for loki

[semi_stable]

It's after 11pm and Bucky can't sleep, but not for the usual reasons. No, this reason is newer, and sometimes even a little more frustrating. This time he can't sleep because he's horny. In the past, this happened with a lot less frequency and when the issue did arise, so to speak, he could take care of it in a few minutes with some spit and his right hand.

But now he has other options. Now, sex isn't just some fond memory from time gone by. It's something that he has with somewhat astonishing regularity, and now it seems that his body has gotten accustomed to it. He tried jerking off and it only seemed to soothe the itch for a moment, like pressing a fingernail into a mosquito bite.

He rolls over in bed and reaches out to turn on his lamp, eyes catching on his phone. After a pause, he reaches out to touch the screen and check the time. Late, but not too late. He always finds himself wary of reaching out to Loki or Sylvie later at night because they live together, and while he knows that they aren't attached at the hip, it's likely that they spend a lot of their nights together, and he worries about being an interruption. He's a part of them but not a part of their household, and he never wants to intrude.

Eventually, he grabs the phone and rolls onto his back, feeling ridiculously like a teenager in how he's overthinking things. He'll just send a text and if Loki doesn't answer, it's just because he's busy.

Bopp misses you, he sends, blowing out a breath as he drops the phone to the bed and looks down at the slight bulge in his sleep pants. "Look what you made me do."

Comments

[semi_stable]

Bucky really had no idea what to expect in return, whether a compliment or a picture in return or a teasing joke, but what he gets sends a rush of warmth through him. He likes that Loki wants him there, and that he thought of Bopp. She loves it there with all that extra room, and Bucky likes it there, too. But it always seems to hurt when he has to leave.

Are you sure? He sends it even as he rolls out of bed and shoves his sleep pants down, padding naked across the room to pull clothes out of his dresser. Black athletic pants, blue tee, black hoodie. Grabbing his sneakers and socks (black), he sits down on the bed next to his phone and stares nervously at the three little dots at the bottom of the screen.

[thewrongpath]

Of course.

He sat back down on the edge of the bed, adding after a moment: Either that, or I'm coming there, and wouldn't you rather skip Bopp's early morning walk?

[semi_stable]

You make a valid argument, Bucky replies, smiling to himself and then looking over at Bopp, who has raised her head with sleepy curiosity. He looks down at the phone and starts the recording for a voice memo.

"Bopp, you wanna go for a walk?" He asks, and is rewarded with an excited yip and the sound of claws skittering across the hardwood floor. "I guess that's a yes. See you soon."

He sends the voice message and pulls on his shoes before turning out the lights and following her down the hall.

[thewrongpath]

Frowning at the unfamiliar icon that popped up in his texts, Loki chuckled as Bucky's voice, and the sound of Bopp's excitement, filtered through the speaker on his cell phone.

Tossing his phone carelessly onto the bed, Loki stretched both arms over his head, and with a flicker of magic, cleared his bed of scattered books. They had righted themselves neatly on the bookshelves in the front room by the time he made his way down the stairs. The room, which had become both library and cozy lounge, was now furnished with comfortable, overstuffed furniture in comfortable, neutral tones.

While Bucky had come over to the townhouse on more than one occasion, Loki realized that he hadn't been by since Loki had felt that the decorating was truly finished, with the shelves lined with books and various pieces of art hanging on the walls and crowding bare spaces on the shelves. He'd been careful to leave space for Sylvie to make her mark, as well, but apart from her own room, she seemed less concerned with the rest of the house.

And the attic room, an impressive space in its own right, was still untouched.

[semi_stable]

The streets are relatively quiet as Bucky heads towards the nicer area of town, restaurants and shops closed aside from a couple bars and bodegas. One of them catches his eye and he stops in to buy a single red rose wrapped in plastic, along with a dog biscuit.

It’s a silly gesture, but one that might make Loki smile, so it’s worth it.

When he reaches the townhouse, he holds the flower behind his back and knocks on the door, smiling down at Bopp as she starts to bounce on her front paws excitedly. “I know,” he tells her. “Me too.”

[thewrongpath]

Rising from the couch at the sound of a knock, Loki crossed the foyer, pausing only a moment before opening the door.

Leaning casually against the frame, he said, "Well, hello there. And who might you lovely strangers be?"

