When Natasha woke the following morning, for a split second she had no idea where she was.
The bed she was in was firm but nothing out of the ordinary. Just another hotel bed. That was no surprise. She spent so much of her time travelling the world, going from one mission to the next, she could scarcely remember what her own bed felt like.
But this room, this bed, was different. Different because she was not alone.
The startling realisation hit her quickly and for a moment she was in shock.
Who was curled up around her?
Then it all came flooding back. The events of the previous night, and suddenly she was all too aware of the sensation of Loki's lithe body behind her. Well, all around her.
He felt warm, and solid, and knowing that it was the enigmatic, handsome God, made her breath stick in her throat.
An actual deity was wrapped around her like he never wanted to let her go.
A quick glance down reaffirmed that she was naked, and tremors of excitement threw her pulse into turmoil at the unfamiliar delight of having a man naked beside her. Though not just any man of course.
Loki.
He had a long arm wrapped tightly around her waist, and an even longer leg intertwined with hers. His face was nuzzled into the area between the back of her neck and shoulders, and she could feel him breathing against her. It was all extremely intimate. Nice....exceedingly nice....but undeniably intimate. And she had to admit it was a strangely emotional experience.
Never before had she awoke with a man like this. Until now, she never thought she would, nor particularly wanted to. But Loki's embrace was secure but tender. It felt right somehow. He himself felt so right. Or so her traitorous emotions kept telling her. But Natasha couldn't dwell on that or allow her mind to wander, wondering what it would feel like to wake up next to him like that every morning.
Would it become boring like most things in life once the novelty had worn off? Perhaps even only after a couple of weeks? Or would it always feel this way?
She had a feeling she knew, but it wasn't worth thinking about. There was no point pining after what you couldn't have and shouldn't want.
Simple as that.
So Natasha decided just to enjoy the closeness. Even though there was an undeniable yearning deep inside which she found deeply unsettling.
Loki, who had lay awake longer than herself, had been grateful for knowing nothing for several hours when sleep finally overcame him. The situation, whilst unarguably enjoyable, was causing him a great deal of anxiety.
The easy familiarity, closeness and intimacy had his thoughts reeling. Battling with sense and reason and emotion, his head, heart and instincts were now like separate countries. Countries at war.
He awoke to find Natasha propped on one elbow, her emerald green eyes devouring his face.
Smiling a little, he said "Good morning. How long have you been staring at me?"
"Not long enough."
Laughter, mocking, tantalising and real, lit his eyes as he sat up and pulled her to him. "I've been called many things in my time, but beautiful.....seriously?"
Leaning contentedly into his warm chest, Natasha flushed a little. "I didn't think you'd heard. You weren't meant to."
"Obviously."
"Then you shouldn't have faked being asleep, damned trickster! And if you really want to know, yes....seriously."
"I don't know whether to be flattered, appalled, or worried."
An amused smile curled her pillowy lips. "You mean nobody's ever told you before? What's wrong with Asgardian women? Are they blind? Too coy to pay compliments? Or just plain stupid?"
Loki laughed. "Now you do flatter me. Let's just say I'm an acquired taste."
"Then they need to acquire some taste."
"Indeed." He grinned crookedly. "And I ought to compliment you on yours as it's clearly excellent."
His hand drifted slowly over her back whilst she absently twirled a lock of his ebony hair between her fingers. The hair she'd admired as it fanned-out black as ink against the starched linen pillows, along with the long elegant sweep of his spine and the clean sharp set of his jawline. Natasha had memorised each feature in silent appraisal, wanting to remember every little detail forever.
Yes. Loki was beautiful. There was no denying it.
But it wasn't merely the fact that he was aesthetically pleasing, or that he alone had such a devastating effect on her body. It was as if they shared a connection on a much deeper level. And thanks to her inability to control herself around him all boundaries had become blurred.
Deciding not to dwell on it, she chose to try and forget everything. Just forget the world as she lay in his arms, enjoying the perfect moment.
She was blissfully unaware of how complicated and overwhelming Loki was finding the entire situation. Was his growing regard for her a sign that he was becoming......attached?
Surely not. If he was then he certainly hadn't anticipated it.
Damn.
What the hell had he been thinking? He felt a sudden onset of panic as he replayed the actions and events from the night before. Clearly he hadn't been thinking. Thinking only with a certain part of his male anatomy, which had led to further intimacies other than just the physical kind. Perhaps he was being neurotic, but still.
Loki had always despised the human race, especially after Thor's involvement with that woman, he had told himself he could never lust after one, let alone become involved.
Apparently he had been telling himself lies.
Hearing him mutter something inaudible under his breath, Natasha twisted carefully in his arms to look up at him. Running his free hand through his hair and down over his face, she could sense his sudden unease. He looked troubled. His aqua eyes were hazy and had dark circles underneath them, and his skin looked dull in the dim light, his cheeks a little sallow, but his hair was still appallingly good.
