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It was a curious thing to see Steve interact with the people of his village. Loki stood at the edge of the trees at the top of the uppermost field, watching the various comings and goings. Most of the men were guiding sledges with the last few loads of straw from the wheat field, a relaxed, jovial mood about them after several days of more urgent efforts. The women working around the communal oven and fire pits, by contrast, were far more frantic in their preparations for the harvest feast. The children were in high spirits, chasing each other about rather than attending the poultry gleaning the stubble in the field. The excitement was too great, and their mothers too busy to give them much attention, but Steve was at the centre of the group, laughing and fooling with them. They flocked to him in a way the adults of the village did not.
In the three years since Steve had saved them with his sacrifice, they had set him apart, untouchable. Oh, they were grateful, and treated him with respect bordering on reverence, but Loki had observed it was always at a remove. As if Steve lived there, but didn’t really belong anymore. Loki knew it was no coincidence that those he had granted boons to had rarely, if ever, returned to their homes. They were forever changed. Their people would have known that. The people of this village knew that. However, children had no care for such things, and Steve’s kindness was like a beacon to them. In return, he indulged them greatly, joining in their play, teaching them to make things with confident hands and correcting mistakes and misdeeds with gentleness. He was beloved by them, and their affection was almost enough to chase the melancholy that Loki had at times noticed lurking within his blue eyes. Almost.
One of the smaller children, a tow-haired boy of perhaps four winters, startled one of the ganders who in turn hissed and gave chase. The child shrieked and ran, but tripped over his feet and landed hard. The bird continued to hiss and flap, pecking at his ankles, when Steve scooped the boy up and lifted him onto his shoulders. The gander squawked, but subsided and went back to his flock after a stamp and shooing motion from Steve. The boy clung to Steve’s head and leaned over to say something to his rescuer, the chaotic mop of fair curls obscuring his features. Steve glanced up, a broad smile on his face and laughed heartily.
Loki’s heart clenched.
The child’s resemblance to Steve was fleeting at best. They were both fair haired, but Steve’s was the rich gold of warm honey, not the pale, almost white of flax. When the child looked up again, he revealed a snub nose and round face completely unlike Steve’s stronger, more angular features. It was possible they had some relation to each other, not unlikely in a village this size, but it wasn’t a close kinship. Still, the picture they made was… compelling.
Though he was not given to moments of regret, and even less towards selflessness, Loki wondered about his decision to bind Steve to him. If he was being ruthlessly honest with himself, a rare occurrence, he knew that asking as he had, Steve had not considered the greater implications of his offering before agreeing. It was likely Steve would have agreed to nearly anything in that moment. Their arrangement was mutually satisfying, greatly so, but not one made in fairness. It was not in Loki’s nature to play fair. He had no regrets nor made any apologies about that fact. And yet, Loki could not miss the flash of sadness in Steve’s eyes when he caught sight of his closest childhood friend being welcomed home by the young woman he had taken as a wife that spring. As if he had only just realized that his pledge meant such a thing was not for him.
When the autumn sun was low on the horizon, the children were called home by their mothers and a feast was laid out for the village. Rather than being given a place of honour with the village chief, Steve was provided with a large basket of food and jug of ale as gifts for him to take to their benefactor. It had become Loki’s habit to spend the great feast nights with Steve, but seeing it now, he recognized it was yet another way Steve had become set apart from the village. He wasn’t about to give up these nights together, but for the first time he acknowledged the offering still carried with it sacrifice.
Loki had on occasion asked if Steve had wanted for anything, but the man’s requests had only ever been for the ongoing wellbeing of the village. He had not been asked for, nor provided, any significant boons since the first. Such selflessness was nearly incomprehensible to Loki. He could easily make Steve’s life one of comfort and ease, and had offered more than once, but all the most lavish gifts from the palace of Asgard would receive less appreciation than a plain, well-crafted tool. Steve seemed to almost desperately cling to this simple life lived in obscurity, doing deeds of little acclaim and working diligently with scant recognition. Still, it was obvious that the man did find his life wanting. That he yearned for something he could not bring himself to name. His eyes proclaimed it loudly. It was not fitting that he should have the favour of a god, yet feel himself lacking so acutely. Loki would find a way to remedy that.