[semi_stable]

"Just a few weary travelers," Bucky replies, still holding one hand behind his back while clutching at Bopp's leash with the other. "Hoping for a place to lay our heads."

Bopp doesn't play along with the game and instead throws herself against Loki's legs, rubbing up against them as her tail wags wildly, and Bucky can't help but to laugh. "Come on, girl. We were going to play it cool."

[thewrongpath]

"Now, why would you want to do that?" Loki said, reaching down to give Bopp a vigorous scratch behind the ears.

"Let's get the lady inside, before she strains something," he said, taking a step back to allow them both inside, his brow arched as he took in the obvious way Bucky seemed to be holding something behind his back.

[semi_stable]

"I spent most of my life under ice. I can't help being cool," he says, which is a terrible joke both in content and execution, but that was the point.

Bucky follows Bopp into the house and unhooks her leash, setting it down on the table near the door. He looks around, brows climbing when he sees how much it's changed even since he was last there. It looks like a home, and Bucky feels an unexpected wave of complicated emotions before settling on a genuine smile. He's happy for them.

"The place looks great," he says sincerely, and then realizes that Loki is looking at him expectantly. Taken as he was by the living room, he'd nearly forgotten the rose. It feels a little ridiculous, single red rose and sprig of baby's breath wrapped in cellophane, and he bites his lip before holding it out to Loki. "This is for you."

[thewrongpath]

Whatever Loki had been expecting, it certainly wasn't the single red rose currently held out awkwardly between them. It was ridiculous, but while he could guess that the flower had been bought as something of a jest, there was a vulnerable sincerity in Bucky's eyes that always seemed to knock Loki completely off balance.

"Oh, yes, very cool," Loki agreed, his smile softening as he reach out to take the little flower. "Well, we have to get this into a bit of water, don't we?"

[semi_stable]

"If you think it'll help," Bucky says with a chuckle, shrugging as he slides his hands into pockets of his joggers. "I just saw it and thought of you."

That's true of a lot of things these days, but he isn't complaining. Everything seems to remind him of something, and he'll take the good over the bad any day.

"Sylvie not here?" Just because Bucky hasn't seen her doesn't mean she isn't home, large as this place is, and he wants to make sure he isn't ignoring her if she is. He laughs again, soft and a little bashful. "I'm never sure of the proper etiquette when I come over."

[thewrongpath]

Once, such a statement might have insulted him. A god deserved much more than a single rose, bought hastily at a convenience store. Now, he couldn't help but be rather charmed. "That's very sweet," he said, warmly amused.

Pulling a small bud vase off one of the high shelves with the help of a bit of magic, he carried it with him into the kitchen to fill it with water.

"She isn't. Perhaps she'll turn up," he said with a casual shrug. As far as he knew, he had the evening to himself, but he'd be happy enough if she returned home early. Peeling the plastic from the rose, he plucked it into its vase, along with the little sprig of baby's breath.

"Try not to overthink it."

[semi_stable]

“Well, I certainly can’t give you diamonds or gold, so sugar will have to do,” Bucky jokes with a little wink, even though he knows that Loki doesn’t want that from him. He’s spent a lot of time thinking about what Loki does want from him, because at first he was sure that it had to be something, but he never could figure out what.

Now he thinks that it’s nothing at all. He wants nothing from Bucky other than his time. He wants nothing that Bucky isn’t willingly handing over. It means a great deal to him.

He listens as he follows Loki into the kitchen and then goes still at the end, flushing a bit at being caught out. It isn’t a bad feeling necessarily. It’s good to be seen, even down into the cracks.

“Believe me, I try,” he admits with an amused exhale, leaning against the doorway and crossing his arms over his chest as Loki fiddles with the rose, smiling fondly.

[thewrongpath]

"Hm," Loki acknowledged, cutting him a faintly knowing smile. With one last flourish, he decided the rose was leaning inside its little crystal vase just right.

"It looks rather nice, doesn't it?" He asked, eyes bright. "Though, perhaps that's just the vase."

[semi_stable]

“Looks kinda like us,” Bucky muses, smirking wryly at the sight of a cheap resilient bloom finding home in a fragile ornate vase, greedily sucking up nutrients after going so long without. “Better together.”

