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The day Loki joined the team, he was struck immediately by Vivien Hugo. His dark eyes seemed to sparkle when their gazes caught each other, his long butterfly lashes making way for said light. It was no surprise that a man with a face and body sculpted by the gods would have a brain equally so, making his football superior. They had had quite a few interesting conversations, and they often seemed to be on the same page, which Loki enjoyed.
However, if there was one thing Loki couldn't figure out about Hugo, was whether or not he would be interested in him the same way. Loki knew immediately that his fascination with Hugo was more than just football, but a physical attraction as well, but he wouldn't want to jeopardise their working relationship by being too forward.
So Loki tried being subtle.
“Let me feel your biceps.” Loki reached out and touched his friend only days after they had met, he gripped his strong arm between the fingers of his hand. “Your arms are so big.”
“You have really long eyelashes.” Just weeks after that the two were at a cafe together after a long morning practice, Loki stared into his eyes, moving closer as if to get a better look. “They're very…pretty, is the best way to describe it.” He complimented.
“Your hair looks good pushed back like that.” Some time later, months after they'd met after practicing alone, Loki paid another compliment, Hugo had had his hair pinned away to ‘read’ his blank book. “I can see your eyes better.”
Julien Loki noticed that none of these compliments gave him much of a response. He didn’t think he was coming on too strong, but he assumed that the average person would have noticed by now and done something about it. Hugo had done nothing. Just a hum or a small “thanks” at a compliment.
Perhaps he wasn't interested. That's fine, Julien thought, maybe he should pack it up, and continue their colleague relationship the way it was. Sure, they were close, they hung out after practice some times, but it clearly wasn't more than that.
Loki figured he should just give up the more intimate advances if Hugo wasn't interested.
“I'm going to go get dinner after practice, do you want to come with me?”
Months after their first meeting, Loki asked this as they were cooling down on the pitch. He asked it with only the intention of talking football, as he had given up on the idea of Hugo having mutual feelings.
“Where are you going?” Hugo was practical, so of course he would weigh the options if he would go or not.
Loki found this endearing of him, but it just proved his point further. If he said the wrong answer, he wouldn’t go with him. Not that it mattered, but part of him did enjoy his company.
“I dunno.” He muttered, sitting on the grass now, reaching his arm to his outstretched leg to grab his foot and stretch his muscles. “I was thinking of that spot we went to a few months back, that kinda fancy outdoor one. I'm still thinking about that steak.”
Hugo paused a moment, stretching his hamstrings on the floor in front of him as well. What seemed like hours to Loki, which was probably only 30 seconds, he finally spoke up. “Yeah, that's suitable. Protein is important and they have plenty of options.”
Loki laughed, stretching his other leg now. He picked the right answer. “Yeah, that's a good point. But I'm getting dessert too.”
Hugo hummed in response, thinking about it himself clearly. The man was a sucker for éclairs, and Loki knew that about him. It only took a few weeks for him to learn that anyways, he figured it could use it to his advantage later.
“Just wait with me in the locker room, I have to get all my stuff together.” Loki told him as he stood up.
Hugo followed suit as he always did. He usually stayed behind with Loki and bonded, they always left together. By now they were the last two on the pitch.
By the time they got to the locker rooms there were only a few teammates left and by the time Loki stepped out of the shower he had said goodbye to the last one, leaving Hugo and Loki on their own. The two dressed in casual clothes and freshened up fairly quickly by that time as well.
“I'm just going to put the last of my things away and leave them, so we can head out.” Loki explained as he zipped up his bag, storing it snug in the corner of the locker.
As he stood up and turned around he was shocked by the figure in front of him, standing tall and only inches away. If Loki wasn't who he was, he would have been scared, but instead he stopped in confusion, wonder even. “Hugo? What are you–”
Vivien Hugo didn't hesitate as he grabbed Loki by the shoulder, pulling the shorter boy into him and pressing their lips together.
If Julien Loki wasn't who he was, he would have been shocked, maybe flinched away even, no matter how attracted to the man he was, but Loki knew who he was. Instead, he leaned into the unexpected kiss, not giving himself time to react, even though his words were cut off. His eyes closed into it, savouring the taste of Hugo's plush pink lips, soft and plump against his.
It felt how he thought it would be when he imagined kissing Hugo.
A few seconds along and Hugo finally pulled away, his eyes staring at him through long, butterfly lashes.
Loki looked up at him, eyes half-lidded from the ecstatic feeling of kissing a handsome boy, euphoria only being washed away by a small bit of confusion. He smiled even, a bit of a smug half smile, the phantom feeling of Hugo's lips on his.
