To Roam Into the Unknown

Cold Shower

They arrived home nearly an hour later. The rain had let up just enough to allow them to get to the car without getting soaked.

Aurora entered the house and immediately went to the linen closet, returning with two towels. She offered one to Loki, who accepted graciously. He stuck his cane in the corner behind the door and pressed his face into the towel. When he looked back up, Aurora stood by the stairs, stripping the soaked jacket from her body. He watched with growing lust as she kicked her tennis shoes off and propped her leg on the banister, drying off her damp legs one at a time. Her white sleeveless shirt was wet and clung to her tightly, revealing the red bra underneath. She tossed the towel over the banister and pulled the band out of her hair, which tumbled in tawny waves over her shoulder.

His throat suddenly felt dry and his stomach flipped as his eyes traveled up her body to her lips. For the briefest moment he thought about stalking across the room, grabbing her and kissing her. The thought sent a jolting signal straight to his groin.

“I’m going to clear out that room for you tonight.” she said, glancing at him.

He immediately shoved the towel back in his face, and commenced to drying off. “Let me know when, and I will help.” he replied, his voice thick.

She pulled her arms behind her back and stretched, bending at the waist with a groan.

Loki rolled his eyes, feeling a twinge below his belt. ‘My God…’ he began walking towards her, his heart rate steadily increasing.

Aurora looked at him walking towards her and the memories of the dream flooded her mind once more. She felt her face flush but forced herself to smile, clutching the towel in her hands to keep them from shaking.

He swallowed hard and looked down at her, towel around his neck. “I’m going to take a shower.” he said huskily.

“Ok…” she replied quietly, leaning against the stair wall. He exhaled through his nose, looking at her bottom lip as she bit it. Just a few inches closer, and he could taste them.

It took every bit of his self control to walk past her into the bathroom and close the door behind him. He tossed the towel on the sink and leaned his back against the door. He couldn’t get the images of her in her wet clothes out of his head. His body was betraying him, he could feel the pressure causing his damp pants to become even more uncomfortable. And the pain in his leg was adding to the all around discomfort.

Balling his fist he made to pound it on the door, but thought better of it and reached over to turn the shower on full blast. He stripped out of the clothes and quickly stepped in.

Never could he remember a woman making him feel this way. He had been with a few women in his life on Asgard, but none of them stirred his emotions as she did. She was ethereal. Graceful. Beautiful.

He leaned his arm against the wall and rested his head against it with a loud sigh. The ache in his groin was becoming more persistent. He took in a deep breath and turned the knob for cold fully on, exhaling sharply as he was blasted with icy water.

OoOoOoOo

Aurora didn’t realize she was holding her breath until she heard the shower turn on and exhaled. She looked around the room shaking out of her daze, and headed up into her room. Stripping out of the remaining wet clothes, she threw on an old faded Misfits shirt that hung off her shoulder and stepped into a pair of pink yoga pants.

When she returned back down the stairs, she could hear the shower was still going so she walked into the guest room and flipped the light on.

“Jesus Mary and Joseph…” she muttered.

She didn’t remember the room being this cluttered. There was a treadmill and exercise ball on the left side of the bed. Boxes of old clothes were stacked on the floor to the right and in front of the bed. There was a chair in the corner to her left with books stacked haphazardly in the seat. Extra blankets and pillows and more of Chris’ clothes covered the bed.

She tossed the exercise ball into the living room and began dragging the treadmill out. She pulled it to the corner of the living room by the window.

Once more, she stood in the doorway of the bedroom with her hands on her hips, trying to figure out what route to take with the cleaning.

“Pardon me…”

Aurora gave a shriek and turned around, her hands flying to her chest.

“I’m sorry!” he said, holding his hands up. She blinked, trying to find words.

“You scared the shit out of me!“ Loki stood before her, water glistening on his chest, a towel wrapped around his waist.

“I forgot to get some clean clothes…” he said.

“Of course!” she entered the room and quickly grabbed a t-shirt and pair of pants. “Here you go…”

He smiled and held the clothes in one hand. “Thank you.”

She smiled and watched him retreat to the bathroom. Exhaling dramatically, she focused her energy on the boxes. She opened the closet doors and her brow furrowed. It was completely empty.

“The fuck?” Shaking her head, she began stacking the boxes in the closet. All but two could fit.