"You okay?" She asked.
"What?" His eyes met hers unexpectedly as he glanced down and he immediately recognised her look of enquiry, her small brow furrowing in concern. "Oh, yes. Fine."
She raised a cynical brow, unconvinced. And he couldn't blame her. The lie was utterly unconvincing. His words sounding hollow and half-hearted.
Sensing she was about to press him further, he decided to silence her by leaning down and attaching his lips to her conveniently exposed nipple. It was a bold move on his part, but she did not protest. Instead she groaned and wrapped an arm around the back of his head, affording him even better access to her breast, so he was able to swirl his tongue around the small nub until it hardened like a pebble.
Well, engaging in some physical intimacy right now would prove to be a welcome distraction he reasoned, naively hoping it would calm all of his unwanted thoughts. Within seconds he was hard and ready for her again, and Natasha's own body was no longer heavy with sleep.
Her limbs tingled with excitement, anticipation and arousal, as he slipped a large hand downwards and leisurely began caressing between her thighs.
She gasped, eyes sliding shut as he used his middle finger to tenderly stroke her clit, but when he slid the long digit inside the slick flesh she winced.
Immediately pausing, Loki tilted his head to one side to look at her. "Are you hurting?"
She nodded begrudgingly. "Feeling a little tender, yeah. Hardly surprising really, all things considered."
He hummed sympathetically. "Well I suppose I ought to spare you further pain by refraining from ravishing you again."
She didn't reply, and he also remained silent for several long, agonising moments.
His self-restraint and consideration for her had temporarily stunned him too. But then suddenly she was administering tantalising caresses with her own hand. The contact was glorious, the tingling sensations so pleasurable, as she curled her fingers around his swelling length.
His body remained motionless, enjoying the effect his withholding had on her. Knowing she was sore as a result of his arduous attentions pleased him, but ordinarily he wouldn't be experiencing guilt or feel responsible for a bed-partners well being. Yet suddenly he was reminded of her mortality, and her Midgardian fragility evoked a strong instinctive desire in him to protect.
"Patience, Natalia. That's quite enough of that now." He reprimanded, pulling back a little in an attempt to stop her hand movements. "You need to recover."
"Who says we can't still have fun while I'm recovering?" She shot back teasingly, and began moving down his body.
"What are you--? Oh." His black brows shot up comically, as recognition dawned on him.
Natasha trailed sweet kisses along his navel, her sinful lips making their purposeful descent towards his cock. By the nines, this seductive temptress was bound to be his undoing. Though he couldn't have cared less as she lowered further and his mind slowed to a crawl.
She was aware of him watching intently as she brought her face closer, admiring the size and shape of his sex. Although she had been a virgin, Natasha had seen naked men before, which made it all the more daunting having such a well-endowed lover.
Loki's impressive manhood was thick, lengthy, hard, and without exaggeration, perfectly formed. But admittedly, alarmingly large, which was slightly worrisome as she found herself wondering how the hell she was going to take him in her mouth.
"Natalia....you truly are a very bad girl." He drawled in a low voice, as she carefully took hold of his cock and kissed the tip, which made him jitter uncontrollably.
Watching his reaction and seeing his facial expressions was amazingly erotic, she found. His breathing quickened, and his lust-filled eyes were glued to hers as he stroked her face tenderly with the back of his hand.
Then Natasha wet her lips with her pink tongue and slowly drew him into her mouth.
"Oh....Shit--!" The contact was electrifying and startling, and Loki found his head lolling back as if even the muscles in his neck had liquified, defeated by the raw pleasure that made all the nerves in his lean thighs and toned stomach spasm.
His reaction and exclamation made Natasha's heart palpitate inexplicably. She was actually quite delighted by his positive response to her sexual exploration.
Then she felt Loki's lovely long fingers creep to the back of her neck, sliding into her bed-tousled hair until he had a firm grip on the back of her skull. Unable to contain his growing need, he instinctively pushed his length further inside her mouth, which forced her to pull back, spluttering.
"Jesus!" Natasha coughed, eyes watering slightly. "You trying to choke me?"
She was in actual fact embarrassed. But she was also stubborn and determined, as well as prideful.
"Hardly. You need to ignore your damn gag-reflex." He growled, evidently frustrated. "But if you're not able to--"
His words dissolved into an uncharacteristic whimper, as she accepted the challenge and took him in her mouth once again, refusing to be deterred.
And her persistence paid-off, as she soon discovered the simple but effective technique of breathing through her nose, and soon his hips were flexing upwards in a shallow rhythm in a way which suggested he was incapable of controlling his own movements.