“What was that about?” He asked quietly, still only a few inches away from him.
Hugo looked at him, almost no expression, but a tinge of confusion himself. “What do you mean? I thought that's what you wanted?”
Loki stared for a second before letting out a giggle. “I mean, I didn't hate it.”
“Have you not been giving me hints this whole time?” Hugo cocked his head to the side, clearly asking seriously. “It's the only logical reason for all the flirting you've done since we met.”
Being called out on that fact did make Loki blush in a bit of embarrassment, but he was proud and too proud to let it take over. He was glad his subtle hints worked to his advantage, but it would be a lie if he said he saw it coming.
“I thought you weren't interested.” Loki admitted. He hated to admit he was wrong about things, but something about Hugo fascinated him so much, he needed to know what he was thinking.
Hugo continued to stare at him, puzzled by the reaction. “I always go with you to make plays and strategies before and after practice. I wait for you in the locker rooms, if you're the first or last person in, I wait to go with you. And I even walk you home everyday. I was also leaving hints.”
Granted, home wasn't far for Loki so he figured it was just on his way back, but he supposed those small gestures should have been a sign for him. He knew that Hugo was interested in his career and his dream as they aligned, but he figured these things were related.
“Why didn't you do anything sooner?” Loki finally asked. “I was ready to give up on you.”
Hugo gave a nonchalant shrug. “It wasn't the time.” He stated as if it was obvious. “This time was not only suitable but optimal because we were alone and you asked me out. I figured it would be the best time to make my move.”
Watching him explain himself, like a machine giving churning facts out, made Loki laugh a bit. Who thinks of romance like that? But then again, he did feel a little silly for not noticing before, even if his hints were quite mechanical.
Instead of dwelling on his lack of observational skills in this department, he decided to divert the attention elsewhere. He leaned up a bit just a few centimeters, keeping his smile. “Then let me return the favour.” He placed his hand gently on Hugo's cheek, guiding him back down for another kiss, pressing their lips together softly.
As they both melted into the kiss for a few beats before pulling away again to look at each other, as if both were making sure this was really happening.
“After all,” Hugo finally broke the small silence, his voice low and hushed as if to say something only Loki was privy to hear. “Our fates aligned perfectly to end up where we are. I wasn't worried about how long it would take because I knew we were destined to be here like this.”
There was no mistaking that it made Loki's face heat up in embarrassment, the comment was far too romantic for him, and yet he was falling for it. He didn't want to admit that fact, but something about the small smile forming on the corners of Hugo's mouth, made it obvious he knew.
“Well, then let's go on our date, shall we?” Changing the title of their outing now was strategic. Loki didn't want Hugo to have the last word, no matter how romantic and how much it made him swoon. “You can tell me about our destiny when we're sitting down.”
“I'll be happy to.”
Hugo only stepped away to give Loki the space to lead them out of the locker room, but stayed beside him now, regardless, a hand gently placed on the small of his back as they walked.
“How long did you know I was flirting with you?” Loki asked finally, too curious as they walked out of the locker room towards the exit of the premises.
“You asked to feel my biceps.” Hugo responded with a straight face, though clearly there was some cheek in his words, only made worse by the follow up: “There's no other reason to touch someone's biceps unless you're flirting with them. That's when I knew. Also you didn't ask that to anyone else.”
Loki couldn't help but laugh. Hugo was far too funny for him, even if his words were at his expense. “I wasn't trying to be that subtle, you know. I'm glad it worked.”
“It wouldn't have worked on anyone else.”
Loki looked over at him, again in curiosity about such a statement. “Oh? And why not?”
“Because it's our destiny to go on this date. Our destiny to share that kiss. It's our fates that are aligned to make it possible for us to fall into each other's words and find attraction in one another. It wouldn't have worked on anyone else because I am destined to be here with you as you are destined to be here with me. It's the most–”
“Okay, okay!” Loki interrupted him before he could finish his sentence because if he carried on about how much he liked him, he was going to blush again. Nothing made Loki blush, except this guy apparently. “Didn't I say we can talk about it over dinner?”
“Sorry.” The word was said quickly, followed by the hand on the small of Loki's back pressed into him even more, almost as if it were a firmer grip.
He did that on purpose, Loki thought. He wasn't sorry, Hugo loved to mess with him.
But Julien Loki would let him speak about it again. He would let him talk about how this was their destiny and how suitable the situation was. He would let himself swoon over the other's words. He even thought he'd kiss him again at the end of the night, perhaps more than just once or twice, as the feeling of Hugo's lips stayed in his memory while they walked to the restaurant.
Why not, right? It's their destiny after all.