Hello, Darling. (Loki Imagines/One-shots)

Fire is a Beautiful Thing

POV: Second

Ship: Loki x Reader

Type: Fluff

Wordcount: 752

Prompt: "Fire"

Synopsis: Bonfire on the rooftop of Avenger's tower fluff! (Not a great description, I know)

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Little snowflakes fell all around the rooftop where the world's mightiest heroes sat. It was a beautiful night in the city, snow collecting on the buildings and streets while the holiday lights twinkled. They all sat underneath a portion of the rooftop that was covered by a canopy, so the snow didn't directly hit them.

Some of the Avengers had blankets wrapped around them, others opting for heavy coats and sweaters. Loki, accustomed to the cold due to his genes, simply sat in a long sleeve sweater that you had bought him.

They sat huddled around the fire, joking around and telling stories. It was a comfortable place to be, and Loki found himself enjoying it despite his inner voice telling him that everyone there hated him.

Thor told the crowd a story from when he and Loki were children, when they had snuck into the royal pantry to sneak cookies and Frigga had caught them. Loki had attempted to hide themselves with his magic, but Frigga knew and "accidentally" spilt flour on them to ruin the invisibility spell.

In all truth, Loki missed those days. The days when he and Thor were just innocent-to an extent-children and didn't have to worry about anything that would be of significance in the future.

You laughed at the story. "Oh my. You two sound like you got into a lot of trouble as children."

Thor grinned. "Indeed we did. We were quite the mischief makers in Asgard, weren't we, brother?" Thor looked towards Loki, who gave a small, genuine smile.

"We did." He said, taking a sip of his warm cider. You leaned into his shoulder, huddling into his body warmth.

You smiled. "Not much has changed then, I guess." Loki chuckled, and you relished the sound. His laugh was something that you could listen to on loop and never get tired of, it was that intoxicating.

The fire crackled, turning your attention towards it. The oranges, reds, and occasional blues danced in the fireplace, devouring the wood into ash. Tony stoked the fire and added another log to keep it going.

Loki watched you as you watched the fire, the flames that held your gaze reflecting in your eyes. "Beautiful." He said, but you didn't remove your gaze from the fire.

"It is. Fire is a beautiful thing." You replied, too mesmerized by the flames to recognize a blush forming over his face. He wasn't talking about the fire.

He nodded. "Yeah, um, fire. Beautiful." He stammered, and you finally glanced over to him with your eyebrows drawn. He was acting weird, but you didn't say anything.

Natasha snorted into her drink, and you turned your head to look at her. "What is it?" You asked, wondering what she could have been laughing at. She wasn't in conversation with anyone else at the moment, so that led you to believe that she was laughing at something she overheard.

"Nothing." She said, causing you to frown. You did not push it, however, because you knew that Natasha Romanov was not the type of girl you could push for information. Occasionally, you could bribe her with cookies, but you could never attempt to force it out of her.

You glanced at the fire and then back towards Loki. "You want to know something else about fire?" You asked, and he nodded. "It's so beautiful, yet it can be so dangerous. It can cause so much destruction."

The look you gave him was not unlike the one you had previously given to the fire. "But also, it can be a great source of life. How would our ancestors have gotten along if not for fire? It was vital, still is today."

He knew you were just talking about the fire, but some part of him thought-hoped-that you were talking about him. "Is that so?"

Your eyes wandered to Loki's lips, only for a millisecond, before meeting his eyes. "Yes." You said, the words coming out a little more breathy than you intended.

"I'm glad you can see through the death and destruction that fire has caused." He said, and you nervously looked away.

Your hands made their way to the edge of the blanket, toying with some of the loose fringes. "Sometimes the fire can't help but be dangerous," you whispered.

Somehow, Loki knew that you weren't talking about the fire anymore. He took your hand into his underneath the blanket, giving it a gentle squeeze as the two of you watched the inferno before you.