Chapter 1: It starts like this.

Tony Stark, confirmed playboy. Even if he tries to stay in a relationship for long, it doesn't last. It didn't last with Pepper, and it didn't last with Steve. They can't say he didn't try though. With Pepper, they lasted about 4 months. It was a new record for him. He can't recall what finally set her off, but he recalls her saying something about 12% of a moment. He was surprised she put up with him as long as she did. But at least she wasn't the type to hold an obvious grudge; she'd gone back to helping him clean up his messes.

With Steve… What happened there was complicated. Steve was his best friend; they'd been friends for years. He didn't really ever think of Steve in that fashion until a night of heavy drinking (as usual). Steve had taken that lack of control as an advantage and spilled his soul to Tony. How he had started to have all these feelings for him. Tony was in an agreeable state, so he told him they could date. The next morning, he woke up dazed and curled up with Steve on the couch. He was taken aback to say the least.

It didn't last that long. Tony explained to Steve that he knew what he was like. That he wouldn't be able to deal with his behavior if they dated. Steve tried to say that he could look past that, that he just wanted to be with Tony. After a week of trying, Steve understood. They parted as friends, mostly because Steve was another understanding type. But they didn't talk as often as they used to after that. Tony understood that he should probably try to fix that at some point, but for now he wanted to give him some space.

Loki Laufeyson, on the other hand was a loner most of the time. Having recently found out he was adopted, he didn't want much to do with anyone. Didn't date a whole lot, and when he did it ended pretty quickly. He'd only ever been seen with a handful of people. At one point it seemed like he was dating Sif, but a few days later she was coiled in Thor's arms. That wasn't too surprising as Thor generally had girls flocking around him. Loki didn't seem too put off by the fact that he was ditched for his adoptive brother, or at least wasn't showing it.

The one person he hung out with often was Clint Barton. They always sat in a far corner of the quad taking long drags off their cigarettes and scribbling away in their notebooks. No one really got what they had in common, well until Natasha stuck her nose in. She found out Clint was using while he was dating Loki. She warned him that he needed to get his shit straight. He ignored her advice and decided to continue dating Loki. Natasha, not being a person to stand by while a friend poisoned himself, promptly laid him out. After that, Clint and Loki broke up and Clint stopped hanging out with him altogether.

If no one knew Loki was using before, Natasha sure flushed that secret out. It was all over campus in about ten minutes time. After the break up, Loki was hardly seen between classes. He didn't enjoy the disapproving looks or whispers following him to every class. Not that they hadn't whispered about him before. The pentagram dangling from his neck always seemed to cause the whispers to flare around him. He hadn't cared about the whispers about his beliefs, but what he does in his personal life is only his to know.

This is how Tony and Loki met. Tony was heading to one of his classes when he made eye contact with Loki in the hall. Tony made the mistake of muttering something underneath his breath that may or may not have been an insult. Loki stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face Tony.

"Excuse me?"

Tony stopped and stared back at him. "I only said I'd love to know where that guy gets his clothes."

Loki narrowed his eyes. "I highly doubt that."

"Oh, well then I meant to say that the meth is really taking a toll on your pretty little cheeks."

This is how Tony ended up falling out of a second story window. He woke up in the hospital a few hours later in a daze. Pepper and Rhodes were sitting there staring at him with the same disappointing look. Tony pursed his lips as he thought of what had happened.

"He threw you out a window." Pepper finally said after a few awkward moments.

"Oh, that would explain the sore back. And oh…"

Tony looked down at his arm that had been sealed in a plaster cast. He glowered at it for about 30 seconds before he sat up and threw his legs over the side of the bed.

"Okay then, time to go kick him out of a window to make fair."

"Tony."

Tony scoffed and stood up. "I'm not gonna throw him out a window. I just... I'm just gonna talk to him."

Rhodes shook his head and started to walk out. "Your funeral man, I'd just let it go."

Tony was never one to just let something go, so he just shook his head and got dressed. He left the hospital with Pepper and she was kind enough to drive his ass home. She pulled up to the Stark mansion and put the car in park.

