge to growl, simply swallowing the lump rising in her throat - she wasn't the only one with a fierce reaction to Loki's sudden appearance, but hers was by far the most heightened - Steve caught the mad dart in her eyes and the hitch in her step, apparently so did Loki, whose grim expression transformed to a grin which progressed to a devilish smile.
"Brother, you remember..." Thor's generous gesture was cut off with a crude snort "The avengers? How could I forget." The latter of Loki's pointed statement was an accusation, not a question.
Taking his time monitoring each of them Loki stared at them all, when his eyes passed over Barton he smiled. Causing Clint to grip Natasha's elbow with nails digging as deep as his arrows. She didn't feel that pain, only the slight trickle of blood, not when a hurricane of torture clouded her eyes.
Lastly Loki looked at Nat, Steve felt his weight shift from foot to foot. He felt the desperate desire to step in front of her but knew it would do nothing but cause: laughter for Loki and anger for Tasha.
The God of mischiefs hues passed over Romanoff's enveloped hand. It was obvious he took pride in being able to come across as intimidating and yet reserved at the same time, as he spoke clearly but quietly "Embracing your inner child Red?" Stark's orbs filled with frustration at somebody else using his nickname.
Hastily Natasha untangled her fingers as she stepped up to the God. All eyes were on the tense pair. "So what if I was?" His dry lips cracked further as his disturbing chuckle filled the hollows of the now isolated entrance. Everything about him irritated Nat to the point of pain, his features setting Tasha's teeth on edge.
"I just heard eating your own words could be a little sour, how's the digestion going along?" The teams eyes flashed from face to face, they all wanted to end a fight before it fought its way from Nat's thoughts, but at the same time knew they'd be faced with her wrath instead of Loki if they did so.
Nat bit her lip. Her hands tightened to steel fists, nails like tiny daggers into the softness of her palm. "I never said it was a bad thing." She put pressure on every syllable. The shadowed figure tutted her tone, shaking his head vivaciously.
"As I recall, you said 'Love is. . ." Her snap cut him off "I know what I said." The avengers, sinking slowly into the ibis of silence, tried desperately to keep up. Natasha went on to expand "But clearly you miss understood. The meaning of what I said was that Love makes people silly and naive, it forms a bubble around them. Shielding them from any pain or destruction." Her arms shifted, slamming shut like iron doors in front of her chest. Her eyes momentarily moved to Steve's submissive stance "until it bursts.
"I never, however, said Love was a bad thing." Loki only half in the conversation and somehow completely surrounded by it snapped so harshly Banner flinched. "It was implied." Without missing a beat Nat spat "It was inferred!" Silencing any movement.
After nerve jarring seconds, which dragged on like years, Loki moved forward. Everybody except the Black Widow taking a simultaneous step back, Rogers' felt the need to pull her back with him. He didn't like how close they were, their private fires fuelling the others.
Nat wanted to spit in his face and run for her life, but she couldn't show it. She wouldn't let him see her fear. Finally he whispered in a eerie breath of deafening silence "Always a pleasure Red." He finally pulled away, Nat finally let out the breath she'd been holding. Feeling her knees tremble and her blood flutter.
Loki observed the guarded men of the team before spitting disgust at their presence in his home "Excuse me." The words seemed harmless, on paper they'd appear almost pleasant, polite. Coming from him, they sounded like a death threat.
Tiring minutes ticked by without a single breath escaping the stone-like group. "Thor, what the hell is Reindeer-games doing strolling around like he frickin owns the place?" Tony was livid, and not just because Loki was using his nickname for Natasha, despite the amount of wit and sarcasm that rolled off his tongue he did like his friends; the avengers. And he, just like the others, wanted to protect his team. Stark was not alone in the enraged attitude at seeing their former foe walking freely around the palace.
"Believe me friends, he is anything but free. And it was not my decision nor place to decide how Loki spends his punishment." Thor was bombarded with enquiries. "Well whose was it?"
"Yeah, cos I feel there needs to be some rethinking."
"He could easily escape!"
Thor responded calmly but firmly. "Friends, the decision was made by a number of trusted and wise warriors. Including Lady Sif and my father, it was not an easy decision to make, neither was it made lightly. I think you will have to be reminded that Heimdall is constantly watching Loki. Also he is not permitted to exit the palace, constant guards observe his movements. Not to mention the curse, I, my father and mother have bestowed on him. It is physically impossible for him to leave this premise."
Barton gulped before snapping "Yeah...What about mentally?"