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 The link she sent him takes him to a rather outdated looking webpage for the "TVA Salon and Spa", an older establishment that apparently started in the 50's as a barber shop, but recent made the jump to full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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The rest of the trip went pretty good. Loki took Mobius to a few more historical sites, they ate good food, had amazing sex, and caped it all off by dodging paparazzi on the way to the airport. Unfortunately life picked up rather quickly when they landed back in New York. Loki's firm landed a large liability case against a car manufacture for supposed faulty seatbelts. It had everyone working overtime, which left him exhausted. He made time to at least text with Mobius every night when he got home, but it was a week before they could see each other again.

Far too long, as far as Loki is concerned.

Loki invites Mobius over to his condo Saturday evening. He'd wanted to invite him over Friday evening, but switched to Saturday after mentioning his plan to Sylvie.

"What, so he can come in and find you passed out on the table?"

She was right, of course. Loki feels much better now after a long night's rest and a lazy day in. Despite this, and the fact that they'd spent a week together already, there's an excited tension in his stomach. Tonight is the night they actually talk about sex. Kinks, to be more specific.

For the first time in years, he's nervous to have this discussion. Normally it's a partner he's met specifically for these purposes. They lay out what they are and aren't okay with, and if there are too many differences they simply go their separate ways. No hard feelings, no attachments, just an arrangement.

But this is more. More than he's had in years. What if Mobius thinks he's weird? What if the man decides he wants nothing to do with him after they talk? Loki glances down at his list and the (abbreviated) checklist he'd printed out for Mobius. It's a formality born of years of quick hook ups. Easier to have everything on paper than try to remember it all on the spot. Shit, is this too formal? Is it weirder to have a submission kink, or to have the details of said kink written out in neatly columned lists to hand to a partner? Maybe he should just throw the whole thing in the tra-

There's a knock on his door before he can even finish the thought. If course, he'd given the doorman Mobius's information and a photo so he could just let him up without ringing Loki. Papers left on the table next to his plate (empty, Mobius said he would bring the food), Loki crosses the room in a few long strides to open the front door.

Shove the nerves down. Shoulders back. Smile on.

"I hope the trip over treated you well."

A week might be too long for Loki, but it's perfectly reasonable, even maybe a little fast, for Mobius. He knows Loki's been busy with some big case that landed in his firm's lap, and meanwhile, he's been getting back into the swing of things.

And yes, the first day back was incredibly awkward, when everyone stared at him or pretended very hard not to stare at him, and he discovered a paper decidedly not at all in English with a photo of the incident emblazoned on it.

So. That's on the list of things he'll never live down.

The texts are sweet, though. They don't last terribly long for how exhausted Loki gets, working hard, working long, having only had a little bit of time between dealing with the gala and dealing with work to actually relax. Maybe, just maybe, having a brand new loving boyfriend helps.

Honestly, he's a little surprised at being invited over the weekend. But eager. Loki's been running himself ragged; he needs to relax. With good food, with good company. Mobius might just give him a massage before the inevitable sex.

Loki's place is fancy. Of course. Of course it is, with a whole doorman and everything. Snazzy. (He offers the guy a bread roll as thanks.)

Mobius hefts up a bag of goodies when he's let in by Loki, all smiles. "Yeah, not too bad, can't complain. Especially not to see you. I sprung a little on the fancy side with steaks, is that good?" He makes his way in, kicks off his shoes, and tries not to feel entirely out of place. "They're not like five star, but I've never had complaints about this place, so it's got my seal of approval."

"That sounds lovely. Allow me." Loki swoops in to place a quick kiss to Mobius' forehead. The smell of the other's shampoo makes his smile even wider.

"The dining room is just here, I've got the plates all set out." It's a short enough walk, the main area of the condo being fairly open concept. From the entrance area they cross through the comfortable looking living room to the dining room, the only separation between the two being a half-wall. Once in the dining room the kitchen is also visible.

As soon as Mobius sets the bag down, Loki pulls him close for a proper kiss.

"I missed you."

Swanky. Which is only befitting Loki, of course. He's definitely taking a curious glance around--

--right up until he's pulled in and properly kissed. God, it feels good. It feels right. He hopes it lasts, this whole relationship thing.

"Mm, haven't been gone all that long," he says with a light chuckle. "But if you really missed me that bad, we can skip dinner for the moment..."

"Tempting as that is, I think having the energy later will serve us well." Loki gives him another quick kiss (and maybe gives his ass just a little bit of a squeeze) before pulling away.

"You get everything dished out while I grab some wine. Are you okay with red?"

The kitchen is right next to the dining room, so Mobius can clearly see Loki disappear into the cupboard. The wine is stored in the back in a special cabinet built just for this. It takes him a moment as he debates between two different bottles, before he reappears with the older of the two in hand.

"As long as it's not dry as the Sahara, I think we're good."

No big deal to take out some of the containers and start dishing. Steak and some veg and some rice and bread rolls of course and.

That's not a hilariously large napkin. What is that. If it's important, if it's work-related, he doesn't want to splatter it with anything or accidentally read something he's not supposed to. But even a cursory glance shows him it's definitely some kind of fillable checklist of some kind.

"Did you leave some work on the table?"

That is not work related. But. He'll give Loki an out if he wants it?

