shieldborne | For magpiemythos

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For magpiemythos

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After a confusing, worrisome evening spent together, Steve seems to feel he and Loki have hit some kind of new level in their friendship. He's less wry and cagey, a little more overly solicitous and warm; still, in the cold light of day he's a lot more awkward about both physical and emotional intimacy, and if Loki reverts to his usual teasing banter, Steve will fall into the same comfort zone.

He thinks about him often when he's not there, though. Hoping he's found a safer, kinder way to fight his demons. Fearing he hasn't, and feeling helpless to do anything more about that than he already has. At least now, Loki won't have to initiate all their contacts. He'll get occasional texts and calls from Steve, asking if he wants something at a store, if he's seen x or y movie, whether he's all right.

The others are a little bemused about Steve's increasingly less subtle interest in their otherworldly acquaintance. Some of them are openly skeptical, afraid he could be being played, but since no one has anything against Loki, it remains a topic of quiet, civil debate.

It's early in the evening this time when Steve texts Loki. Just a brief note, and he doesn't entirely expect a response: They're trying to convince me to get a tattoo of a bald eagle with a tear running down its face. It's a conspiracy, they're all in on it.

I doubt it would last long with my healing factor even if I did.

How's your evening going?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Steve doesn't understand the minion craze anyway. Chances are he'll gravitate toward something more classic, like a teddy bear or a gorilla. Loki will get the final veto, though.

"Mmhmm. I bet you are, sugar," he murmurs. It's not a sultry murmur, nothing especially sexual about it. Just a moment of tenderness.

When he lets her go, he does a momentary double-take. Holy shit, that's a blush. If positions were reversed, she would absolutely be calling him out on that...but he doesn't want to. He would rather not push his luck, and just enjoy it. He'll remember, though, filing the image away in his serum-enhanced memory.

"You can rest assured I am the most spoiled and intractable creature this side of the Nine Realms." Teasing of course, but since when was that new?

And while Steve had noticed her blushing, she hadn't, just smiling as she turned her attention to their surroundings, pointing out one of the nearby booths.

"Let's try this one here to start!" It didn't look like anything fancy, one of the water gun race games, a few people already settled in while the barker called for more players.

"Intractable now, too? What about fractious? Intransigent? Obstreperous?" Captain Thesaurus here, ladies and gentlemen. Vocabulary is fun.

Steve is reasonably well-read, himself, although he expects Loki will beat him at honest-to-god wordplay any time. He chuckles as she selects a game and reaches for his wallet. "Sure thing. You want to play or do you want me to?"

"...or both. That's an option, too." It's an option that's a waste of money if the object is solely to win a stuffed animal, but since the object is also to have fun, they may as well compete.

"Obstinate, wild, and unruly to boot." Oh Steve, you are a delight.

"I think this one should definitely be a competition." She grinned, tapping a neatly manicured fingernail against the tip of his nose. "Unless you think I'll beat you?"

A little friendly competition never hurt anything right? And she wouldn't even cheat this time around, make it nice and fair. As fair as a midway game was going to be anyways.

The carny is watching them with interest. Double the fare, what's not to like about that? She's probably a highschooler working her first job ever, but she takes their money with a polite smile and explains the rules. Steve glances at the other people seated and ready to play, then blinks at the tap on his nose and laughs.

"If I was afraid of being beaten, I wouldn't accept a competition," he says reasonably, and gestures her to a seat lightly. If they were chairs that could be moved rather than stools attached to the booth, he'd probably pull it out for her.

He sits beside her, though, and looks over the watergun skeptically. He hasn't played this game before.

"You'd be surprised how many people accept a challenge but never think they can lose. Gets them all fussy and bothered." She replied easily, perching on the stool he'd invited her to, feet crossing casually at the ankle as she settled.

"But something tells me losing isn't what gets you all flustered, is it?" She's a terrible, terrible tease at times, can Steve tell?

Oh. Steve watches her settle, distracted. Oh, Loki, look at you being all sweet and demure, is what he wants to say. Wants to tease back, except it's not much of a tease because he can tell she knows she's hit on exactly the way to make him crazy. This is going to go on all day, with the vintage dress and the seamed stockings and dark curly hair, and he's going to need about eight cold showers tonight.

The prospect is delightful, rather than daunting. "Do I look bothered?" He meets her gaze, and he is blushing just as vividly as she no doubt expected, but he's not looking away shyly, either, or protesting the tease.

