Chills and Cuddles. (For Loki)

[shieldborne]

Something about the attention he's getting from Loki seems to agree with Steve. Usually his asthma becomes nightmarish as fall turns into winter, the cold air inflaming delicate lungs. His back, too, suffers the cold and damp, but this year it's not so bad. He's half inclined to wonder if Loki's using magic to help him and just neglecting to mention it, but if that's the case, Steve is disinclined to mention it, too. He knows when his loved ones are trying to preserve his dignity, for one thing. For another, he might jinx himself out of his current good luck.



Anyway, it might not be magic, per se. Maybe it's just the affection, not to mention the sex, lowering his stress levels and boosting his strength a bit.

The upshot is that he's able to take on a few more hours at the printing press, and has a little extra money. He tucks more of it into savings than he spends, always mindful that there may come a day he literally cannot work at all. But he does buy a few little things for Loki, and for his and Bucky's convenience.

Meanwhile, the air turns cold, and he and Bucky tack fabric around the windows to seal out as much of the draft as they can. They get frugal in the winter; heat is essential to the health of both men. But Bucky is away for a few days to visit nearby family, staying at his sister's house, so Steve eagerly invites Loki to stay. (Not that Loki needs an invite by this point; he is always welcome as far as Steve's concerned).

He's got some kind of soup cooking on the stove when Loki is due to arrive, and a cake cooling on the counter. Steve is a mediocre cook, but as long as he keeps it simple, he can make a meal worth eating.

Comments

[magpiemythos]

For the most part, it genuinely isn't magic. On occasion, Loki will thread a bit of magic into some treat, designed to help boost Steve's health a bit, to assist in keeping his strength up as the weather starts to turn to cold and wet. But for the most part the focus is on other ways to help.

And the cold weather preparation had been noted; while Loki wasn't as bothered by the cold it wasn't something liked, so when she did come tapping at his door that evening, it was with a bag tucked under one arm, other hand slipping back into her coat pocket, shoulders lifting slightly to hike the fur collar up a bit more securely around her neck.

[shieldborne]

He almost trips and falls on his way to the door, so eager is he to see Loki. When he opens it, he's already blushing and devoutly glad his Omega didn't see that performance. But he hasn't seen Loki in this shape yet, so he gets thrown off yet again when his gaze flicks over her.

There's no doubt in his mind, not even for a second, that this is Loki. Because she smells right, and he feels the same in her presence as he always does (small and frail and worthy and strong in spite of it). Still, he wasn't expecting the ruby lips and the hint of soft, full curves under clothing.

If he were a different person, he'd just grab her and pull her inside for a kiss (and probably more). He's never lost that inclination to be chivalrous, though, so although his eyes widen and light up in a barely-hidden flare of lust, he just clears his throat and grins. "...wow. You look...gorgeous. C'mon inside? Do you want cocoa?"

[magpiemythos]

Loki's well aware that the new shape will throw her Alpha, even if it's only momentary. So she can't help the mischievous turn to her smile as he's looking over her, especially at the reaction. Lust obvious but in a entirely Steve move, he's sweetly inviting her in, with a compliment and offers of hot drinks.

"You're a gem." She replied easily, leaning to press a little kiss to the corner of his mouth, hand slipping from her pocket to brush against his cheek as she did before she was stepping inside. "Cocoa sounds great. And I don't know what you've got cooking but it smells great, I'm positively famished."

[shieldborne]

His grin is just a little silly. He finds Loki immensely desirable in the male form, as well, of course, but there's something about the newness, and the surprise of seeing her in this shape. He closes the door behind them and locks it, and tucks his hand under her elbow to guide her to the sofa like a gentleman.

"It's just beef stew," he says. "And a ginger cake with some lemon frosting."

He licks the corner of his mouth where she just kissed him, happily sheepish. "And bread, but it's just store bought."