It’s a corny thing to say, but it’s better than the ambling metaphor in his head.

“I come all this way and bring you a flower, and I don’t even get a kiss?” He chuckles and shakes his head. “Ain’t that just the way.”

[thewrongpath]

"Oh, my apologies. I wasn't aware I owed you for your troubles," he teased, leaning casually against the counter.

Holding out a hand, he said, "Come here, then. Collect your fee."

[semi_stable]

“You sure like making me work for it,” he teases, smiling as he reaches out to take Loki’s hand, letting himself be reeled in until they’re close enough for him to reach out and put metal hand on Loki’s bare hip, cool fingertips nudging beneath the waistband of his pants.

He leans in as if he’s going to kiss Loki and stops two inches away, smirking and pointedly licking his own bottom lip and letting his accent thicken. “Work with me a little, doll.”

[thewrongpath]

Chuckling, Loki curled his other hand in the front of Bucky's shirt, drawing him the rest of the way in. "I don't know why I put up with you," he murmured against Bucky's lips, nudging his mouth open and drawing him into a deep, lazy kiss.

Bopp's little nails clicked merrily across the hardwood as she explored the kitchen, nose to the floor. They'd never given her free reign of the place, but he wasn't worried she'd get herself into trouble.

[semi_stable]

“I can think of a few reasons,” Bucky says right before their mouths meet, groaning low in his throat as Loki’s tongue sweeps into his mouth. He sucks on it, nipping at his bottom lip before kissing him again.

“I was thinking about you,” he admits against Loki’s mouth, kissing him as he puts his hands on Loki’s hips and lifts him easily up onto the kitchen island, pressing himself between the other man’s thighs while reaching up to cup the side of his face.

[thewrongpath]

"Is that so?" He murmured warmly, knees opening for Bucky to make room for himself between them. Unzipping Bucky's hoodie, Loki slipped his hands inside, letting out a low hum at the warmth of his skin through the thin cotton of his shirt.

"I had suspected, when you sent me that text," he teased, kissing the corner of Bucky's mouth. "I suppose it wouldn't shock you to hear that I was thinking of you, as well. I was almost out of bed and on my way to your door, when I received that timely message."

[semi_stable]

Finally kissing Loki feels almost like a dam breaking, like an itch being scratched, and a part of him is so afraid of needing someone so much. The louder part of him is simply just so glad to be here with Loki in his arms.

“Were you really?” Bucky asks, finding the words terribly sweet. They’re acting like it’s been weeks since they’ve seen each other rather than days, but maybe that’s what it’s like to be in love. Any time apart feels stretched out endlessly.

“I’m here now,” he murmurs, curling his metal hand around the back of Loki’s neck while the other grabs at his hip, dragging him in closer. “I’m yours for the night.”

[thewrongpath]

"Hm, I like the sound of that," Loki admitted, his voice a low rumble as he allowed himself to be reeled in until he was perched on the very edge of the counter top.

"What shall I do with you, then?" He wondered, pushing the hooded sweatshirt off of Bucky's shoulders and letting it catch down around his elbows.

[semi_stable]

“Me too,” Bucky replies, feeling a sharp shiver of arousal at the sound of Loki’s low voice, that suggestive question in an accent that drives Bucky a little insane.

He grins and tugs the hoodie off before looping the fabric behind Loki’s back, gripping both ends of it and using it to tug him forward until there is barely any room between them at all.

“Whatever you want,” he says against Loki’s mouth, just before kissing him again. It’s a big offer, but he trusts Loki. Not only that, he wants. He wants so bad that he walked across the city at midnight, and as long as he’s touching Loki, he’ll be happy. “As long as it takes all night.”

[thewrongpath]

"Not planning to get any sleep, then," Loki observed, a smile breaking out against Bucky's lips and hands working their way beneath the hem of Bucky's t-shirt.

"I'm sure I can occupy you somehow."

[semi_stable]

"Not unless you wear me out," Bucky replies between kisses, letting go of the hoodie so he can get his hands on Loki's bare skin, sliding them up his flanks and along his back, over the wings of his shoulders.

"You're very resourceful," he teases, grinning against Loki's mouth and sliding his good hand up into Loki's soft hair, fingers slipping through the loose curls before cupping the base of his skull to drag him in for a deeper, more thorough kiss.