Loki and Cal - Halloween Dance
Oct. 26th, 2019 09:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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ax_mainComplete fluff, with your usual shapeshifting.
Cal had been perched on one of the basketball boards, which had been pulled up out of the way for the dance, for long enough that he felt about ready to go back down and rejoin the populace. He launched himself into the air, coasting back down towards the students. It was easy to spot Loki among them all, in his period coat and ruffly shirt, and Cal somehow managed to land on his shoulder without thwacking his head with his wing, which he was pretty proud about. He bumped his beak gently against the side of Loki's head, a friendly little hello-again.
Loki smiled up at the raven on his shoulder. “Hello, beautiful,” he murmured. He ran his fingers gently along Cal’s feathery form. After many costume ideas Loki settled on an obscure manga character for the poetic justice of dressing as someone contracted to a raven spirit. Also, ruffles. “See anything good up there?”
Cal would have smiled if he could have. Instead, he stroked his beak against Loki's cheek in reply.
Loki hummed the tune of ‘have I told you lately that I love you’.
Cal let his amusement bubble up towards Loki, then took off from his shoulder, only to immediately shift back into his costume for the night, feet hitting the floor with practiced ease. His hair was jet black and a little longer than usual, his skin paler, and there were odd ridges of bone stretching it up on either side of his face and neck. His clothes were black and mostly nondescript, including the battered old leather coat that nearly reached his ankles. "How's the party going for you?" he asked Loki, his smile all warmth, and all for him.
Loki reached to play with a lock of Cal’s hair, distracted by the lack of blond not for the first time. “So far so good. Last I checked the punch wasn’t spiked. There has been copious sugar and a reasonable sum of dancing. Maybe some more dancing?”
Cal whined a little, instinctively, because dancing still didn't feel like something he was ready to really get back into. ...but it was a slow song playing, so maybe they could just stay on the edge of the dancing crowd, and he could focus on Loki? That didn't sound so bad. Focusing on Loki sounded really good, in fact. "We could - try?" Cal offered, sliding his hand into Loki's. No promises, but try? Try he could do.
A smile lit Loki’s face. He slid closer to Cal. “I like the sound of try.” He brushed a kiss against Cal’s cheek and then murmured close to his ear. “Put your hands on me and I’ll do whatever you’d like.”
Cal chuckled, and shook his head. "How about try not to turn me on in the middle of the rest of the student body?" he requested, then tugged Loki towards the edge of the dance floor. He did want his hands on Loki, though.
Loki batted his eyes. “I’ll try to behave.” He looped his arms around Cal’s neck as they edged closer to the dance floor.
Right, Cal could do this. He was glad for Loki's growth spurt over the summer, putting them at the same height, so he could just wrap his arms around his friend, lean the side of his head against his, close his eyes, and try to focus on nothing but Loki as they started to sway to the music. It turned out to be a terrible plan, as closing his eyes sent Cal's paranoia soaring, so he opened them again and tried another tack. "You're pretty terrible at behaving, as a rule," he said conversationally, hoping that talking would help him settle into the moment.
“But I’m also keen on being close to you,” Loki pointed out. “I can be good for good reason.” Loki nuzzled against Cal’s cheek, which was vaguely strange in his current transformation. Loki wasn’t used to Cal changing his human appearance. Still, Cal felt like himself, regardless of shape. “I like this song.”
"I'm not big into Coldplay," Cal admitted. This felt very much like making small talk. Just as awkward for him. "But it's okay."
“They lurk on my sleep playlist,” Loki admitted. “They are very melty.” Speaking of melting, Loki brushed against Cal as they settled into the rhythm of the song. Cal might find dancing off putting, but Loki eased immediately into the space they shared. Cal’s arms around him were always welcome. “Mind you,” Loki murmured. “A certain someone replaced my sleep playlist.”
"Groundbreaking idea," Cal warned him. It wasn't the dancing itself that was keeping Cal tense, or at least not this kind of dancing - if they were alone in Loki's room, this would be no problem. But there were people everywhere, and the normalcy of dancing with your - friend - at a school dance left him inexplicably tense. Still, Cal was nothing if not stubborn, and dedicated to trying this out. He would relax into the dance if he had anything to say about it. "You could combine the two."
“Play you soothing music as we try to sleep?” Loki tipped his head. “I suppose I could vary the soundtrack. Would you call this mood music?” Loki teased.
Cal's lips curved in an amused half smile. "Depends on the mood, I guess."
“Does this song inspire you to climb into my bed?” Loki asked innocently.
"Is this you behaving?" Cal asked, not losing his amusement, but it was now tainted by a faint layer of potential arousal, too. And fuck if it wasn't working, too, helping him actually focus on Loki, and every point of contact between them, everywhere their bodies touched as they moved to the music. Teenage hormones were a powerful thing.
“Mmmmaybe.” He grinned. “Would you believe that I’m trying? But I’m very distracted.”
