[ Loki plants his hands on Chris's chest, beaming at him as he leans in to bump noses. ]
I'll do that. Don't ride off before lunch, there will be plenty of time for Sleipnir to knock you on your ass after I've kissed all the chili of your lips.
[ Hopefully the horses don't mind having to watch this display, since now that his hands are free, Chris happily wraps his arms around Loki's waist to pull him in closer. ]
Sounds like fun. I'll be back in a few minutes.
[ With one last squeeze, and a kiss dropped to Loki's forehead, Chris peels himself away and goes to shoo the horses down the slope, taking a second to stuff his feet in the boots sitting by the back door so he's not walking through the stables barefoot. It takes a little work to convince Tango to come along without a bridle on him, but his horse is well trained, and eventually follows direction. Blessedly, Sleipnir decides to cooperate too, either because Tango is doing it and he doesn't want to be alone or because he actually understands the steady stream of words Chris lets fall from his lips. It's not long before they're back to the barn, where Mary Lou is making her displeasure at being left behind known with a constant barrage of snorting and whinnying.
Chris puts the boys in the paddock and then brings Mary Lou out too, sneaking her a few treats while he's at it to make up for her solitary confinement. While he's not stupid enough to think that the fence will stop Sleipnir from jumping it if he so chooses, at least he knows it'll keep the two regular horses penned, and after taking the time to hoist a fresh barrel of hay over the fence so they have something to nibble on and making sure their water trough is full, he dusts off his hands and heads back up to the house.
[ For the time period that Chris is out being a stepfather to Sleipnir, Loki finds a blanket to curl up in on the (freshly cleaned!) couch, magicing away his old clothes where they landed on the floor in moments of passion. He brings his knees up and floats a few books over from the shelves, picking one to read while dipping home-baked bread into his chili (alas, he was not strong enough to wait).
When he hears Chris approaching he tilts his head toward the door, feeling like Chris is the missing piece of making this house a home. ]
[ Toeing off his boots at the door again, Chris pads into the house and shuts the glass door behind him, not wanting to let anything that isn't supposed to be there come into the house — mostly flies, but he can't rule out a curious horse or two these days — before looking around to see where Loki's gone. He spots a mop of dark hair over the back of the couch and makes a beeline for it, leaning his arms on the back of the couch and bending down to rest his chin on the top of Loki's head. ]
Couldn't wait, hm? [ Not that Chris can blame him. Not to toot his own horn, or anything, but if there's one thing Chris knows he can knock out of the park every time, it's chili. There's a reason he made some on the day he knew Loki was coming to visit. ] How's the bread?
[ He wanders off to fix himself his own lunch, slicing off a thick piece of bread and indulging in some butter on top to accompany his chili before returning to the living room so he can sit beside Loki and peer at the book in his hands as he eats. ]
You made food that smells too delicious to resist, not my fault. The bread is majestic, for the record.
[ Toasty as he is, he lifts the blanket to welcome Chris into his space and rearranges how he's sitting, knees resting against Chris's leg. The book is laid between them as they eat. ]
This is some sort of a cadet manual, I think? The dangers of a starship are very serious, that's the vibe I'm getting.
[ Chris could put on his discarded shirt. Or he could just not do that, and let Loki drape the blanket he'd rustled up from somewhere over him as well, the book soon following, so they're both sat together on the cushions and looking down at a textbook Chris has barely touched since his Academy days. ]
[ He gestures to where a younger Chris had written in the margins of all the quiz sections, circling the correct answer and doodling next to the ones he didn't know or didn't like or didn't agree with.
He laughs, lifting a hand to thumb at the pout of Loki's lower lip. ]
Oh, is that how you got your commission? Better not tell the brass, I don't think that's a fully-sanctioned path to Starfleet.
[ Smiling, Chris wiggles his thumb as Loki shakes his head like a dog with a rat between its teeth, stroking Loki's smirking lower lip again once its released and then lifting that arm to drape it over Loki's shoulders to keep him close.
He has to eat his food one-handed now, but it's worth the aggravation. ]
You think so? [ One of the other benefits of this position is that it makes it much easier to nose at the nape of Loki's neck, breathing in the combined scent of his skin and Chris's soap that makes something fond and possessive practically purr in his chest. ] And where would this consort sit? On a cushion at my feet?
[ Why on earth would Chris wrestle Loki out of his lap?
He scrambles to lift his chili out of the way to make room for a determined godling to wriggle into his lap, letting himself be pushed back into the cushions and lifting incredulous eyebrows at Loki as he settles himself. ]
[ He sits there triumphantly and settles his book on Chris's chest to flip a page, eating his chili as if he didn't just turn Chris into his very own personal and pretty chair. ]
I'm taking my cadet quizzes, shh. I have to concentrate. I need to learn all about warp cores to pass this section and your handwriting is terrible.
Well can your revolution be a little less horizontal? I haven't finished eating.
