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

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Loki let one hand rest softly on her waist while the other played with the short white hair just above the back of her neck. Her own hands landed gracefully on his collar bones. The physical connections between them were heavenly. There was no lust or ill feeling, just pure affection for one another.

When their lips parted again, Estrial smiled at the ground in embarrassment. Loki smiled at this and took her hand. "We should go inside," he suggested, "before my brother brings those frustrating mortals down to interrogate us."

"They are not so bad," Estrial laughed, letting Loki lead her back inside as she teased him, "you can not hide from me, that you have grown fond of them."

"I have not," Loki insisted, trying his hardest to sound irritated. But Estrial was right. The Avengers gave him something that he'd never had before, other than with Thor; an unjudged sense of belonging. Well, perhaps not 'belonging', but he surely felt unjudged by them. Tony would toy with him, Steve would argue with him, and Natasha would glare at him, but they had accepted him. So he would try his best, for Estrial, to accept them as well. "I'm not fond of any of them," Loki went on in a calmer voice, "..they have their own shine, though, if you must know my opinion."

Estrial smiled in amusement as they continued to walk toward their shared room. "I believe I have found a constellation to be part of," she muttered happily, "they are not stars, but as you have said..they shine."

This gave Loki a mix of emotions. The Avengers were her 'constellation'? What about him? "And am I part of this 'constellation'?" He wondered, slightly nervous.

"Of course," Estrial responded without hesitation.

All of a sudden, Estrial felt her body ricochet. She gasped, eyes widening as she came to a hault just a few feet from their bedroom. "Essy?" Loki questioned in alarm as he put a hand on her shoulder. But the star did not respond, lost in her own anxious thoughts as her body pulsed once again. "Estrial, what is it?" Loki asked more desperately.

"I-I don't know--" Estrial was cut off as she felt yet another sensation of pounding travelled through her being. "Loki, something has happened--" And again.

"Estrial you have to tell me, what are you feeling?" Loki almost yelled as the star slowly collapsed to her knees.

"My chest," Estrial huffed, her glow flashing from stress, "it is--" she cut herself short, pressing her hands over her chest firmly, "it is beating....my heart..."

At this, Loki's panic lightened. He knelt before her to meet her eyes. "Darling, let me feel," he insisted.

Hesitantly, Estrial moved her hands away from her chest. As Loki replaced her hands winlth one of his own, the throbbing continued. He couldn't believe it, but it was true; Estrial's heart was beating.

Estrial let out a deep breath of awe. A heartbeat? And that could only mean one thing: "..I'm..alive..."

Even Loki seemed to understand the rarity and seriousness of the situation, for he gave the star a firm look. "How is that possible?" He asked her, hoping she knew the answer.

"I think.." Estrial trailed off as she and Loki stood back up carefully. The demigod kept her steady by holding a hand to her back as she went on much more calmly now. "I think...I have fallen."

This wasn't exactly what Loki had been expecting. Of course she'd fallen, hadn't that been established already? "Estrial, you've been in Midgard for weeks now," he reminded.

"Not like that," Estrial countered softly as she entered the bedroom. Loki followed closely with a curious look on his face. "I have fallen from my grace," she explained, still trying to get used to the pulsing in her chest. "Stars are supposed to be higher beings, above both life and death. I had heard whispers in the galaxies of fallen stars...I believed it was only myth."

Loki frowned in empathy as he moved to stand infront of Estrial. "...Are you no longer a star?" He wondered painfully.

"I will always be a star," she assured quietly, "but I have been tempted by life's pleasures, and given in...now I am bound by it..and one day, I will die."

"I thought all stars die, eventually," Loki inquired.

Estrial cocked her head, trying to find the proper words to explain. "Stars simply seise to exsist, when their time runs out. But death," she went on slowly, "death is mortal."

For a moment, neither spoke. Loki felt incredible guilt, knowing that he was part of these 'life pleasures' Estrial mentioned. Finally, he broke the silence, voice sounding heartbroken. "I am..truly sorry, Estrial. I didn't mean for this..."

Estrial didn't speak for a while longer, allowing her new heartbeat settle. Once it was steady, she sighed deeply and closed her eyes. Emotions flowed through her being more smoothly than ever before. After all, emotions were mortal, too. It was no longer difficult for her to pinpoint her own feelings, and a greater understanding of the world seemed to open her mind. When she opened her eyes, Loki was shocked to find her smiling.

"Do not apologize," Estrial insisted lightly, moving forward shyly to press her head against his chest. Loki instinctively wrapped his arms around his star.

"But you've lost your place in the galaxies," Loki countered with worry and shame.

"Loki," Estrial breathed calmly, looking up to meet his eyes. With a small smile, she brushed a hand over his cheek. "Life is what I've always wished for...I don't believe the galaxies...were ever truly where I belonged."