cuttingremark | Salon buddies for @favoriteanalyst

Salon buddies for @favoriteanalyst

It started about a few months ago. Loki needed to relax after making the mistake of spending his winter holidays with his 'family' (which ended in another spectacular fight with Odin that resulted in one broken window and a lost snow globe Loki has thrown through said broken window), but his normal esthetician was booked solid for the next year and couldn't fit him in outside of his own pre-scheduled appointments no matter how much money he offered to throw at her. Wanda was the best in the city, probably the whole country, so it made sense, but there's still the issue of Loki needing something to relieve his tension so he didn't strangle his paralegals. The thought crossed his mind of setting up a tindr profile for a quick fuck, but he isn't in law school anymore and that was just a disaster waiting to happen.

Wanda saves him from making a bad decision by texting him the information for another technician she helped train. She claims he's new, but very talented, which he figures will do in a pinch. The link she sent him takes him to a rather outdated looking webpage for the "TVA Salon and Spa", an older establishment that apparently started in the 50's as a barber shop, but recent made the jump to full salon under new management. Despite the clunky UI, he's able to schedule an appointment for a basic manicure the very next day with the young man Wanda had told him about.

Casey is a nice young man. Not anywhere as skilled as Wanda, but his nails come out looking acceptable with their basic black polish and the hand massage he gets to begin with is utterly divine. He doesn't go into detail about his family problems, but the other gets the gist that the holidays were strained and is more than willing to play the oh-so-important role of listening ear even if his platitudes do ring a little hollow.

When the appointment is over, Casey hands him a card for a free deep conditioning treatment or 30 minute shoulder massage.

"These are really just for family and friends," he explains, "but you really seem like you need something to help you relax." He thinks about declining, but decides it isn't polite and takes the card anyway before handing the young man a $400 tip.

The stern looking woman at the front desk gives him a serious look as Casey nearly passes out in the background. "I'm going to be checking those to make sure they're real."

"But of course, I would expect nothing less." His usual winning smile does nothing to lighten her glare as she rings him out. She asks if he wants to use the card to schedule something today. Why not? It's a charming establishment and he has some free time coming up.

The masseuse the card is good for, Bee, is apparently booked solid for the next month, but the stylist, Mobius, just had a cancellation in the following week that fit perfectly in his schedule.

That appointment was the beginning of the end for Loki.

So in he walks six months later, having ditched his normal high-end stylist for a middle-aged man who looks like he works in a cubicle rather than a up-and-coming salon. It isn't his normally scheduled appointment, but his cases have been crazy and Thor just left for his "journey of self-discovery" aka backpacking across Europe, so all of Odin's attention is now on his youngest.

Joy.

If Loki were the sentimental type, he'd think it a shame that the lobby area of a salon is more comfortable for him than his childhood home.

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Loki breaks into a grin as Mobius starts laughing. He continues the tickle attack for another minute before backing off to lean down and give him a kiss.

"But I am the jerk you decided earlier tonight was your boyfriend." Yeah, they haven't actually talked about that yet, have they?

They definitely haven't talked about it. Mobius settles down once Loki backs off, though it takes a moment, even chuckling into the kiss. "And the jerk who introduced me to his parents as his boyfriend. That okay?"

"Yes!" It feels like what he's wanted for a long time, even before he realized it himself. "It's just..."

I'm a mess.

There's a reason I don't date.

Odin was right.

I'll just hurt you

"...I haven't had a 'relationship' in a very long time. I can be a bit much at time." Loki says it with a laugh, but it's clear he's trying to make light of something he's insecure about.

Mobius is pretty good at reading between the lines. He reaches for the remote to mute the tv. ...Well, first, he's going to flip it to a channel that isn't likely to report on Odin's soiree, and then mute it. He runs a hand up and down along Loki's back.

"Most of my relationships have been more physical, and if there was a spark, it fizzled out by the third or fourth date, somewhere around there. Relationships are...hard to define, I think. But I think we're both willing to give this a try, right? No matter what we think of ourselves. You can be a bit much. I can be a bit lacking. We'll figure it out."

Loki gives Mobius a small, almost somber smile.

"We'll figure it out. And even if we don't...thank you for being willing to try." That fact alone means more to Loki than Mobius could ever know.

"I'm pretty terrified," he admits with a smile in return. "But the nice things I feel when you're around outweigh the terror. It wasn't...too forward of me to call us boyfriends, was it? Sounded to me like you wanted something serious out of this."

"No, you were right. There's just something about you," Loki reaches forward and takes Mobius' chin gently, running a thumb over his cheek. "I thought about propositioning you, you know. Planned it all out. Third appointment, I'd flirt, slip you my card. You'd call me, we'd fuck, and that'd be that. Maybe I'd have to find a new hair dresser, maybe you'd be okay with it, but then I came in and saw you and I just...couldn't take that gamble. The thought of cutting ties with you, of just one night was unbearable."