None of the villagers watched as Steve walked away from the gathering and up through the stubble of the fields. Upon cresting the hill and seeing Loki waiting, a warm smile spread across Steve’s face, lighting him from within. He glowed with the fire of life, warm and vital. Loki wanted to consume and be consumed by that fire. Not waiting to relieve him of his burdens, he sunk his fingers into Steve’s hair and pulled him into an urgent kiss. For long minutes, he savoured the heated slide of their tongues, the playful nip of teeth and the hard press of their bodies against each other.
When they finally pulled apart, Loki linked their arms together and pulled them both through space to the cave. With a flick of his hand, he summoned the furs onto the altar and grinned widely, “Shall we?”
*****
Loki spent very little time on Midgard. Compared to other realms, it was mostly dull and uninteresting. It was not a place of great scholarship or sorcery. Its petty skirmishes were beneath the notice of Asgard and it had been centuries since another race in the nine realms had made any sort of incursion. It was filled with simple people with lives as short as mayflies. Beneath his consideration.
Which was why Loki was absolutely not giving the realm more attention than it merited. He hadn’t created a large scrying glass to observe Midgard, merely a pocket glass attuned to Steve for the convenience of keeping an eye on one who was pledged to him. Checking it regularly was his prerogative, his duty even, to ensure there was no call for his aid. His study of life magic and fertility over the last several months was merely one of interest that he had not found time to research before. The ideas flickering through his mind were merely thought experiments, not plans. And his recent shapeshifting practice was certainly no more than a test of his skills, to prove his mastery, nothing more.
Or so he tried to tell himself.
The image in the glass of Steve bent over a breast plow turning furrows in stony ground, was a typical one of late, but of little interest. He kept the glass propped up on his desk as an occasional diversion from the convoluted explanations in the book he was studying. The language was dense and overly complicated and untangling the threads of logic was giving him a headache. A glance at the trials of life for the simple folk in Migard was a good reminder of the privileges of his position. Loki was a prince and a scholar. He was surrounded by fine things and the freedom to indulge his whims.
Loki sighed heavily. He closed his book and picked up the glass. Looking at the man hefting a large stone and carrying it to a sledge where a fair number had been collected already, he felt a fond smile tug involuntarily at his lips. It was a futile effort to deny his affection. The line between dedicated worshiper and lover had become rather blurred over time. Not that it had ever been as clear as it ought to have been. Loki recalled tentative hands that had sought to explore rather than simply pay homage. From the first, Steve had crossed lines he probably hadn’t even been aware existed, and did so with such earnestness that it had never entered Loki’s mind to disallow it. After their second encounter had bound them together, there seemed little enough point in worrying too greatly about the propriety of the situation.
He was Loki, trickster and mischief maker. He did what he pleased. Rules existed to be broken. Boundaries were meant to be pushed. If they both enjoyed pushing those boundaries, it wasn’t as if they were greatly transgressive. It was simply regard for what each gave the other. There was no harm in a bit of affection for one who provided such benefits. It was no bad thing to wish to bestow a gift upon one so deserving and only right that a gift from a god should be great indeed. A true blessing...
The knock on the door of his study startled Loki out of his contemplation. He quickly cleared the image in the scrying glass and tucked it into the pouch at his belt. Glancing at the tomes on his desk, he slipped two that would cause the greatest speculation into the top drawer before responding. “Come in.”
Frigga stood at his door, as radiant as ever, greeting him with a smile as warm as sunshine itself. “So you are still here. I was beginning to wonder. We’ve seen very little of you of late.”
“You know I am ever more for study than socializing. The court misses me little, I am sure.”
“But I miss you. Come, let us walk in the garden and enjoy the spring air.”
Loki carefully held in any annoyance at the interruption, and stood, offering his arm. “Of course, Mother. It is a fair day indeed.”
