After training with Wanda and helping Tony brainstorm ideas, the rest of the day was quietly spent with Loki. We were laying on our couch together while he continued to read the Harry Potter books to me. We were on the fourth one by now. It was peaceful.
At midnight, the barely audible sound of fireworks going off somewhere in the city, could be heard. There were only a few since the real show would happen tomorrow night, or technically later that day since it was now midnight on the fourth.
"Has Tony told you anything about the party tomorrow?" I asked Loki. I was tucked into his side with my head on his chest.
"Not much. Why, do you not want to go?" Loki questioned. I shook my head and sat up.
"No, I want to go. Tony said it was just going to be Avengers affiliated friends and family. So, I won't have to deal with people I don't know." I told him. "I'm excited to see the fireworks, though." I smiled and Loki sat up against the arm of the couch. He pulled me into his lap, so I was straddling his hips.
"I didn't know you liked fireworks that much." Loki said as he massaged my thighs from knee to hip. I loosely draped my arms around his neck and shrugged.
"I like the colors. It's like looking into a kaleidoscope."
Loki smiled softly before raising a hand, palm up, between us. I blinked and looked at his hand before tiny fireworks went off in his palm. There was no 'pop' from the fireworks exploding because it was an illusion, but it was still gorgeous. I stared in awe and cradled the back of his hand in one of mine. I then traced a single finger over his open palm and fingers, being careful to not disturb the illusion.
"Beautiful." I murmured to him, not taking my eyes off of the exploding colors.
"Mother used to show me this when I was younger. It was one of the first things she taught me to do since I loved them so much." Loki explained as he watched and enjoyed my reaction. After a few more seconds, he dropped the illusion and I brought his palm to my lips to kiss.
"I wish Thor and Frigga were here." I told him. "I miss them."
Loki gently pulled me down against his chest and kissed the top of my head while his arms wrapped around me.
"I know, Kitten." Loki said into my hair. We sat in silence for a few minutes. The way Loki ran his fingers through my hair and down my back was comforting.
"Are you ever homesick?" I finally asked and felt Loki sigh.
"Sometimes." He admitted. "It's not exactly homesickness, though. Anywhere with you is home, but I wish I could show you Asgard. There are places I know you would absolutely adore."
"One day." I promised as my eyes started to close. His relaxing touch and soft words helping.
We fell asleep on the couch together. When I woke up next it was early morning. The sun just starting to lighten the sky. I was still basically on top of Loki. His arms were still around me as he softly rubbed my arms to wake me up.
"Wake up, Love." Loki whispered and kissed my forehead.
"But, you're comfortable." I groaned, turning my face into his neck. His chest vibrated with a laugh as he hugged me tight.
"So, you don't want to watch the sunrise this morning?" Loki asked me. He knew I loved the vibrant colors the sky turned.
"Yes, please," I mumbled, still wrapped around him.
"And, you do realize you need to be awake for that, yes?" He chuckled.
"Uh-huh..." I nodded still not moving.
"Come on, Kitten. Hurry up and get ready."
The air was still chilly and I pulled down the sleeves of my hoodie as I pulled Loki out onto the roof with me. There were light shades of orange and pink just starting to spread throughout the morning sky. It was beautiful and I sat in the perfect spot to watch it.
Loki sat next to me and wrapped his arm around my waist. We sat in silence together, just listening to the birds and watching the sunrise. When the colors started dying down, Loki spoke.
"I think I'm going to start training my seidr again." He told me. I turned my head to look at him in surprise.
Although Loki used magic quite a bit, he didn't really use it to fight and he was limited in a lot of his abilities. Like teleporting, Loki could only teleport himself to places he had tied a connection to. Since he was bound to the stone in my ring, he could always teleport to me, but he couldn't teleport more than himself. It also took a lot of concentration on his part.
"Is there a reason why?" I asked him. I was all for him wanting to better himself, but he's never mentioned training his magic before.
"You seem to believe I can be stronger and I want to believe with you." He answered. I cracked a small smile and leaned forward to kiss him.
"I will always believe in you, my prince." I told him, my fingers lightly touching his jaw. "I'm really proud of you, you know that?"
Loki's brow furrowed and he watched me for a few seconds before leaning forward and kissing me again. It was a slow kiss, the kind of kiss that made my toes curl without feeling sexual. It always made me feel incredibly loved and cared for. I was a bit dizzy by the time he pulled away. His forehead rested against mine with his eyes closed.
"Thank you, Love." He whispered to me and tucked some of my hair behind my ear. After another few seconds, he lifted his head and pressed a kiss to my forehead. "We should get back inside." Loki sighed. We had been sitting outside for about an hour now. "Captain Roger is going to start wondering where you are for your morning training."
"He's gonna make me run." I whined with a frown on my face.
"It's a necessary requirement for our job, Kitten." Loki chuckled and pushed off the ground to stand up. He dusted his pants off before holding his hand out to help me up.
"Then, how come I never see anyone else running with us?" I asked.
"I thought you said he made Wanda start joining you?" Loki questioned and laced his finger through mine to start leading me back to the door.
"Not on morning runs. She can't keep up yet." I explained. "He has her do sprints from wall to wall in the training room, while Pietro usually sits there making fun of her."
"That definitely sounds like him." Loki said while opening the door for me. "Just be happy the Captain doesn't make you run with Pietro."