Author's Note:

This chapter is considerably less erotic than the last, but it still contains one erotic scene and the lead-up to it. I did not want to uprate the entire fic, so this is the warning that you can skip straight to Chapter 49 if you do not wish to read this. It is not critical to the plot.

For those who do choose to read this, please give feedback- it is my first time writing erotica and I would appreciate any notes about if it worked or did not work.

Thank you.

Loki and Alexi wake early, the sky is still dark when the phone chimes, "Longest nights of the year. Looks like it's still pretty early, though." Alexi checks to see why the phone sounded, "Aw, hell. There's another storm coming. We'd better get back to your place before it does or else we're not going to get out today."

"Oh? That bad?"

Alexi nearly falls out of bed and fumbles for clothes, "Yeah, and moving pretty fast. No time for showers. Grab some clothes."

"All I have here is the gown."

"Nope, I still have a set of your softies. Here." He hands them to him.

Loki reluctantly sits up, "Oh, very well. If you insist on not being snowed in together."

"Frankly, I hate this apartment building. If I'm going to be snowed in, I want it to be at your place where the electricity isn't as likely to go, the furnace fail, and the pipes freeze."

"That happens often?"

"Every other storm." Alexi digs a small bag out from under the bed and begins throwing things into it while Loki dresses. A toothbrush. A set of clothes. Extra socks and underwear. Loki borrows a pair of socks and carefully places his dress in a plastic grocery bag before they bundle up.

The drive is slow, many of the streets still only somewhat cleared. Loki stares at the buildings draped in snow, awed by the beauty of the quietly glittering early morning under the pale light from the streetlamps. When they turn onto his street, he looks to the ash, her branches heavily blanketed.

"Does the snow ever become so heavy that the trees snap?"

"Rarely. That's more likely to happen if we get a really bad ice storm."

"I assume those are not pleasant?"

"No, they suck. Especially if your utilities are shit thanks to your worthless landlord."

"Ah."

"Everything is iced. The roads. Your porch. The stairs. Your car. And it won't warm up to melt, either. Nature just piles more snow on top. So you end up falling down a lot. Or sliding around the roads like they're a skating rink. Or running into stuff. It's all just bad. Really pretty, but super bad." He parks the car in front of Magda's Mercedes, "They must've gotten in late. The car's cleared off."

"Oh?"

"So they would have gotten home after the snow stopped. We were a bit busy to notice, but the phone weather thingy says it stopped pretty early this morning."

"I think we were much happier as we were than watching for the snow to cease falling."

"God, yes."

They shiver on their way to the front door and kick off snow-covered boots as soon as they are in the warm of his home. Loki makes coffee and scrambles eggs as the morning begins to lighten just a little.

They eat, and when they are finished and the dishes are washed, Alexi grins, "So...now that those are clean, shall we shower?"

"I assume this shower will not merely be a cleansing one?"

"Sexy shower!" Alexi laughs, "Drag me to your bathroom, I want to get dirty!"

Loki takes his hand and tugs him up the stairs. They drop their clothes in the bathroom and stumble into the shower enclosure giggling. It is a tight fit and there is not much room for their elbows. They cannot keep their hands off one another and even before the water is on, Loki is pressed against the wall, Alexi's lips on his. He fumbles for the faucet. The hot water feels delightful as it warms away the chill. Alexi's hand is between his legs and lips migrate down to his chin, his neck, his chest, his stomach, and they rest for a moment before he licks, teasing Loki hard as the water runs down his face. Loki grasps at the wall as lips close around him, gently sucking. He moans.

There is a light knock at the door, but neither of them hears it. Wanda stands outside with a package. She lets herself in and takes it to the dining room table. She hears the water running upstairs and wonders if she should leave a note. Then she hears a muffled moaning and she blushes. The extra car on the street is Alexi's. She had not recognized it in the dark. She quietly leaves, locking the door behind her.

"Was he both there and awake?" Magda asks when she returns.

"Oh yes."

"Did you show him what you brought? You were gone only such a short time."

"He was otherwise occupied. Alexi's car is in the street."

"Oh! How delightful! Did you walk in on something?"

"I believe they are in the shower. And they are most definitely occupying one another."

Magda laughs, "They are such a lovely couple! I hope this means they will stay together. Loki needs Alexi so badly."

"That he does."

After both Loki and Alexi are finished in the shower and have finally taken the time to wash one another, they dress and return to the kitchen for more coffee. Loki stares out the windows. The sky that had started to grey has once again darkened. The storm is rolling in.

"Hey, what's this on the table?"

"Hmmm?"

"This box."

"I have no idea."

"It wasn't here when we went upstairs."

"No, it was most definitely not. Open it."

Alexi does and it is full of hammentashen, khobiz mohala, and a few cinnamon rolls, "They look amazing. Are these from last night?"

"One of my sisters must have brought them over."

Alexi pauses, a cinnamon roll halfway to his lips, "Um...we were pretty loud."

"Yes, we were."

"So...either Wanda or Magda just got an earful."

Loki grins, "That they did. There will be no question as to what we did last night. Perhaps we have even saved ourselves from prying questions."

"Or maybe invited more of them. You girls are mighty sharey."

"That will be a fun conversation, indeed."

"You look like you're actually serious about that."

"I would like to see if I can make Magda blush."

"We'll have to get a lot more kinky to do that. Who do you think took me into my first sex shop? She helped me pick up my first strap-on. She's likely to ask what toys we used! Maybe next time we could be a little more adventurous."

Loki's smile brightens at the thought of there being a next time, "Perhaps. Or perhaps we will simply explore more deeply that which we began last night."

"Take it slow?"

"Yes, please, take it slow."

Alexi brings Loki khobiz mohala, peels off a piece, and carefully feeds it to him, "Whatever you want, darling. I want my Loki to be happy."