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 The link she sent him takes him to a rather outdated looking webpage for the "TVA Salon and Spa", an older establishment that apparently started in the 50's as a barber shop, but recent made the jump to full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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"Nothing formal. Contrary to what certain pieces of media would have you think, no one really does 'contracts.'" Loki scoffs. "It's just a way to see what we both enjoy, what you're curious about. So I guess the second? Just without tacking it to the wall."

"Presumably we can add things as we see fit, in case one of us has some out-there kink to play with. And presumably with any change of tastes, any adjustments are kosher. This whole setup is really just more for the sake of organization and a firm place to start." He points with a fork. "It's very you, Mr. Lawyer."

"But of course. Though if you are able to find a kink not listed there, I would love to hear about it. I've taken great measures to make sure that list is as comprehensive as possible."

Loki chuckles at the 'accusation.' "What can I say? I want to make sure I know all the options open to me. That way we don't get a year into this and suddenly discover we both had the same secret kink we could have been indulging in all that time." Not that Loki bothers to keep his kinks secret. Obviously.

"It'll be an educational experience for me. Might be I discover new sides to myself. Or realize some things I never thought of as kinks are actually real kinky. And I know this is a no judgement zone. One of us is into something the other thinks is gross, it's fine, just won't be doing that, no harm no foul."

"Precisely." Loki grins at him. "And if there isn't a lot that looks interesting to you, we'll just work with what's there." It sounds fun. Normally, if Loki is part of someone's kink-discovery it's in a more informal way.

"It means a lot to me that you at least want to try this with me, truly."

"Yeah, of course. It's really not weird, just, like I said, unexpected. But are you up for this? I mean, it sounded like this week really sucked. We don't have to get intense about anything if you don't want."

"If anything, this week has made me more up for it." The chance to possibly get to switch his brain off for a bit? Let someone he trusts make all the decisions and call all the shots? Yes, please.

"How have things been at the salon?"

Which is when he levels Loki with a Look.

"Oh, it's been fine. Great, really. I've never been heckled for causing an international incident more. When did you send my boss a copy of a local paper?"

Loki looks the picture of innocence as he takes another sip of wine.

"I don't know what you're talking about. How would she even know to get in contact with me to procure such a thing?" He honestly didn't send it to her, but it's fun to play along for now.

"She has it framed. It was just sitting there, framed, an image of me throwing wine on your dad. But everyone is definitely under the impression that this is the best thing to happen to any of us."

Loki snickers. He definitely needs to talk to Ravonna to figure out how she got a copy of that magazine now.

"Certainly one of the best things that's happened to me, that's for sure."

"...Well. He did deserve it. And you definitely deserved better. I stand by that, and I always will."

"I think I got exactly what I deserved with you." Loki reaches over and gently places a hand on top of Mobius'.

"This steak is delicious, by the way. Excellent choice in restaurant."

"...Still think you deserve better." His smile is gentle. "But thank you." He turns his hand to take Loki's.

"I wasn't sure what to pick up. Not feeling Italian, Chinese seemed a little too casual? Maybe next time, though. Or, pizza. Or, you can be in charge of food next time, go back and forth with this."

"Technically I was in charge of the food for an entire week." Loki teases. "But there is this amazing Chinese establishment that delivers here. Perhaps next time."

Mobius sticks out his tongue. "Fine, no, I'll bring food, unless you want to cook. Or maybe I'll cook."

"I would love to cook for you or to have you cook. That big kitchen has to get used sometime." He orders out a lot, but he does enjoy cooking for himself at the time.

"So long as we all know who's doing what when we meet up. Food-wise, anyway. Don't have to plan each and every day out, obviously." Although maybe things like 'go over a big list of sexy kinks' should probably have been brought up, specifically, beforehand.

Yeah, Loki is going to be very specific from now on about what their meetings will entail if it's anything like this in the future.

The last bite of steak is just as good as the first. Loki sits back in his seat with a satisfied sign.

"Would you like to move to the living room for desert? I have a pint of gelato from that Italian place on the corner." Among other things, depending on how Mobius reacts to a more in-depth look at the list.

"Absolutely. You get us set up, I'll clean up here."

The least he can do. Box up anything leftover, toss the rest, dishes, no big deal. What a nice condo. Wonder how thick the walls are... (Well. Loki would know.)

"I hope it isn't too disappointing if I don't really have an answer for a lot of them. Depending on how wild and crazy the list gets."

"Don't worry about disappointing me or not," Loki says as he carries over two bowls of gelato to the couch. "Just be honest. If you don't know what something is you can ask. If it sounds interesting we'll see about trying it. If not, we put it to the side."

"I still can't believe there's a whole checklist." He definitely is going to have some gelato first, while he takes the list and gives it a once-over. Some of the entries make him raise an eyebrow, or both eyebrows, and some of them are a lot more familiar.

"I think I'm getting old. Is old people on your list, because you've got one."

"Ah ah! No getting at my list until yours is done." Loki holds up his folded list between two fingers before putting it under the waistband of his pants.

"There's a more detailed one, if you can believe that."

"Ohhhh, I can believe it. This by far doesn't have everything even I can think of, but it's a...it's definitely a start." There are pens. No. Wait. There is a pen, one of those ones that has different colors depending how you click. Which is cute, actually. That's really cute.

He mulls over it and starts filling things out (color coordinated!) with occasional dips into his gelato. Until he slides the page between them on the table. "Like I said, a start."

Loki glances at the list as he pulls out his own list to place beside it on the coffee table.

"It seems we agree on quite a few things." Loki says with a smile.

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