Less Than Zero Thor AU: Thor, his brother Loki, and his girlfriend Jane live in Beverly Hills, home to the rich and overindulgent. When Thor goes to college in New York and Jane enrols in the local University for Astrophysics, Loki is left alone with his memories and emotions, which may be very dangerous. When Thor comes back for Christmas break to visit, he finds everything is different. Can Thor and Jane help Loki, before he slips too far away?
A/N: Before you start reading this fic, please note that this is NOT A HAPPY STORY. There is no fluff (except for maybe the smut times) and the subject matter is mature and depressing. There are many triggers in it, such as drug use, relapse, self-destruction, light smut, major character death, and family trust issues. PLEASE DO NOT READ IF THESE TRIGGERS APPLY TO YOU. This is based on the 1987 film 'Less Than Zero,' with the characters from Thor. It's Thor 1 verse in the flashbacks, and Avengers verse in the regular story. If you still want to read, I hope you enjoy :)
"Everyone, in for a picture!" Darcy Lewis called, holding a camera. Jane smiled widely, draping her arms around her boyfriend's neck. "Where's Loki?" "He hates pictures, you know that!" "Aw, come on! It's the last time we'll all be students together! We're graduating guys."
Loki watched, in the midst of the celebration, his father walk over to Thor, shaking his hand and smiling proudly, slapping him on the back. Loki bit his lip as Odin congratulated his brother, the two laughing together as father and son should.
Odin came over to Loki as well, smiling as though he were seeing a stranger. He congratulated him, but not nearly with the same enthusiasm as Thor. The negligence pulled at Loki's heartstrings, but he refused to become jealous of Thor. Odin had always favoured his brother- all their lives. It wasn't Thor's fault.
Thor smiled as he went over and got Loki from sitting by the fountain. "What is it?" he asked, and Loki looked up, a sparkle in his eye. "I don't know. I'm happy that we're out, finally, but… I'm kind of sad as well. What if things aren't the same? You're going to college, so is Jane, and I'm… staying here. What am I going to do without you guys?"
Thor laid a hand on Loki's neck, slapping him gently. "You'll do just fine. I'll come visit you on holidays, and Jane is just a phone call away!" Loki nodded, squinting in the sun. He suddenly grinned, getting up. "Let's go, then."
The two brothers walked back over to the girls, and they posed for the photo. Thor wrapped his arms around Jane while Loki gave both of them bunny ears. "Loki! That's a waste of a good, memorable picture," Thor complained jokingly. "Oh, it's just a bit of fun. Right my friends?" He grinned, and the three laughed as the picture was taken. (See my profile for grad picture)
Thor entered the baggage claim wearing black pants and a navy blue dress shirt, tired from his early morning flight. He had been let off yesterday for Christmas break, and had decided to fly back, since he had no friends or family in New York. He grabbed his suitcase, and hailed a taxi, all the while thinking of the summer before leaving as he rode in the back.
They had had the best summer of their lives, full of fun and carelessness.
"Are you sure we should be doing this?" gulped Loki, taking a sip of beer, and Thor laughed. "Relax, brother! It'll be fun." Loki nodded, smiling slightly as they pulled off at the lookout.
"You go first," Loki told Thor. "No, I want you to be the first to experience it!" "I'll go first," Jane smirked, and got out of the car.
She got up on the railing, and looked over the side. "Woah," she breathed, looking out over the lights of the city. "This is amazing." Thor got out, and held his hands around her hips in case she slipped.
She looked farther over, and started to wobble. "Ah!" she laughed when Thor caught her, and swung her down to kiss her and take a swig of his drink.
Loki grinned as he watched them, and got out to join. He bit his lip, and cautiously got up onto the railing, setting his bottle down. "Umm…" Loki muttered as he swallowed, noticing how high up they were. "Look at the city, Loki," Thor said, laughing.
Loki nodded, and carefully let go of the railing as he looked at the lights. It was beautiful.
"Agh!" he shouted as he fell back from the railing, and hit the ground with a thump and a groan.
Thor and Jane snorted in fits of drunken laughter, and Loki couldn't help but join in. They all laid down on the grass with him, and looked up at the night sky.
Thor smiled at these memories from the back of the taxi, looking out over the same view now that they had seen that warm summer night. Then he remembered the conversation he had had with Jane a few weeks later.
"Thor, I told you! I can't come with you, okay?" Jane said, turning away as she walked out to the balcony. "But why?" Thor tried, eyebrows lifting, "NYU has an envied Astrophysics program, you'd be -" "Well maybe it's not about that!"
Thor was quiet, watching his girlfriend in silence. "What, then?" he squeaked. Jane sighed. "I'm scared, okay? I've lived here all my life and… I can't just leave! What about Loki, what will he do?" Thor wanted to tell her that his brother would be alright without them, but he knew, deep down, that Loki didn't have the emotional strength to be left alone.