That...he has to take a moment to drink that in and process it. How would he have reacted? Would he have been flattered? Would he have tried it? "I'm glad you thought you saw something a little more worthwhile than a one night stand. Is that usually what you do? Slip someone a card and wait for them to call you up?"

"No, normally I'm at a club or something so it's less 'here's my number' and more 'lets go find a hotel room.' Or they give me their card." Speaking of, he'd probably need to text Abigail and cancel their next appointment. It could wait till the morning though.

"So you aren't selling yourself." Hmmm. "Not that that's necessarily a bad thing, but you certainly don't need the money. Do you think I'm gonna need to share you?"

"Despite my father's insinuations otherwise, no, I'm not." He doesn't sound upset that Mobius asked, though. It's a fair assumption.

"Not if you don't want to. I don't require monogamy, but I'm not so insatiable as to be incapable of it."

"Would've hated to have gotten into it with him if it turned out he was right." Not that his comments and tone were called for in any case. "Do we need to talk about it? About us? About the...possibility of us moving forward?"

"Like what our relationship is? I think 'boyfriend' covers it pretty well. I'm fine being monogamous, if that's what you want." It's not a huge ask. Honestly going out to find partners was growing tiring anyways.

"Just so long as you're comfortable. Anything that bothers you, anything that needs to change, you let me know, and we'll work it out."

"Of course. The same for you." He leans forward and kisses Mobius' head before wrapping an arm around him. "For now we should probably get some rest."

"Mmm, I'm gonna have your lipstick all over to wash off in the morning. You know all that stuff comes smudge-resistant and waterproof, right?" He might not deal with the makeup part of a spa day, but he does know a couple things. Just wants to point out that He Knows.

"Oh, I'm well aware," Loki says in a sultry voice. If they were both a little younger it might get them going again, but no matter how much he wants to, Loki knows he's done for the night.

"I can help you shower in the morning. Get that terrible mess I made cleaned off."

"Sounds like a very good morning to me." Until Loki decides to do some calls and try to soften the situation, then it'll be less great of a morning that Mobius doesn't necessarily want to be around for, but hey. That's afterward.

"Best way to get to morning is to sleep. Do you need anything from your room, or are you good?"

Mobius turns off the tv, tosses the remote, and pulls Loki closer against him. "Hard to know how I could be better, in fact. I'm good if you're good."

"I'm very good." Loki tucks himself against Mobius--his boyfriend's chest and closes his eyes. It's a wonderful feeling, being held by someone he thinks he might love.

He wakes early the next morning, still in Mobius' embrace. For a while he just lays in the comfortable silence until the soft buzz of his phone alerts him to a new text. Carefully, so as not to disturb his companion, Loki turns over and grabs the device from where it charges on the bedside table. He flips through the messages and calls he missed the previous night from his mother, from Thor, and even a single missed call from Odin. He has half a mind to just ignore them all, but he'd learned long ago that problems left to lay only got worse. So he gets out of bed as softly as he can and goes to the attached living area, hoping Mobius doesn't wake until after he's done talking to his mother.

It's a deeply comfortable sleep, and if Loki had tried to rouse him, it would've been difficult. It's later when he does start to wake, blinking blearily, before slowly remembering. He's alone in this bed which just should not be. Which means Loki's doing something and didn't want to disturb him.

There are more indications that last night happened, such as the remnants of lipstick on his lower half, his discarded suit on the floor by the entranceway. He bundles himself up in a robe and follows the quiet noises from the living room of the suite. Whether Loki's still on the phone or not, Mobius comes up behind him, arms around him, face buried in his shoulder, with a muffled, "Breakfast."

Priorities, he's got em.

"Yes, we saw the news-- yes, Mother, we." Loki leans into the embrace, tense muscles easing just a bit. He'd put on one of the hotel robes before making the call, mostly just to stay warm. "Yes, at the same time from the same bed, he's my boyfrie--well, when would I have told you? It's not like we talk much." Loki reaches over and grabs the hotel's room service menu to hand to Mobius.

"The phone works both ways you know." He pinches the bridge of his nose. "I know. No, I know. Very well. I love you too, Mother. See you in the spring." He hangs up and drops the phone onto the nearby table with a heavy sigh before turning to bury his face in Mobius neck.

"Morning."

He takes the menu but doesn't look at it yet, too occupied with holding his boyfriend. He waits for the conversation to end, for Loki to turn and greet him properly.

"Morning. Breakfast," again, with a little wigglewobble of laminated menu, and shuffles them both over to a seat to both look over it. "Coffee." Also important.

He is starting to catch up here. "...Were you telling your mom we're sleeping together? Didn't sound like a fun conversation."

"I'll just have whatever you're having." Loki glances at the menu half-heartedly. Coffee or tea sounded good, but he always lost his appetite after dealing with family matters.

"She's just shocked I'm actually confessing to being in a relationship. They got it in their heads a bit ago that I had a secret paramour I was hiding from them for some reason or another."

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