[ Holding his bowl aloft, Chris reaches behind them and fumbles around until he finds a loose throw pillow he can stuff behind himself to help keep himself upright enough that he can keep eating while Loki pretends to read his textbooks. ]
My mom tried to force penmanship on us, but it never really took.
No, it can't, because you won't let me sit in your stupid chair so I obviously have to achieve the rank of captain too in order to take over your ship.
[ The most diabolical plan!! ]
Now, 'What constitutes a warp core breach?'
[ A pencil fizzes to life in Loki's hand as he goes to write, tongue poking out the corner of his mouth. ]
It's when ... the core of the warp ... is breached.
[ Chuckling, he rubs one hand up and down the long stretch of Loki's thigh tucked in close to his side as he perches on Chris's middle. ]
That's certainly one way to go about it...
[ Watching Loki frown in concentration at the textbook in front of him, Chris can't help the terribly fond smile that creases his face, his hand on Loki's leg continuing to slowly stroke as Loki writes. ]
That's not a passing answer. You'll get dinged for that on the exam.
I'm not wrong! Details, details. I'd be a great engineer, you don't know ...
[ The petting to his thighs settles him. His empty bowl is placed on the coffee table and he returns to his new book, scribbling in his own answers, entirely engaged in it. ]
I didn't say you were wrong, I said it wasn't a passing answer.
[ There's a slight, but not insignificant difference.
It's cute, the way Loki gets engrossed in what he's doing, even if he is just doing it for the bit or trying to be funny. Or, quite possibly, he's actually interested in what he's learning, which is even better. ]
[ Chris laughs, tucking his fingers in the front of Loki's purloined shirt so he can tug him down into a little bend, making it much easier for Chris to meet him halfway for a kiss. ]
[ He leans into the smooch, hand rising automatically to comb through and play with Chris's hair when so close. The joking disgust slips, revealing more genuine unease, and his voice softens. ]
When I grow old I grow bad. I can't be like that again.
[ Chris leans out to set his bowl down, then reaches back in to take both of Loki's long-fingered hands in his own, tangling their fingers together over the book balanced on his chest. ]
You've never had me around before. I can help.
[ Bold words for a man who's not going to make it out of the next decade without being stripped of every single metric he uses to measure his own sense of self. He pushes those thoughts aside, something he's grown very used to doing. ]
At thirty-something you are going to be just as beautiful as you are now, just as clever, just as kind. I just know it. [ He pulls those hands closer so he can kiss first one, then the other, looking at Loki from over his knuckles. ] Also, thirty-something isn't old. If it is, I'm ancient.
[ It's sweet, the reassurance Chris gives. It also doesn't touch the empty pit in his chest that knows better, keeping it tamped down so shades of it only show in the lingering sadness of his smile as he watches his curled fingers be kissed. ]
I refuse to enter into a future where I'm cruel and heartless. I would be. I have been.
[ Reeling one of their clasped hands in, he drops a kiss on Chris's knuckles in return. ]
I would rather die and change a hundred times over rather than be predictably hateful.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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I'll do that. Don't ride off before lunch, there will be plenty of time for Sleipnir to knock you on your ass after I've kissed all the chili of your lips.
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Sounds like fun. I'll be back in a few minutes.
[ With one last squeeze, and a kiss dropped to Loki's forehead, Chris peels himself away and goes to shoo the horses down the slope, taking a second to stuff his feet in the boots sitting by the back door so he's not walking through the stables barefoot. It takes a little work to convince Tango to come along without a bridle on him, but his horse is well trained, and eventually follows direction. Blessedly, Sleipnir decides to cooperate too, either because Tango is doing it and he doesn't want to be alone or because he actually understands the steady stream of words Chris lets fall from his lips. It's not long before they're back to the barn, where Mary Lou is making her displeasure at being left behind known with a constant barrage of snorting and whinnying.
Chris puts the boys in the paddock and then brings Mary Lou out too, sneaking her a few treats while he's at it to make up for her solitary confinement. While he's not stupid enough to think that the fence will stop Sleipnir from jumping it if he so chooses, at least he knows it'll keep the two regular horses penned, and after taking the time to hoist a fresh barrel of hay over the fence so they have something to nibble on and making sure their water trough is full, he dusts off his hands and heads back up to the house.
Now he's really hungry. ]
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When he hears Chris approaching he tilts his head toward the door, feeling like Chris is the missing piece of making this house a home. ]
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Couldn't wait, hm? [ Not that Chris can blame him. Not to toot his own horn, or anything, but if there's one thing Chris knows he can knock out of the park every time, it's chili. There's a reason he made some on the day he knew Loki was coming to visit. ] How's the bread?
