[FIC] The Patriot Line - Part 2
Fandom: Avengers (2012)
Pairing: Loki/Steve Rogers
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 2471
Summary: Steve agrees to model in one shoot for Tony for some extra cash. However, one shoot turns into multiple shoots when the designer, Loki Odinson, decides he wants Steve as the face of his new underwear line.
Notes: Light and a little silly, the stuff of beach reads and rom coms. WIP Also unapologetically inaccurate when it comes to the fashion industry.
Also on AO3
Part 1
"You? A model?" Bucky glanced Steve up and down before bursting out laughing. "Oh, man, this I have got to see."
Steve stacked the boxes of nails on top of one another. "Bucky, come on. It's some extra money."
But Bucky shook his head, still chuckling. He picked up one of the boxes and fiddled with it while he spoke. "Steve, I just cannot believe you. You're not some kind of air-headed bimbo."
Steve took the box a little more roughly from Bucky than necessary. "Look, it's just a few more shoots."
"Wait, so you're really going through with this?" Bucky said. "You're... you're impossible, man."
Steve didn't like how Bucky was looking at him. He continued to shelve the boxes, ignoring Bucky.
"Hey, dude." Bucky tapped his shoulder. "You have to promise me something."
"What?"
Bucky grabbed his arm and made him turn to him. Bucky hadn't been taller than Steve in a long time, but he had no trouble in making Steve feel shorter. “Steve, don’t do anything dumb or because you think you owe Stark something-”
“This isn’t about Tony.”
“Or,” Bucky continued, “because you have a misguided sense of duty or obligation. Steve, this isn’t you. You’re not some... underwear model. Who even designs underwear, anyway? These people, who knows what kind of thing they get up to. Drugs, sex-”
“Bucky, this isn’t some movie.”
“I don’t think this is a good idea.”
Steve shook his head. “You’re overreacting. Look, I haven’t even agreed to anything yet. It’s just a meeting.”
“It’s your neck.”
At that moment, Steve's boss, Logan Howlett, popped into the aisle and yelled, "Barnes! I told you not to hang around here, or I'll force you to start mopping."
"Does that mean you're hiring me?"
"Get out!"
Bucky cast Steve a cheeky grin. "That's my cue. Watch your back, Steve."
It had taken three days for Steve to call. The card had sat on his desk, a green reminder that kept catching his eye. Four times, he picked up his phone but didn’t dial. Another three times, he got half way through the number. By the time he finally called, he barely had to glance at the golden embossed numbers to verify them.
The day of the meeting, he almost turned back when he finally reached the office building. It looked more like it would be home to a hotel, with a gleaming sign that read Asgard above the revolving doors.
It would be fine; like he told Bucky, he hadn’t agreed to anything yet. But meeting the guy wouldn’t hurt.
He was directed up to Loki's office on one of the top floors. Other people entered and left the elevator during the incredibly long ride, and not one failed to give him an appraising glance. Steve straightened his tie.
Loki's assistant, beautiful like all of Asgard's employees, greeted him. “Do you have your portfolio together? I can send that in first.”
Steve bit his lip. “I didn’t know I needed one.”
“Not a problem. If you could send one over as soon as-”
“Thank you, Sif, but that won’t be necessary.” Loki appeared behind Steve. He greeted Steve with a touch on his arm. “Please.” He gestured for Steve to go in ahead of him.
The office was expansive, with wooden panels and floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out over the city. There was much too space for one person. Other than the mannequins wearing nothing but underwear, the office looked like what Steve imagined a typical office looked like. There was a sitting area, art pieces on the wall, and, of course, a large desk with neat piles of paper and an expensive computer.
Loki closed the door behind them. "Mr. Rogers, welcome."
"Just Steve is fine."
"Steve, then." Loki gestured to the couch by the windows. "Please."
Loki sat opposite Steve in an armchair. The couch was stiff and leather, and Steve shifted on it, trying to find a comfortable position.
"So, Steve," and Loki managed to draw out Steve's name, "I don't believe I've seen you in the ads before. What have you been concentrating on? Show work?"
"Concentrating?" He coughed to clear his throat, embarrassed. "I'm an art student. The work for Tony last week was the first time I've modeled."
Loki considered him carefully. "Well, I admit you do lack a finesse."
"Gee, thanks." He could see why Tony didn't like this guy.
