(no subject)

[semi_stable]

When Loki suggests that they grab dinner, Bucky doesn't think much of it, really. It wouldn't be the first meal they've gotten together, not even the first at this particular restaurant. Honestly, once he thought about getting another one of those steaks, he stopped asking questions.

After spending the afternoon lounging around with Bopp and reading a book, he takes her for an evening walk and then showers. Since he has time, he trims the scruff on his face and cleans up the edges, and then pulls out the one black suit that he has in his closet. He bought it early on, first to blend in while he was spying on people, and then to do the same at the few parties he's been to.

It's too hot for a button down so he just puts on a dark blue v-neck tee underneath and finishes it off with his one black belt, and his one pair of dress shoes. As he pulls his watch off of the dresser, his eyes linger on the black leather gloves sitting in the top drawer. Normally, he'd wear then to cover his hand if he was dressing up and he pauses for a moment, looking down at his prosthetic and flexing his black and gold fingers. He swallows hard and then shuts the drawer, turning to look at himself in the mirror and smoothing his hair back with his hand.

"Ah, ah. Don't touch me. You'll get fur everywhere," he says as he hops out of Bopp's reach, turning to rub her behind the ears. "I'll be back."

It isn't too far to the steakhouse and the heat of the day is starting to burn away, so Bucky walks. He even whistles to himself a little on the way until someone looks at him and he realizes what he's doing. It makes him chuckle and he shakes his head, pulling his phone out of his pocket to compose a text.

I'm outside.

Comments

[semi_stable]

“God, no. Who has that kind of time?” Bucky jokes, winking as he takes another bite of his steak. Loki has made mistakes, very big ones, and he has his flaws, but so does Bucky.

“Besides, we’re trying to be better, right?” He sets his fork down and reaches for his glass of wine, taking a sip as he looks at Loki with a warm expression. “I wouldn’t want to get in the way of all your progress.”

[thewrongpath]

"Don't you dare wink at me," Loki laughed, wanting desperately to reach across the table and brush aside the strand of hair that had fallen across the other man's forehead.

"Right, of course. We're giving each other the room to fix ourselves. How very evolved of us."

Cutting off a bit of his steak, he speared it with his fork, along with a bit of mushroom and onion, making sure to swipe it through the drizzle of fig sauce artfully smeared across the bottom of the plate. "Try this," he said, holding the fork out to Bucky, "Since you so rudely judged it."

[semi_stable]

“Why not?” Bucky replies with a laugh, smiling softly at the way Loki looks at him. “So very mature.”

He swallows a bite of potatoes just in time for Loki to offer his fork, holding out a perfectly crafted little bite, and he knows that he could reach and take the fork in his hand. Instead he leans forward and closes his mouth around the metal tines, keeping his eyes on Loki’s as he pulls back back and chews thoughtfully, licking a bit of sauce from his lower lip.

“That’s very good,” he admits once he’s swallowed, nodding a bit and finally tearing his gaze away to look down at Loki’s plate. “But they should still just call it sauce.”

[thewrongpath]

"They should. Though, I suppose they need it to sound luxurious to justify the exorbitant price," Loki observed, shifting the fork in his grip in order to briefly brush his thumb over the corner of Bucky's mouth.

As their meals disappeared from their plates, the bottle of wine nearly drained, Loki asked, "Shall we order dessert?"

[semi_stable]

“Mm, I suppose so.” Loki touches his mouth and Bucky quickly purses his lips against the side of his thumb before he pulls it away, smiling to himself as his attention returns to his meal.

He puts away the whole steak and most of the potatoes and vegetables, and by the time they’re done, Bucky is actually very nearly full. Not so close to full, however, that he doesn’t perk up at the mention of dessert.

“I think so. Maybe we can share something,” he offers as he pours out the rest of the wine into their glasses. “I can’t wait to see how luxurious this will be.”

[thewrongpath]

Playfully rolling his eyes, Loki turned to search for the waitress just as she headed their way, seeing that their plates were empty. She politely handed them the dessert menu as she cleared their plates.

He perused it briefly, saying to Bucky, "Dark chocolate, didn't you say?" There were only a few tasteful choices, a cheesecake, a sorbet, and a berries and custard dessert, but second from the top was a flourless chocolate espresso cake.

"I'll have a brandy, as well," he said to the waitress, handing her his menu with a charming smile.

[semi_stable]

Bucky nods, feeling deeply pleased at having his tastes considered. Loki is very good at this whole dating thing, funny and attentive and flirty, and Bucky can’t help but to be charmed by him.

“Me too,” he says after Loki orders a brandy, because why not? He feels almost out of place in this fancy restaurant, but not in a bad way. It makes him feel a little like when he we would sneak into fancy places as a teenager, seeing how long he could blend in with the wealthy before he was found out.