They walked for some time in companionable silence, enjoying the vibrant greens and new blossoms of the spring garden under the golden light of the Asgardian sun. Loki noticed a few rare plants had been added recently and commented on their growth. “It is unusual to see a silver-laced usha thrive in so much sun.”
Frigga nodded. “I’ve set a working to filter the strongest light at midday. It’s sensitive, but compliments the golden ildas nicely. They look well together despite their differences.”
“Mother?” Loki asked, sensing this discussion was not about herblore.
She offered him a self deprecating smile and shook her head. “I will only say that he misses you and wishes for your company. I have heard little else from him for weeks.”
Loki gave a small huff. “I have no desire to go questing with Thor on Alfheim.”
“I never suggested such a thing,” Frigga observed mildly.
Loki pressed his point further, saying, “Nor would he care to come with me to research and study.”
“Have you a journey planned?” She asked.
“I have been thinking of it,” Loki said, surprising himself with his words. He hadn’t seriously intended to act on his impulses, but now that he had said something aloud, the abstract notions he had been contemplating coalesced into a more solid plan. “It would take me away for some time, however.”
Frigga considered this for a moment, looking intently into his eyes before asking, “How long?”
He hesitated. If he were truly to go forward with his idea, his life would be altered greatly for years to come. The initial time commitment would be the longest, but he was sure he would not be content to return for prolonged periods for some years. However, it would not be so difficult to travel back and forth more frequently as time passed. “A year at the least,” he hedged, “Possibly several. I am unsure. It depends on how well my research progresses.”
Frigga continued to observe him very closely for long moments, the weight of her gaze nearly tangible, then nodded. “I will not say I shall not miss you, but I would not hold you back. Your insatiable curiosity was always going to take you far from home at times.”
Her sincerity nearly undid him. Loki turned to her and held both her hands in his. “I do not wish to be parted from you so long, but the time is necessary. I don’t think visiting will be easy.”
She only smiled and patted his cheek affectionately. “Fear not. You have my blessing. Your father will understand and I will help Thor to do so as well.”
“Thank you,” he said. Usually her habit of patting his hand or face made him feel embarrassingly childish, but today it felt like a benediction.
“But,” she said, her lips quirking, “You should spend some time with your brother before you leave. Thor intends to travel at the end of the next week. Do set aside at least one day before then to spend with him.”
It was all Loki could do to contain a groan, but he stifled his protest and replied, “Of course, Mother.”
Her laughter was like the chiming of bells as it echoed through the garden. Loki couldn’t find it in himself to stay irritated, even if it did mean enforced brotherly companionship.
*****
It had only been a few short weeks since he had solidified his plan, but months of broad study had made the details fall into place with surprising ease. Beltane was upon him, a powerful time for vital energies and perfect for his goal. The deeper recesses of the cave had been simple enough to convert into comfortable living space. It was not as lavish as his rooms in the palace, but more than suitable for extended habitation. Provisions had been laid in. He had packed a great number of books and materials from his study to keep him occupied during his time away from Asgard’s libraries. If it weren’t for the serious nature of the magic he was attempting to harness, he had set up a most excellent get away from the irritations of court life. However, he wasn’t foolish enough to believe this to be an uncomplicated endeavour.
Primarily, he wasn’t certain if this would succeed on his first attempt, if at all. It was the best possible time to undertake such a working, but there were so many factors that could not be controlled. He dared not say anything of it to Steve. This was meant to be a gift for him, but it was no ordinary boon. For all he was known as a trickster and a liesmith, he would not offer the promise of this gift when he wasn’t certain it was one he could truly deliver. He did not want the knowledge of a failure between them, nor had he any wish to put more sadness into those eyes.
