(Cookies for the first person who finds the DW reference)

'Forgo family, forgo friends

It's how it started, how it ends

I can open up and cry

Coz I've been silent all my life'

Marina and the Diamonds – Numb

Chapter 1

Tony Stark, in general didn't get on with other people, he just didn't like them. He had a few friends; Pepper who was in a way his mother and Bruce who had become his best friend after Loki had left. It didn't really make sense for someone with a playboy attitude like Tony's to be practically friend less, which lead to everyone assuming that he had hundreds of friends. That he was a handsome, charming, witty young man who liked sex and alcohol a little too much, but that was okay because he had a sensitive side that he kept well hidden. Wrong, Tony was handsome, he was witty but he fed off the embarrassment and insecurity he made people around him feel and his sensitive side? Well hidden? No, even an idiot could see he was broken, no matter how hard he tried to hide it.

Anyway, Tony didn't get on well with others and that always surprised people, so when Director Fury called up for the first time (well he didn't call, he sort of just appeared in Tony's apartment) seemingly aware of Tony's attitude on life, it surprised him because people were always surprised. What surprised him even more? The fact that Fury knew he was Iron Man, and the one thing that surprised him the most? That Fury wanted him to join his special team of superheros.

"WHAT?!" Tony had shouted, dropping his glass of scotch onto his expensive Persian carpet. Tony Stark an Avenger? It was laughable.

"Here's your info pack, I'll be meeting you tomorrow," Then he was gone, and Tony was left there standing for at least 30 minutes, unable to think properly.

During his time in the Avengers Tony met new people, and he made friends; Steve who seemed to be fighting for Pepper's place as his 'mother' and ClintandNatasha (the couple were so close that in Tony's mind they were ClintandNatasha, two in one). He fought Dr Doom and his Doombots, helped save the world countless times and for the first time in three years (that was when Loki left) he felt alive. Maybe he was becoming just a little less broken. He was still haunted with nightmares of Afghanistan, he still slept with more people than he knew and he still dreamt of emerald eyes, a sad smile and a coffee shop that never closed, but he was getting better.

He moved into Avengers tower, though not before installing JARVIS. He signed out of Collage; there was no real point in him attending now that he ran his father's company earning millions of dollars every week and he didn't really have time anymore. He was happy, okay he was happier than before, he liked living with the Avengers, he liked the missions and then one day there was a mission that he really, really wished he hadn't accepted.


"This is my mission, to become a body guard for Coulson? Isn't Coulson a master spy, you know one of those ones who can turn an eraser into a deadly weapon?" Tony asked looking down at his report then back to Steve (Captain America), the leader of the Avengers.

"Phil doesn't think he can manage this one by himself, Tasha and Clint are still in Madrid and I'm busy for the next few weeks, if there is still a threat by then I'll take over."

"Okay, fine. So Phil thinks there is someone tracking him and he has no idea who it is? Does he have any idea, not even a tiny little niggling feeling at the back of his head?" Tony asked, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"Did you even read the report?" Steve asked, taking the younger man's coffee from him.

"I hadn't finished drinking that," Tony replied mildly, before pouring himself another cup. This was his average Sunday morning (it was actually it was well past lunch by then but for Tony the three hours after he woke up were morning), get given a mission, chat with whoever was in for a while and then go and talk to Pepper about the company for a while ( usually she would talk and he would complain loudly) after that he would leave for said mission before returning at 3am exhausted.

"I take that as a no," Steve said sighing, Tony was the smartest man he knew but was as immature as every other 22 year old on the planet, probably more so.

"Yup, hey does this mean I have to you know, sleep with him and stuff?" Tony asked, hoping the answer was negative; as far as he knew Phil Coulson was one of those people who woke up before the sun and actually slept at night.

"No he will be spending his nights here, which you would know if you had read the…" Steve started before he was cut off by the others phone. Tony groaned.

"That'll be Pep, sorry 'Cap it's my cue to leave, I'll go to Phil's place as soon as I can, but if I don't take this, there'll be two people here in need of bodyguards!" Tony said running from the room, grabbing the report on the way out. Steve just raised his eyebrows and looked away, that was usually the best way to deal with Tony.