"Oh, no offense meant. You have potential, Steve. In fact, I think you should be the face of my next line."
"Look, I agreed to help Tony with the couple shoots. After that, I'm done."
Loki looked amused. "Then why did you come here?”
"If I could help Tony with his work by helping you, that would be good for everyone." His explanation didn't impress Loki, who just rose an eyebrow. "Wouldn't it?"
Loki said, "Ah, yes, Stark.” He looked beyond Steve, a frown crossing his face. "But Stark cannot do anything without the right model and without my designs. Tell me, what kind of work do you do now, or are you a full time student?"
That caught him off guard. Steve said, "No, uh, part-time student. I'm a stocker at Howlett Hardware and do a few shifts at an art supply store. I can get cheap stuff there because of it."
Loki's lips quirked up for a second. "And you're friends with Stark?"
Steve didn’t like Loki’s tone or what his question insinuated. “My friendship with Tony doesn’t have anything to do with this.”
Loki raised a hand in a calming gesture. “It was an aspersion on Stark’s character, not yours.”
“Class isn’t important to Tony.”
“The tabloids and my experience would say otherwise.”
“Well, the tabloids say a lot about you, too.” That was an outright lie. Steve didn’t read tabloids.
And perhaps it was the wrong thing to say. Loki’s expression grew closed off. He wasn’t angry, but his features were carefully schooled into a pleasant smile that wasn’t genuine.
“A lot of people say things. But what do you say about yourself?”
“Excuse me?”
Loki leaned forward and steepled his fingers. “Who is Steve Rogers? What does he enjoy? What is he afraid of? Childhood dreams? Childhood traumas?”
For a moment, Steve considered answering him. But Loki’s gaze was too intense, and Steve felt sweat roll down his back. “I think maybe I should go, I don’t know if-”
"Stay. I'm merely trying to figure out who you are, Steve. You see," Loki stood and walked over to the mannequins in the room, "some don't appreciate that the same article of clothing is so very different when worn by individuals." He ran a finger down the seam of a pair of green briefs. "A trait my brother doesn't understand."
"Your brother?"
Loki's tone turned cold. "Thor's no longer involved with this campaign."
"I met a Thor at the first shoot. Same guy?"
Loki turned to him, surprised. "Of course he is. Thor is the very face of Asgard."
"Oh.” Thor had seemed like a nice guy, open, outgoing, and not at all like Loki. “I didn't know he was so well connected. Or famous."
Loki started laughing. "You have no idea how many times I have heard that."
"How many?"
"You make it the third time." Loki’s smile was warm now.
"My friend Bucky would probably make a fourth. You just don't talk to the right people."
Loki's mirth faded. His moods moved more quickly than anyone else Steve knew. "Clearly," Loki said. He sat down again. "Steve, what can I say to keep you on? I'll pay three times whatever Stark's offering. And that's in addition."
That would be a lot of money. But Steve shook his head. "I'm not really interested in the work itself." He shrugged. "I'm sorry."
"Pity. I do hope you reconsider. You will be finishing the Mischief shoots, though, won't you?"
"Tony said three or four more shoots, and that was it."
Loki smirked. "Good."
Loki saw Steve to the elevator. He ordered Sif to find out what she could about Steve Rogers.
Steve intrigued Loki. His little lie had been cute, an attempt to defend his friend. But there was still something Loki couldn’t figure out, something about Steve that Loki wanted to uncover.
“Sir, Odin wishes to see you in his office.”
Loki rubbed his temples. And just when he thought today was going well.
Outside his father's office, he was forced to wait a few minutes while his Odin finished up business. He spared a short disdainful glare at the man who left Odin's office.
"Loki," his father greeted him.
"Father," Loki said.
Odin sat at his desk in the middle of the room, his back to the large glass windows. The office took up almost the entire top floor, leaving far too much wasted space. Odin waved him closer.
"I hear Thor is no longer working with you."
Loki bit the inside of his lip. He knew this would get to Odin sometime or another. "Thor isn't right for this line. It just simply wasn't working, visually. You must understand."
Odin closed his eye. Loki had heard all the stories of how he had lost it, but Odin never revealed what the real one was. It helped keep a layer of mystery, which was good PR. Everything was about good PR. Odin was a wise CEO; Fortune 500 had written an article on it, and it was even framed in Odin's office.