“What can I help you with?”

She gave a visible start and looked over her shoulder.

“Sorry.” he said, smiling.

“I’m almost done actually.” she replied.

“I’ll start cooking, then.” he said.

Aurora smiled at him, grabbing a stack of Chris’ clothes. “That would be great. Thank you.”

OoOoOoOo

Aurora laid her fork down on her now empty plate. “That was wonderful, Loki. Thank you.”

He smiled, swallowing the last bite of the sautéed chicken and kale. “I’m glad you liked it. I watched a woman on the television make it early this morning.”

Aurora arched a brow and smiled. “You are a fast learner.”

They sat for a moment in peaceful silence when the phone rang. Aurora begrudgingly stood and picked it up.

“Hello?” She looked over at Loki and pointed to the back door, before walking out.

Loki collected the dishes and began to wash them. As he scrubbed, he looked out the window. Lightning lit up the night sky, causing him to unintentionally tense. His thoughts momentarily turned to Thor. Thoughts of their childhood up until recent events. He always loved his brother, even when he was angry with him. But as they grew up, they also grew apart. Each developing their own paths. Thor had chosen strength and arrogance. Loki had chosen to focus on developing his sorcery, burying himself in his studies.

As time passed, he became all too aware of his father’s growing favor of Thor. Thor who had led armies into countless battles, returning home always victorious. Thor who had gained the favor of all Asgardians. It seemed that Thor was at every bend and turn and Loki could not escape the shadow.

He had gone into every battle with Thor, always managing to pull him out of trouble. And yet not once were his accomplishments acknowledged by Odin. There was rarely a ball or formal gathering where he felt wholly welcomed. And on more than one occasion he had walked in on people speaking ill of him. The final straw came when he confronted Odin about his heritage. Hiding such a colossal secret was a betrayal he could not ignore. And so, he allowed the anger to consume him, blind him.

He knew in his heart that Thor hadn’t thrown him into the Abyss. In a act of desperation blinded by rage, he had let himself fall, and spent an unknown amount of time on the barren wasteland of a planet, populated by the Chitauri. It was there and under the influence of the negative energy and his own bitter anger that he’d made a deal with Him. He was given the Tesseract whose power promised to gain him the title of King and the respect he so desired.

It was a deal made with the devil, destined to fail. In his own sort of arrogance he had seen the inhabitants of Midgard as weak, unworthy of the bottom of his boot. Unworthy of the realm they populated. So he made to claim it as his own, claim them as his subjects, indifferent to their survival. Let them hate him so long as they feared him.

He cared not weather they lived or died. He was the superior being with ultimate power. Somehow he knew in the back of his mind that it would never work.

And here he was. King Loki, scrubbing dishes. Cohabitating with a human. An extraordinarily beautiful woman. And oddly enough, he was at peace with it.

Peace was something he had not known for so long. It seemed a strange feeling.

He suddenly felt enormously foolish for his past actions and could feel the unfamiliar pressure of guilt in his chest. He had acted as a child throwing a tantrum.

The opening of the back door tore him from his thoughts.

“Stacy wants me to go out with her to Joint. Would you like to come?” Aurora asked.

“The Joint?” he dried his hands on his shirt and turned to face her.

“It’s a club.” his look told her he was sill clueless. “Its where people go to dance and drink. Lots of music and lights.”

The thought of her dancing was really all he needed to want to go, but the aching pain in his leg was sobering. “As much as I’m sure I would enjoy it, I think I will stay here. My leg seems to be rebelling.”

“Do you need me to stay?” she asked, her face full of concern.

He shook his head. “No no no. Absolutely not. I know by now what needs to be done. Go have some fun.” Fun. The word felt foreign on his tongue.

“You’re sure?”

“I’m sure.”

Aurora smiled, retreating to the stairs. “Ok. Well I got the guest room cleaned. There are clothes in the dresser.” she said as she ascended.

“You‘re too kind.” he called, limping into the guest room. Turning the lamp on, he collapsed on the bed, the days activities catching up to him. He lay with his arms behind his head dozing off in a matter of minutes. A light knock on the door woke him and his breath caught in his throat.

Aurora stood in the doorway clad in a strapless black top with a tight dark blue skirt and black heels. Her hair was pulled off her neck and she work just a hint of makeup.

Loki sat up. “You look beautiful…” he said.