“So,” Bucky begins, pausing to tip his head back to finish off his wine, lips stained red as he gives Loki a flirty smile. “Are there plans for after dinner?”

[thewrongpath]

"Well, you didn't let me pick you up but, at the very least, I thought you'd let me walk you home," Loki said, leaning back in his chair in a way that was somehow both elegant and careless.

"Unless you've had enough of me for the day."

[semi_stable]

The comment makes Bucky furrow and brow and tilt his head a little as he thinks back over their earlier conversation, and then he laughs at himself when he realizes just how dense he’d been.

“In my defense, I don’t get asked out on dates a lot,” Bucky tells him, which is technically true. It happens more often in Darrow, where everyone seems a little bit more bold, but it’s usually women. Or maybe he just doesn’t notice when it’s men.

“But yes, I think that can be arranged.” He smiles and bites his bottom lip suggestively, gaze dipping briefly to Loki’s mouth. “You have to come up to say hello to Bopp, of course. Maybe we can have a night cap.”

They both know what will happen, but it’s fun to play like maybe they don’t. Perhaps he’d just like to see if he could be wooed further.

[thewrongpath]

"I find that hard to believe," Loki said, watching as Bucky's eyes lingered on his mouth, which curled into a placid smile.

"Oh, of course. We wouldn't want her to feel left out."

The waitress approached with their drinks, setting two snifters between them, along with their cake and two forks. "This looks lovely, thank you," he said to her, though his eyes never left Bucky's, even as she turned to go.

[semi_stable]

"Enjoy the rest of your evening, gentlemen," the woman says in a very politely sly tone, and it's only then that Bucky realizes that they had just been sitting there staring at each other like dopes. He chuckles a little, sounding almost flustered as he turns his head to look up at her.

"We will. Thank you," Bucky tells her, watching her turn to go and then giving the side of Loki's shoe a tap with the toe of his own. He rests his metal forearm in front of him on the edge of the table and picks up a clean fork with the other, glancing up at Loki and then down at the cake, lips going a little slack in surprise at just how beautiful it looks arranged on the plate.

"They put so much time into this and we're just gonna eat it," he says in a low, loose drawl, smiling wryly and shaking his head. "That feels like luxury."

[thewrongpath]

She'd discretely left the bill, tucked away in a leather folder, on the edge of the table. With a glow of magic, Loki produced a card and tucked it inside the folder. The account which the card drew from had nearly unlimited funds, but he had not used it as excessively as he could.

"I suppose that's what luxury is here. Finding new, more elaborate ways to spend one's money," Loki observed, reaching out and covering Bucky's metal hand, where it rested on the table, with his own. Loki, having lived among kings and queens his whole life, was familiar with luxury, but Asgard did not function through the same capitalistic system that Darrow clearly did. The idea of earning money to live still somewhat baffled him.

[semi_stable]

As Bucky watches Loki tuck the card away, he realizes that yes, he feels like sort of an imposter in this place, with these people, but Loki is too, in a way. Maybe not in the exact same way, but it's enough to make Bucky feel more at ease.

"That's definitely accurate," he says with a chuckle, smiling as Loki's hand rests on his and sending out another thanks to Shuri, wherever she is, for allowing him to be able to sense the warmth of it.

With his other hand, he cuts off a small piece of the cake and puts it in his mouth, and then rolls his eyes as if he's annoyed at how good it tastes. It's actually sort of ridiculous, and he lets out another amused huff and licks his lips. "This cake might make me not hate capitalism for five minutes."

[thewrongpath]

Loki was momentarily distracted by Bucky's wonderfully expressive face. Usually so closely guarded, he showed every bit of his annoyance, his pleasure, his amusement, and his desire plainly. Loki couldn't seem to look away.

Fingers curling under Bucky's metal palm, Loki reached for his own fork, saying, "I'd better hurry, before it all vanishes," as he stole a bite of his own. It was decadently rich, not too sweet, and seemed to melt on the tongue.

"You're right. I think this alone might be worth the price of the meal."

[semi_stable]

"We should have gotten another one to go," Bucky replies with a smirk, taking another bite and then swiping his fork through the foamy looking sauce on the side. He inspects it and then licks it from the fork, playfully smacking his lips. "Ah, coffee essence."

He cuts off another bite and drags it through the sauce before holding the fork out to Loki, brow lifting as he smirks and leans in a bit closer. "Try this."

[thewrongpath]

"Rude," Loki said playfully, as Bucky smacked his lips, though it gave him a brief view of his pink tongue, which Loki found himself rather fixated on.

Giving him a knowing smirk, Loki leaned in and closed his mouth around the tines of Bucky's fork, humming his pleasure softly. He chewed thoughtfully, swallowed, and said, "Are you trying to convince me it's better off of your fork?"