[magpiemythos]

Honestly, Loki doesn't mind either way. People have preferences after all. She's more interested in the idea that it's her that Steve continues to look at with that silly grin and starry eyes, and something tells her that's not about to change anytime soon.

"Oh listen to you, so humble!" She teased gently, letting him lead her in with a smile. "Shush you, and take the praise. I'm sure everything will be tasty."

[shieldborne]

The Kinsey scale hasn't been developed yet in this world, in this time, but if it had been, and based on desires rather than actual practice, it would probably find Steve dead center. Then again, attraction for him seems to have less to do with appearance, gender, or body than it does with grit and kindred spirit. He likes a spitfire, which Loki is, in her subtle, tricky, playful way.

He melts at her tease, utterly delighted by the implicit compliment, and kisses her cheek before going to the kitchen to fetch cocoa. He sits beside her when he returns, hip to hip like he's being drawn in by a magnet. "You gonna let me draw you in that shape tonight? I'll try not to take so long you get bored..."

[magpiemythos]

When Steve returns, Loki had settled a bit more bag set by her feet and coat shrugged off, and the cocoa was accepted with another little kiss in gratitude before she was casually leaning against him as she took a sip. He wasn't the only one drawn to want to be near, or touch, and Loki wasn't about to shy away from contact now.

"Hm?" She tilted her head slightly as if considering. "Well, how can I say no to a sweet face like yours?"

And while she might tease, she rarely actually did get bored sitting for him as a model. She liked watching Steve when he was concentrating after all, even outside her more common excuse of enjoying being the center of attention. That didn't stop her from ribbing him about it, but that wasn't anything strange with her and was all in good fun.

[shieldborne]

Ohh. The physical contact is a perfect balance between sensual and comforting. He wants to just mold their bodies together and forget about everything else. He sets his own cup aside in favor of putting his arms around her. Steve has lost a lot of his shyness with respect to casual touch; Loki has yet to object to hand-holding, hugs, or gentle caresses. He still feels it would be impolite to grab or grope without asking first, but he's got no compunctions about snuggling up and stroking up and down her back.

"Yours is sweeter." He looks thoughtful. "All of you is sweet. You even smell sweet."

He rests his free hand on her knee, a little bold, perhaps, but not trying to start anything. Just cuddling.

[magpiemythos]

Loki of course doesn't seem to mind the contact in the least. She enjoys the attention, especially as Steve has been growing confident in both giving and receiving it. When his arms go around her she lets out a soft, pleased little hum, shifting a bit more securely into his grasp, mug held carefully in her hands as she let her head rest against his shoulder, lips curled on a smile.

"Well listen to you and all of that lovely flattery." Murmured in an amused tone, shifting to let her feet tuck up to one side on the sofa, which just had her nestled that much more comfortably at Steve's side. "And you claim I'm the sweet one."

[shieldborne]

She's still taller than him in this form, but then so are at least two thirds of the women in New York. That's okay; he's used to it, and somehow Loki doesn't make him feel smaller. He feels like enough, with Loki.

And now he can't help but notice the way the curves of her body feel, cuddling against him. "You like it when I flatter you," he tells her, knowing it's true. "And I like doing it."

He never says anything dishonest, though. Maybe a little flowery, but not dishonest. He brushes his cheek softly against her hair and closes his eyes contentedly. "Mm. How's the cocoa?"

[magpiemythos]

That's because to her, Steve is enough. He might be smaller sure, but Loki wasn't overly concerned with size, not when he made her feel like she mattered in so many little ways both on purpose and simply just by being himself.

"No." She replied, a bit impish. "I love it when you flatter me."

And part of that was because she knew that he was being honest. That when he did praise her, or murmur sweet things in her ear that he meant them, wasn't saying them just to try and impress her.

"It's delicious."

[shieldborne]

"Good. I can't stop running my mouth around you, anyway." He can't help but notice how nicely his arms fit around the curve of her waist. If she wasn't still working on her hot chocolate, he'd be tempted to roll over and doze off with her in his arms.