"Loki," he said, "your designs are not selling well. Giving Thor greater face time-"
"Thor can't sell them at all!" Loki stopped, counted to ten, and began again. "It doesn't work with Thor. He has a hand in all of Asgard's projects, which should be more than enough. I need new inspiration, and Thor cannot deliver that."
"Loki."
"I have a new model lined up. Give me this, father. It will work."
"Loki... I think a vacation might do you good."
He could not believe this. Odin, the man who never stopped working, was suggesting he take a vacation? "Is this your way of firing me?"
Odin sighed and shook his head. "No, but some time away could do you some good. Help you find this inspiration you say you need."
"I have it. Now let me work my way. I'll give you the results you want."
He argued with Odin, but his father remained firm.
He stared Odin in the eye and said, "Give me this chance."
For a moment, he was certain Odin would again protest. But the old man slumped back in his chair with a sigh. "I want to see significant improvement by next quarter."
"Thank you." It came out sharply, but Loki's temper was thin.
He told Sif to cancel the rest of his afternoon. “Yes, sir,” she said. “And the information on Steve Rogers you wanted is on your desk.”
That cheered up Loki considerably.
On the way home, Steve couldn't not notice how prevalent advertisements were, all selling make-up, clothes, electronics, or services. Steve was very aware of how inundated the world was with marketing, but this was the first time he really looked at the models in the ads. Someone had to decide, according to whatever secret parameters they had, that this model or that suited the image they wanted to convey.
He searched for images of Thor when he got home. Jeans, suits, cologne, there was even a candy ad that Steve recalled seeing before, although he hadn't connected the mostly naked Thor he had met to the grinning, candy-popping guy that assured him Doom Bites were The Best!
There were fan sites and paparazzi photos everywhere. People wrote about how they loved his hair, his smile, his ass, his muscles, his everything. Steve marveled at how people could be so into someone, especially someone who didn't do anything but look attractive. Yes, alright, Steve would admit modeling was harder than it looked; Tony had yelled at him enough to get that point across. But what was looking pretty worth?
At least Loki made clothes. Underwear. Designer underwear. Bucky was right, who even wore designer underwear? Steve took a moment to sort through his underwear drawer. He had Haynes and Fruit of the Loom, and he couldn't even guess at which he was wearing now. He couldn't imagine putting on "Loki Odinson" underwear, not as a conscious "I think I'll wear Loki today" thing.
He changed his search to Loki Odinson. There were fewer results, and a good portion of the images were still Thor modeling very revealing numbers. Loki smiled in the photos, but they were all press shots, posed, and he was clearly disdainful of the proceedings. He hesitated over reading any of the news articles. It felt like an invasion of privacy now that he'd spoken properly with the man. After a moment of deliberation, he closed his browser.
Steve turned the offer in his head all night. He didn't like modeling, but the money being offered was good, really good. Maybe if he could shuffle some shifts, he could it in, if he elected to sleep again.
He dozed off at some point. The sun filtering through his blinds woke him the next morning. He looked at the clock and realized he was late.
"I'm really sorry, Logan, it won't happen again," Steve said. He'd been distracted and had forgotten to set the alarm.
Logan took a puff from his cigar. Steve glanced up at the plastic bag covering the fire alarm.
Finally, Logan said, "Look, Steve, you're a nice enough kid. Won't get you far, but whatever. Thing is, I have to let you go."
"What?"
"Sorry, kid."
Steve asked for an explanation, but Logan just gave him his final paycheck and pointed to the door.
The next day, Steve called Loki's office and accepted his offer.
Loki greeted him with a smile. "Perfect," he said. "Shall we get to work?"
"Sure," Steve said. "Uh, what do you need me to do?"
Loki picked up a camera and fiddled with it. "Just stand over there and strip for me."
Steve looked at Loki. He looked out the giant windows. Then he looked down at himself. "Excuse me?"
"I need pictures for reference, and I'll need to take measurements." Loki tapped his foot impatiently. "We don't have all day. Strip."
Steve flushed, but he began to undo his shirt. He just needed to pretend he was a model for art class. That would be fine, that would make this a lot easier.
"That's a good boy," Loki murmured. He put down the camera and picked up a tape measure.
Steve's heart fluttered. With a deep breath, he pulled down his pants.