Flustered, yes. Bothered, not so much.

She knows exactly what she's done, that much is entirely certain, between the sweet-looking smile and that casual bat of eyelashes.

"Bothered? No, not at all, we're having too much fun for you to be bothered." But there was a slight curl on the tone of the word, as if just as easily as bothered could be negative, it could also be incredibly positive. But she wouldn't know anything about that. She's a lady after all! And Steve best be paying attention to the countdown because she sure is. It's not cheating if she gets a head start on him because he was distracted by her!

It occurs to him suddenly that this whole date is a game, too. Not that he's being toyed with emotionally, not that it's in any way false, but it does seem like the teasing will continue most of the day, and keep him on his toes, whatever else happens. He can't pretend he doesn't relish the thought of a bit of a chase.

Who knows, maybe he can give as good as he gets? He did get a blush from her earlier.

He's distracted, though, and when the bell rings to begin, he gives a little start before lifting his watergun and aiming at the target. He's a decent shot with a real gun, but this is different, and he finds himself laughing as he struggles to adjust his aim.

As if it was any surprise really. If there was one thing Loki was good at, it was leading people on a merry chase. It certainly didn't hurt that she and Steve both were enjoying the process either.

But she was willing to let things lie during the game in favor of struggling with the cumbersome aim of the watergun. It was telling enough that she was playing fairly, and from the delighted giggle as she tilted just enough on her perch to elbow Steve teasingly, that she was enjoying herself.

Isn't she lucky Steve likes to run, though?

He bumps elbows and then knees with her, laughing, but he's not going to try to cheat by jostling her. Not right now, anyway. At some point the 'best date behavior' veneer will probably collapse, because he's not much of a gentleman, and Loki can take what he can dish out. Still, to start with, he's playing fair.

In the end, it's a kid down at the end who comes in first, by a nose, and Steve congratulates him with a handshake, then eyes Loki. "You want another go?"

Clearly this works out perfectly.

"Later," Loki waited until Steve was finished with the winning kid to take his hand in hers, falling in at his side. "I figure we can make the rounds before we settle in anywhere for too long. Besides, we should go on some of the rides too, hm?"

And it would scratch the itch to flit about too, though the impulse wasn't as bad with Steve at her side. Not that this always changed things, but today it seemed to, and Loki rather liked the grounding effect of his presence.

"What do you think we should do next?"

"Rides. Yes. We should!" Steve agrees, and for just a moment he hesitates, remembering throwing up repeatedly the last time he was here.

That was before the serum, though. The chances of that happening again are virtually nil. "Ferris wheel, spinning teacups, or the roller coasters?" He threads his fingers through hers and looks happy to have a hand to hold.

"Hmm..." Loki shifted slightly to lean against Steve as they considered their options, gaze sweeping over the crowds milling around them with a faint smile. "Let's start with the roller coasters and see where we end up from there."

Not that she took very long after that decision to start off again, keeping a grip on Steve's hand to lead him with her. And because well, she liked holding his hand, as after school special as that sounded.

His grip on her hand is tight. It might actually be tighter than would be comfortable for a human. It's a quirk of Steve's, to think of holding hands as a grab for security rather than a shy first-date activity. Maybe today it's a little bit of both.

He can't help but note with satisfaction how indifferent the crowd around them seems. Safe, he thinks, and wonders why. It seems foolish; he's not afraid of crowds, but the idea that Loki's given him anonymity, even temporarily, makes him feel peaceful.

He smiles at her and adjusts the flower in her hair with his free hand. "Sounds good. The lines only get longer later in the day, anyway."

"...although it's awfully pretty after dark, when everything gets lit up."

Not that Loki minds the tight grasp in the least. She tends to be rather aloof at times to be sure, eschewing contact in all forms, but she's not in that sort of mood at the moment. In fact she finds herself craving touch, even something as simple as hand-holding.

And she's definitely noticing the ease Steve's carrying himself with. It's something she's seen before to be sure but usually only in the privacy of her apartment or the tower. When out, with other people he always seemed to be watching, waiting. Seeing how happy anonymity makes him, how relaxed, Loki makes a mental note to figure out a version of the glamour he can use on his own. Tied to an item of some form probably.

But that's a thought for later. For now her attention is drawn by that light touch adjusting the flower, her smile widening a bit as she nodded in agreement. "Not like we can't go on some of the rides more than once when the sun's down. We've got time."

