Remember when I talked about how Loki‘s intelligence had blossomed and how he’d learned the meaning of the word “kisses”?  In his “old age,” he’s become quite the lover, quite the giver of affection.  And kisses are a part of that now, something that rings of pod people when considered in the scheme of his personality—all evil, all selfishness, all wicked intelligence put to the worst uses.

Yet now he’s learned that he must give as good as he gets (or so I want him to think anyway… ).

If he wants some lovin’, he has to give some lovin’.  That’s not really true since any of The Kids can get as much affection from me as they want sans any need to give in return.  They already bless me with so much without requiring anything from me.

But Loki’s a special case.  With his satanic tendencies and his willingness to use and abuse at will, I tend to look at him with a bit more of a selective eye when it comes to gifts.

That’s not to say he doesn’t get everything he wants.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  It does, however, mean I apply a more demanding approach to him than I do the others.  That’s because he’d expect nothing less.  In fact, he’d look down on me more than he does if I caved to his every whim without the least bit of resistance.

So it is with affection.  Once I realized he had a vast capacity for learning and comprehension, I used it to my advantage.

Part of that includes kisses.

He once hated being touched.  Similarly, he wanted nothing to do with anyone’s face.  To him, it seemed a disgusting premise to have a simian place its face near his—or anywhere near him.  Hands were bad enough; faces went well beyond anything that should be tolerated.

Recently, though, he’s finally become willing to not only let me get my face near him, but he’s learned that giving me kisses on my face earns him an immediate gift of attention, something he cherishes and wants badly despite his protestations to the contrary.

With that in mind, here are some photos I took recently of him responding to my demand for kisses.  Although taken with the flash, and although washed of life by that deadly burst of light, they certainly show a good deal of the compassion and deep relationship we share.

And oh how I tried to catch an image or two of him actually licking my nose or lips.  Indeed, I desperately gave it all my effort.  As with many of my personal interactions with The Kids, it’s damn hard to aim and operate the camera while simultaneously interacting with them.  Although I’d love to get some of those really personal shots, my true focus is on them, so the camera becomes a secondary consideration at best.

[keep in mind such public displays of affection come at a price; Loki will hurt me if he doesn’t get what he wants, and that’s especially true if he’s acting in response to my demand that he give a little before I give a lot; I can’t tell you how often he’s wounded me for not caving in quickly enough]