At around 11:55, right when I was feeling so tired I could barely stand up for more than a minute, there was an announcement from JARVIS telling everyone to move outside the compound. Loki, who was sitting close enough to me on the couch, must have felt me tense at the thought of going outside and away from the protection of the compound, because he nudged me gently with his knee, giving me a soft smile. I stood by him nervously outside, only a step away from the door so we could go back inside if anything went wrong.

With three minutes to go, Tony appeared in the sky in his Iron Man suit. He kept tilting from side to side as he spoke and I wondered how many drinks he had drunk. He gave a everyone a big speech about the year and everything, eventually flying down and staggering slightly into Pepper's arms. The air was tense and silent and I looked around nervously, wrapping my arms around myself, partially because of the cool breeze, but also out of comfort. Suddenly, everyone began to count down.

"Ten!"

"Nine!"

"Eight!"

"Seven!"

"Six!"

"Five!"

"Four!"

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

Then the sky exploded.

There was sparks everywhere, all different colours, cutting through the silent air with loud booms and bangs. I screamed, the sound muffled by everyone else shouting as I instantly covered my ears with my hands. My heart hammered in my chest and my sharp breaths cut through the air in puffs of smoke. I scrambled backwards, only for a pair of strong hands to grab my shoulders. I opened my mouth to scream again as I was spun around, only to see Loki looking down at me worriedly. His face was patterned by the coloured sparks as the sky broke apart as his eyes darted over mer. He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could and before I could even think about what I was doing, I buried my face into his chest. I gripped his suit tightly, sobbing as I felt the bangs go straight through my body. His arms wrapped around me, holding me tightly in a cocoon of the soft scent he was wearing. He slowly lowered his head to my ear so I could hear him.

"Em." He whispered, his fingers gently rubbing on my back. "It's okay. It's just fireworks."

"It's loud." I whispered, not caring if he was able to hear me or not. "Too loud."

"They won't hurt you." He murmured, his arms tightening around me as I flinched at another bang. "It is just sparks, nothing dangerous. Come on, have a look. You'll regret it if you don't."

I shook my head rapidly, my fingers digging into my skin even through the fabric of his suit. He rubbed my back, almost urging me on, and very hesitantly, I moved my head away from his chest and looked up at the sky. My eyes widened as I saw it filled with the colourful sparks. There was another bang and I flinched, burying my face in his suit again.

"Just watch." He whispered in my ear, chuckling softly.

I slowly pulled my head out of his chest and looked up, flinching at another bang, but I made myself keep looking, knowing that if he trusted these things, then they couldn't be too bad.

While the sound didn't get any quieter, I couldn't help but slowly find some sort of beauty in the sparks. I slowly began to pick out the pretty colours to Loki, who rubbed my back comfortingly the whole time as he chuckled.

Eventually, they ended and I stepped back from Loki's arms, embarrassed at how I had acted, but he just chuckled and guided me back inside as the crowds moved. The Barton family, Vision and Yelena decided to stay the night once all of the guests began to leave. There was a massive mess left behind, but everyone was so tired, and in Thor's case, so drunk they had passed out. I barely managed to thank Loki for staying with me the whole night before I collapsed into my bed. 

AN: I know this is a short chapter, but don't worry, the next one is a big one!