grey307

[grey307]

Beyond the stars

Summary: Your infatuation with the stars inspired Loki to show you skies you could only dream of.

You stood on the rooftop of the Avengers tower, head tilted back to the sky above, hands gripping your camera. You’d made a hasty escape after dinner for tonight, it was one of the most cloudless nights you had seen in New York in a while, well, as clear as a New York sky could be-however you were grateful for the aid of the tower's height, allowing your camera to capture the constellations closer than any of your previous locations.

Loki had noticed your quick disappearance after dinner, you had left the table in quite a hurry-quickly loading your plate into the dishwasher the second you were finished and leaving the room with an air of eagerness. The rest of the team seemed to pay it no mind but Loki stared at that door for a few seconds after you’d left-though making sure to turn back to his plate before Tony had time to clock on and make one of his jabs at him. It was true that Loki arguably spent more time with you willingly than anyone else on the team, but as far as he was aware he hadn't given the team any definitive evidence behind his actions, and he was quite happy to keep it that way. 

He wasn't sure the exact day he’d started taking an interest in the things you did, how you did them or the way you sounded and what the shifts in your voice would mean, but he did remember the day he’d realised he'd been paying attention. He’d been lying in bed, facing the ceiling while his thoughts wouldn't let him be, hours wasted on thinking of someone who he wanted to waste those hours with. 

Although he kept an impeccably neutral face while eating, his mind inevitably started to stray to thoughts of where you were, it could have been for something so simple, something that most definitely didn't involve him whatsoever. But he didn't like that thought. He didn't like being clueless as to something that was making you excited. The slight notion of dread entered his system when another thought entered his mind-was a certain person causing all of this? Were you eager to get back to someone? Someone's text? Call? Getting ready to go out to see someone? He could tell himself the possibility of this didn't bother him in the slightest, but lying to others was always so much easier than himself.

“So where did she run off to?” loki asked casually to no-one in particular at the table as he continued eating his meal, he could see Tony open his mouth to make one of his smart -ass remarks but Natasha cut in before he had the chance “she’ll be on the roof, she told me about it being the perfect conditions for stars or something”, the team shared a moment of small, amused smirks to which Loki wasn't blind to but he chose to focus more on Natasha's words and it wasn't long before he too had swiftly packed up his plate and left for the roof.

You looked up to the cloudless sky above, the background sounds of New York dulled steadily as you continued taking your pictures, you were ecstatic, the view of the stars was completely unobstructed tonight and there was hardly a chill in the air, the only thing potentially limiting the experience was the impending neck pain set to kick in at around 10 minutes from now. You held your camera up to the sky to take another picture, your senses evidently blind to the approaching figure behind you until your vision went black from the hands covering your eyes, the cold fingertips resting against your skin.

 “Boo”, Loki whispered in your ear, incidentally causing a grin to spread across your face before you grabbed one of his hands, still holding onto the camera with the other, you pulled his hand away from your face while turning around to face him.His other hand fell to his side.

 “And here I was enjoying the peace and quiet” you teased before instantly following up with “they didn't kick you out,did they?” you asked, referring to the multiple occasions in which various members of the team (mainly Steve) had sent him out of rooms like a misbehaving child. Loki put an offended hand to his chest, while still painfully aware you hadn't let go of his other one “is that what you think of me? I told you, I'm a changed man” he said as a smirk crept onto his face. 

“hmm, sure, i think nature might be turning on itself the day you became a ‘changed man’”.

Loki laughed along but the thought crossed his mind that if you wanted him to change he would, and he hated that. He didn't want anyone to have that type of power over him, to make him want to turn himself inside out, become unrecognisable if he knew it meant you would want him. When you let go of his hand he was drawn back into reality.

He cleared his throat, “so, the stars again?” he asked, his head tilting up to look at the sky. You saw the same expression on his face as usual when he accompanied you out to see the stars. His face gave no impression of disliking but no particular fondness either, you'd come to recognise the small look in his eyes as that of dullness. It wasn't a surprise to you, why would he be interested? He’d grown up in Asgard, this planet couldn't hold a candle to the views there. 

