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"No," Loki said for the eighth time. He had been counting.
"I didn't even say anything," Anthony replied, eyes wide and ridiculously innocent.
Loki opened the menu and ducked his head, trying to hide his face. The situation was, to say the least, not ideal. "You were planning to."
"You're being really weird tonight," Anthony told him, amused.
"I am not," Loki said, glaring at his lover over the rim of the menu. He wasn't being weird. This wasn't weird. He was -
Fine. Fine, maybe he was being weird. A little.
Anthony grinned; he probably knew exactly what Loki had just internally admitted. Loki huffed softly and looked back at what the restaurant had to offer. He couldn't really concentrate on any of it, though.
He couldn't keep saying no , he knew. It was rude. Also Anthony would quite possibly be hurt, in time, and that was actually the last thing Loki wanted. But still , he couldn't - he couldn't just say yes. That would ruin his entire plan, and he didn't like it when his plans got ruined.
"So, you're up for dessert now or not?"
Loki glanced up again. "Pardon?"
"Dessert," Anthony repeated, laughing a little. "You've been staring at the dessert menu for ten minutes now."
"Oh." Loki swallowed, then sighed. "Yes. Dessert would be lovely. That is - what about you?"
Anthony raised a brow. "You know the reason I chose this place?"
Oh, yes, Loki knew. He looked around again, anyway - at the candle between them, the flowers on the tables, the dim light. Piano music was plodding along in the background, gentle and light, and the the other tables had mostly been claimed by couples of varying age. It was a fancy restaurant, but quieter and cozier than the ones Anthony usually chose for them.
Loki swallowed. "It's very nice," he said, because it was.
Too nice, really. This restaurant, together with the opera tickets? It was all too obvious what Anthony was planning. They had been together for years, after all, and Loki was familiar with Midgardian traditions by now. And he knew his lover. Anthony hated operas.
"Yes, it is," Anthony agreed, dismissive. "But they're infamous for their tiramisu, you know."
Loki looked at him blankly for a moment, then forced himself to say something. "Ah. I see."
Anthony only barely managed to stifle his grin. Loki could tell. He frowned and set down the menu. Anthony didn't seem hurt, not at all. In fact, it seemed like he was having the time of his life.
"You are enjoying this too much," Loki told him.
Anthony, who had just taking a sip of wine, raised his brows. "Okay? You want me to enjoy our date less?"
It was meant to be teasing, but Loki still winced. "No, of course not."
Anthony laughed and reached out to put his hand on Loki's, entwining their fingers. "I don't get why you're so nervous."
"I am not nervous," Loki lied at once. "Besides, why aren't you nervous? I told you no. Several times."
"I didn't even ask you anything," Anthony said, still grinning. "Everytime I want to ask, you cut me off. Or don't even let me open my mouth."
Loki's frown deepened. "And that doesn't bother you?"
"Nope."
The waiter came to their table, and Loki ordered tiramisu for the both of them without even really looking at the young man. His eyes were fixed on Anthony, who had leaned back in his chair and was looking right back at Loki; a picture of nonchalance and glee.
"Why doesn't it bother you?" Loki asked.
"Should it bother me?" Anthony countered, quirking a brow.
Loki held his gaze. He was starting to get a little testy. "Well, if I wanted to ask you and you said no, it would bother me."
"What if I didn't really mean it, though?"
Loki clenched his teeth. "I mean it."
"Really?" Anthony reached inside pocket of his suit jacket.
Oh.
Oh, no.
"Anthony," Loki began, but Anthony shushed him.
He procured a small, square box and put it between them on the table. It was coated in dark green velvet, and Loki knew exactly what it was and what it entailed. Of course he knew. He'd known since Anthony had shown him the damned opera tickets and told him to "wear something nice".
"So you don't want to, then?" Anthony asked, his tone casual. He was still smiling.
Loki scowled at him. "This is not fair."
"Honey," Anthony said, resting his arms on the table and leaning forward. "When have we ever played fair?"
Loki continued scowling. His eyes were drawn back to the box. Yes, he knew what was in there. He still wondered what it looked like in detail, though. His fingers itched to open the box so he could see.
"I made my move, love," Anthony said. "Maybe it's about time you make yours, hm?"
Loki looked back at him. Confronted with the soft look in Anthony's eyes, Loki couldn't possibly keep on glaring. He felt how his expression crumbled into something fond.
"You're ruining everything," he told Anthony.
"You're being dramatic," Anthony told him.
With a sigh, Loki reached into one of his dimensional pockets and procured a box of his own. Also velvet, only red.
"I have been carrying this for months ," he said. "I had everything planned. It would have been perfect. I really don't see why you have to -"
"Shut up," Anthony cut him off, beaming, and moved to grab the box.
Loki was faster, though, and snatched it away from the table again. He narrowed his eyes at his lover. "You knew, didn't you?"
Anthony sighed, hands returning obligingly to his side of the table. "That you've been wanting to ask me? Yeah."
"How?"
Anthony gave him a look that was ridiculously fond. And maybe a little exasperated. "Loki, really. I don't sleep nearly as much as you want me to. You can't look at it every few days while I'm 'asleep' next to you and expect me not to notice."
Loki stared at him for a long moment. "Oh," he said then.
"Yes," Anthony said, only barely stifling his laugh. " Oh. "
The young waiter came back and brought their desserts. Judging by his smile and knowing looks, he noticed the boxes on the table, but he didn't say anything.
When he was gone again, Loki was still gaping at his lover. "But why - why didn't you just wait? "
"I've been waiting for weeks," Anthony said. "Months. You didn't - you just didn't ask, and I got impatient. And I thought that maybe you were afraid I'd say no - which, for the record, I won't - and that you needed a bit of a nudge into, er, you know."
"So you decided to ruin my plans and ask me first," Loki said dryly. "Lovely."
"Oh, come on, don't be mad. Please. I just - you're such a perfectionist! And I am not immortal - well, not yet. Golden apples are a thing, right?"
Loki couldn't help it, he smiled. "Yes, they are."
Anthony smiled back, unfairly bright and lovely. Loki could hardly be angry with him when he smiled like that.
"Great," Anthony said. "But, anyway. Point is, I didn't want to wait forever, okay? And it doesn't have to be perfect. It's you and me, that's as perfect as it gets."
Loki felt his own smile widen. He took Anthony's hand and brought it up to his lips, kissing his lover's knuckles.
Anthony chuckled. "I love you, you know. Even though you're a perfectionist idiot."
"I am relieved to hear that," Loki said dryly. "And I love you, too."
"Great. Now that's settled, can I have that box?"
"No," Loki said. Said box had already disappeared into his pocket again.
Anthony stared at him. "I thought we just agreed -"
"That you will wait patiently until I ask you? Yes."
"That's so not fair," Anthony said, pouting.
"Yes, well," Loki said, finally starting to eat his tiramisu. "I do not like having my plans crossed. Not even by my soon-to-be fiancé."
Anthony huffed, but after a second he brightened. "Hey, can we - look, we'll just make an engagement engagement out of this, okay?"
Loki glanced at him, and raised a brow. "An engagement engagement."
"Yes," Anthony said, nodding, and grabbed the box he'd brought. "We'll just add another phase. Like you said, soon-to-be fiancés. I literally made this ring, you don't want it to go to waste, do you?"
Loki put down his fork again, smiling. "No, of course not."
Anthony grinned and opened the box, revealing a lovely golden ring. A small green emerald caught the light.
"So, what do you say?"
"Yes," Loki said without hesitation. "Of course I say yes."
He spent the rest of the evening with the ring on his finger, and found that he couldn't stop touching it.