"I always put cinnamon in it," he says. "That's how my mom did it."

He pauses to consider this a moment, then adds, "I think she'd have liked you."

[magpiemythos]

Luckily for Steve, there would be plenty of time for naps later. It was a rare visit that she didn't just stay the night at this point after all, given how much she liked snuggling with him.

"Well, a little spice does make it all that sweeter, she taught you right there..." His last comment just gives her pause, a bit of a blush spreading over her cheeks.

"...You think she would? Always figured most parents would worry I'm a bad influence."

[shieldborne]

"Spice and sweet," he smirks against her hair. "Is that a metaphor for something?"

He tilts his head to look at her face as if he has some sixth sense to detect that blush. He grins, but there's a softness to it, and he nods. "She always saw the potential in people. How much good they can do when they're not hurting or sick. She was a nurse."

He kisses her temple lightly. "She'd have liked your spirit, and the way you're good to me."

[magpiemythos]

"I suppose it could be." Replied with a soft hum, nuzzling against his shoulder once Loki had set her own mug aside.

"...She sounds nice." Said softly, snuggling in a bit more securely now that she didn't need to worry about spilling anything. "Seems like you came across your own good nature honestly there."

Pay no attention to the blush deepening a bit as she tilted her face up a bit to accept that little kiss, and as a quiet request for more.

"It's easy to be good to you. At least for me it is."

[shieldborne]

Well, if she's put the cup aside, that's fair game then. He swings his feet around casually and sinks to the side, tugging her to spoon up against him. Loki gets to be the biggest little spoon right now. Luckily there's just enough space on the couch for them both like this, as long as Steve pushes back into the cushions.

He doesn't hesitate to give her a few more kisses, tender and proprietary. Her skin is just a bit softer in a feminine form, and her longer hair tickles. "She was one of a kind," he says with a sigh, but he's more interested in enjoying the moment than in dwelling on the past.

"Thank you. For being good to me."

[magpiemythos]

Loki was quiet pleased with the shift, letting out a soft hum at the warmth of being tucked in close to Steve. Certainly accepting the further kisses with a smile returning them as well, little pecks across his face that left subtle red marks he wouldn't get to see until he had a chance to check a mirror.

"You don't have to thank me for that." She tucked her face in against his throat, where he could feel her smile widening a bit, as well as the movement of her lips as she spoke. "You're just as good to me. And I like it anyways."

[shieldborne]

For some reason, he zeroes in on the scent of the lipstick. Cosmetics that women wear have a sweet, waxy smell that he likes, although it's half associated with comfort and half with awkward dating situations in his brain. But anxiety is becoming less and less a part of their relationship, and he feels the comfort of it much more strongly. Should he notice the lip prints later, he'll be pleased to have been marked by her, however temporarily.

"I just never thought I'd have anything like this," he says, and runs gentle fingers through her hair. "Actually, I wasn't sure I'd ever find a match at all, let alone an Omega who'd have me. And you're...so much. You're strong and clever and gorgeous in any shape you choose...I feel lucky."

[magpiemythos]

"Are you kidding? Steve, you might not be the 'traditional' Alpha but you're everything a good Alpha should be." As if she wasn't blushing over the idea of Steve feeling lucky that she was his, at the praises he was singing in her name. It was so easy to accept compliments from anyone else with a smile and a wink but from him. She knew they were genuine. Sweet and earnest in a way that hit her just right.

"And for all I'm not the 'traditional' sort of Omega, not really the sort most think of when looking for a match... I never feel like that with you. I'm enough just as myself, for once in my life..."

She couldn't help the soft huff of embarrassment, hiding her face a bit more firmly against his shoulder.

[shieldborne]

Under other circumstances, he might have said 'except strong' or 'except whole and healthy', but tonight...no. He feels too content for one thing, and for another, who is he to tell her what she values in an Alpha is wrong?