Ten days before the feast night, he bid his mother a fond farewell and left Asgard. The final adjustments to his shapeshifted body were made and he could feel them settle. The changes were wholly internal, which made them more challenging to assess, but his body had reacted appropriately to each of his tests. He created and consumed several potions, made the more potent for being brewed upon a ley line, to bring himself to the peak of receptiveness. By the time the sun was low on the horizon the day of the fire feast, he felt his very being thrumming with vitality. He had never put so much of himself into a working before. He offered a silent entreaty of his own to the Norns for success. He hoped this would work. He really hoped there would be no backlash if it didn’t.
Preparing the altar as he always did, Loki ran his fingers through the soft furs and shivered. No matter whether he managed on this attempt or not, he would be sure to enjoy himself tonight.
*****
The gentle tug on their connection alerted Loki to Steve’s impending arrival. Instead of the small flame to burn the herbs that Steve used to call him if he was not already there, Loki had set a larger fire at the mouth of the cave himself. When Steve came into view along the path, the blaze flared with the small surge in power their initial meeting always brought. Steve gave him a look of surprise at seeing him waiting outside the cave rather than awaiting his pleasure inside, but said nothing and dipped his head in a small gesture of deference that never failed to amuse Loki. With the lines between them blurred to near non-existence, and the working he had prepared, even a small show of deference seemed misplaced.
Loki ran a finger down the side of Steve’s face, along his jaw and down his neck to the opening of his tunic, enjoying the quiet hum he gave in anticipation and the soft, breathy way he said, “Loki.”
“Tonight I intend for us to honour the fire feast,” Loki said. Leaning in, his lips brushing against the shell of Steve’s ear, he asked, “Will you jump with me?”
“Yes,” Steve replied, his breath hitching, but without hesitation. It was a marvel how little hesitation this man had and small wonder Loki had grown to bear him such affection.
“Then come,” Loki said, lacing their fingers together and drawing them towards the fire.
At their approach, the logs flared once more, and Loki gave the hand in his a small squeeze before they moved as one to jump through. When they were across, Loki felt another surge of seidr rising within his core, another layer of the working settling into place. Looking at Steve he saw a shyness to his expression that had grown less common in the years he had been tied to Loki.
“I would know what you are thinking.”
Steve dropped his eyes and his cheeks flushed. “It’s foolish.”
“Tell me,” Loki insisted.
“I never thought I would jump a Beltane fire with anyone,” said Steve, his voice gone soft.
Loki took Steve’s face between his hands, pressing a gentle kiss upon his lips. “It is a ritual with not insignificant power.”
Steve nodded, bringing his hands up to mirror Loki’s. “I think I might have felt it.”
“You did. I expect you will feel a great deal more before the night is through,” Loki said with a grin.
Steve raised a brow. “Have something special in mind?”
Loki’s grin grew wider and more lascivious. “Don’t I always?”
“Yes.”
Eagerly shedding their clothes, Loki pulled Steve against his naked body, savouring the heat of it, licking at his skin like tongues of flame. That fire was a constant between them, unquenchable and intoxicating. Hands that were always so bold slid up along his back, leaving a blaze of heat in their wake and Loki gasped before slamming their mouths together in a desperate tangle of lips and tongue and teeth. He had always felt as if his precious offering was a feast to be devoured, but tonight he was to be caught alight on this flame with the hope that he could hold it and shape it without being consumed completely.
Dizzy with the building power, Loki pulled away from their embrace and climbed onto the altar, laying upon it like the sacrifice Steve had once been. But rather than taking the opportunity for dominance, Steve’s demeanour as he joined Loki was entirely reverent. He traced hands along the lines of Loki’s body, down his neck and across his chest, following the touch with a trail of heated kisses pressed damply onto his skin. The chill of the cave, not fully dispelled by the fire, raised gooseflesh when the heat of Steve’s body moved on.
Upon reaching his cock, he only allowed himself to savour the first few licks and strokes before entwining his fingers in Steve’s hair and drawing him back up his body. He knew if he took any power in this way tonight, he would be incapable of maintaining the control he needed. Capturing Steve’s lips, he hooked one of his legs around Steve’s waist, sliding their cocks against each other before angling his hips up further in silent suggestion. Steve pulled back, looking down at him wide eyed.
