Stars Have Fallen - A Loki Love Story (Marvel/Avengers)

20

"Look there," Loki told Estrial, pointing up and to the left a bit. Once she found the star he was pointing at, she smiled. It shone much brighter than the rest, even seeming to spin in place. "That was you," the demigod explained, "you can see now why I took such interest."

Estrial had never seen herself like this before, and she was eternally grateful that the demigod had shone it to her. "Pretty.." She murmured, reaching up to the star that was her.

Watching this, Loki flicked his magic a bit more, allowing Estrial to grasp the light. Her small hand closed around it. Bringing it down closer to her face, she observed it with the same wide grin. "Very pretty," Loki cooed in agreement, though he was not just talking about the glowing dot. "The most beautiful of them all."

Estrial felt her face heat up, realizing that Loki was talking about both of her forms. "Thank you, Loki," she responded, looking to him with a smile.

Outside of the room, the sounds of the other Avengers bustling around were still there, but quieter. There was a melody of instrumental Christmas music playing that relaxed Estrial. She yawned, making Loki smile. "You should go to sleep," he insisted gently, sitting up, "it's quite late already."

Estrial sat up as well, but did not seem to take kindly to the idea of sleeping. "I do not sleep," she told him, her voice uncomfortable and low.

For a minute, Loki didn't speak. He had always assumed that she slept at night. Did she not? That explained why she always seemed to wake before he did. Shaking those thoughts from his head, he focused back on the present conversation. "You just yawned, darling, you're exhausted," he realized, eyebrows drawn down in confusion.

"I have not slept since I first woke," Estrial explained, standing up and walking away from Loki. Her tone was harsher than usual, defensive.

When the God of Mischief stood, the lights flickered back on and the stars disappeared. Something seemed wrong with the woman. Coming up behind her, he placed his hands hesitantly on her shoulders, peering around to her face. "You're body isn't what it used to be," he reminded her, "you need these things now; food, water, rest."

"I do not want to sleep," Estrial urged, her voice desperate.

Now Loki was sure; something was definitely wrong. His face grew serious as he moved to stand in front of Estrial. "Why not?" He questioned. The star hesitated. A sad smiled crossed the demigod's face as he promted her soothingly, "talk to me, like you always used to."

Estrial found her own smile at these words. "You never heard me before," she reminded him in a soft tone.

"But I do now," Loki purred, his smile withering back to a look of concern, "talk to me. Please."

The woman hesitated again, and her body began to shiver. Slowly walking around Loki, she stopped at the side of her bed. "I am not like you," she began, avoiding his eyes, "if I fall asleep, I may not wake for ages." Now it made sense. Estrial was a star, and stars mostly slept for their entire existance.

"If that is what troubles you, you needn't worry," Loki insisted, making his way to her side, "I shall wake you when morning comes." He gently pushed Estrial down to sit on the bed. "It isn't hard to wake a star," he went on with a small smile, "you told me that."

"I did," Estrial confirmed, heisitantly climbing into the bed. Loki took the liberty of covering her with her sheet and blanket. She smiled up at him as he did so, enjoying his kind gestures.

"There," he murmured, a sweet grin on his face. He didn't even bother trying to hide his admiration. "How is that?"

Laying on her back in the middle of the queen-sized bed, Estrial nodded in response. Loki sat delicatley on the edge of the bed. Moving his left hand in the air, he made the gold cuffs levitate over to them. The star grabbed them out of the air. "Might want to put them back on now," Loki suggested, holding his hands out to her, palm down.

Estrial did just that, securing each cuff back to his wrists. The gold clung to his skin firmly, and Loki could feel his magic becoming tame once again. Once again, caged, but the fact that Estrial held his key made it feel less constricting.

"Loki," Estrial muttered, calling his eyes to meet hers. And when they did, she felt as if she'd gone back in time hundreds of years. These eyes were that of an innocent younger boy, that watched her every night in awe. The eyes of a boy who hadn't seen war or caused mass chaos quite yet. They were calm and patient, with an untainted sparkle of wonder. "Stay," the star whispered.

Loki was in no shape to disappoint his star. He obeyed mindlessly, fully under her spell. After getting up to turn the lights out, and cracking the door for some light, he made his way back to her side. He sat up against the headboard of the bed, his legs extended out next to Estrial. The girl pressed a button on her left wrist, allowing her body to glow as it naturally would in the darkness.

After doing so, Estrial piled a few pillows under her head. She didn't know why, but she had the urge to be closer to the demigod. So she scooted over until her body was against the side of one of his long legs. Turing onto her side to face his body, she wrapped her arms around his arm closest to her and closed her eyes. Loki stared down at her until her glow subsided substantially; she was asleep. And he knew then, after that evening, that there was nothing he wouldn't do for her.