"Now really Tony, I suggest you steer clear of Loki. I doubt it will end well for you otherwise."

"Aww Pep, don't you worry about me. I can handle Mr. Skinnyjeans."

He puckered his lips at her and leaned close.

"Ugh, Tony stop it. Just go inside and get some rest."

"Fine, fine. But I don't know how I'll manage to take care of myself with my arm in this cast!"

"Oh please, you have more people to take care of you than the Queen of England"

With that, Pepper kicked him out of the car and drove away. Tony stared after the car for a few seconds before heading into the house. His thoughts drifted to those brief moments in the hallway. Before he threw him out the window, Tony couldn't help but be somewhat entranced in his beryl eyes. Of course, it also felt like daggers burrowing into his chest. He'd definitely have to apologize. He didn't want to make an enemy of such an interesting person. He'd only cracked the joke because he'd wanted to see how Loki would react. He certainly found out the hard way that he was not the type for jokes.

The next day, Tony sought out Loki to apologize. It turned out to be much harder than he thought it'd be. He asked around the art building and got a few blank stares. Finally he found a girl named Darcy who said Loki tended to be found on the roof, away from all the norms. Tony headed inside and then took the stairs to the roof. He found the door propped open with a brick. He poked his head out the door and looked around. He didn't see anybody, but a waft of smoke from behind the door caught his attention.

He stepped out of the doorway and let the door fall back in place. Leaning on the side of the stairwell was a very docile Loki. His eyes flickered up to Tony lazily as he took a drag.

"Can I help you Stark?"

Tony looked him over for a minute before sliding down next to him.

"I, uh…wanted to thank you for the broken arm."

Loki stared at him for a minute before starting to laugh. "You are funny Stark."

"I wasn't aware I was making a joke. "

"I guess I'm sorry. But I'm really not. I don't like people cracking jokes about me when they haven't even spoken to me before."

"Oh, you mean I could've said that if I introduced myself first?"

"Not quite Stark. But I'm glad I didn't kill you. You're certainly entertaining."

Tony eyed the not-cigarette Loki was waving around as he spoke. He picked it from his hands and took a long drag from it. Loki stared after him and pouted.

"I don't believe I said you could do that."

"So throw me off the roof." He blew a plume of smoke into Loki's face.

Loki laughed again and took the joint back for another drag. Tony studied his face while he was inhaling. He got lost in thought gawking at him, and it took a few minutes before he snapped to attention. Loki was staring at him with an amused look on his face.

He exhaled and grinned," take a picture, it'll last longer Stark."

"Ha ha. My bad. I was too busy thinking."

"You shouldn't think on this stuff, the last time I did I thought I was a God."

"What's wrong with that?"

"You've obviously never caused a panic at the movie theater and then screamed at the crowd to kneel to their new overlord."

Tony cracked up at that thought and took the joint from Loki's hand. He took the last drag off of it before it burned out and then leered at the remnant. He exhaled slowly and grinned.

"You are a box of cats, my friend. I think we need to be friends."

Loki tipped his head to glance at him. His eyes traced his face for a few seconds before he finally said something.

"Okay Stark. Let's be friends."

"Awesome. So…where the hell do you get your weed? That was good."

Loki grinned and pushed himself off the wall. "That's a secret. For now anyway."

He offered a hand to Tony and pulled him up by his good arm. Tony's eyes caught on the pentagram and then drifted up to make contact with Loki's.

"I don't worship Satan; don't look at me like that."

"I know that has nothing to do with Satan, I'm not dumb."

Loki bit his tongue. He was used to people assuming that. He gave Tony a hard look and finally let go of his hand when he realized he was still clutching it. He ran his hand through his hair before heading for the door.

"You are definitely strange, Stark. If I threw anyone else out a window, they would've had me arrested."

Tony just laughed and followed him back down the stairs.

Tony stared into space as he lazily traced his finger on the lid of his coffee. He could see Pepper's mouth moving, but his mind was in a different time zone.