For the love of Valhalla, he knew he ought not to still be here in her company. He'd lingered far too long already, but suddenly none of his earlier fears seemed like a good enough reason to get up and leave. On the contrary, Loki was exactly where he wanted to be. In a comfortable bed with the exquisite Agent Romanoff, plundering the sweet recesses of her mouth.
Damn this was bad, but felt so sinfully good.
Drawing back slightly, her voice was a breathless whisper as she asked casually, "Is this good?" Licking and fluttering her tongue over the little ridge of skin on the underside, Loki gasped in reply.
"Oh yes. Exquisitely good--! I'm going to come...."
Filled with renewed determination and encouraged by the sounds her explicit actions drew from him, Natasha sucked and suckled him greedily, wanting to drain him dry.
And he was thrusting carefully, hands fisting into her hair as he gasped and groaned in appreciation.
Opening her mouth as wide as it would go in order to accommodate as much of him as possible, she looked up at him through her dark eyelashes. He was watching her, mouth slightly open, drawing in shallow, unsteady breaths. Their eyes met and something deep inside her stomach began sending out waves and screams of absolute pleasure.
This was so fucking weird. Weird because the very thought of performing oral sex on a guy had always made her feel sickened. Having a guys dick in her mouth was the absolute epitome of revulsion. And yet....here she was getting incredibly turned on by the intimacy of the moment. Seeing Loki tremble and sweat, his handsome face contorting in pleasure, was deliciously erotic.
Despite being a complete novice, she instinctively knew how to drive him wild. Taking his balls in one hand she rolled them gently, whilst simultaneously using the other to pump at his throbbing shaft.
"Fuck! Yes....don't stop!" He ordered, his voice sounding desperate and out of control.
He was losing control. His pace noticeably quickened and the grasp on her hair tightened as he gathered it in both hands, tugging and twisting it frantically.
Natasha's lips stretched around his swollen shaft, fingers squeezing and stroking what she couldn't take in her mouth. She felt his entire body go rigid, save for the nerves jumping beneath her touch. And then suddenly she was witnessing his climax hit.
His jaw flexed, eyes fluttering shut, as he was consumed by explosive ecstasy. Arching upward, back bowing, a hoarse, guttural cry ripped from Loki's clenched throat. The orgasm tore through his pushing, shuddering body, as he spilled himself inside her. Natasha felt the liquid warmth of his release flooding her mouth and swallowed the bitter-sweet elixir wantonly, savouring every exquisite drop.
Letting go of her hair, he rested one large hand on his forehead as he panted and fought to steady his erratic breaths. He felt shaken and dazed by the sweet spiralling madness, his brain taking much longer than he would've liked to resume it's function.
Sensing that she ought to let him recover, Natasha had carefully withdrawn his slick length from her hot mouth, and crawled back up the bed to lay beside him.
He was still trembling slightly and staring straight up at the ceiling as if stunned. Judging by his reaction, she'd succeeded in satisfying him, which was undeniably gratifying. In fact he looked more like a man who'd just been given his very first blow-job, rather than a deity that must've had his fair share of action during his incredibly long life.
For once Natasha actually didn't know quite what to say. What she actually wanted to say, was that he was an incredible lover. That in spite of her lack of experience, he was very good at sex. That she found him passionately magnificent, enjoyed his company and hoped that they wouldn't have to part ways anytime soon.
The idea of them having to go their separate ways made her heart pinch.
But of course, she wouldn't tell him that. Any of it.
Casually she sat up, smoothed out her hair and said instead. "I think I'll take a shower. Then maybe we could get some breakfast?"
Loki looked at her, immediately reading the longing and uncertainty in her green eyes, and his heart slammed against his ribs. This was more, so very much more than he had ever expected or hoped for. Yes he had thoroughly enjoyed corrupting her, fucking her senseless, but this....this closeness, this tenderness, felt surprisingly equally wonderful.
To his horror he realised that he wasn't so devoid of emotion as he would have himself believe, and perhaps he had secretly yearned for this form of closeness from time to time.
His gaze lowered and settled on her lips and his mind wandered to kissing her. Not how it had felt each time he'd kissed her whilst in the throes of passion, but how he wanted to kiss her again. Now. The urge was overwhelming and the shock of it drove the blood from his skin.
"What's the matter?" She nudged him affectionately with her bare shoulder. "Cat got your tongue?" The wry smile diminished as she registered what his lack of response might signify. "Listen....we don't have to get breakfast. If you want to leave...."
"Why don't I get us breakfast whilst you shower? And then I'll take one myself once we've eaten." He said, seeing as she'd been struggling to complete her sentence. There was a pause as he fought for control, and then he added with a chilly state of impersonal courtesy, "Do you have any preferences, Agent Romanoff?"