"You're very distracting," Cal said, although there was a serious, grateful note in his voice that belied any impression that he might simply be flirting back.
Loki suspected flirting would steal Cal’s attention away from some of his nerves. “See, I’m not grabbing your ass. That’s the height of best behavior.”
"It's - something," Cal agreed, a little wryly.
“You’re something,” Loki said with a saucy wink. Then, softer, “This is nice.”
Cal brushed his nose against Loki's cheek, and breathed in deep. "Yeah," he agreed, after a moment. "It kind of is."
It meant something, being able to be here, dancing with Loki. In terms of his recovery, and in terms of what they were to each other. Never mind that romantic labels didn't feel like they fit. They were still something. Something that mattered.
Loki smiled and swayed contently. Progress! Public affection. This wasn’t a couple thing, it was totally a best friend with emotional and other benefits thing, really.
Cal managed to relax into the moment, as much as he likely could at this stage. But then the music changed, to something a lot more beat-tastic, and he chuckled. "Okay, I... am not sure I can pull this off, but hey. Let's try?" Maybe if he remained focused on Loki, it would be fine. He just had to do that despite not being in each other's arms.
“Ooh, yes.” Loki took Cal’s lead.
Cal took one of Loki's hands in his and stepped back to start dancing - but not too far back. He wanted to give himself the best chances of remaining focused on Loki, and that meant staying within his space, close enough that it was still easy to shut out the rest of the world. Of course, Cal was trying a little too hard to make this work to actually dance all that well, but he wasn't actually a bad dancer, so he hoped he didn't look too ridiculous, despite missing a beat now and then.
Focus on Loki, keep breathing through it. He could do this.
Loki rocked his hips and bopped to the beat. He was tempted to throw an illusion up around them and take Cal away from the crowd. That would defeat Cal’s attempt to do normal.
To Cal's credit, he managed to stick to it until the end of the song. But by then, his heart was thudding hard, and he was definitely not into the dance. "Okay, I - am done for now, I think." There was a thread of urgency in his tone, and he tugged on Loki's hand to move them both away from the dancers.
Loki followed him away. “Fly?” He asked.
"Out of here," Cal confirmed, and shot him an apologetic look. "At least for a little while." He was itching to shift and take off already, but instead, he stayed put for now. Long enough to know if Loki was, "Coming with?"
Loki smiled. “Happily. I’ve been one shape too long.”
Cal smiled at his friend, and pulled him into a brief hug. He pecked Loki's cheek, then took a step back and, in the same move, shifted back into a crow, wings batting to lift him above the near students.
Loki transformed into his raven form and took off after Cal.
Cal had been perched on one of the basketball boards, which had been pulled up out of the way for the dance, for long enough that he felt about ready to go back down and rejoin the populace. He launched himself into the air, coasting back down towards the students. It was easy to spot Loki among them all, in his period coat and ruffly shirt, and Cal somehow managed to land on his shoulder without thwacking his head with his wing, which he was pretty proud about. He bumped his beak gently against the side of Loki's head, a friendly little hello-again.
Loki smiled up at the raven on his shoulder. “Hello, beautiful,” he murmured. He ran his fingers gently along Cal’s feathery form. After many costume ideas Loki settled on an obscure manga character for the poetic justice of dressing as someone contracted to a raven spirit. Also, ruffles. “See anything good up there?”
Cal would have smiled if he could have. Instead, he stroked his beak against Loki's cheek in reply.
Loki hummed the tune of ‘have I told you lately that I love you’.
Cal let his amusement bubble up towards Loki, then took off from his shoulder, only to immediately shift back into his costume for the night, feet hitting the floor with practiced ease. His hair was jet black and a little longer than usual, his skin paler, and there were odd ridges of bone stretching it up on either side of his face and neck. His clothes were black and mostly nondescript, including the battered old leather coat that nearly reached his ankles. "How's the party going for you?" he asked Loki, his smile all warmth, and all for him.
Loki reached to play with a lock of Cal’s hair, distracted by the lack of blond not for the first time. “So far so good. Last I checked the punch wasn’t spiked. There has been copious sugar and a reasonable sum of dancing. Maybe some more dancing?”
Cal whined a little, instinctively, because dancing still didn't feel like something he was ready to really get back into. ...but it was a slow song playing, so maybe they could just stay on the edge of the dancing crowd, and he could focus on Loki? That didn't sound so bad. Focusing on Loki sounded really good, in fact. "We could - try?" Cal offered, sliding his hand into Loki's. No promises, but try? Try he could do.
A smile lit Loki’s face. He slid closer to Cal. “I like the sound of try.” He brushed a kiss against Cal’s cheek and then murmured close to his ear. “Put your hands on me and I’ll do whatever you’d like.”
Cal chuckled, and shook his head. "How about try not to turn me on in the middle of the rest of the student body?" he requested, then tugged Loki towards the edge of the dance floor. He did want his hands on Loki, though.
Loki batted his eyes. “I’ll try to behave.” He looped his arms around Cal’s neck as they edged closer to the dance floor.
