A Rush Of Blood To The Head | Loki & Tony
Princes just before, what the hell did that even mean? Certainly wasn’t any expression Tony had ever heard of-had Loki just made it up? His eyebrows furrowed as he considered it briefly, Tony followed closely after Loki. Maybe it was some sort of Asgardian thing. He opened his mouth to throw back a snide remark, but settled for a scoff instead.
It wasn’t as though Tony was really trying to insult the other boy-if he had been, it certainly would have been much more obvious. But Loki didn’t seem to take too kindly to his comment-really, he would have said that to anyone, regardless of whether or not he found them ‘feminine’.
And really, he had thought about clarifying that on his way up the steps, but surely that wasn’t necessary. Loki could tell the difference, right? He didn’t seem like the type to be that insecure.
As they reached the top of the steps, Tony shook off his awkward, inner evaluation of how tight he’d tied his tongue and traced Loki’s gaze around the space, meeting him at his side and trying to suppress the grin that rose to his lips.
"Yeah, it’s alright I guess."
He snuck a glance over to Loki, eyes washing over his face in a manner he hoped went unnoticed.
"Alright." Loki’s tone was flat as he repeated the word, glancing at Tony with one eyebrow raised. "Your lack of enthusiasm leads me to believe you have grown far too accustomed to such a spectacle." Returning his attention to the view outside, the younger boy’s eyes traced the waves that rolled silently towards an unknown shore beneath the window, finding the motion soothing.
"I have seen sights that many men would sell their souls to see," The words were soft, distant; as if he was addressing the force of nature outside rather than the boy standing next to him. "Asgard holds many wonders; waterfalls that flow upwards; floating buildings that rotate according to the position of the sun in the sky; bioluminescent shores that shine at night with more colours than you can imagine possible - but this," he lifted a hand up, hovering it mere inches away from the glass, so very close but not quite touching, "-this is a sight untainted by magic, untainted by anything. It may be eclipsed by wonders like the ones found on Asgard, but to those without magic, this is a wonder in itself.”
His hand fell slowly back to his side, and Fenrir nudged it gently with his nose. Loki ran long, slender fingers through the dog’s fur absent-mindedly as he continued in a voice quieter than before, “It gives me hope that anyone can emerge from the shadows if they try.”
Blinking multiple times, he tore his gaze from the world outside and turned to face Tony, suddenly extremely self-conscious. “You mentioned something about food?” The subject change was quick, and if he’d known where the kitchen was, Loki probably would have made a move towards it - but he didn’t have any inkling so instead had to wait for Tony to show the way.
As Loki explained the wonders of his world, Tony couldn't help his mind from its direction. In him was a sense of awe that such a thing could exist-that something so foreign to him was out there in the world and he didn't hardly know a thing about it and naturally, it presented something uncomfortable to him. In a life surrounded by the fusion of science and magic, he'd grown accustomed to the idea of contradiction.
But he couldn't help if he was still skeptical. After all, wasn't that his reaction to beauty?
"Is that what it's like?" he asked before he could stop himself, making no motion yet for the kitchen and dismissing Loki's nudge in that direction unknown to his guest. Ignoring those words that tagged along at the end of his reminiscence. Anyone can emerge from the shadows if they try. He would remember that for later when he would further pry into what, exactly, had driven Loki here.
"If it's so wonderful, why would you ever leave?"