She blushed, suddenly unable to meet his gaze. “I’m going…” she handed him a piece of paper with a number on it. “It’s my cell phone number. Call me if you need me for anything.”

He took the paper, never taking his eyes from her. “Be safe…” he said.

She smiled and nodded before leaving.

OoOoOoOo

“It’s so awesome that you came tonight! We’ve missed you!” Stacy yelled over the thumping music.

Aurora tipped her fifth shot of the night back, feeling the familiar burn of the liquor. “I’m glad you called!” she said.

“Have you heard anything about when you can come back to work?” Stacy asked.

Aurora shook her head and held her glass up, signaling for another drink. “I don’t want to talk about work tonight. I’ll know something when I know something.” she said.

“How is everything with Mr. Green?” Emm asked, martini in hand.

“It’s great. He’s doing really well with his recovery.” Aurora said.

Stacy narrowed her eyes and smirked.

“I don’t think that’s what she meant, Aurie.” Emm said with a smile.

Aurora felt her face flush. “Well there’s nothing to say about that. He is a perfect gentleman. He stays downstairs, I sleep upstairs. All there is to it.”

Stacy and Emm glanced at each other and burst into giggles.

“If that’s so, then why did Chris try to kick his ass?” Stacy asked.

“Because Chris is a dumbass, that’s why.” Aurora snapped. “He had absolutely no right to barge in there that night. He’s lucky I didn’t press charges.” The bartender slid her her drink.

“He’s just looking out for you, Aurie. I wouldn’t fault him for that.” Emm said, biting into the green olive.

“He’s got it bad for you girl.” Stacy said.

“Well I don’t for him.” Aurora replied, bringing the glass to her lips. They didn’t know the full extent of her and Chris’ relationship and she wanted to keep it that way. It had been one of the stipulations of agreeing to having sex with him.

“Uh oh… Speak of the devil…” Stacy said. Aurora and Emm turned to see Chris making his way through the crowd towards them. Aurora squeezed her eyes shut, trying to still the spinning room.

“Fucking perfect.” she mumbled, tossing the drink back.

“Aurora. Nice to see you out of hibernation.” Chris said. He nodded at Emm and Stacy. “Ladies…”

“Hi Chris…” Emm and Stacy said in unison.

“Chris. Nice to sssee you being a bit less than barbaric tonight.” Aurora said dryly.

He smiled at her. “I’m really just glad to see you. I’m sorry for the other night.” he said.

“I’m not the one you should apologize to.” she said.

Chris scoffed. “I’m not apologizing to him. I really shouldn’t have to apologize. He came to the door with blood on his clothes and you were screaming in the background. What was I supposed to think?”

Emm and Stacy’s mouths hung open.

“Aurie what the hell??” Stacy asked.

She shot her a look. “It was an accident. I broke a glass I was washing and it cut my hand. Loki pulled the glass out and I shook my hand and got blood all over his shirt. And Chris decided to shoot first and ask questions later.” she glared at Chris. “Except you didn’t even ask questions did you? You just decided to check up on me and attacked an injured man.” she snapped.

“I wouldn’t have to check up on you if you would use some fucking common sense. Who takes a complete stranger into there home? Seriously who does that??” he asked.

Aurora squeezed her eyes shut again as the liquor began to take its toll. “Fuck you Chris.”

He brought his face close to hers. “You have. Many times Babe, or have you forgotten?” he said loudly, sniffing her hair.

Emm and Stacy gasped. Aurora’s eyes shot open and she slapped him across the face as hard as she could, then slammed her shoulder against his as she made her way to the door, ignoring the pleads from the other girls.

OoOoOoOo


He lay for quite sometime in the dark, staring up at the ceiling. Outside, the rain poured unrelenting.

The soft clicking of the door alerted him and he sat up.

“Aurora?”

As his eyes adjusted, he could see her standing in the doorway. “Are you alright?” he asked.

She said nothing as she walked to the edge of the bed. The lightning illuminated her face briefly. Before he could speak, she bent down, stepping out of her panties and began to crawl across the mattress towards him.

He instantly felt his body respond, almost painfully. She moved closer, her face a hair away from his own. Her blue eyes locked with his own and she exhaled, parting her lips ever so slightly.