"Tony! Have you heard anything I've said?"

Tony blinked at Pepper. "Uhh. That would a resounding no."

"Damnit Tony, why do I even bother trying to tell you anything?"

Pepper pushed her chair from the table and stormed off.

"Aww Pep, c'mon don't be like that!"

Tony sighed and took a swig of his coffee. He grimaced when he realized it was cold. He didn't have long to think on it as a pair of legs came into view behind the cup. He glanced up to see Loki and smirked.

"Well, I'm glad to know that wasn't just a hallucination I had yesterday."

Loki sat in the vacated chair and placed his books on the table. He looked Tony over for a minute and then shook his head.

"No, that was a real conversation Stark. I can understand how it would be unbelievable though. Are you still sure you want to be my friend? I don't seem to have a great reputation around here. "

Tony stared at him. "You do know I'm Tony Stark? I don't really care what people think."

A small grin broke across Loki's face. "Good to know."

Loki stayed for a few minutes and made idle conversation before glancing at his watch and remarking it was time for class.

"I hate my father. Or I should say, my adoptive father. He's lied to me my entire life. He always showed the most affection to my brother, but why wouldn't he? He's actually blood. I don't understand why they even adopted me, if they weren't even going to care."

Tony gawked at Loki. He was trying to make sense of the words spilling out of his mouth. He swallowed the lump in his throat before he spoke.

"I know the feeling. Only replace a brother with a robot, or a machine, or a batch of chemicals."

Loki shrugged, "ok, I guess we're both fucked up."

They walked in silence for a few minutes, the only sounds being the occasional drag of a cigarette or the birds. They stopped at a coffee shop after a few blocks, realizing they had no idea where they had actually been going in the first place. They ordered their drinks and decided to sit down rather than wander aimlessly through the city.

"So you don't get along with your dad, but what about your Mom?"

Loki peered over his coffee to catch Tony's eyes. "She's a wonderful Mother. She never made me feel like I was less than my brother. I am glad to have her as a Mother, at least. It helps the fact that I have to deal with my Father and Thor."

Tony nodded and sipped his coffee. "Yeah, I lost my Mom quite a few years ago now…She was great while I had her around though."

Loki opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by a presence standing over them. Tony and Loki turned their heads to acknowledge their guest. Steve is standing in front of them, looking like they just ran over his dog. Tony bit his lip and smiled.

"Hey, Steve. What's up?"

Steve shot a look at Loki before deciding to ignore him. "I could ask you the same question Tony."

"I'm having…coffee? And hanging out with a friend."

Steve brought his voice to a whisper, "your friend, Tony? Isn't he on drugs?"

Loki narrowed his eyes at Steve. "If you insist on talking about me like I'm not here, I'd ask that you speak up. I don't think the couple in the back heard you Rogers."

Steve turned to face Loki, his eyes livid. "I don't like you. I know what you do and I don't want you dragging Tony down to your level. He's a good guy, unlike you."

Loki clenched his jaw and stood up. "Fine, I'll leave. I don't need this shit. Certainly not from Captain Righteous."

Steve stood his ground as Loki pushed past him. Tony stared after Loki for a second before setting his sights on Steve.

"Fuck you, Steve. Have you even bothered TALKING to the guy? Or are you fine with having your head up your own ass?"

Steve grimaced. "That's not fair Tony. You've known him for what, a day? I'm just trying to look out for you."

"Well don't do me any favors Steve. He's my friend, and I'm going to continue hanging out with him."

With that, Tony shoved his way past Steve and after Loki. He exited the coffee shop and glanced in both directions to spot Loki. He jogged down the street towards him and caught him by the elbow. Loki turned and glowered at Tony.

"Your friends are a piece of work, Stark." He hissed.

"Don't give Steve a second thought, he means well..he just lacks subtlety. And a whole fucking brain sometimes."