"I never had...criteria in mind, for a traditional Omega?" He murmurs into her hair, stroking down her back. "But you're not just 'enough', you're more than I ever expected. It's like, 'Happy Birthday, Steve, here's cake and ice cream and also the moon and stars and a hurricane in a bottle. I love it. And I love you."

And he's sappy as hell.

[magpiemythos]

"Mm, true. But I'm sure you know the stereotypes for what's 'desirable'." Replied easily with a casual wave of her hand at the idea. She'd never been one for stereotypical things and clearly neither was Steve. As if it wasn't enough the sweet words, the compliments, he had to go and say the words again that had her heart hop-skipping in response.

"Love you too." Mumbled against his shoulder as she wasn't budging, even with as wide as her smile was. "When is your birthday anyways? Maybe I'll steal the moon for you."

[shieldborne]

"Yeah, I guess." Some of the stereotypical ideas are a little compelling. Devotion is, anyway, and the idea of being desired so desperately. But it means so much more when devotion and desire come from a personality as independent as Loki's.

He makes a quiet, deep noise of contentment at her 'I love you', and squeezes her a little tighter. "It's July the fourth," he says laughingly. "But I don't need the whole moon. I wouldn't have anywhere to put it, anyway."

[magpiemythos]

Desire was easier to admit, but Loki had come to find that Steve had somehow managed to earn her devotion as well, not that she minded it. Not like she would if it were anyone else. Especially when she knew that it was returned in kind that the little Alpha cared so fiercely for her.

"So the whole country celebrates your birth? Well isn't that fitting." She teased gently, lifting her head to press a kiss to his cheek. "Oh it wouldn't be full-sized, shrinking charms abound to fit something like the moon into a container. A jar of some kind, or maybe a bottle."

[shieldborne]

Steve excels at devotion. He is a small, skinny candle that burns at both ends and still somehow keeps lasting the night.

"I didn't ask 'em to, but who am I to argue?" He jokes, closing his eyes and humming contentedly at the kiss.

He has yet to recognize he's straying into dangerous waters with this talk of capturing the moon, and gives a gentle laugh at her explanation. "Just an ordinary jar? That sounds risky. What if it fell and broke or something?"

[magpiemythos]

Whatever the case, Loki can't help but be delighted by Steve, by how secure she felt in the knowledge that he cared for her, something she wasn't entirely used to.

"Ordinary until it's inscribed with anti-shattering runes. You'd just have to remember not to open the lid..." She replied, tone considering as she ran a hand idly through his hair. Maybe a bit more serious than Steve realized she was. If she thought it would make Steve smile, she'd absolutely snatch the moon right out of the sky for him.

[shieldborne]

"Sure," he says mildly, gearing up for another joke, but then something about her body language catches at his attention and makes him realize wait, she sounds serious and wait, she might actually be able to do a crazy thing like that.

"Uhh...sweetheart? We're still just joking around, right?"

[magpiemythos]

"Joking?" Loki tilted her head, a faintly amused smile crossing her face as she realized what Steve had thought, and his expression when how serious she might be hit him.

Gosh but he was too cute.

"Nope! Just say the word, stealing celestial bodies is surprisingly easy once you know the trick to it. And you're absolutely worth it."

[shieldborne]

"Loki!" He manages to look shocked, but he can't quite manage horrified, because as much as he should disapprove, there's something deeply flattering about all this. That, and she's far more endearing than she has any right to be when she's being incorrigible.

"...that'd throw off the physics in whatever, um, solar system you took a thing from, wouldn't it?" He can't believe he's having this conversation. "I mean, if the moon left orbit around the earth we wouldn't have tides or anything, so..."

This is his life now, he realizes. One moment cuddling and sharing sweet nothings, the next moment getting caught up in concern that his lover might actually throw off the balance of physical forces in the cosmos to impress him.

"You're crazy," he tells her, but he can't actually muster any kind of sternness or even annoyance. His eyes are sparkling with laughter, and he kisses her firmly on the mouth.

[magpiemythos]

That shocked response just earned a laugh from Loki, green eyes starry with mischief as she pretends to consider the issue.