"Perfect." Loki snapped the measure between his hands. "Now turn around and bend over."
Pairing: Loki/Steve Rogers
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 2471
Summary: Steve agrees to model in one shoot for Tony for some extra cash. However, one shoot turns into multiple shoots when the designer, Loki Odinson, decides he wants Steve as the face of his new underwear line.
Notes: Light and a little silly, the stuff of beach reads and rom coms. WIP Also unapologetically inaccurate when it comes to the fashion industry.
Also on AO3
Part 1
"You? A model?" Bucky glanced Steve up and down before bursting out laughing. "Oh, man, this I have got to see."
Steve stacked the boxes of nails on top of one another. "Bucky, come on. It's some extra money."
But Bucky shook his head, still chuckling. He picked up one of the boxes and fiddled with it while he spoke. "Steve, I just cannot believe you. You're not some kind of air-headed bimbo."
Steve took the box a little more roughly from Bucky than necessary. "Look, it's just a few more shoots."
"Wait, so you're really going through with this?" Bucky said. "You're... you're impossible, man."
Steve didn't like how Bucky was looking at him. He continued to shelve the boxes, ignoring Bucky.
"Hey, dude." Bucky tapped his shoulder. "You have to promise me something."
"What?"
Bucky grabbed his arm and made him turn to him. Bucky hadn't been taller than Steve in a long time, but he had no trouble in making Steve feel shorter. “Steve, don’t do anything dumb or because you think you owe Stark something-”
“This isn’t about Tony.”
“Or,” Bucky continued, “because you have a misguided sense of duty or obligation. Steve, this isn’t you. You’re not some... underwear model. Who even designs underwear, anyway? These people, who knows what kind of thing they get up to. Drugs, sex-”
“Bucky, this isn’t some movie.”
“I don’t think this is a good idea.”
Steve shook his head. “You’re overreacting. Look, I haven’t even agreed to anything yet. It’s just a meeting.”
“It’s your neck.”
At that moment, Steve's boss, Logan Howlett, popped into the aisle and yelled, "Barnes! I told you not to hang around here, or I'll force you to start mopping."
"Does that mean you're hiring me?"
"Get out!"
Bucky cast Steve a cheeky grin. "That's my cue. Watch your back, Steve."
It had taken three days for Steve to call. The card had sat on his desk, a green reminder that kept catching his eye. Four times, he picked up his phone but didn’t dial. Another three times, he got half way through the number. By the time he finally called, he barely had to glance at the golden embossed numbers to verify them.
The day of the meeting, he almost turned back when he finally reached the office building. It looked more like it would be home to a hotel, with a gleaming sign that read Asgard above the revolving doors.
It would be fine; like he told Bucky, he hadn’t agreed to anything yet. But meeting the guy wouldn’t hurt.
He was directed up to Loki's office on one of the top floors. Other people entered and left the elevator during the incredibly long ride, and not one failed to give him an appraising glance. Steve straightened his tie.
Loki's assistant, beautiful like all of Asgard's employees, greeted him. “Do you have your portfolio together? I can send that in first.”
Steve bit his lip. “I didn’t know I needed one.”
“Not a problem. If you could send one over as soon as-”
“Thank you, Sif, but that won’t be necessary.” Loki appeared behind Steve. He greeted Steve with a touch on his arm. “Please.” He gestured for Steve to go in ahead of him.
The office was expansive, with wooden panels and floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out over the city. There was much too space for one person. Other than the mannequins wearing nothing but underwear, the office looked like what Steve imagined a typical office looked like. There was a sitting area, art pieces on the wall, and, of course, a large desk with neat piles of paper and an expensive computer.
Loki closed the door behind them. "Mr. Rogers, welcome."
"Just Steve is fine."
"Steve, then." Loki gestured to the couch by the windows. "Please."
Loki sat opposite Steve in an armchair. The couch was stiff and leather, and Steve shifted on it, trying to find a comfortable position.
"So, Steve," and Loki managed to draw out Steve's name, "I don't believe I've seen you in the ads before. What have you been concentrating on? Show work?"
"Concentrating?" He coughed to clear his throat, embarrassed. "I'm an art student. The work for Tony last week was the first time I've modeled."
Loki considered him carefully. "Well, I admit you do lack a finesse."
"Gee, thanks." He could see why Tony didn't like this guy.