“What...?” he asked, breathless.
Loki shifted his hips again and hummed in pleasure. “I would greatly like the fire within you to burn me from the inside.”
Steve sucked in a ragged breath. “Inside you?”
“Do you not wish to try it?” Loki asked with a sudden flash of concern. They had never coupled this way. Intentionally on his part. For all he enjoyed penetration, it was not the done thing with a mortal, in sacrifice or offering, and had been one of the few conventions he had maintained. Steve’s openness to any act which was suggested meant that he had never even considered if this might be something unwanted.
“I… Yes, I… Yes...” Steve stuttered, still frozen in place as colour bloomed on his cheeks.
Loki reached a hand between them and pinched a nipple, causing Steve to gasp and shift their hips against each other once more. “By now you know well enough how you like it. I would quite enjoy seeing what you have learned.”
Steve pulled away to adjust their position, and Loki could see the flush that had burned across his face had now spread to his ears and down his neck onto his chest. He traced the edges of it with a finger, then relaxed back into the thick furs, opening his legs wider in invitation. The hand that slid up his inner thigh burned like a brand before fingers sought out his opening and a tentative digit slipped smoothly inside.
“You already…”
“Yes. This is what I want tonight.”
With that, whatever part of Steve that had been holding him back fell away. Loki was already slick and well stretched, but he enjoyed the increasingly confident exploration of Steve’s fingers all the same. He had expected an urgency to match the power thrumming through his body, but he should have known what he would get when he asked Steve to show him what he liked. As always, Steve surprised him. He wasn’t sure he could bear the slow slide of fingers any longer, and was embarrassingly close to the point of begging, when Steve finally gave in and the blunt head of his cock pushed inside.
Loki groaned, wrapping his arms around Steve and pressing up against him. Steve dipped his head to claim a breath stealing kiss as he began to thrust, slow and deep. The first few strokes were measured, but soon Steve discovered the way of snapping his hips as he bottomed out to hit the spot inside that made stars dance in Loki’s vision. He tore away from the kiss, gasping for breath. His body arched up and his fingers dug into the muscled flesh beneath them.
It was as he had imagined, like being burned from the inside, hot and slick and glorious. Steve’s muscles quivered with exertion beneath his fingers, and Loki clung to him tighter with each stroke that made him see stars.
For all Loki could tell Steve was striving for the sensual, leisurely sort of coupling they often shared late into the night, it was overly ambitious for the start of an evening. There was a desperate edge to Steve’s thrusts, but also wonder and delight in those blue eyes that spoke things Steve would never dare to voice. It gave Loki a feeling of power far different to the blazing inferno rising between them as their pace increased.
When their rhythm began to falter, Loki reached a hand between them, but did little more than brush the head of his cock with his fingers when a powerful thrust whited out his vision and tipped him over the edge with a cry. Steve’s orgasm came hard on its heels and Loki barely had the presence of mind to seize the raw power released and draw it deep inside of him.
Steve collapsed on his chest, panting heavily, still buried deep inside. Loki held him, stroking lazy fingers along his back, while savouring the sensation of weight holding him down and the delicious ache of muscles unaccustomed to being so thoroughly stretched.
*****
When his body recovered enough to stir again, Loki flipped them and straddled Steve. He took his time biting and sucking marks onto the broad expanse of chest, stopping occasionally to tease at tightly pebbled nipples before returning to his task. For a fleeting moment he thought to create a design upon his living canvas, but settled for deep marks that would last for days. Even if he didn’t remove his shirt while working in the fields, everyone would be able to see the marks of Loki’s claim writ large upon his neck. The thought brought a satisfied smirk to his face.
Steve chuckled. “You do know everyone in the village knows of your claim already.”
Loki bent down to suck a livid red mark at the juncture of neck and shoulder. When he finished, he checked his work carefully before nodding. “You should bear the marks of my favour with pride.”
“I do.”
“And they should not forget where their good fortune comes from,” Loki said, a little more harshly than he had intended. It hadn’t been his intention to speak his criticisms of the villagers, but he couldn’t hide his annoyance at what he had observed of the people around his dedicant.