"Well, maybe a little..." She mused, tilting her head in a thoughtful manner. "But alright. I'll just have to find an especially pretty star to surprise you with."

She certainly wouldn't argue with his assessment, not with how amused Steve seemed by the fact, how bright his gaze was. Instead she'd just return the kiss with a pleased hum.

[shieldborne]

She won't, really, he tells himself, because to believe otherwise would mean he has to actually discourage some of this attention and--well, he has his selfish moments. He doesn't really want a star in a bottle, but it's awfully nice to hear she thinks he deserves one.

"You're all the pretty anything I need," he tells her, and it sounded smoother in his head, but he thinks it came out all right either way. He sinks into the kiss, evidently in no hurry to leave it now that it's begun.

They'll want to get up and have dinner eventually, but there seems to be no rush.

[magpiemythos]

She absolutely will. Granted with Steve's concerns she'll make extra sure that taking said star won't wind up hurting anyone, as it's not a very good surprise if it actually upsets him.

His compliment earns a small pleased chuckle against his mouth before the kiss is continued, one hand trailing up his back, nails skimming over fabric. Nothing smelled like it was burning so dinner would absolutely keep for a little bit while they enjoyed the moment.

[shieldborne]

He's happy to linger in the impromptu makeout session, and the worry about her snatching stars from the sky fades away in light of the opportunity to kiss and cuddle and breathe in her scent. The light outside is fading by the time he realizes he's gotten lost in the moment, and he draws back breathless and blushing.

"You're the nicest distraction I've ever had," he tells her. "Don't you want dinner, though? And I'll get out the watercolors and paint you afterward?"

[magpiemythos]

A worry for another day. Not for when he has Loki nestled in close as she was, warm and soft and inviting against him as the kiss lingered on. When Steve drew back she finally relented a bit, lips curled on a smile, fingers still curled in his hair as she admired just how pink he'd turned.

"Hmm... that does sound like a nice plan." Question would be if they got distracted again between dinner and paints. Not that Loki minded. She didn't have anywhere to be other than right here.

[shieldborne]

"I love your eyes," he tells her impulsively, sounding like any smitten young man talking to his best (only) girl. "When you look at me like that, I swear you can see what I'm thinkin'."

He nuzzles her cheek lightly, then gradually sits up, reluctant to let her go, but also very much liking the plan he's just come up with and got her agreement on. "I set the table earlier. Do you want something other than cocoa to drink with dinner?"

Damn, he should have thought to buy wine. Then again, wine with beef stew? He wouldn't even know what to pick.

[magpiemythos]

"You flatterer." She murmured in reply, a pleased curve to her smile at the compliment, pressing a kiss to his cheek before allowing him to move so they could both get up.

"Whatever you've got is fine." She wasn't terribly picky if someone else was making the meal typically, unless she was trying to be difficult, and seeing how that was the opposite of what she wanted here? Cocoa was a-ok with her.

[shieldborne]

"Can't help it. You bring it out in me," he says cheerfully, and rising. He holds out both hands to her to help her up, perfectly aware she doesn't need the help. And then he leads her into the kitchen with his hand resting gently on her elbow, and pulls out a chair for her, like a gentleman.

Okay, so he likes Loki in any shape, but chances are he wouldn't be laying on the good manners quite so thick if he were in his male form.

"Do you have any favorites I could try and make sometime?" He asks. "Not that I'm that great a chef, but I'd give it a shot."

Careful, Loki. Don't ask this man for anything fancy.

[magpiemythos]

"Well, I can't say I don't enjoy it. Not one for that blatant a lie." Loki didn't need the help sure, but she accepted it all the same. And she liked it either way, just basking in the attention with absolutely no complaint. She took the offered seat, smoothing her skirts over her knees as she considered her options.

"You can never go wrong with breakfast." She replied with a smile, brows lifting slightly. "You midgardians have all sorts of interesting food options for the morning."