The lull after Christmas has been really nice. Lazy days spent lounging on the couch in his pajamas or even better, being naked anywhere in the house with his husband. Steve takes a moment to appreciate the relative peace and quiet, broken only by the faint huff of Loki's breath against his shoulder. The blonde smiles when Loki shifts in his sleep and tries to burrow even closer to him. He knows there are many challenges ahead of them, but in this moment he can almost forget Tony and Clint and Asgard and the file Natasha sent over detailing A.I.M's latest activities. Right now he is content to lay in bed, feeling sated and relaxed, next to the man he loves more than anything.
Right up until his phone rings.
Steve reaches over and fumbles around on the nightstand until he is able to grab the device and silence it, but its too late. Loki blinks his eyes open and moves to sit up, expression morphing into a glare when the phone starts to ring again.
"Sorry," Steve apologizes as he turns the phone so Loki can see that it is Bucky calling. "Hey Buck," he says, putting the phone up to his ear.
Loki rolls his eyes then throws back the covers. He gets out of bed and strolls over to the closet where he pulls out a pair of black slacks and a black dress shirt. Going back into the closet he selects a pair of jeans, a dark blue and black plaid long sleeve shirt and a black vest for Steve. He lays everything out at the end of the bed and then strolls into the bathroom.
Steve can hear the shower turn on and has to shake himself to stop thinking about his husbands wet, naked form.....
"Hey, are you even listening to me?" Bucky's voice can be heard.
"What? Oh. Um.... What were you saying?" Steve responds sheepishly.
"Let me guess, Loki was distracting you. Again."
Steve can't stop the grin that spreads across his face, "only a little."
Huffing out a laugh, Bucky responds, "yeah, whatever. Just don't let him distract you tonight. I expect you guys here no later than 8:00."
"We'll be there."
Bucky can tell by the tone of his friends voice that he is distracted yet again. "Geez, go. Play with your husband. Get it out of your system so you'll be on time tonight," Bucky laughs as he hangs up.
The blonde wastes no time tossing the phone down and heading into the bathroom to see if Loki needs any help in the shower.
Natasha pulls the door open to Bucky's place, Fury's former safe house. "Rogers, Loki," she greets the men.
Loki quirks an eyebrow at her and glances into the living room beyond. "Don't get any ideas. Everyone else is on the deck."
The fake look of affront that Loki adopts makes Steve laugh. "I would never imply that there was something going on between you and Bucky," the god says, placing a hand to his chest and pulling his head back, exposing part of his long neck.
"No, of course you wouldn't," she smirks before turning and leading the way out to the deck.
"Look everyone! It's Loki and Steve!" Bucky calls out upon seeing them. "And only," he checks his watch, "20 minutes late." He holds his hand out and waits for Sam, who is standing beside him, to pull out his wallet and slap a $20 bill into his palm.
"Hold on," Natasha says as she reaches up and pulls slightly at Loki's shirt collar, exposing a dark purple bruise. She holds her hand out to Bucky who hands over the $20.
Steve looks over at his husband and can't resist himself, so he leans in and kisses the bruise on his neck that he put there earlier that day. "I can't believe you bet on us," he tells his friends as a smirk spreads over Loki's face.
"Dammit," Natasha curses as she hands the $20 over to the gods outstretched hand.
Loki is leaning against Steve, arm around his waist, standing at the edge of the deck.
"What was with all those bets?" the blonde asks.
"Oh, well...... Bucky and Sam bet on us being late. Natasha and Bucky bet on which one of us would have any marks. And Natasha was certain you would get all flustered and embarrassed when called out on it," the god grins.
Steve grips Loki at the back of his neck and pulls him in for a kiss. When he pulls away, the god is a little breathless.
"Hey! Knock it off over there you two!" Bucky calls out. "Save it for midnight."
Steve makes the rounds and is talking to Scott and Fury. He stops mid sentence when Bruce walks out on to the deck behind Natasha. The scientist immediately heads over.
"Steve," he greets.
The blonde freezes for a second before taking a breath and extending his hand, "Bruce. It's good to see you."
For all the initial awkwardness, Steve is pleased to be able to talk with his former team mate. They delicately dance around certain topics, choosing instead to speak of things that are simple, non confrontational, safe. And he has hope. Hope that maybe he didn't destroy everything when he made his choice.
Steve looks over at Loki, watches him laughing with Bucky, head dipped down, one hand on the soldiers shoulder and he knows, without a doubt, he would make the same choices, but that doesn't stop the intense relief that he feels at being able to talk to Bruce like this. Bruce follows his gaze and when he looks back at Steve, there is no mistaking the happiness he see's there.
It is mere minutes before midnight and Steve stands with his arm held loosely around Loki's waist. He has a beer in his hand and even if the alcohol cannot affect him, he enjoys the slight bitter taste on his tongue. He looks around at his friends, all gathered to celebrate the coming New Year and he counts his blessings as he pulls Loki just a little closer.
As the time gets nearer, Bucky ensures everyone has a drink of their choice in hand. It is Scott who pulls his phone out and counts the seconds down. At the stroke of midnight, Steve pulls Loki close and tenderly kisses his husband. He pulls away and flicks his eyes up to Loki's face. The corner of Loki's mouth quirks up and he jerks his head so Steve turns around just in time to see Natasha approach Bucky with a tumbler and bottle of vodka in her hand. She pours some, then takes a drink before handing the glass to Bucky. Standing up on her toes, Natasha leans in and kisses the solider. Her kiss is firm with just a hint of tongue and over all too soon. When she pulls back, Bucky quickly gulps down a drink and then looks up in time to see both Loki and Steve grinning at him.
Steve holds out his hand and Loki pulls the $20 bill out of his pocket and hands it over before they turn their attention to the sky, holding each other close, as the fireworks paint the night.