[ He wanders off to fix himself his own lunch, slicing off a thick piece of bread and indulging in some butter on top to accompany his chili before returning to the living room so he can sit beside Loki and peer at the book in his hands as he eats. ]
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[ Toasty as he is, he lifts the blanket to welcome Chris into his space and rearranges how he's sitting, knees resting against Chris's leg. The book is laid between them as they eat. ]
This is some sort of a cadet manual, I think? The dangers of a starship are very serious, that's the vibe I'm getting.
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[ Chris could put on his discarded shirt. Or he could just not do that, and let Loki drape the blanket he'd rustled up from somewhere over him as well, the book soon following, so they're both sat together on the cushions and looking down at a textbook Chris has barely touched since his Academy days. ]
What on earth made you choose this book?
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[ Flipping to a page much like a popquiz, he reads, ] 'What is the correct process to invert a dilithium overload?'
[ Pouting as he considers his options, he looks at Chris and bats his lashes. ]
I was hired because I look good sucking the captain's cock, can I skip this?
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[ He gestures to where a younger Chris had written in the margins of all the quiz sections, circling the correct answer and doodling next to the ones he didn't know or didn't like or didn't agree with.
He laughs, lifting a hand to thumb at the pout of Loki's lower lip. ]
Oh, is that how you got your commission? Better not tell the brass, I don't think that's a fully-sanctioned path to Starfleet.
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[ Loki captures the thumb at his lip between his teeth, giving it a gentle shake and smooch before letting it go. ]
It isn't? I'm shocked and appalled. [ Calmly turning the page to read more of the quiz. ] There should be a position called Captain's Consort.
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He has to eat his food one-handed now, but it's worth the aggravation. ]
You think so? [ One of the other benefits of this position is that it makes it much easier to nose at the nape of Loki's neck, breathing in the combined scent of his skin and Chris's soap that makes something fond and possessive practically purr in his chest. ] And where would this consort sit? On a cushion at my feet?
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[ Slouching more into Chris (careful around their bowls of chili!) Loki plants a laughing kiss on his cheek, fond and adoring. ]
What are you saying, even as your consort I don't get to sit in your chair? Chris!
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The Captain's Chair is for the captain, sweetheart, I'm sorry.
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[ Chris is going to have to wrestle off Loki climbing into his lap, dinner in tow in the hand that isn't pushing him back. ]
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He scrambles to lift his chili out of the way to make room for a determined godling to wriggle into his lap, letting himself be pushed back into the cushions and lifting incredulous eyebrows at Loki as he settles himself. ]
What revolution?
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[ He sits there triumphantly and settles his book on Chris's chest to flip a page, eating his chili as if he didn't just turn Chris into his very own personal and pretty chair. ]
I'm taking my cadet quizzes, shh. I have to concentrate. I need to learn all about warp cores to pass this section and your handwriting is terrible.
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[ Holding his bowl aloft, Chris reaches behind them and fumbles around until he finds a loose throw pillow he can stuff behind himself to help keep himself upright enough that he can keep eating while Loki pretends to read his textbooks. ]
My mom tried to force penmanship on us, but it never really took.
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[ The most diabolical plan!! ]
Now, 'What constitutes a warp core breach?'
[ A pencil fizzes to life in Loki's hand as he goes to write, tongue poking out the corner of his mouth. ]
It's when ... the core of the warp ... is breached.
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That's certainly one way to go about it...
[ Watching Loki frown in concentration at the textbook in front of him, Chris can't help the terribly fond smile that creases his face, his hand on Loki's leg continuing to slowly stroke as Loki writes. ]
That's not a passing answer. You'll get dinged for that on the exam.
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[ The petting to his thighs settles him. His empty bowl is placed on the coffee table and he returns to his new book, scribbling in his own answers, entirely engaged in it. ]
How long does it take to make captain?
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[ There's a slight, but not insignificant difference.
It's cute, the way Loki gets engrossed in what he's doing, even if he is just doing it for the bit or trying to be funny. Or, quite possibly, he's actually interested in what he's learning, which is even better. ]
Ten to fifteen years is pretty standard.
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I'd be old.
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Loki. How old are you already?
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[ He leans into the smooch, hand rising automatically to comb through and play with Chris's hair when so close. The joking disgust slips, revealing more genuine unease, and his voice softens. ]
When I grow old I grow bad. I can't be like that again.
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You've never had me around before. I can help.
[ Bold words for a man who's not going to make it out of the next decade without being stripped of every single metric he uses to measure his own sense of self. He pushes those thoughts aside, something he's grown very used to doing. ]
At thirty-something you are going to be just as beautiful as you are now, just as clever, just as kind. I just know it. [ He pulls those hands closer so he can kiss first one, then the other, looking at Loki from over his knuckles. ] Also, thirty-something isn't old. If it is, I'm ancient.
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I refuse to enter into a future where I'm cruel and heartless. I would be. I have been.
[ Reeling one of their clasped hands in, he drops a kiss on Chris's knuckles in return. ]
I would rather die and change a hundred times over rather than be predictably hateful.
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