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

[thewrongpath]

In over a year in Darrow, Loki still wasn't entirely accustomed to using his cell phone to communicate. More often, he simply turned up wherever the person he wanted to see happened to be, without prior warning more often than not.

That evening, he was somewhat restless. It was a rare night alone in the townhouse, Sylvie off doing whatever she pleased, and he'd spent a bit of time scribbling in a notebook, leafing through a novel that hardly held his attention. As the night wore on, he felt a growing urge to set out, and no doubt his feet would take him to Barnes' apartment, but was held back by the unfamiliar worry that it might seem like he was using the man as a last resort, which was far from the truth.

As laissez faire as he might've seemed about the whole arrangement, he was just as clueless how one navigated a relationship with one person, let alone two.

So, it didn't occur that he could simply call, and when his phone buzzed, he almost didn't hear it, having left it under a pile of blankets strewn at the foot of his bed.

Reading the message, he pressed his lips together to stifle a smile, perching himself on the edge of the bed and writing back: I'll bet she does.

He paused, and after a moment, added: What are you doing to console her?

[semi_stable]

A response comes quickly, before Bucky even has time to get anxious about it, and he smiles down at the screen. Texting isn't something that he does all too often, especially when it's more than an exchange of information. This is for no reason, just because, and he's sort of glad that Loki isn't around to see the dopey grin on his face.

There is no consoling her, he replies, lifting his phone to take a photo of Bopp where she's snoozing in her bed, one arm draped over her favorite stuffed bear. Even still, even sleep, she looks perfectly content, and Bucky smirks as he sends the photo.

His camera is still on once he's done, aimed at his bare stomach, and Bucky lifts a brow as he angles it to put the dip of his ribs and the cradle of his hips in the frame, flexing his abs and shifting up the bed a bit to drag the waistband of his black pants down a bit lower. He takes the picture and lifts the phone to inspect it, not sending it quite yet.

[thewrongpath]

Is the little bear meant to be a stand-in?

He hated to admit it, but there was something about seeing her so content, curled up on a bed that had become quite familiar, that sent a shock of warmth through his chest.

Perhaps we should find her something more representative.

[semi_stable]

They were all out of stuffed alligators, he sends back, smiling to himself and then going back to the picture. He doesn't really take pictures of himself, especially like this, and he wonder why this, after all they've done, makes him hesitate.

I guess I miss you, too. He sends a minute later, attaching the picture and then chickening out and deleting it, biting his lip as he shifts a little to get more comfortable. What are you doing?

[thewrongpath]

Of course you do, he answered, in the same flippant way he'd addressed the dog's despair. He paused for effect, then sent along an addendum:

I miss you, too.

At the question, Loki chuckled. One thing he did enjoy about his phone was the camera feature, and he pulled it up, taking a quick shot of himself, and the scatter of books strewn about his unmade bed. He was shirtless, but there was nothing particularly provocative about his pose. As you can see, the excitement never ends.

[semi_stable]

The words make him smile, and it only grows when the photo comes through. He expands it to fill the screen and takes in Loki's dark hair and wide, pale shoulders marked with freckles and beauty marks that so few people get to see. To see that he's surrounded by books isn't surprising. He looks cozy, and Bucky wishes he could be there.

Nerd. He huffs in amusement and then attaches the photo he took again, sending it before he can chicken out. There isn't anything obscene about it, but it's certainly suggestive. It's another first time, another new thing to try, all because of them. More interesting than books?

[thewrongpath]

Loki wasn't exactly shocked by the picture. What did shock him wasn't the lust he felt, a rush going straight to his groin, but the warmth of affection that nearly bowled him over. He wanted, more than anything, to be in the other man's arms.

He was on his feet, dressed, in the blink of an eye, but then thought better of it.

Come over, he texted. Bring Her Majesty. She can run about the yard.

[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.