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Bucky flexed the metal arm at his side as he exited the healing rooms, trying to remove some of the tension that had built up in him from the most recent session. The now-familiar corridors of the palace of Asgard surrounded him.
He wasn’t sure if it had been Steve or Thor’s idea. All he knew was, after Steve had caught up with him and seen the damage Hydra had done, Thor’s home had been offered as a safe haven, a place to heal. Tired of running, and not wanting to live under the threat of hurting everyone around him, Bucky had accepted.
Especially after a fight with Thor had proved to him that his people were pretty damn hard to hurt.
It hadn’t been much of an adjustment to make, living on Asgard. Bucky had spent decades never able to catch his breath, everything strange and alien around him. So actual aliens had almost been a relief; the mixture of old and new had been oddly reassuring.
It’d taken him some time to get used to the layout of the place. But Bucky had always had a good head for directions and the path from his room to the healing chambers was a familiar one by now. With each step back to his room he could feel it becoming easier to breathe.
Today had been one of the better sessions.
The air shifted beside him and Bucky didn’t – used to it by now – didn’t even tense as Loki’s smooth voice washed over him. “Well James, have the great healers of the Aesir squashed your murderous tendencies?”
Loki fell into step beside him and Bucky remarked pointedly, “Not all of them.”
“Fantastic.” Bucky could practically feel Loki’s delight, and watched, amused, as Loki opened the door to Bucky’s room for him in what was becoming a well practiced move.
Sometimes Loki took him realm hopping, showing him some of the darkest paths of the universe, and Bucky wondered if this was one of those times. That was one of two reasons he’d been visiting Bucky’s room lately.
Already reaching for the tie on his pants, Bucky asked “Where’s Thor?”
Thor wasn’t exactly supportive of Loki’s brand of entertaining their guest from Midgard. Last time Bucky had listened in on him scolding Loki, he could have sworn he heard him mention the word corrupting.
Bucky had been corrupted before and this wasn’t like that. It was like a breath of fresh air after decades of being suffocated.
Loki pressed up close behind him, hands expertly undoing the band that held Bucky’s hair back. He’d been the one to put it there in the first place. Bucky had already run through the pack of Earth hair ties Steve had packed for him, snapping one after another in an effort to keep his hair out of his face. Bucky had been trying to tie the ends back together when Loki had showed up with a dark ribbon and wordlessly tied it back for him.
He’d been handling it for Bucky ever since. Bucky was amused to see the colors change to match his clothes.
“Thor is back on Midgard chasing his lady love’s affections.” Loki’s informed him. His breath was warm on Bucky’s throat as he mouthed a kiss to the skin at the base of his neck. His hands slipped under his shirt and lightly traced up his sides in a caress.
Bucky groaned, letting himself settle back against Loki, eyes closing. Today was turning out to be a pretty swell day.
“Good,” he murmured. He didn’t need Thor tattling on him to Steve. He was tired of the way the two gossiped behind his back like little old ladies. He’d gotten the Loki Crash Course, he knew they thought the growing relationship between them was a bad idea. He really didn’t care. The healers had encouraged him to make his own decisions, that it was healthy for him to do so. So he was making this decision and if there were consequences then he’d face them gladly.
“We staying in or heading out today?” Bucky asked breathlessly. Loki’s hand slid down his belly and into his pants.
“Definitely staying in.” Loki promised and Bucky let himself fall into Loki’s touch, reaching back to pull him closer.
Bringing Bucky to Asgard had been a brilliant idea on Steve’s part and Bucky planned on taking full advantage of his freedom there.