You nodded as you followed his gaze back up to the sky, before turning your head back to him with a small teasing smile “impressive right?”. Loki's expression hardened to prevent a grimace, he was at a conflict. He didn't want to criticise something of importance to you but he would struggle lying to you, for some annoying reason he was apparently quite transparent in your eyes. “They're…not unpleasant” he settled on simply. Your expression grew increasingly amused, “they’re dull” you said bluntly to which caused Loki to snap his gaze back down to you “i did not s-”

“So you find them passable when comparing them to the rest of the nine realms?” you asked with a small smirk. Loki paused. He shook his head with a small grin “i didn't know it was a competition”

“Its not, but you don't have to pretend to be interested-” 

“I am-” Loki defended instantly. Well- he was partly telling the truth, it wasn't exactly the stars he was interested in, but you liked them, and so he couldn't hold them in any real low regard. He liked listening you talk to him about them, lying next to him as you explained numerous constellations as if he hadn’t committed them all to memory quite some time ago, he liked going with you to astrology or photography events and seeing light up at these stars…so they weren’t dull, they just needed to be accompanied by you for him to turn his head.

“I am interested in them” Loki insisted sternly, he continued talking before you had a chance to contradict him “not perhaps in the way you are…” because I'm just interested in how they make you happy he thought to himself. “And yes, the skies here rarely hold a candle to Asgard but that never really troubles me for my sake. It just makes me wish that somehow you-"Loki paused. He was an idiot. You were looking at him, eyes narrowed in confusion but widened when he  took your camera,put it down and then took your hands in his and held them up over your eyes. “Cover your eyes” he said abruptly.

“I can just close my eyes Loki, you do not need to push my hands in front of-”

“I don't trust you” Loki swiftly replied, the humour evident in his voice causing you to smirk but you kept your hands over your closed eyes. “Is this a game? Or a trick?” you asked suspiciously. “It won't be anything if you don't let me concentrate” Loki scolded, causing you to roll your eyes beneath your eyelids but you held your tongue.

Meanwhile, Loki was looking up at the sky in concentration, his fingers twitching with the magic pulsing through his veins. He took a few deep breaths as he created his illusion. He needed it to be perfect. 

After a few seconds…and a few seconds more of alteration, Loki looked up at what he had created before glancing back at you, your hands covering your eyes as your teeth peeked out from your smile. “Can I open my eyes yet?”

“Not yet”.He was just staring, just a few moments of admiration. It didn't feel pathetic like he'd been telling himself these past few months, this feeling that tugged at his chest wasn't undesirable or something he should want to hide. Because to lose this feeling would be to lose what he felt at this moment when he looked at you, and he didn't want to be rid of that. He wanted to confess right that moment, perhaps it would be easier like this, your eyes concealed so he'd at least have a barriered moment before your reaction. But that felt like a coward's move…and you'd always had such beautiful eyes.

Finally, Loki cleared his throat “you can open your eyes now…” he drew in a small breath to hold before letting it shakily free as you put your hands down and looked around…

Your world stopped momentarily at the sight you were met with. Surrounding you were illusions of the galactic view you'd never see, unrecognisable constellations bathed in purples and pinks as stars winked back at you in warm amber configurations. You didn't tear your eyes away from the view in awe as you spoke, “is this…”

“Asgard, yes” Loki said with a small smile as his eyes swept over your reaction continuously. “I thought you might appreciate a new view” he paused “I would…I would have liked for you to see the real thing” I would have liked to have shown you… “but i thought this could be the next best thing”

“Loki, this is incredible” you said before looking back at him “thank you…”, you watched Loki nod. 

“yes well…the other view was getting rather dull” he finally admitted, a small tease in his tone to which you rolled your eyes at, smiling as you reached for your camera. Loki stepped forward, taking your hand before you could grab it, you looked at him, confused “oh come of Loki i don't want to forget this” you said, smirking at his strange behaviour, but Loki didn't let go.

“You won't,” Loki said simply, “because I'll remind you. i’ll create this whenever you want, you don't need the camera” i want you to need me he thought, and i want you to want me to create these very often…“alright…” you said, holding your hands up in defeat “but only if you're willing to show me more” you said with a grin, Loki smiled, his eyes softening. of course.