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Pietro was panicking. He had sweatpants, hoodies and t-shirts. Nothing even vaguely smart. He'd been going through his wardrobe for half an hour now. This was the 3rd time. He knew he wouldn't find anything new, but he was also desperate and clinging to the hope that he had something wedged in at the back, maybe behind an old shoe box or something? Nothing. He ended up borrowing some clothes from Stephen - they were roughly the same size, and Stephen dressed a lot smarter.
He was now dressed in blue jeans, a shirt and a matching jacket. Stephen had suggested a tie, but Pietro had a burning hatred for ties. He was feeling slightly calmer now. It was more of a fussy flutter in his stomach than the messy panic he'd been in earlier.
Loki, on the other hand, was in more of a cool panic. The kind where you nervously sit on a chair tapping your leg, feeling like if you stood up you might fall over, and you don't want to chance it. He'd never been on a date like this before. He'd never cared about someone this much before (other than his mother, and sometimes Thor.) He was used to sarcasm and being dramatic and pushing others away.
He was dressed in his all black suit. For once he wasn't trying to be goth or dramatic, he just didn't trust his foggy mind to put together an outfit with coordinating colours. His hair had been combed within an inch of its life and he was now pacing the hallway at the front of the Avengers' compound.
Pietro turned up 15 minutes late, after not being able to find his left shoe. His hair was slightly fuzzy from frantically digging through the closet and his trousers were wrinkled. Loki looked instantly relieved, and offered an arm to his charmingly disheveled date.
"Sorry I'm late," Pietro said, an apologetic grin on his face, as he took Loki's arm.
"You're supposed to be fast!" Loki said in fake exasperation, "you can break the sound barrier - it should be physically impossible for you to be late."
Rolling his eyes, "where are we going?" Pietro asked, as they walked down the driveway.
"Firstly, it's a suprise, and secondly, I'm making the portal there right now."
"Portal?"
"Yes, I had an idea, but it requires a portal."
Loki unhooked his arm from Pietro and waved them in an upwards motion. A swirling, blue mass coalesced, and vaguely, through the middle, Pietro could see a night sky with far more stars than he'd ever seen before.
In the middle of it stood Loki, arm outstretched. He looked breathtaking in the moonlight, Pietro thought, and couldn't stop the smile that lit up his face as he took Loki's hand.
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The other side of the portal wasn't what Pietro had expected. He'd thought there'd be a restaurant, or maybe a play - something fancy. Instead he was greeted with a purple/blue sky, whispering trees, and his feet sinking into sand.
He took a few steps away from Loki to admire the surroundings. Waves crept up and down the sand and the shore was lined with palm trees. There was no wind, however they rustled occasionally as animals chased through them. The sand was soft like cushions near the trees, and firm under his feet as he got closer to the sea, before it gave way again. Sand covered his shoes, and Pietro jumped back a little. He'd never been to a beach before.
The sky above looked blank at first glance. An empty canvas with a few accidental white splatters. As he focused though, he could see clusters of pinpricks. Some with a blue tinge, others orangy or red. There were no clouds at all. Infront if him was empty sea. This would normally be frightening; the sea leading off into nothing and the trees rustling ominously. However, the soft chattering from the trees and the wash of the sea was strangely calming.
Something was out of place. It took Pietro a moment to notice that the surf sneaking up the beach was glowing. It was full of little lights like pearls, or maybe moonstones. It was beautiful. Magical.
Pietro had been silent for a while now and Loki was starting to lose confidence. He walked over quietly to Pietro's side and gingerly put an arm around his waist.
"Why does it glow?" Pietro whispered.
"It's bioluminescent algae. It flows in the dark," Loki replied, gently rubbing his thumb up and down Pietro's side. "We're at the Sea of Stars in the Maldives."
Pietro relaxed into his arm at the soothing motion and leant in towards Loki's body, wrapping his own arm around Loki's waist. At this point Loki had lost all ability to move his legs. There were no words to describe what he was feeling.
There was a word to describe the next feeling. Several in fact. These words would be soggy, suprising, and cold. A small wave had come up the sand further than the rest of them and had washed carefully over Pietro and Loki's shoes. Pietro had jolted back at the sudden feeling, with his arm still twined with Loki's. They tumbled down on the sand next to eachother, laughing. Pietro was leaning on his side with one arm half dug into the sand, watching Loki in fasination, who was leaning back on his forearms and starring up at the stars.
"Thank you," Pietro said, a sincere look on his face, "it's not everyday someone does something like this for me."
"My pleasure," Loki smiled in return.
Pietro took this opportunity to kiss him softly on the cheek, which Loki returned with a longer one on the lips. Then another. Pietro slipped an arm back around Loki as the kisses continued.
"You're cold," Pietro mumbled inbetween kisses.
"Warm me up then, darling?" Loki smirked against Pietro's lips.
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Then Loki remembered the food. Both were slightly breathless and Loki was feeling significantly warmer. Grazing a hand across Pietro's cheek Loki pulled away slowly, savouring the last of the moment.
"The food will get cold dear," he said gently.
"You should have told me sooner," Pietro replied, grinning. He slid his fingers out from Loki's hair and climbed off him, offering a hand. Loki stood up gracefully and clasped Pietro hand, guiding him to a small glow near the trees.
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Layed out at the border between the trees and the sand was a thick cotton blanket. It was mostly white, but had bands of colour streaked across it, and it was covered with cushions. Candles surrounded a bottle of Pinot Grigio. And 2 boxes of pizza.