With a groan, he wound his hand in her golden hair, crushing her lips with his own. Her hands snaked down his bare chest and into his pants. Feeling her grip him tight, he lifted her into his arms with a growl and flipped her onto her back.

Aurora kept her arms around his neck, refusing to let their lips part. She moaned softly as his tongue found her own.

His hands trailed down her hips and pushed her skirt up to her waist. Aurora’s hands fumbled with the waistband of his briefs momentarily but with an eager yank, he felt the cool air on his skin.

He broke apart their kiss, staring down at her. His eyes searched her own for any signs of regret.

“Please…” she whispered. It was all he needed to hear. He pushed himself into her as far as he could go, emitting a deep groan as he did.

Aurora cried out, drawing her legs up. He began to drive himself into her, her cries and moans fueling the intensity of the motions.

“Loki!” she cried, throwing her head back. He brought his lips down to her neck, kissing up to her hear.

“Say it again….” he grunted, nibbling her ear.

“Loki…” she moaned. He pulled out just enough to roll her on her stomach, giving her just enough time to breathe in before entering her once more.

She buried her face in the sheets, muffling her cries. He could feel himself reaching his peak. Leaning forward, he trailed his lips down the back of her neck. He grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled her head back, increasing the depth and speed. With his free hand, he reached around and grabbed her now exposed breast.

Just as he was about to come, she let out a loud scream that threatened to wake the neighbors. Feeling her muscles clenching tightly around him sent him over the edge and he released, collapsing against her.

“Loki…” she whispered rolling onto her back. When he opened his eyes to gaze down at her, she was gone.

OoOoOoOo


Loki opened his eyes. The room was pitch black save for the occasional passing headlights. He could hear the rain tinkering on the window.

He gave a slightly delirious chuckle. It was all a dream.

He rubbed his eyes and looked at the clock. It was just after two AM. Rubbing his eyes he rolled onto his side and attempted to doze off. His eyes shot open at the sound of shattering glass.

Wielding his cane, he stalked into the living room. Everything seemed alright at first glance. A groan echoed through the room and he turned quickly in the direction. Feeling against the wall, he flipped the light switch.

“Aurora??” the cane clattered to the floor.

She lay crumpled on the floor. He knelt next to her, brushing her hair out of her face. She opened her eyes and a broad smile spread across her lips.

“Loki! You’re here.” she said.

His brow furrowed. “Of course. Where else would I be? Are you alright?” he asked.

She pushed herself up to her knees. “I…” she brushed her hair out of her face. “Am so glad I went out…’s been too long…”

“Are you drunk?” he asked.

She shook her head a bit too vigorously. “Nnnooo. Ohhhh God…” she groaned, her hand covering her mouth.

He held her upright as she swooned.

“God Loki….” she moaned.

He held her steady for a moment before releasing her. “Are you alright?” he asked.

“Nooo.” she fell to her hands and began to crawl down the hall to the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet before she vomited.

Loki entered behind her and pulled her hair back as she continued to throw up. “Is there anything I can get you?” he asked, rubbing her back.

Once she had finished emptying the contents of her stomach, she spoke up. “In the cabinet behind the mirror….give me the medicine bottle…” she began to vomit again.

Still holding her hair, he reached up and opened the cabinet, grabbing the only pill bottle he could find.

“How many?” he asked. She couldn’t speak between convulsions. “Aurora? How many?” he asked. She held up two fingers.

Filling a glass with water her dropped the pills in her hands.

She groaned and folded her arms over the toilet seat. “I’m so sorry….” she mumbled.

“Why are you sorry?” he asked, rubbing her back.

“For having you see me this way.” she whined. “I haven’t had a drink in so long…”

“It seems you’ve had more than a drink. But it’s alright. You’ll have no judgment from me.” he said soothingly.

She popped the pills in her mouth, gulped down the water, and laid her head back on her arms.

He sat there waiting for her to speak, watching as she tensed, trying to hold back the vomit. Eventually she relaxed.

“Feeling any better?” he asked. She didn’t respond.

When he leaned in closer, pulling her hair back, he could hear her light snoring. Standing up, he bent down and picked her up in his arms. His leg protested painfully as he walked. There was no way he could make it up the stairs so he carried her into the guest room and lay her softly on the bed.

She moaned softly in her sleep, but didn’t wake. He carefully pulled her high heels off and tossed them in the corner before laying the blankets over her and retreating once more to the couch.