Loki fetches two glasses from the hanging wrack and uncorks the bottle. The nerves from earlier return, but he's able to keep his hand steady as he pours.

"No, that's for...after dinner. If you're still...amenable." His hair is pulled back into a braid, allowing Mobius to see the touch of pink coloring the tips of his ears.

Well. Then he's going to feel free to actually look-look at it. And that sure is a list of things regarding sex and things in theory relating to sex.

"Well...okay. The after dinner plans I was thinking about may have involved a hot soak in the tub with my hands all over you and then getting dirty all over again in bed, but paperwork is fine, too?"

"It's not- well I suppose it is paper- but, shit." Loki sighs. "I made it weird again, didn't I?"

Yep, having the list is definitely weird. His ears heat up more as he thinks about his own list folded and tucked safely in his back pocket. He sets the bottle down, eyes fixed on the counter top in front of him. Why can't he just act normal?

"...Loki." That is a boyfriend rapidly going into some kind of shutdown mode. Oh. Oh, this is something he was already fretting over long before Mobius even showed up at the door.

The distance is closed, and he takes Loki's hands in his, giving a squeeze. "Talk to me?"

"I'm sorry, we can just-"

Loki is just about to cover his face with his hands when they're taken oh so gently by Mobius. He closes his eyes for a moment, making sure to give those hands a squeeze in return.

"I didn't know how familiar you were with...all that." Oh, now he can't even say the work kink? Great. "I thought we could go through it together, I could answer questions you had, but...shit. It's weird. It's really weird, I'm sorry." He hadn't been thinking of this as just another hook up or scene, but he'd gone about it this way for so long it was the only way he'd even considered.

"If that's the way you've been doing it, then it's not weird." He lifts a hand to kiss the back of it. "This is about figuring out what we both like and don't like in bed? That's great. We should probably do that, yeah. A checklist is such a neat and tidy way to do it. Means you've done this a lot, and you're prepared."

He rubs his thumbs over knuckles. "Kinda blindsided me, though. I'm for it, just...didn't know this was the plan."

Loki's pretty sure Mobius is just saying that to make him feel better, but it does help. It is a pretty normal thing as far as his encounters go, but this isn't one of those encounters. This is a relationship, one he doesn't want to loose.

He thinks back on their brief conversations that week and...yeah, he never actually clarified that, did he? Back in Asgard they said they would talk about it once they were home. Now that they're in New York again Loki just assumed this would be that meeting, but nothing in their texts indicated more than dinner and possible sex.

Loki groans, bending down to bury his face in Mobius' shoulder.

"Norns, this is a right a mess. We don't have to, I know it's a lot to spring on someone."

That gets a short bark of laughter. "It's not a mess. I just got here; we have plenty of time for this to turn into an actual mess." He presses a kiss into Loki's hair.

"I'm for it. We can go over this list and talk about things. Give us some ideas for what we'd like to do later."

"You're too good to me. I promise I'm not normally this scatter-brained." Loki mutters against his shoulder, ears still red with embarrassment as he pulls back.

"Lets eat. I'm starving."

"You've had a long week. I can forgive a scattered brain."

He helps with the wine and takes the glasses to the table, doesn't sit until Loki does. Sure, okay, little hiccup, but not a bad one. Pleasant one, even.

"You really thought I was judging you, huh."

"Perhaps just a little," Loki says as he takes a seat at the modest sized dark wood table. He takes a sip of wine.

"Completely justifiably, mind. I imagine you haven't had too many people just shove a list of kinks at you after you've only been dating for a couple weeks."

"It is, admittedly, a first for me. But that doesn't mean judging." He's aware that Loki has partners, had partners?, is/was casual about sex. A list is just...new. "That's the norm for the kind of company you're used to keeping?"

"It's become one. It helps eliminate any ambiguity, makes sure nothing is forgotten." Loki starts cutting into his steak just for something to do with his hands that isn't drink more wine.

"But honestly, we can just talk about it if you want. You don't have to go along with this just to make me feel better." Less like a kinky weirdo.

His own hands find themselves laying flat on the table for a moment, mulling the reaction over. Loki's afraid to scare him off, to be weird, and too much too fast.

"Do you believe me when I say I'm good for it?"

Finally Loki looks up at Mobius. He doesn't like feeling this open, this unsure, but when he looks into those beautiful blue eyes somehow everything feels just a bit better.

"I do." He even gives him a small, genuine smile. "I did warn you that I could be a bit much."

"Okay. Then I'm good for it. No ambiguity." And then he starts at the food at last. "I can handle your much, don't worry about that. You wanna do this now or after?"

"It is entirely up to you." Loki had planned to do it after over dessert, but Mobius has already found the list so the proverbial cat is out of the bag now. "I am obviously not put off by discussions like these, but if you'd rather not do it over dinner, I would completely understand."

Preferred methods of restraint he can do. Feelings? A hard maybe.

"Promise not to choke to death on my steak about it, but, we can wait. We can talk about talking about it." With a bob of his eyebrows.

"Obviously I'm not wholesome vanilla through and through. But would it have put you off if I was?"

Loki loosens up just a bit more, finally feeling the knot of tension in his core fully dissipate. Mobius isn't weirded out or scared off. At least not yet.

"No, I don't believe so. I may have tried to introduce you to a few things over time, but just being with you is...wonderful."

Let's talk about 🍆sex🍑 baby

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