"I did not have you pegged as a pizza guy," Pietro laughed.
Loki looked a little pink, "suprise...," then adding jazz hands, "I can't cook, and there's a good pizza place down the road from the compound," he said, a little sheepishly.
"There's no pizza pla- wait, you mean Bernie's?!"
Bernie's was on the outskirts of New York, where the suburbs met the inner city. It was a small, back-alley pizza shop that probably didn't make its profits entirely off pizza, and it was a hotspot for people with names like Bob and Larry in orange visablility jackets and paint-covered trousers. It also happened to be a secret favourite haunt of Loki's, who knew Bernie, Bernie's wife, and their two kids. He also happened to be on good terms with the two waiters Linda and Dan, who would come over to the compound with free pizza when the other Avengers were out.
"Uh, yeah, Bernie's, that's the one," Loki rambled a little, "I don't go there much but a friend told me the pizza wasn't bad, and I mean, everyone likes pizza,"
"If you like pizza that's fine - what ones have you got?" Pietro asked, already getting comfy and opening the boxes. "You get the veggie pizzas?"
"The vegetables balance out the fat. Or at least, I like to think they do, so I don't feel as bad when I comfort eat..." Loki replied.
"Fair," Pietro shrugged, opening the second box. Loki sat down next to him and tore off one of the box lids to use as a plate - he'd forgotten them while he'd been panicking earlier. Pietro didn't seem to notice, eating straight from the box. Loki breathed an internal sigh of relief.
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Pietro was, suprisingly, a slow eater. He did everything else so fast, that he liked to savour his food. Loki was lying on his back starring at the stars once more, as he waited for Pietro to finish. It was a beautifully clear evening, and the gentle wish-wash of the waves made him feel slightly sleepy. He was brought back to reality though, by a shuffle and a sudden weight on his middle. Pietro had finished eating and had rested his head on Loki's stomach, twisting their hands together.
Loki smiled to himself, taking the time to just appreciate the moment. Pietro's fluffy, blonde hair was spread out over his chest, and he could feel how soft his skin was as he ran his thumb over their intertwined hands. This, combined with the purple, twinkling sky and the luminescent sea, was perfect. Nothing else needed.
"It's beautiful," Pietro sighed.
"Indeed you are," Loki mumbled to himself.
"What?"
"I said, indeed it is," Loki said, slightly louder, brushing his other hand through Pietro's hair. "Really amazing," he said, fixing his eyes on the top of Pietro's head.
"Can we explore?" Pietro asked, sitting up.
Loki missed the warmth from him, but sat up too. "I don't see why not." He stood up, brushing sand off the back of his jacket. "This way, m'lady," Loki grinned.
Pietro gave a hmmf, but took the offered arm with a smile.
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It was much quieter beneath the trees. The surf from the sea sounded much further away than it actually was, and there was no other noise. Pietro gripped Loki's hand slightly harder.
There was a cool breeze flowing over the trees, and it occasionally came down to dance within the trunks. It would swirl around the two occasionally, making Pietro shiver. Loki barely noticed, until he felt Pietro huddle into his side a little more.
"Darling, it's almost 30 degrees - how are you cold?" Loki asked.
"I'm not cold," Pietro replied shortly.
"You're clutching my arm and you shiver every so often...."
Silence - apart from the whispering trees above. Pietro looked a little whiter in the pale moonlight though.
"What's wrong, dear?" Loki said gently.
"I don't like the dark, it reminds me of... stuff," Pietro ended lamely.
Loki though for a moment, before he turned to face Pietro and took both his hands. "Close your eyes for a moment."
Pietro looked a little stunned at first, and then slightly terrified. He pursed his lips and shook his head briefly. Loki could see a slight dip under his bottom lip where he must have been biting it.
"Do you trust me?" Loki questioned, then added "the answer doesnt have to be yes," with a sort of sad smile.
"Of course I turst you," Pietro said, breathing a little sigh of relief. He slowly closed his eyes, but flinched as he heard someone snap their fingers.
Loki smoothed his thumbs over Pietro's hands and whispered, "you can open them now."
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Bright, tiny points floated through the gloom of the trees, swirling like a Van Gogh painting. A few flickered every so often as they wove between the trees. The blue black night that washed in from the sea and over the trees was replaced by a golden glow from thousands of sparks - some orange, some yellow, some so bright they looked close to white. They flowed around Loki and Pietro, like little dancing fairies.
Pietro gazed around in wonder and took a step back to look up into the trees, watching the particles drift through the leaves. He wanted to say something, but he could think of any words to express just how beautiful it was.
"Any better?" Loki asked. He was actually blown away with the effect too - he hadn't expected it to look quite so amazing.
Pietro turned back and threw himself at Loki, wrapping his arms around him tightly. "Thank you, he," he said quietly.
Loki returned the gesture, moving his arms to Pietro's waist, swaying slightly to silent music.
Neither were quite sure when it happened, but at some point fingers had tangled with hair and their lips had collided. It was sweet and slow, but with an underlying passion that made Loki go a little weak, he could feel himself leaning into Pietro slightly for support. When they eventually broke apart for air they could each feel the other's heart racing through their pressed-together chests. Loki brought a hand up the cup Pietro's cheek and traced a finger across his cheek bones.
"So, would you do this again?" he asked innocently, his heavy breathing telling a different story, though.
Pietro nodded, grinning.
"In that case, do you have any plans for Friday?"