"Oh, no offense meant. You have potential, Steve. In fact, I think you should be the face of my next line."
"Look, I agreed to help Tony with the couple shoots. After that, I'm done."
Loki looked amused. "Then why did you come here?”
"If I could help Tony with his work by helping you, that would be good for everyone." His explanation didn't impress Loki, who just rose an eyebrow. "Wouldn't it?"
Loki said, "Ah, yes, Stark.” He looked beyond Steve, a frown crossing his face. "But Stark cannot do anything without the right model and without my designs. Tell me, what kind of work do you do now, or are you a full time student?"
That caught him off guard. Steve said, "No, uh, part-time student. I'm a stocker at Howlett Hardware and do a few shifts at an art supply store. I can get cheap stuff there because of it."
Loki's lips quirked up for a second. "And you're friends with Stark?"
Steve didn’t like Loki’s tone or what his question insinuated. “My friendship with Tony doesn’t have anything to do with this.”
Loki raised a hand in a calming gesture. “It was an aspersion on Stark’s character, not yours.”
“Class isn’t important to Tony.”
“The tabloids and my experience would say otherwise.”
“Well, the tabloids say a lot about you, too.” That was an outright lie. Steve didn’t read tabloids.
And perhaps it was the wrong thing to say. Loki’s expression grew closed off. He wasn’t angry, but his features were carefully schooled into a pleasant smile that wasn’t genuine.
“A lot of people say things. But what do you say about yourself?”
“Excuse me?”
Loki leaned forward and steepled his fingers. “Who is Steve Rogers? What does he enjoy? What is he afraid of? Childhood dreams? Childhood traumas?”
For a moment, Steve considered answering him. But Loki’s gaze was too intense, and Steve felt sweat roll down his back. “I think maybe I should go, I don’t know if-”
"Stay. I'm merely trying to figure out who you are, Steve. You see," Loki stood and walked over to the mannequins in the room, "some don't appreciate that the same article of clothing is so very different when worn by individuals." He ran a finger down the seam of a pair of green briefs. "A trait my brother doesn't understand."
"Your brother?"
Loki's tone turned cold. "Thor's no longer involved with this campaign."
"I met a Thor at the first shoot. Same guy?"
Loki turned to him, surprised. "Of course he is. Thor is the very face of Asgard."
"Oh.” Thor had seemed like a nice guy, open, outgoing, and not at all like Loki. “I didn't know he was so well connected. Or famous."
Loki started laughing. "You have no idea how many times I have heard that."
"How many?"
"You make it the third time." Loki’s smile was warm now.
"My friend Bucky would probably make a fourth. You just don't talk to the right people."
Loki's mirth faded. His moods moved more quickly than anyone else Steve knew. "Clearly," Loki said. He sat down again. "Steve, what can I say to keep you on? I'll pay three times whatever Stark's offering. And that's in addition."
That would be a lot of money. But Steve shook his head. "I'm not really interested in the work itself." He shrugged. "I'm sorry."
"Pity. I do hope you reconsider. You will be finishing the Mischief shoots, though, won't you?"
"Tony said three or four more shoots, and that was it."
Loki smirked. "Good."
Loki saw Steve to the elevator. He ordered Sif to find out what she could about Steve Rogers.
Steve intrigued Loki. His little lie had been cute, an attempt to defend his friend. But there was still something Loki couldn’t figure out, something about Steve that Loki wanted to uncover.
“Sir, Odin wishes to see you in his office.”
Loki rubbed his temples. And just when he thought today was going well.
Outside his father's office, he was forced to wait a few minutes while his Odin finished up business. He spared a short disdainful glare at the man who left Odin's office.
"Loki," his father greeted him.
"Father," Loki said.
Odin sat at his desk in the middle of the room, his back to the large glass windows. The office took up almost the entire top floor, leaving far too much wasted space. Odin waved him closer.
"I hear Thor is no longer working with you."
Loki bit the inside of his lip. He knew this would get to Odin sometime or another. "Thor isn't right for this line. It just simply wasn't working, visually. You must understand."
Odin closed his eye. Loki had heard all the stories of how he had lost it, but Odin never revealed what the real one was. It helped keep a layer of mystery, which was good PR. Everything was about good PR. Odin was a wise CEO; Fortune 500 had written an article on it, and it was even framed in Odin's office.