[semi_stable]

"Are you trying to pretend you didn't do the same thing earlier?" Bucky volleys back in a low, flirty tone, smirking as he looks down at Loki's mouth. The urge to close the distance between them is so strong that Bucky has to pull back entirely under the guise of remembering his brandy. He sets down his fork and picks up the delicate little glass, making a facetious show of swirling the amber liquid around as he inhales the scent of it.

"It actually smells really good," he admits, nearly laughing again before he takes a small sip. It's sweet and a little citrusy, and he nods a little as he sets the glass down. "I have zero complaints."

[thewrongpath]

Laughing heartily, Loki took another bite of the cake before reaching for his brandy. "Well, let's hope we can continue that winning streak for the rest of the night," he teased, hiding a smile behind the rim of his glass.

Even savoring it, the cake was polished off rather quickly, as was the brandy, just as the waitress returned with his card. Signing the bill without really even glancing at the total, he made sure to leave a generous tip, tossing the folder onto the table, along with his napkin.

"Shall we go?" He asked, brow arched.

[semi_stable]

"Mm, we'll have to see," Bucky drawls out as if it were actually up in the air, nodding at the question before moving to stand, wiping his mouth with his napkin and dropping it onto the table. Bucky makes a point not to look at the bill, because honestly he'd rather just not know.

They make their way out of the restaurant, Bucky following close behind Loki. It's obvious why they were here together and he finds it freeing just how little he cares.

"That really was amazing," Bucky says once they're outside, sounding more sincere and looking over at Loki with a smile. "Thank you."

[thewrongpath]

"It was rather nice, wasn't it?" Loki agreed, pausing just outside the restaurant and breathing in the muggy, late summer air. The sky was clear, and while the stars weren't particularly visible in the city, it was still a lovely night.

They stood side by side, and with a faintly arched brow, Loki offered his hand. They had a few blocks to walk, and while it was relatively late on a week night, the streets were far from deserted. Perhaps it was another boundary he wanted to push, simply to see if he could.

More likely, and perhaps more embarrassingly, he simply wanted to hold Bucky's hand.

[semi_stable]

Loki holds out his hand and Bucky looks down at it consideringly for a moment. It's a warm night and they're already both in suit jackets. There are people all around them, either waiting for the valet or walking up to the door, but that's fine. He doesn't have to worry because he's nobody here, and he's so glad for that.

"Sap," Bucky says as he puts his good hand into Loki's, but he shoots him a smile as he threads their fingers together, jerking his chin a little to gesture for them to start walking before tugging him by the hand.

"I like your suit," he says once they're on the next block, letting Loki walk ahead so Bucky can slow and let their arms stretch out between them to get a better look. "I don't think I told you that earlier."

[thewrongpath]

Turning on his heel and simultaneously flipping his hair out of his face in a practiced move, Loki walked confidently backward, facing Bucky with a pleased smile curling the corners of his lips. "Thank you," he said, smoothing his free hand down the lapel of his jacket. "I was hoping you would."

He supposed it wouldn't hurt to admit that he'd had Bucky in mind when he'd chosen it, having clearly already given himself away through the course of the evening.

[semi_stable]

The admission makes Bucky smile, and also makes him feel a little silly for misunderstanding Loki’s intentions when he’d invited Bucky to dinner. It just hadn’t really occurred to him, but that isn’t Loki’s fault. It rarely occurs to Bucky that good things could happen to him. Especially nice things, romantic things.

He uses his grip on Loki’s hand to tug him forward, reaching out to grab Loki’s hip with his metal hand and tug him in closer, staring at him with a soft smile. As much as he wants to finally kiss Loki, he also kind of likes the anticipation. Also, once he starts, he might not be able to stop, so for now he plants a soft kiss high on his cheek before starting to walk again, still holding onto Loki’s hand.

“My compliments to your magical tailor,” he says with a smirk, raising their joined hands to urge Loki to do a little spin beneath them, gaze dropping briefly to his ass. “He does stunning work.”

[thewrongpath]

Loki wasn't one to blush, but his smile softened as Bucky leaned in to kiss his cheek, a hand lifting to rest briefly against Bucky's cheek.

They parted, and Loki laughed softly as Bucky urged him to turned, their hands clasped over Loki's head. "I wanted to leave just enough to the imagination," he said, eyes playfully bright.

[semi_stable]

"Yes, what could possibly be under there. I wouldn't have any idea," Bucky replies with a soft smirk, smoothly drawing Loki's arm around his shoulders before letting go of his hand to wrap his arm loosely around Loki's waist instead. His hand slips under the jacket to rest against his hip, thumbing just above his waistband as they start walking again.

"I was serious about the nightcap," he says as they cross the street to the next block. "Believe it or not, I still have that bottle of paint thinner you gave me."