Loki slowed his pace so Tony didn't struggle to keep up. He sighed and extracted a pack of cigarettes from his messenger bag. He held the pack out to Tony and peered over at him. Tony took one and slid it to his lips as he thought of something to say. His thought process was interrupted by Loki's hand bringing a flame to his face. He glanced up at him as he inhaled the first drag. Loki brought the flame to his own cigarette perched in his lips and took a sharp breath.

He exhaled, "I don't enjoy overprotective friends or exes for that matter."

Tony furrowed his eyebrows. "How'd you know we dated? It was only like, a week."

Loki chuckled, "just because you don't pay attention to your surroundings, it doesn't mean I do the same."

"Ah, you've been stalking me then!"

Loki sneered at him, "don't flatter yourself. Wouldn't want that ego of yours getting any bigger. I just keep tabs on people that roam in the same social circles as me."

"How was I in your social circle?"

"Well, let's see. You know Thor, Natasha, and Clint. I also know a lot about Banner and Captain Righteous. Call me paranoid, I would rather know some secrets about the people talking about me behind my back."

Tony opened his mouth to defend his friends' actions but stopped.

He nodded, "yeah I can get behind that reasoning."

They walked for a few minutes puffing on their cigarettes before either of them spoke up again.

Tony stomped his cigarette into the pavement. "How bout we go hang at my house for a while?"

Loki glanced at his watch before taking a final drag on his cigarette. "Sure."

Tony had called for a car from his house and shortly afterwards they'd arrived at the Stark mansion. Loki raised his eyes to take it all in. It was impressive to look at, even after growing up under the roof of the Odinsons. Tony grinned at Loki after catching him looking impressed. Loki proceeded to trip him up the steps.

Tony pulled open the front door and peered around for any signs of his father. He grimaced as he noticed him exiting the library. Howard Stark took notice of the adolescents standing in the foyer. He walked over staring at the cast on his son's arm.

"Tony. What happened to your arm?"

Tony shot a look at Loki. "Uh, accident at school. I fell out a window."

"Oh, ok. As long as you didn't miss any classes." He glanced at Loki.

Tony suppressed a curse and smiled. "Dad, this is Loki Odinson. One of my friends from the college."

"Oh, yeah. Odinson. The uh.. lawyer? Right?"

Loki nodded. "Yes, that would be my.. father."

"Good. Good." Howard stood there for about 30 seconds in an awkward silence.

"I have some work to do in the lab. Tony, don't burn the house down."

"Oh, one time and you don't trust me?"

Howard rolled his eyes and walked towards the basement. Tony grumbled before calling Loki to follow him upstairs. Tony opened his bedroom door and let Loki in before shutting the door swiftly. He bolted it, just in case Howard felt like invading his personal space.

"Fucker didn't even care that I fell out of a window."

"Well, pushed."

"Semantics. All he cares about is that I don't screw up in school."

Loki looked around Tony's room. It was less of a bedroom and more of a bedroom/living room/workshop. There was tech spread over every free inch of work tables and an entertainment system to rival the local cinema. Tony flopped down in one of his cushy chairs and stared at Loki.

"You certainly want for nothing Stark."

"You can see how it's so easy to get bored then."

Loki sat on the small couch and lifted his messenger bag from his shoulder. He opened the bag and dug out a smaller leather satchel and placed it on top of the bag. He smirked up at Tony.

"So, what kind of adventure should we go on?"

Tony peered down at the satchel and then back up to Loki. "Ooh, is that your bag of tricks?"

"You could say that. I've got a few things in here at the moment. I have some weed left, I have a few ecstasy tablets, and some LSD. I don't carry a lot with me anymore. At least, not since that mess with Clint."

Tony pursed his lips. "Yeah...Tasha isn't keen on recreational drug use. And she's had a back and forth thing with Barton for years. You kinda got caught in the middle of that."

Loki nodded. "Yeah, he told me as much. Should've known better, but...it was fun while it lasted Anyway, what do you want?"

"Let's have some LSD. Sounds like it could be fun. I'll throw on some AC/DC, and we can watch the music."