"Loki," he said, "your designs are not selling well. Giving Thor greater face time-"
"Thor can't sell them at all!" Loki stopped, counted to ten, and began again. "It doesn't work with Thor. He has a hand in all of Asgard's projects, which should be more than enough. I need new inspiration, and Thor cannot deliver that."
"Loki."
"I have a new model lined up. Give me this, father. It will work."
"Loki... I think a vacation might do you good."
He could not believe this. Odin, the man who never stopped working, was suggesting he take a vacation? "Is this your way of firing me?"
Odin sighed and shook his head. "No, but some time away could do you some good. Help you find this inspiration you say you need."
"I have it. Now let me work my way. I'll give you the results you want."
He argued with Odin, but his father remained firm.
He stared Odin in the eye and said, "Give me this chance."
For a moment, he was certain Odin would again protest. But the old man slumped back in his chair with a sigh. "I want to see significant improvement by next quarter."
"Thank you." It came out sharply, but Loki's temper was thin.
He told Sif to cancel the rest of his afternoon. “Yes, sir,” she said. “And the information on Steve Rogers you wanted is on your desk.”
That cheered up Loki considerably.
On the way home, Steve couldn't not notice how prevalent advertisements were, all selling make-up, clothes, electronics, or services. Steve was very aware of how inundated the world was with marketing, but this was the first time he really looked at the models in the ads. Someone had to decide, according to whatever secret parameters they had, that this model or that suited the image they wanted to convey.
He searched for images of Thor when he got home. Jeans, suits, cologne, there was even a candy ad that Steve recalled seeing before, although he hadn't connected the mostly naked Thor he had met to the grinning, candy-popping guy that assured him Doom Bites were The Best!
There were fan sites and paparazzi photos everywhere. People wrote about how they loved his hair, his smile, his ass, his muscles, his everything. Steve marveled at how people could be so into someone, especially someone who didn't do anything but look attractive. Yes, alright, Steve would admit modeling was harder than it looked; Tony had yelled at him enough to get that point across. But what was looking pretty worth?
At least Loki made clothes. Underwear. Designer underwear. Bucky was right, who even wore designer underwear? Steve took a moment to sort through his underwear drawer. He had Haynes and Fruit of the Loom, and he couldn't even guess at which he was wearing now. He couldn't imagine putting on "Loki Odinson" underwear, not as a conscious "I think I'll wear Loki today" thing.
He changed his search to Loki Odinson. There were fewer results, and a good portion of the images were still Thor modeling very revealing numbers. Loki smiled in the photos, but they were all press shots, posed, and he was clearly disdainful of the proceedings. He hesitated over reading any of the news articles. It felt like an invasion of privacy now that he'd spoken properly with the man. After a moment of deliberation, he closed his browser.
Steve turned the offer in his head all night. He didn't like modeling, but the money being offered was good, really good. Maybe if he could shuffle some shifts, he could it in, if he elected to sleep again.
He dozed off at some point. The sun filtering through his blinds woke him the next morning. He looked at the clock and realized he was late.
"I'm really sorry, Logan, it won't happen again," Steve said. He'd been distracted and had forgotten to set the alarm.
Logan took a puff from his cigar. Steve glanced up at the plastic bag covering the fire alarm.
Finally, Logan said, "Look, Steve, you're a nice enough kid. Won't get you far, but whatever. Thing is, I have to let you go."
"What?"
"Sorry, kid."
Steve asked for an explanation, but Logan just gave him his final paycheck and pointed to the door.
The next day, Steve called Loki's office and accepted his offer.
Loki greeted him with a smile. "Perfect," he said. "Shall we get to work?"
"Sure," Steve said. "Uh, what do you need me to do?"
Loki picked up a camera and fiddled with it. "Just stand over there and strip for me."
Steve looked at Loki. He looked out the giant windows. Then he looked down at himself. "Excuse me?"
"I need pictures for reference, and I'll need to take measurements." Loki tapped his foot impatiently. "We don't have all day. Strip."
Steve flushed, but he began to undo his shirt. He just needed to pretend he was a model for art class. That would be fine, that would make this a lot easier.
"That's a good boy," Loki murmured. He put down the camera and picked up a tape measure.
Steve's heart fluttered. With a deep breath, he pulled down his pants.
"Perfect." Loki snapped the measure between his hands. "Now turn around and bend over."