Steve trailed a hand down Loki’s arm and entwined their fingers. “We lost a dozen people that year, and no children were born for two. No one has forgotten that.”
Loki pursed his lips. “And yet all but those too young to remember draw away from you.”
Steve gave their fingers a squeeze, looking up at him with trusting eyes and shrugged. “They don’t know what to say or how to act. I’ve tried telling them I’m still the same person I’ve always been, but I suppose I’d find someone who regularly associates with a god intimidating if it wasn’t me.”
“Associates…” Loki drawled, sliding the slickness of his cleft against Steve’s renewed arousal. “Yes, that might indeed be what makes them uncomfortable. But you like associating with me.”
Steve shifted restlessly against the teasing contact. “Mmm, yes. Far more enjoyable than any worship the priest has ever led.”
“I should be very disappointed if it wasn’t,” Loki said, feigning offence.
“I wouldn’t wish to disappoint,” Steve said earnestly, running his hands up the lean muscles of Loki’s thighs to rest on his hips.
“Good. I take what I want, and what I want right now is to take you again,” Loki stated, guiding himself down onto Steve’s cock in one fluid motion and set about doing exactly that.
*****
Loki propped himself up on an elbow, watching the play of shadow and light from the fire dance across sweat slick skin. He was almost vibrating with the surfeit of seidr, but still pushing for more, charging his existing workings further in anticipation. He ran his hands along the lines of muscle, tracing his fingers over the marks he had made.
There was a hum of contentment, then in a fluid movement Steve rolled them over again. Dipping his head, Steve traced a wet line along Loki’s collarbone with his tongue and nipped at the delicate skin just below the jaw. Steve seemed to have found the boldness to reciprocate after being claimed so thoroughly, and raised his own mark on Loki’s neck.
When their eyes met, they shared a smile. Loki said, “I shall bear your mark with pride.”
Steve huffed a small laugh. “You should.”
Loki grinned wider and pulled Steve into a playful kiss. They lay like that for a long while, exchanging teasing kisses until he felt Steve stirring against him once more.
“Which do you prefer? Now that you’ve had it both ways. Do you like best when I split you apart on my cock or when you sink yours deep into me?” Loki asked, genuinely curious.
“Each is so different, good in different ways… I like… the closeness more than anything. When I can hold you…” Steve mumbled, hiding his vulnerable expression against Loki’s neck, “I don’t suppose that’s much of an answer.”
Loki slid his hands around Steve and held him tightly. “Mmm, I understand the appeal. I enjoy running my hands over every part of you, seeing how it makes you feel, hearing the sounds you make.”
“I can see now why you like to have me ride you. Watching you stretch around me… seeing where we were joined… It’s…” Steve trailed off.
Loki nodded. “Yes. It is. What I like best about having you that way is watching you take your pleasure just the way you want it.”
“You don’t try to control it, either. That surprised me at first,” admitted Steve.
“Power is not intrinsic to any particular act in and of itself, but in the role one adopts,” Loki stated, rolling his hips upwards to slide their cocks against each other.
Steve’s breath hitched at the sensation and he reached a hand between them to wrap around both their cocks and stroke them together. “You like it both ways then?”
Loki arched into the touch. “I would hardly have done so if I didn’t.”
“I always thought…” Steve trailed off, ducking his head again, even as he continued to stroke them both.
Loki put a hand to Steve’s shoulder and squeezed. “You believed that one was lesser?”
Steve’s hand stopped and he pulled away. “Well, you are a god,” he said, clearly aiming for a teasing tone, but falling short.
Loki pushed Steve over onto his back, pinning his shoulders down with his hands and fixing him with a piercing stare. “I care little for the opinions of unimportant people.”
“Then why did you ask?” Steve returned, unable to look away.
“You. Are. Mine,” Loki stated, his voice steady but his arms shaking with barely suppressed emotion. “That makes you far from unimportant.”