"All the time in the world," he agrees cheerfully. "The Thunderbolt is the newest one. Do you want to start there? Or the Cyclone, or the, um, Soarin' Eagle?"

...yeah. As soon as 'Soarin' Eagle' is out of his mouth, he realizes they're inevitably going there. "...I guess it would be wrong to snub the Eagle, huh?"

Hey, he has a sense of humor about himself, at least. "It's the closest, anyway."

"Downright un-American is what it'd be." Loki replied with a laugh and a teasing little wink as she ducked in closer to his side, hand leaving his only to slip around his waist instead.

"Lead the way." For the moment she was perfectly willing to follow him, at least if it meant staying tucked in beside him, which had the added bonus of him being able to get a whiff of the perfume she was wearing. A long day of teasing was in Steve's future, that much is for sure.

He huffs a breath, rolling his eyes in good-natured resignation at the tease. Except she's putting her arm around him now and that more than makes up for it. He lets his rest across her shoulders in response, breathing the sweet scent of her hair briefly.

He looks blissfully content.

As they walk, he glances up at her and says, "You know, I always figured after the serum I'd end up being taller than the gals I went around with. Guess that failed, huh?"

Loki was trying not to just be frustrating today. She liked Steve after all, and wanted him to have fun too. So teasing might happen but so did soft little affections to go with them. Enough to ease potential frustration so they could both have a good time.

"Hm?" She tilted her head slightly to peer at him as they came to a stop at the end of the line for the ride, red lips quirking to a small smile. "Well I don't know, I think you lucked out. Makes things like this real easy for me."

What things? Well, things like pressing a kiss to his forehead, as she happily demonstrated.

Steve is actually drinking in the attention. He's long been comfortable with playful banter; teasing like this isn't too big a step away from that. The only difference is the potential need for a cold shower later, and the fact that the tease is coming from an expert.

He raises an eyebrow at her, but grins when she kisses his forehead, closing his eyes briefly. "I wasn't complaining, actually. But you can take advantage of my relative shortness like that any time."

The line for the Eagle is on the long side, although chances are the newer coasters have more of a wait time. It's moving fast, though. They won't be at it long.

Even the idea that he'd be stuck dealing with things alone was a bit of a tease too- not that Steve would know that for a little while. Making him squirm was just a bit too fun to pass up, after all.

"Oh can I?" She laughed at that, resting her forehead against his. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

Loki didn't mind the lines for now. It was more time to stay all snuggled up with Steve after all, just keeping arms around him for now. Sure the line was moving fairly well, but that still left plenty of time to keep him in her grasp.

This is actually ridiculously, delightfully sweet, by Steve's standards. He suspects the same is true for Loki, even with the teasing. He leans back into the touch of forehead to forehead, smiling, eyes going half-hooded.

In case there was any doubt before, he's clearly thrown himself into the moment, taking reassurance from the break, the companionship, the old, aching memories being replaced by shiny new ones. "Please do," he tells her softly, and keeps his arm around her when the line moves on, like he can't get too much cuddling.

When they get to the front of the line, he moves back a little, more gentlemanly than clingy, and helps her into the coaster seat even though she's perfectly able to get there herself, kitten heels or no.

It's downright saccharine to Loki. Which would usually drive her up the wall, but this time? Didn't seem to bother her one bit. In fact it was... nice.

She stayed nestled right in where she was, quite happy to be in Steve's grasp and cuddled in against him. He wasn't the only one who craved contact, those soft, sweet moments that never seemed to come to her other than with him. He was practically addictive in that way, not that Loki would ever be caught dead complaining about it in any seriousness.

And while yes, she is able to get into the seat herself, the chivalrous assistance earns Steve a smile and a quick peck on the cheek once he'd settled in at her side.

The kiss makes him grin like an idiot at exactly the moment the ride operator comes over to make sure the lap bar is in place. He's another teenager, like the girl running the game, and he smirks as he tugs on the bar to make sure it's locked, then gives Steve a little nod as he moves on, like a silent congratulations. Steve's blush levels up a notch, but he puts his hand over Loki's anyway, choosing not to be abashed by getting caught in the public display of affection.

"In the interest of full disclosure, I feel like I should warn you I threw up the last time I rode a roller coaster," he says wryly. "But that was before the serum."

And now he routinely jumps out of airplanes without a parachute, so he's probably fine there.

For magpiemythos

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