~Rewrite the Stars~
Tony barely slept at night the next few weeks. He wasn’t so much overthinking as he was just.. Thinking. Why did Loki care so much about his feelings? That wasn’t right. No one had ever dared to care that much about Tony’s feelings.
The walk to the “museum” was a quiet one. There were already people lined up outside the building, waiting for the ticket booth to open so they could see the show. Tony furrowed his brows and ignored the crowd, heading inside as quickly as possible. He was surprised to find Loki and the others already setting up for the performance.
“What are you doing here so early?” Tony asked as he walked over to help.
Loki smiled. “Making things easier for you. You have a partner now, which means that you have someone who can help set everything up. Besides, I needed to do something before I died of boredom.”
“How long have you been here?” Tony raised a brow.
“Only about two hours. I had nothing better to do so I just came in early. Now quit talking so we can get this show on the road.”
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The show went exceptionally well. There was no having to deal with nerves or panic attacks this time- and Loki thanked the gods for that. He took a seat at the desk in the main office, shuffling through paperwork. Tony seemed occupied with something at the moment, so Loki had decided to take care of this while he could. He was about three papers in before there was a knock on the door.
“May I come in?”
It was Natasha. She seemed to be… worried?
“Of course you may come in. What brings you to me?” Loki turned his attention towards the red-head.
“Tony seems really distracted today.. Do you think you could talk to him when you get a chance?”
“Oh, of course I can. I’ll make sure to talk to him before I leave tonight.”
Natasha smiled. “Thank you. I’m glad we can count on you to keep an eye on him..”
As Natasha left the room, another person moved in. It was Thor, Loki’s older brother and the one Tony called the “thunderer”. He had been a late addition to the show, only doing it once this morning. Loki had brought him in one night, and he immediately gained Tony’s attention. He wasn’t the brightest of the bunch, but it didn’t matter much. He was muscular, and Tony told him it made him perfect for the show. It wasn’t like people that large where common around the city, so of course Tony would invest in him.
“Hello Loki!” Thor boomed, grinning. “Have you seen Stark?”
Loki shook his head, turning his attention back to the papers on the desk. “No, I haven’t seen him since this morning. Sincerest apologies, Thor.”
“Oh. Alright. I was wondering if he thought I did alright, but I can ask him later.” Thor smiled. “Why are you cooped up in an office, brother? You should come join us out in the main room! Bucky went and got everyone something to eat, including you.”
“He did?” Loki raised a brow and looked up to the blonde. “Well, I guess I have to go out now.” He smiled softly and got up, following Thor out to where everyone was.
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“Oh! You brought him out! Here, I got you some food.” Bucky said, sounding slightly excited that Loki had been drug out to socialize. He handed Loki a plate, smiling.
Steve, another newbie to the show, chimed in. “Surprising that he even would agree to join us out here.”
Loki rolled his eyes. “You all know very well I wouldn’t say no to coming out and talking to you all. Quit saying that.”
Bucky made a noise, crossing his arms. “Right, you actually have been around today… unlike a certain someone..”
“Yes, I know. Anthony hasn’t been around much. I’m going to try and talk to him, if I can even find him, after we finish here.”
Lunch didn’t last very long. Everyone had eaten before Loki joined, so they all went off before he had even finished- with the exception of Thor and Bucky. They stayed and talked with Loki, trying to keep him from worrying to much at the moment. Needless to say, it didn’t help. Loki threw his trash in the garbage, going straight to find Tony. He needed to make sure he was okay.
After a good few minutes of looking in the main building, Loki found Tony sitting outside the back door. He had his head in his arms, mumbling quietly to himself.
“Anthony, what the hell are you doing out here..?” Loki’s heart dropped seeing him like this.
Tony was startled by the presence of his partner. He lifted his head, looking at the towering man.
“Nothing..”
Loki sighed and sat next to Tony. “You’re lying to me. What’s the matter?”
Tony felt his face heat up. Loki being this close was the last thing he wanted today. He wanted to tell him that the way he cared was affecting him, that it was causing him to feel things.
Loki shifted and swallowed around the lump in his throat. “Look, I get it if you don’t trust me. I know we’ve barely talked much… but..” He took a shaky breath. “I really care about you. I don’t like seeing you like this.”
Tony bit his lip. He could either spill his guts and reveal that he may or may not have developed a huge crush on Loki in the past few weeks, or he could keep saying that everything was fine and lie to him.
He’d just have to scold himself later. Tony looked Loki in the eyes and made a soft noise. “I’m sorry that you’ve had to see me like this.. The whole reason I’ve acted like this is because- it’s because I’ve been wanting to tell you something but I’ve been to afraid to.”
“What Anthony? You can tell me anything, please tell me so you can go back to being your normal self..”
Tony’s face went red. “I think I’m in love with you.”
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Loki felt his heart beat grow faster in his chest. No way that this was real, no one in their right mind would ever say something like that to him. But.. Tony looked and sounded so sincere. He seemed at least a little hopeful, and it was crushing Loki. Sure, he had similar feelings but he didn’t want to risk it. Being his business partner was one thing, being his romantic partner was another.
“I-“ Loki blinked hard. Screw it, if anything happens it happens. “I think I may also.. be in love. With you.”