Loki's fall (sequel to loss and Loki)

Let The World Burn

LOKI'S POV

I blinked a few times as I came slowly to consciousness, gaining a slightly skewed view of the well lit front room as I stirred and moved to sit up. My back was aching like crazy and I clenched my jaw as I sat completely up, stretching my aching muscles and cursing at myself in irritation at how I'd allowed myself to fall asleep on the couch again.

I rubbed my brow in my hand and sighed a little, wondering how Ace had already gotten up before me, given that she'd often sleep til the early afternoon and I'd have to lay awake for a while with her in my arms, just peacefully inscribing the memory of her small form in my grasp into my mind, and studying the steady, soft curves of her features with a soft gaze. She'd stir ever so often but with a slight caress of my hand against her heated skin she'd either fall back into the clutches of sleep or begin to bring herself back to consciousness.

Then would come the irritatingly disappointing realisation from her that she was wrapped in my arms, and she'd become suddenly alert and would scoot away from my grasp like she was embarrassed to have been caught lying flush against me.

I sighed again and stood up, walking to the kitchen in the hopes of seeing her sat at the island, ubiquitous mug of coffee in hand and staring peacefully at the trees that surrounded the house, coated in a thick gloss of radiant sunlight that almost reflected off the glass over her skin with how bright and carefree she could look. My hopes however were flattened somewhat when I was met with a different figure, sat at the table, motionless, her head buried in her hands as I walked to the island, standing next to her.

she stirred at the sound of my footsteps and I raised a questioning eyebrow as her head rose from her hands and I was nearly taken aback with the glistening concern that stained her dark brown iris' as she studied me. Her face was marred with an expression of worry and what seemed like guilt as she bit at her cheek and cleared her throat, looking to the floor as she tried to find the words to say what she wanted to say.

"She's- she's gone...Ace is gone." She uttered quietly, her voice shaking a little before she'd cleared her throat and shook her head a little, steeling her expression void of emotion and clenching her jaw as she blinked away the concern in her gaze. Her face dissolved into a mask of neutrality I recognised all too well. Something Coraline had clearly learnt from her.

I leaned back a little, staring into her eyes as I comprehended her words that had sliced deep wounds into the silence in the air, barely even scratching the surface however, of the tension that had become unbearably stifling within the room, pressing a crushing weight over me as I furrowed my brow and tried to see what she knew, glinting mysteriously in the depths of her dark chocolate hues.

"What do you mean gone?" I queried, allowing my tone to bite with the sharp edge of my slight building worry and agitation at her heavily ambiguous statement. She sighed again and cocked her head toward the other side of the kitchen, looking anxiously into the empty space like she was fearfully watching something that I could not perceive.

"Walk over there." She ordered softly.

"You can still smell traces of it."

My brow furrowed even further as I studied her carefully, beginning to realise that nothing about her withdrawn mood showed me she was making any of this up. My mind began to flood with a high alert and vague confusion at her elusive answers and I clenched my jaw to the point of popping as I turned to walk to wherever she'd gestured.

Her eyes followed me carefully as I made my way around, staring deeply into my expression as I neared the spot.

I smelled it before I'd even fully reached it.