The snow fell in wet clumps that night, coating the ground, ripe for sculpting. Loki and Steve trudged through the white, heavy flakes on their way home. Steve was bundled up for the cold weather and Loki wore a simple, long coat and a scowl. The cold didn't affect his flesh the way it did most of the beings in the nine realms and he hated being reminded of it. Steve, however, had proven to be very fond of the season, dragging Loki out into the snow for no more reason than to just watch it fall from the limitless sky.
Loki dropped his head down, walking quickly through a local park so he could be indoors, when he realized that Steve was no longer by his side. He stopped in the midst of the traffic of people and looked around, not seeing any sign of the blonde-haired man in a puffy blue coat. Loki's frown seemed to deepen as he debated with himself whether to look for him or just go home. He was close to a decision when he felt something hit the back of his head with a loud thump.
The wetness of the snow seeped into his hair as it slid down and onto his back. His level of frustration shot up when he figured out what happened and turned frantically in all directions, searching for the culprit. He spotted him behind a tree, blood flushing his pale face with a smile on his lips and his body shaking from laughter. He couldn't help but melt at the sight of Steve like the snow on his coat.
He cracked a smile as Steve stepped out from behind the tree, appearing as if he was walking toward Loki, when he stooped down and plunged his hands into the white blanket at his feet. Loki realized his intentions too late and couldn't avoid the second ball of snow that hit him square in the chest. He grunted involuntarily from the force, feeling that Steve put more of his super human strength behind that one than the first. It was almost enough to make him stumble backward.
Anger flared within him once more but the sparkling blue gems of child-like wonder that were Steve's eyes immediately brought him back down. Steve had such a hold on him that it was nearly unnerving, but only nearly. He elicited the happiness in him. He watched as Steve threw his arms up in desperation.
"It's no fun if you're just going to stand there," he said, looking exasperated.
"I didn't realize this was fun," Loki replied with a smirk.
"Not if you don't fight back," he huffed, his breath turning to steam with every word.
Loki stared skeptically down at his feet, kicking the flakes with his boot. He crouched down, stroking the top layer with his fingertips before scooping some up in his hand. He glanced up at Steve, who appeared expectant, and packed the snow into the form of a misshapen ball. He cradled in his palm as he stood back up, feeling it start to freeze at his touch, and threw it at Steve without warning.
Steve was almost slack-jawed as he wiped the snow off of his already cold face when he burst out in laughter. "Now we're talking."
"You don't realize the trouble you're in, Rogers," Loki said slyly, packing together another snowball as Steve took shelter behind the leafless, snow-covered trees.
Loki smiled to himself at Steve's naiveté. He thought he was safe behind cover, but he was far from it. His hands and the white ball glowed bright green as Loki cast a simple enchantment on it and he threw it directly at the tree Steve had hidden behind. Anyone passing by would have thought it would hit the tree but instead it passed through the trunk and hit Steve in the back.
Steve was bewildered, looking behind him, thinking he'd missed a hole in the tree, but it was as solid as ever. Then he realized what happened.
"That's cheating Loki!" Steve yelled as he looked at the laughing trickster through the branches.
"You never spoke of any rules. By that reasoning, magic is fair game."
"New rule! No magic!" he said, grabbing a handful of snow.
"Well, now who's no fun."
Steve threw the snowball but Loki moved swiftly to narrowly avoid it. Loki walked toward Steve who started to step backward to compensate. Despite that, Loki still gained on him until Steve tripped on a branch hidden by the snow. Loki reacted quickly, grabbing the front of his coat, but he had tipped back too far and they both toppled to the ground, one on top of the other.
They both started laughing as the snow around them stirred up from the impact. Slowly, their laughter subsided but they still stayed there, just enjoying the night and the snow. Loki rolled off of Steve to lay beside him, grabbing his gloved hand with his bare one. He looked up and watched the flakes fall as if they were all stars dropping from the sky. He'd never noticed how beautiful it was. Steve curled up to Loki, laying his head on his chest.
"Didn't you want to get home?" Steve asked, almost teasingly.
Loki kissed the top of Steve's head as he continued to watch the snow. "What fun would that be?"