Work Text:
Anthony was sketching a chest plate when he first heard the rain. He lifted his head and looked out the window. It got heavier the longer he watched it. There wasn’t any thunder or lightning, ruling out the Crown Prince as the cause.
Smiling, Anthony twirled his quill. It was made with a beautiful black feather and was a gift from a different prince. He placed it down on the parchment, pushed out the chair and stretched. He left the room and went deeper into the house. A decade ago, he would have worked in his forge and been oblivious to the rain, but now he had a reason to rise; a reason that had meant converting an old room in his house into a space to work on his designs.
Stepping into the living space, he was quick to locate Loki. The prince was laying on the old but comfortable settee with his feet up. He was only in the linen pants he’d worn to bed the previous night. Loki had a book in hand and seemed oblivious not only to the rain but his presence.
He smiled and simply admired his lover.
It had taken many years for Loki to get so comfortable in his home. It was still a delight to see him wearing so few clothes. Loki had received teasing as a child for his pale and slim physique. It was why he preferred, even in the safety of his chambers, to wear numerous layers.
Anthony loved the trust the gesture showed. He also loved admiring his handsome lover’s beautiful form.
The rain continued to fall, the sounds masking his steps as he approached his lover. It was only when he was within touching distance that Loki blinked and turned his head.
“Hello, my handsome prince,” Anthony greeted.
Loki grinned, his gaze twinkling but his smile soft. “Hello, filthy commoner.”
Anthony laughed. He also glanced down at his hands, seeing the charcoal stains.
“I suppose I should wash before dragging you into a kiss.”
“I don’t recall saying such a thing,” Loki replied.
Anthony grinned. He closed the distance and Loki shifted back on the settee, giving him enough room to sit down beside his lover. Anthony placed one hand on his chest, stroking the firm muscles as he bent down and kissed Loki.
The prince sighed against him and a hand went into his hair, stroking the strands.
They kissed softly and slowly and they only broke apart to catch their breath. Anthony kept his eyes closed but rested their foreheads together.
“What brings you from your creations?” Loki questioned gently.
“It’s raining.”
“Oh,” Loki breathed. “So, it is.”
Anthony grinned, he also pulled back, just looking down at his relaxed lover. His hair was still rumpled from sleep and falling around his face. Even his face seemed soft, none of his masks or tight control present on such a lazy morning.
Anthony let his gaze travel down, his lips twitching with amusement at the smears of black he’d left on the man’s chest. Yet, Loki either didn’t notice or didn’t mind. Anthony stroked his skin and just marvelled at the man beside him.
After almost a decade courting one another, Anthony still loved these moments more than he could say.
It was why he was always so grateful when Loki had declared he’d rather live here than in the palace. It had taken work and Queen Frigga agreeing, but finally, Loki had been free from the halls and walls that had provided him with no shortage of mockery.
His family, while not commoners as Loki often joked, came from a line of lesser nobles. Their house was large to many and Anthony had built his small forge among the grounds. It was still miniscule in comparison to the wealth Loki was used to.
And yet, he didn’t seem to care. In fact, he seemed to like it.
They had no servants and so, they cooked together, cleaned together and Loki tended to the garden. Some days, he worked on his projects and Loki practiced his seidr and they only came together in the evening.
They’d built a home around each other, where they could just be themselves. It was everything Anthony could have ever wanted from a courtship.
“What are you thinking?” Loki questioned, his fingers moving from Anthony’s hair to trace his jaw.
“That I am so very happy,” Anthony answered. “And that I love you.”
Loki smiled; his small, soft and genuine one that never failed to flip Anthony’s stomach.
“You sentimental fool,” Loki declared, but he also tugged Anthony back down by the chin, pausing with their lips a hairsbreadth apart to whisper. “I love you as well.”
They kissed again and Anthony felt warm from head to toe, because this was true happiness and he was grateful to have been reminded of it by the rain.