Eviternity | Loki

melody

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❝ Sometimes a cigar

is just a cigar. ❞

~Sigmund Freud

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She was first up, unable to sleep. She grabbed a cigar from her small stash and lit up, moving by the river nearby. The sun was just sinking behind the tallest trees and the sky was a light pink as she retreated again to find her portable speaker. Moments later she was seated beside the river, listening peacefully to the music. 

Their camp was ideal. It was in a small clearing on a stone outcropping, surrounded by thick forest. A crystal clear river ambled through the area, the bank and riverbed slick stone, covered in thick patches of moss. It was wide in places, and deep enough to jump in, straight off the bank. In other places it was shallow enough to walk through. 

With every ring of smoke she blew the sun sank lower, the sky turning into a hazy purple. It was then that she could hear Loki rummaging in the tent, before she felt his cool body next to her, shirtless in the intense summer heat. He drew a breath as if to speak and she shushed him, enjoying her blank stare, lost in thought. 

Joni Mitchell's voice drifted lucidly from the speaker when she broke their pleasant silence, darkness descending on them like a dream.  

"It's the anniversary of my grandmothers' death." He nodded slowly, his eyes downcast.

"I'm sorry," he paused. "You were close weren't you?" 

"The closest. I wish she had found me sooner. She was livid when she'd heard my story." She smiled at the memory of her grandma's angry face. "We were best friends. We took dance lessons together, and we listened to so much music. We'd get dressed up in all of her old clothes and pretend we were the socially elite, having expensive dances followed up with tea. She loved my mutation. She really was wonderful, and she left me everything she had when she passed. I haven't been back to Norway since, though." 

"She sounds like a woman we should be celebrating, not mourning." a smirk danced across his lips and Asta looked at him, her shoulders slumped forward.

"Really? Then why am I still mourning." He shrugged and stood up smoothly.

"Oh, come on. You are terribly distant. I absolutely hate it." She looked up at him, taking a long drag on her cigar.

"Oh really? Well what are you gonna do about it?" 

He took her hands in his, pulling her to a standing position. A mischievous look crossed his features, and in a moment he'd thrown her over his shoulder and was running into the water. She yelped in shock, trying to wiggle from his grasp, but before she had a chance, he dove into the cool water. 

"That." He came up laughing, pushing his dark hair from his eyes. She looked at him wide-eyed, in shock. 

She wasn't angry, but she hadn't seen this side of him before. It both intrigued her and made her immensely happy. Quickly, she reached out and pushed him over, kicking his feet from under him. He toppled, grabbing her wrist and pulling the laughing mutant down into the water with him. She landed up against his body and his cheeks flushed as she scrambled to get her feet. She tugged on her short dress and fussed over her hair, pulling the soggy cigar from between her teeth in embarrassment. 

Reaching out he grabbed her wrist again as he came to his feet. In one swift movement he had her close, lowering his head to place his lips gently against hers. He could feel her smile and put her hands on his waist as he deepened the kiss. 

It was as urgent of a feeling as anything either had felt before. Perhaps it was their mission, or the threat of constant danger. It could have been simply that there had been something bubbling under the surface. Or it could, quite inexplicably have been the wild. The very sense of adventure and reliance on primal instinct that made him so magnetic. That made her so magnetic.  

It was too soon that she pulled away, leaving Loki utterly breathless. She placed her finger against his lips before scanning the area, and he followed her lead.

"They're here. I'm going."

He tried to protest, but she was on shore before he could even begin to object. She sunk down into her legs as she ran along the bank to a bottleneck in the stream, darting across to the opposite side. He swam across to meet her and she glanced at him nervously as he moved towards her, watching her back.

"Three. All three."

Suddenly she took off and Loki struggled to keep up as she tore through the trees in the direction she sensed. He admired how she manoeuvred herself, racing with the predatory grace of a wildcat.