Their eyes locked for long moments, both breathing heavily, and Loki knew he had betrayed the depth of his feelings. He had masked them with flippancy for longer than he cared to admit, but the last thing he wished to do now was lay them bare for examination. He gave the muscles beneath his hands what he hoped was a reassuring squeeze.
Steve blinked and gave a weak, “Oh.”
Loki relaxed his grip and sat back a little. For a moment, he thought he might have frightened the man beneath him, but the wide eyed expression had already faded to one of pleased embarrassment. Loki rested a gentle hand on Steve’s chest and tried to keep his tone light and teasing. “Do I not show you how important you are when I am with you?”
“You do…” Steve said with more sincerity than Loki felt he deserved, placing one of his own hands atop Loki’s, pressing it tightly over his racing heart. “Sometimes the way you look at me... when you’re inside me… and we’re just slowly rocking together and…”
“And?” Loki prompted, catching the fingers of Steve’s hand in his and gripping them tightly.
“And… and in that moment I feel like something precious,” Steve whispered.
Loki released his grip and brought his hands to cup Steve’s face. Steve had definitely noticed. That merited a bit of candour of his own. He leaned forward and placed a soft kiss upon Steve’s brow and another upon his lips. “You are. I would not have claimed you for myself, much less returned to you so often, were you anything less than unique. A precious thing indeed. Show me what it is to be your precious thing.”
*****
Loki found the slow, rocking rhythm of his hips and the wet slide of Steve’s cock within him had almost become a working unto itself. There was a meditative quality to the push and pull that quieted the roiling emotions that had surfaced between them. There were a great many things between them to be said, but where words were fraught, the movements of their bodies were peaceful to the point of transcendence. With each downward slide, Loki could feel the swell of seidr like a wave. He was a vessel on the surface, letting the current take him where it would.
Steve’s hands roamed over his body everywhere they could reach, not grasping, just skimming over the surface of his skin, moving with him, a flame dancing atop a pool of oil. It was only when climax overtook him that his hands stilled. Steve held onto Loki’s hips, at last claiming a measure of control as he thrust upwards, shuddering and spending himself deep inside.
There was no mistaking the moment it happened. A sudden flare of a searing heat lit inside him, like a spark burst from the fire that singed the skin. But where a spark flickered and quickly faded away, the huge swell of power that had been pulsing so close to the surface for hours was drawn deep into his core to envelop and sustain it. The shock of it pulled another orgasm from Loki’s body, further fueling the living ember.
A soft, oversensitized whine escaped Steve’s lips as the passage surrounding his spent cock quivered and clenched. With trembling limbs, Loki pulled off to lay beside him feeling rather overstimulated himself. He touched a hand to his abdomen over the centre of the heat burning within and let out a shaky breath. The seidr deep inside him swirled pleasantly around the steady, glowing centre, no longer the wild and chaotic power that had been building for days.
It had worked.
For all the effort he had put in, success hadn’t been guaranteed. It still wasn’t. There were countless things that could still go wrong, but for now Loki allowed himself a quiet moment of victory.
Loki glanced at Steve, at once bursting with the impulse to share what he had achieved while at the same time wanting to hold the knowledge close. Steve’s eyes had closed, and the ragged breaths had become soft and regular. The sheen of sweat on his skin was beginning to dry and his hair was a tousled mess. He looked thoroughly debauched, and utterly spent.
Loki nodded to himself. The life inside him was only a tiny spark, barely come into being, and delicate. What was between himself and Steve was rather delicate after this night as well. Whatever had remained of the boundary between pledged offering and lover had been obliterated in a dozen ways. On the whole, Loki thought it a good thing, but adding more to it would be unwise. He would wait. It was a marvelous secret to keep for the time being and there were other impulses he could indulge. He rarely allowed himself the pleasure of simply sleeping with another until morning. Loki settled against the warm line of Steve’s body, even going so far as to rest his head over the steady heartbeat in Steve’s chest.
As sleep rose up to claim him, Loki silently welcomed the little spark taking hold in his body.
*****