Loki Liesmith looked up from his sketchbook and around the theater; it was beautiful, far more beautiful than anything else in this horrible city. Just a few more days, he told himself. That had been his mantra of the past month, this mission was proving as hard as Laufey had promised and it was making Loki mad, something that was dangerous for everyone. You see Loki was a con-artist/assassin working for his 'father' (Loki would never consider the man to be true father), Laufey, one of the greatest crime lords in Europe and Loki was one of his greatest agents, which meant that he got stuck with the hardest missions but all missions had their perks even ones that were annoyingly hard and meant he was living in his least-favorite city.

For this mission the perk was that his target was a musician, one that worked for one for Manhattans smaller, more select junior orchestras. Now this wouldn't usually matter, who cares if someone is a musician, but this orchestra happened to play for one of Manhattans smaller, more select junior ballet companies one that he, as of 3 weeks, was a member of (not a coincidence) something that usually wouldn't happen only a month away from a big show. Maybe there was something you could get out of having a crime-lord as a father.

"I didn't know you drew," a voice from behind drawled. Loki smiled slightly before turning around; he had heard her coming up behind him not matter how hard she tried she would never be able to sneak up on him, something she tried to do every single rehearsal.

"Hello Celia," he said, a smirk plastered firmly on his face. Celia was his New York 'buddy', which meant that she was his father's only agent who lived in this city. She was his age (19, insanely young for someone in their line of work), and worked as the harpist in the same small but select orchestra as his target (not a coincidence). She was about 5'6 and curvy and her hair was an explosive red bob with long bangs that contrasted strangely with her pale skin and yellow-green eyes. Celia wore vintage dresses and silk dinner jackets, most of which had belonged to one of her many brothers or father, patterned stockings and doc Martens, she didn't wear much make up, only her vibrant lipstick and eyeliner, and never wore and jewellery. She had long, red talons for nails (that somehow didn't affect her playing) and legitimately didn't give a fuck what people thought. She wasn't exactly pretty, but she was definitely striking, and just vibrantly alive.

"I still don't know how you do that," She replies sitting down next to him, pulling out at book from a black leather back pack, a vintage one with lot of buckles.

"I still don't know how you can fit anything in that tiny backpack of yours." Loki countered looking back down at his drawing; it was of the stage. "And I've been drawing for longer than I've been dancing."

"Yeah, but everyone draws as a little kid, so that doesn't count," Celia replied, looking down at the stage where their superiors were rushing backwards and forwards trying to sought everything out.

"Yes, and you would know, being the artistic person you are," Loki shot back stuffing his things back into his 'man bag'.

"I think you'll find that most people would agree that music is a form of art," Celia her eyes wandering to the ceiling. She had a slightly creepy, deep voice that matched her slightly creepy habit of not blinking for what seemed like minutes on end.

"Most people aren't artistic; therefore pretend everything is so they can appear artistic while not actually being so." Loki said.

"If I didn't know you as well as I did then I wouldn't know you were joking and would probably take offense to that," She laughed and then she sighed. "Laufey emailed me last night; he wants to know how you are doing." Celia was one of his father's hackers, and also was the one who tracked down people for Laufey. This meant that she was one of the only people that Laufey trusted with his email address; Loki too was included in this which made him wonder why Laufey hadn't contacted him directly.

"I think he's onto me, I'll have to lay low for a few days, or you know just get it over and done with." Loki said, turning towards his friend, whose eyes seemed to be glowing in the dark, smirking slightly as if everything was okay. She just narrowed her eyes.

"He has been doing it again hasn't. Why can't he just leave you be?!" She shouted throwing her book on the ground. Loki sighed and looked back down at the stage, there he was his target.

Phil Coulson: Age – 39, Occupation – SHIELD agent/ Strings instructor in the Manhattan Junior Orchestra. It was actually kind of funny

Whoo, first real chapter complete! I am so happy! I didn't expect my story to get any love, but it received a few reviews and favourites and I got a beta, the lovely wobuzhidao, who is amazing. Check her out.

Disclaimer: if I had created the avengers, there would have been gay make out scenes… there aren't, so obviously I didn't make the avengers.

Love, Sparkly.