[earlier days, pt. 4]

[forewarned_is]

It's been ridiculously, maddeningly hot for the past two weeks, and even Loki's tricks can only do so much to cool down the shabby little apartment where they've been sleeping.

It doesn't help that he intermittently forgets to leave them on when he's not there. As he's not now.

For the seventh time this hour, Kali considers doing something to silence the patient, earnest, utterly incompetent attempts at sitar-playing from the other side of the cardboard-thin wall. She could turn the instrument to dust in the player's hands. Or she could leave the instrument, which after all is blameless, and turn the player's hands themselves to dust, or the entire player; that's a slightly more attractive picture, and she contemplates it as she glowers out the window.

Or she could take another shower and wait for Loki to get back from wherever he's gone.

Comments

[changeinasnap]

"Yes, dear?" he answers sweetly, and spreads his arms wide before slamming both palms together like a thunderclap.

The rumbling underfoot gets much, much worse all of a sudden.

[forewarned_is]

Another leap, this one to a crag above his head.

She balances there, swaying with the shaking rock, hands flexing.

[changeinasnap]

You wouldn't have thought an avalanche could go uphill, would you?

Well, you learn something new every day.

It's his turn to jump to the side, somersaulting into the snow, as the next rush of white overtakes him and heads for Kali.

[forewarned_is]

A bright flare from her hands, as her eyes widen -- and then she vanishes under the snow, the fire blotted out in an instant.




Silence.

[changeinasnap]

Lots of silence, actually.






Unwillingly, he starts to frown, just a little, and advances a cautious step further into the snow.

[forewarned_is]

There's a dark patch on the snow not too far from him.

It's a hank of black hair, damp and frost-flecked, half covered in white.

[changeinasnap]

...Okay. It takes a guy fond of pranks to know a prank, but this is a little weird. Weird enough that it's making the tiny frown creases deepen a little as he crouches down.

Very, very gently, he nudges the hair.

(And resolutely does not ask, Kali? You all right?)

[forewarned_is]

The snow explodes upward in his face, and this time her hand fastens firmly on the front of his shirt.

(He really should have gone with his first instincts.)

Kali's laughing again as she rolls them over, shoving him down.

[changeinasnap]

"Aw, f -- "

That dissolves into a yelp as he falls into the snow, scrabbling with no avail to get himself out from under Kali and back to his feet.

The snow crackles into solid ice under his hands.

[forewarned_is]

She hisses, pulling one hand out of the ice before it can quite trap her, sending splinters flying in all directions. That hand forms into a fist, and her forearm slams across his throat, pressing hard.

Her eyes are barely inches from his, and there's a tiny mad spark dancing in each.

[changeinasnap]

In his eyes, on the other hand, there isn't much else besides, Um, Kali? It's kinda hard to breathe like this.

He wraps his hands around her shoulders and tries to aim a kick at her shins. The ice surges up, doings its best to force its way between her forearm and his neck.

[forewarned_is]

The kick lands; she barely feels it.

The ice, on the other hand, is getting uncomfortably close. Her hands flare with heat, working to melt it.

[changeinasnap]

The ice shrinks back, like an animal shying away from a blow, before it surges back up to wrap around her arms -- even if only briefly.

With another kick, he shoves them both over to put Kali on her back, finally wrenching himself away from the pressure on his throat. The fingers of one hand tangle in her hair.

[forewarned_is]

She pulls her arm free of the ice again, reaches up to grab a fistful of his hair in turn --

-- and tugs his head down to hers, capturing his mouth in a deep fierce kiss.

[changeinasnap]

...Oh, really.

The muffled exclamation of surprise turns into a thoroughly different noise altogether. He lets go just enough to brace a hand on either side of her as he returns the kiss with interest, keeping her pinned with his legs.

(No way is he going to let her pull one over him again.)

[forewarned_is]

Her teeth sink into his lower lip, not quite hard enough to draw blood, and her hand fastens hard on the collar of his shirt under the jacket.

As the kiss breaks, she makes a low noise in her throat, somewhere between growling and laughter.

[changeinasnap]

He's grinning, just as fierce and not entirely nice, as he dips his mouth further down to her neck, teeth scraping at her jugular. One knee shifts higher; the ice makes another grab for her wrists.

[forewarned_is]

Nothing doing, ice. Kali's wrists aren't holding still long enough for that.

That would be because her hands are busy tearing off his shirt.

[changeinasnap]

Well. One can hardly complain about that.

He gladly helps her along and flings off the remaining bits of cloth into the snow. As soon as that's done and over with, one hand lands at her belly and slips down to the clasp of her jeans, mouth working at hers again.




There's probably not gonna be a lot of snow left on the ground by the time this is over.

[forewarned_is]

She knows it before she's entirely awake: he's gone.

Good. They've been getting sick of the sight of each other lately. This always happens; this or something like it. At least this time, they've managed the parting without either one of them storming out in a huff.

Kali rises to her feet in a single smooth motion. A blink and she's dressed; another, and there's nothing but white powdery snow, starting to sift over the patch of ground where they lay.

Another few decades. They'll see each other again.