Right, Cal could do this. He was glad for Loki's growth spurt over the summer, putting them at the same height, so he could just wrap his arms around his friend, lean the side of his head against his, close his eyes, and try to focus on nothing but Loki as they started to sway to the music. It turned out to be a terrible plan, as closing his eyes sent Cal's paranoia soaring, so he opened them again and tried another tack. "You're pretty terrible at behaving, as a rule," he said conversationally, hoping that talking would help him settle into the moment.
“But I’m also keen on being close to you,” Loki pointed out. “I can be good for good reason.” Loki nuzzled against Cal’s cheek, which was vaguely strange in his current transformation. Loki wasn’t used to Cal changing his human appearance. Still, Cal felt like himself, regardless of shape. “I like this song.”
"I'm not big into Coldplay," Cal admitted. This felt very much like making small talk. Just as awkward for him. "But it's okay."
“They lurk on my sleep playlist,” Loki admitted. “They are very melty.” Speaking of melting, Loki brushed against Cal as they settled into the rhythm of the song. Cal might find dancing off putting, but Loki eased immediately into the space they shared. Cal’s arms around him were always welcome. “Mind you,” Loki murmured. “A certain someone replaced my sleep playlist.”
"Groundbreaking idea," Cal warned him. It wasn't the dancing itself that was keeping Cal tense, or at least not this kind of dancing - if they were alone in Loki's room, this would be no problem. But there were people everywhere, and the normalcy of dancing with your - friend - at a school dance left him inexplicably tense. Still, Cal was nothing if not stubborn, and dedicated to trying this out. He would relax into the dance if he had anything to say about it. "You could combine the two."
“Play you soothing music as we try to sleep?” Loki tipped his head. “I suppose I could vary the soundtrack. Would you call this mood music?” Loki teased.
Cal's lips curved in an amused half smile. "Depends on the mood, I guess."
“Does this song inspire you to climb into my bed?” Loki asked innocently.
"Is this you behaving?" Cal asked, not losing his amusement, but it was now tainted by a faint layer of potential arousal, too. And fuck if it wasn't working, too, helping him actually focus on Loki, and every point of contact between them, everywhere their bodies touched as they moved to the music. Teenage hormones were a powerful thing.
“Mmmmaybe.” He grinned. “Would you believe that I’m trying? But I’m very distracted.”
"You're very distracting," Cal said, although there was a serious, grateful note in his voice that belied any impression that he might simply be flirting back.
Loki suspected flirting would steal Cal’s attention away from some of his nerves. “See, I’m not grabbing your ass. That’s the height of best behavior.”
"It's - something," Cal agreed, a little wryly.
“You’re something,” Loki said with a saucy wink. Then, softer, “This is nice.”
Cal brushed his nose against Loki's cheek, and breathed in deep. "Yeah," he agreed, after a moment. "It kind of is."
It meant something, being able to be here, dancing with Loki. In terms of his recovery, and in terms of what they were to each other. Never mind that romantic labels didn't feel like they fit. They were still something. Something that mattered.
Loki smiled and swayed contently. Progress! Public affection. This wasn’t a couple thing, it was totally a best friend with emotional and other benefits thing, really.
Cal managed to relax into the moment, as much as he likely could at this stage. But then the music changed, to something a lot more beat-tastic, and he chuckled. "Okay, I... am not sure I can pull this off, but hey. Let's try?" Maybe if he remained focused on Loki, it would be fine. He just had to do that despite not being in each other's arms.
“Ooh, yes.” Loki took Cal’s lead.
Cal took one of Loki's hands in his and stepped back to start dancing - but not too far back. He wanted to give himself the best chances of remaining focused on Loki, and that meant staying within his space, close enough that it was still easy to shut out the rest of the world. Of course, Cal was trying a little too hard to make this work to actually dance all that well, but he wasn't actually a bad dancer, so he hoped he didn't look too ridiculous, despite missing a beat now and then.
Focus on Loki, keep breathing through it. He could do this.
Loki rocked his hips and bopped to the beat. He was tempted to throw an illusion up around them and take Cal away from the crowd. That would defeat Cal’s attempt to do normal.
To Cal's credit, he managed to stick to it until the end of the song. But by then, his heart was thudding hard, and he was definitely not into the dance. "Okay, I - am done for now, I think." There was a thread of urgency in his tone, and he tugged on Loki's hand to move them both away from the dancers.
Loki followed him away. “Fly?” He asked.
"Out of here," Cal confirmed, and shot him an apologetic look. "At least for a little while." He was itching to shift and take off already, but instead, he stayed put for now. Long enough to know if Loki was, "Coming with?"
Loki smiled. “Happily. I’ve been one shape too long.”
Cal smiled at his friend, and pulled him into a brief hug. He pecked Loki's cheek, then took a step back and, in the same move, shifted back into a crow, wings batting to lift him above the near students.
Loki transformed into his raven form and took off after Cal.