"I can't go without you," Thor whispered into her neck, and Jane cupped his face. "I love you. But you have to go. It's what you were born to do. I'm going to miss you more than the world, but right now…it's the best thing."
Thor scoffed to himself as he remembered just what had happened the last week of summer, before going away. He had told them that he was leaving a week early, to get settled in New York and used to his surroundings, and of course, they had a huge celebration party the night before he was supposed to leave, but he realized he couldn't go if he had the opportunity to spend one more week with his friends.
What a mistake.
Thor had visited Loki's apartment in the early evening, intending to surprise them with his late departure. Instead, he had gotten the surprise.
Jane felt Loki's lips against hers, insistent and full of longing and need, his hands gripping desperately against her thighs. "Loki," she whispered, and he kissed her collarbone. "I need to do this, Jane," he panted, "I've needed it for so long." His mouth tasted of alcohol, heavy on his breath, and Jane could tell he was a little bit drunk. He would never do something like this if he was completely sober. Jane felt bad for Loki, and while that was a terrible reason to give in, she did anyway. Loki had grown into a rather attractive man, anyway, with a lean, muscular body.
They fell back into the bed, Loki undressing her as fast as she was undressing him. When they were completely naked, Loki moaned as he watched Jane squirm beneath her. He gently laid lower down on top of her, and began to thrust, making her gasp softly with his heavenly ministrations. "Loki… Loki…" she mumbled, clawing at his back.
"Ung…" he grunted, feeling his climax begin to approach after so little time. "I'm… ugh… so close…oh, Jane," he whispered, eyebrows lifting in ecstasy as they neared their peak together. "Just like that, Loki… please…" she groaned, and they gasped together as they finished, panting into each other's mouths as they kissed again.
They fell back into the pillows, out of breath, and Jane looked over at Loki, who looked tired, pleasured, and out-of-sorts. Something inside of Jane told her that what she had just done was so wrong, that her heart belonged to Thor, but she didn't want Loki to feel unwanted, as he had so often at home.
Thor had come up the stairs, grinning, and when he let himself into the apartment, he went into the room, to find his brother and his girlfriend in bed together.
He had been speechless at first, and after a few seconds of shocked silence, Jane had gotten up, wrapping a sheet around herself quickly. "Wait! Thor!" she had called as Thor stormed out, and he had taken the next flight to New York that day.
Thor knew now that she had only done it to make Loki feel better, and he understood her reasoning more so now. In the months that he had been away, he had forgiven the two, and was ready to go back, but he hoped Jane was as glad to see him as he was to see her.
He paid the taxi driver as he dropped Thor off at his parent's house, a spacious mansion at the end of the street. His mother had died when they were both 13, from a robbery. The robbers hadn't intended to kill her- only did it because she was trying to protect her sons, which they misinterpreted as threatening.
Thor smiled softly as he felt along the banister, remembering him and Loki sliding down them as kids. It reminded him of all the mischief they would get up to, and their mom scolding them afterward. He walked over to his room, the same posters and everything left just the way they were from high school.
Loki's room was there too, full of books on ancient literature that Thor himself would never understand. Loki had given all those up, though- ever since he had moved out halfway through high school.
"Hello, my son," his father's voice sounded from behind him, and Thor turned to see Odin standing in his doorway. He had grown older, there was no denying that. His hair was whitening, and he had developed more wrinkles around the eyes.
"Father! It is good to see you again," Thor said, hugging him. "What has been going on since I was here?" Odin beckoned for him to follow, going to the backyard where their pool glistened and the heat of a good old California Christmas bounced off their tennis court.
"Things have been well with me. I retired from the company, passed my chair down to a trusted CEO. I'm well, my son." "And… what of Loki?" Thor asked, looking up. Odin's face seemed to darken a little at the mention of his other son, and he cleared his throat. "We haven't spoken since you left. I don't know how he is, or, where he is for that matter."
"Have you tried calling him?" Odin stared for a long moment, and nodded slowly. "Yes. He didn't answer." Thor watched as his father turned and got something out of the fridge, knowing full well he was lying about that. Loki would have answered in a heartbeat- anything for approval from father.
"How are you?" Odin asked, changing the subject, and Thor took a breath, the smile returning to his face. "I am well, thank you. Studies are going fine."
They talked for a while longer, caught up with each other, until Thor said he had some things to do, and left. Before he went, he checked the mail, which had a red and gold envelope in it.
He chuckled to himself as he opened it, knowing at once who it was from.
"Hey Everyone,
It's that time of year again. Time to eat lots of sickening fruitcake and yawn through grandma's stories.
Well, come by mine this Friday night, and we can all screw the holidays together!"
-Tony Stark
Thor laughed out loud, tucking the letter away. Tony always held the best parties, and this Christmas one was tonight. Good, he thought, Jane and Loki are sure to be there.
For the rest of the afternoon, he visited his old high school and walked through the parts of town he always hung around at with Jane and Loki.