She watched closely as he rose and began to dress. The illusion had worn-off his leather armour, so he hastily enchanted it to look like a black suit again. It didn't escape Loki's notice the way in which she marvelled at the shimmering glow of the Asgardian magic he wielded, and the look of uninhibited awe that lit her wide eyes did the oddest things to his insides. No one ever looked at him that way. Certainly no female, and his chest swelled with pride.
"It would appear the cat now has your tongue." He managed to muster his trademark impish grin. "What would you like to eat, Miss Romanoff?"
Prompted, though his grin made her suspicious, she told him airily, "Surprise me. The café bar in the hotel do a neat bagel, but I'm okay with anything as long as it's not deep-fried and swimming in grease."
"Done." He gave a bright smile, which didn't quite meet his eyes.
"After breakfast I'd like you to show me more."
"Have I not shown you enough already?" He smirked.
Natasha rolled her eyes. "Funny. You know I mean your magic."
"Do I?" Straightening his tie, he regarded her with a faint look of incredulity. "You have a genuine interest in it?"
She shrugged. "Who wouldn't?"
"Do you always answer a question with a question?"
"Not always. Do you?" Goaded beyond endurance, she slipped out from beneath the bedsheets and stood naked and unashamed before him. "I told you already, I want to know everything about you."
Loki affixed her with his direct, blue-green stare, trying hard not to be drawn into temptation. She was amazingly attractive, but could also be persistent, tactless and intrusive. Yet he desired her still, and admired her feistiness.
Releasing a sharp breath of pure irritation, he tried to ignore his thrumming pulse as she drew nearer to him. "And you actually meant it?"
Her eyes narrowed, as if she couldn't understand why he was being so dense. "Yes I meant it. In case you hadn't noticed, I have a hard time faking anything with you."
Reaching upwards she threaded her arms around his neck and pulled him down into a limb-melting kiss. His body responded without his minds permission, as he embraced her tightly and kissed her back, allowing himself to delight in the unrestrained affection. And she felt so intensely delicate in his arms that once again he was aware of his own strength, and her mortality was a pleasure. And all the uncertainty he would bury in the vault where he kept all inconvenient feelings and thoughts. Until this romantic game came to a bitter end.
With great effort, Natasha forced herself to break the embrace and headed for the bathroom, leaving Loki hunting for his belt.
Something felt off. She couldn't exactly put her finger on it, but perhaps she was being paranoid. Never having been in such a situation before, she wasn't sure what to expect, so she convinced herself that her lifestyle and training had made her perpetually suspicious of everyone.
Stepping outside, Loki exhaled a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. A stroll in the early morning air would clear his head, he told himself. There was no need to panic, analyse or overthink. He'd faced greater challenges than this one. Just because he'd never found himself in such a predicament before didn't mean he couldn't handle it.
He made it to the hotel café bar and purchased a breakfast bagel for his new lover, but bought nothing for himself. His appetite had been effected by his churning stomach, which felt like it was twisting into anxious knots.
If his churned-up state hadn't diminished his appetite, then what happened on the way back to the bungalow most definitely would have.
A lone figure, a man -- stocky but not particularly tall -- was slinking around the side of the building. That in itself wouldn't have raised any immediate alarm, but Loki recognised the individual, and his clever eyes widened with shock.
Without pausing to think, Loki cloaked himself with invisibility and used his magic to create a double of himself, but made sure to alter his duplicate's face just enough so that he wouldn't necessarily be recognisable as himself. Then he stood back and watched, as the illusion materialised directly behind the intruder who'd come to disrupt -- albeit unintentionally -- the trickster's newfound paradise.
"You've been assigned a mission, correct?" Loki demanded gruffly.
The man started in surprise, his hand instinctively flying to the concealed gun at his hip. "Who the hell are you?"
"That isn't important." Loki gestured impatiently to the gun the man was now holding awkwardly. "And do put that thing away. I know you're not accustomed to using such a weapon."
"I'll ask you again, who are you? And what do you want?"
"What I want is for you to reconsider what you've been sent here to do." Loki said menacingly. "Natasha Romanoff will be an asset to SHIELD, and in time Fury will undoubtedly agree and be thankful for you recruiting her rather than assassinating her."
Visibly confused, the agent who was well known to Loki, stared at him askance. "It's Natalia Romanova. I'd have thought you'd know that seeing as you seem to know everything else."
Loki held his gaze with a cold, dagger-stare of his own. "Oh you'd be surprised by what I know, Agent Barton. So it would be wise to heed my advice and let the Black Widow live."
With that the illusion abruptly walked away, disappearing around the side of the bungalow and out of Clint Barton's sight.
"Hey! Wait a minute--!"
The agent known as Hawkeye hastily followed, but the mysterious stranger had promptly vanished, seemingly into thin-air, leaving the man bewildered.
And from nearby Loki looked-on undetected, still pitifully clutching the bagel he was now destined not to give his little spider.
It appeared the fates had decided and it was now out of his hands.
It was time for him to leave.