Isolated [Degenerate Series, Book 2][Blackfrost]

Chapter 2

Loki had finished his shower about ten minutes ago. I was now done with mine, and I now stand towel drying my hair in the bathroom. I stared at the foggy mirror for a second before pulling on the clothes I had set out for myself.

When I saw Loki walking out of the bathroom after his shower, he had looked tired and just plain sad. The look didn't work on him. I preferred his smile.

Now, creeping out of the bathroom, I could see him sitting on the bed with his back facing me.

I approached him carefully and sat next to him, which made the bed sink down slightly under my weight.

He looked up at me, and quickly looked away in embarrassment. His face was shiny with tears of grief, and his eyes were red and puffy.

When he looked away, I gently tilted his face to look back up at me.

"I'm really sorry about your mother, Loki," I told him softly, wiping the tears away with my thumb.

The look he gave me made me melt inside. His eyes were grateful, but they held a lost look of someone who just needed to be loved, but never had been before. I leaned forward and pressed my lips against his before leaning back onto the bed and pulling him with me.

He grunted in surprise, but didn't object. I pulled away briefly to ask, "are you going back to Asgard? With Thor?"

He answered immediately, "no."

He leaned down to kiss me again, but I twisted my head away and sat up. "What? Why not?"

Loki shrugged, looking flustered. "I have no ties with Asgard anymore--"

"Loki, you must go back," I then paused, lightly taking his hands in mine. I said tentatively, "do you...wish you could have said goodbye to your mother? Before she...died I mean?"

"Of course," Loki said softly, and the sadness rushed back into his eyes, which almost made me regret reminding him of her death. Almost.

"Exactly. And you'll regret not saying goodbye to your father as well. You should go with Thor, help Asgard. It's what you're meant to do." I then added very quietly. "You're not meant to be here. Earth, I mean."

Loki blinked a few times. I thought he was going to pull away when I saw something flash in his eyes. Instead he smiled, though the sadness did not wash out of his gaze. "You're the one good thing in my life right now," he told me. "Will you come with me?"

I chewed on my bottom lip, thinking. No part of me wanted to go back to Asgard, if I was being honest with myself.

"I don't know, Loki..." I told him cautiously, not wanting to discourage him from going. "Maybe you and Thor should just go alone. It will be a good...brotherly bonding experience."

Loki narrowed his eyes and smiled, though the expression faded quickly. "War can go on for months, Natasha. Plus, time works differently in Asgard. What will be months for me could be years for you."

"I won't forget about you, if that's what you're thinking," I said with a smile, kissing him again so as to cut off any further replies from him. "You'll come to visit, right?" I asked, breaking away from him only briefly.

"You're making it sound as if I'm going," Loki pointed out, leaning away from me to rest his head on one of the pillow, an amused expression on his face.

"You are," I said, giving him a pointed look while laying down next to him. I crawled under the covers, feeling his gaze heavy on me as I moved.

Loki slipped underneath the blankets as well, looking timid and stressed. "Fine," he said grumpily. "I'll go. But don't be annoyed when I constantly return to visit you.

"The more the merrier," I said breathlessly. Loki grinned and wrapped his hand around my waist and pulled me close to him. His hands lifted up the hem of my shirt and I could feel his cold fingers brush the bare skin of my hip.

I gasped. "You're hands are freezing." I grabbed his hand and pulled the hem of my shirt down simultaneously.

Loki's eyes searched mine, his gaze soft and a light smile played at his lips. His watchful look made me feel self conscious, which rarely ever happened. I whispered quietly, "I'm tired," and pulled away from him.

I didn't wait to see Loki's expression before I closed my eyes and let myself sink into sleep.

I woke up with bright sunlight streaming through the window and lighting up the old wooden floor. Loki was still completely knocked out next to me. His mouth was open slightly, and a few strands of hair had fallen in front of his eyes while he slept.

I watched his peaceful, sleeping face for a minute before a strong urge to kiss him washed over me like a wave. I didn't fight the urge at all. He was leaving today, after all. Who knows when I would see him again?

I leaned over and pressed my lips to his. His sleeping form didn't respond at first, but after a seconds pause, his lips began to move in turn as he sucked in a breath through his nose.

When I finally pulled away many seconds later, Loki grinned. "That was quite nice," he said, sitting up and running his fingers through his hair.

I wanted to agree, but I found myself completely speechless as his icy blue eyes met mine. Feeling vulnerable, I looked away. I wasn't sure I liked the amount of power Loki seemed to have over me now that we knew of each other's feelings.

Also, I couldn't help laughing to myself. Not so long ago, Loki had just been the God of Mischief; a villain who had attacked New York and threatened my life. Now, I was waking up next to him and kissing him and I wasn't even objecting.

Loki saw my smile and asked, "what?" His mouth automatically began to turn up as he saw my hidden happy expression.

"Nothing," I said shaking my head and getting out of the bed.

Loki followed suit. I could still hear Thor's rumbling snores from the other room, so I knew that we would have some alone time before Loki had to leave and go to Asgard. "Let's make breakfast," I said encouragingly.

Loki nodded and followed me into the kitchen.

"Should we make Thor some as well?" I asked as we cooked, wondering how many eggs I should add to the pan.

"Um..." Loki seemed to be thinking over my question a great deal. I rolled my eyes before he said, "sure."

It must have been the smells of cooking food that woke Thor up, because he emerged from his room as we finished cooking.

"Mm, smells good," Thor acknowledged the two of us, his voice still deep and tired from sleep. I smiled at him in a welcoming manner, hoping he wouldn't immediately mention the information he had dropped last night, hence ruining the good moods running through the kitchen.

Thor's appearance must have reminded Loki of just that because he was glaring at his brother like the god of thunder was the last person he wanted to see right now.

Without a second of hesitation or a sign that Thor noticed Loki's hostile glare, he headed into the kitchen and grabbed one of the three breakfast plates on the counter. He then proceeded to sit at the counter and shovel food into his mouth like there was no tomorrow.

Loki's lip curled up in disgust at his brother when he began to talk with his mouth completely stuffed with scrambled eggs. "We must head out quickly, brother. You are coming, yes?"

Loki sighed and nodded, giving Thor a chance to swallow. "I haven't any idea as to how long our father has left," Thor continued. Loki narrowed his eyes, absorbing Thor's words and thinking hard.

Loki then grinned lightly and picked up his own plate before beginning to eat.

The silence that filled the kitchen buzzed in my ears as the three of us ate. I knew Loki would be leaving soon, and the fact twiddled with my heartstrings. Just yesterday, he had told me that it could be years before he returned permanently, and though I hoped he would visit frequently, how often would that really be? He wouldn't exactly have days off from the war and his duties as the Prince.

I realized after a moment that the brothers had finished their breakfasts and stood up. I watched as Thor grinned at his younger brother with a wide smile on his face. "What are we waiting for?"