Loki opened a small envelope and took out two small squares of paper. He handed one over to Tony as he passed. They both placed the squares on their tongues and held it there. Tony crossed the room in the meantime and put Back in Black in the player. He returned to his chair and slid down into it as the bells started to chime through the speakers.

They didn't talk for a few minutes, just let the music wash over them. Tony peered over to where Loki was on the couch. He had his head resting on the back of the couch, and he was staring up at the ceiling.

"Feeling anything yet?"

"Give it a few minutes Stark. You'll know when it kicks in."

Tony had to hand it to him, when he was right, he was right. They were into Shoot to Thrill now and it was starting to come on. He could see the waves coming off the speakers. He raised his arm to see the waves crash like an ocean against it. This was a good feeling, he decided. He would have to keep Loki around. He stared over to where Loki was fidgeting on the couch.

He couldn't stop an amused sigh passing his lips. Loki looked over at him, a sly grin playing on his lips.

"Amused with yourself Stark?"

"No, I mean... you've got this major aura coming off of you."

Loki chuckled. "I always have an aura Stark, as do you."

"Well, I can't see it most of the time then."

"No offense, but you're kind of closed off to spiritual experiences."

"None taken. You know I'm a man of science."

Loki peeled himself from the couch and stood in front of Tony.

"Here, come sit with me." Loki held out his hand to him.

Tony took it with his good hand and let himself be led to an empty patch of carpet. They sat down indian style, or as close to it as they could manage. Loki took Tony's hands carefully and held them up in his.

"Can you see the auras?"

Tony stared at his own hands and could see ripples flowing off of them in red and gold.

"That's...frickin awesome."

Loki laughed and shook his head. "Easily impressed."

Tony turned his hands in Loki's. "Yours is green...That's...cool. Why are they different colors?"

"It's... hard to explain. Can I try later, with a clear head?"

Tony stared at Loki. "Yeah, that sounds good."

Tony let his hands stay entangled in Loki's as he stared down at them in amusement. He felt Loki's forehead against his, but didn't acknowledge it. He was too busy looking at the runes Loki was tracing into his palms. They lingered for a few seconds before dripping away into the currents. Tony's gaze drifted up to lock with Loki's. He swore he felt his heart stop for a minute.

"So..."

"Yes Stark?"

"I.."

Loki didn't have a chance to inquire further as Tony's lips crumpled against his. After a second, Tony pulled back hesitantly. He searched Loki's face for a reaction. Loki let out a haggard breath before pulling Tony lips back into his. Tony's hand fumbled across Loki's lap before gripping his waist firmly. He leaned into Loki's lean frame as he moved his bad arm around his back.

They fell against the carpet only for Tony to yelp suddenly at the weight on his arm. Loki sat up abruptly.

"I'm sorry Stark, I had no intention to injure you further."

Tony laughed. "Chill, that was my bad for putting my bad arm there."

They stared at each other for a moment before one of them thought to speak again. The CD stopped during their silence and Tony glanced over to the player with disdain.

"I should probably go." Loki whispered.

Tony's head whipped back to face him. "What? Why?"

Loki smiled. "Calm yourself. I only meant I have class in the morning and I still have work left to do."

Tony frowned. "I guess if you have to..."

Loki sighed, "oh no, that won't work on me. Thor tries it all the time. Do you know what I do when he does it?"

"What he wants?" Tony grinned hopefully.

"I swat him with a newspaper."

"Ok, I get the idea. But I should tell you, I'm a man who generally gets what he wants."

Loki smiled as he stood and gathered his belongings. He turned back to Tony who was still sitting on the carpet.

"I don't intend on take what you want away. I just have a need to finish my studies with a good grade."

Tony dragged himself off the floor. "Good. Cause generally this is about where the other person runs screaming from the house."

Loki smiled again. "No, can't say I feel much like running. But, if you'll walk me out, I can guarantee I won't leave your house screaming."

"Well, for now anyway." Tony snorted.

End of Chapter 1. Review if you'd like. Please go easy on me, this is my first fanfiction in quite a few years. .