When they reached Bucky's car, Loki shrugged away Bucky's arm and turned to glare at him. "You're a dick, you know that?"

Bucky laughed. "Come on, Loki. It'll be like the good ol' days," he said, gesturing to his old, beat-up green car. "You and me skipping class? We used to have so much fun together."

Loki glanced over his shoulder at the school. Tony was gone. He turned back and sighed, crossing his arms. "Look, can't we stop this charade? I said I was sorry. It's been two years and you've done enough to get your revenge so-"

Bucky grabbed Loki by the throat and slammed him into the car, holding him there painfully. "I will never forgive you for what happened," Bucky growled. His eyes were wild with the rage.

Loki clawed at Bucky's fingers instinctively as he tightened his hold. He continued, "And I won't stop messing with your life, Loki, until you understand how I feel." Finally, he released Loki and he fell to the pavement, gasping on all fours. His lungs burned.

"I'm sorry," Loki croaked. He knew he deserved Bucky's hate; it was supposed to have been him.

Bucky's face contorted, for the first time in two years, into an expression of complete loss. He was on the verge of tears. Loki could almost see his old friend in there. Scoffing incredulously before turning away. "You know what," Bucky said shakily, "I can't even look at you right now."

"Bucky…"

He didn't hear Loki. He rounded the car in a flash and disappeared into his car. It roared to life in an instant and Loki had just enough time to scoot away from it before Bucky was backing out over the space Loki had sat just moments earlier. Loki couldn't help feeling a little remorseful to see him go.


9th Grade - Two Years Ago

Loki laughed, leaning back in his seat in Bucky's brand new car as he glanced at his best friend, Bucky as he drove steadily down the highway singing along to Highway to Hell as it blared from the car radio. Bucky got his license yesterday. He was official; A man of the road! Bucky had stolen his parents' new car to go on a joyride. It was shiny, black, perfect.

Cracking open a bag of Cheetos, Loki held the bag towards Bucky. "What's a better way to celebrate getting your license than driving around town after school with a bag of Cheetos?"

Bucky laughed and took a handful, shoving it all into his mouth with a cheesy crunch. "You really know how to throw a party," he shot back with a chortle.

The windows were down, letting in the fall evening air, and it whipped through their hair. "We're going to get in so much trouble when our parents find out."

"Screw them," Bucky shouted over the song. "They can handle one day of teenage rebellion."

Loki laughed as Bucky turned off the highway to head back into their small dinky town. "Where should we go next?" Loki asked, watching the fields whir by the window as they drove back towards the city limits. The sun was almost completely gone, making the drying stalks of corn glow slightly with the dim light.

Bucky shrugged. "There's nothing to do in our crappy town." Just as the words were leaving Bucky's mouth, he grinned and slammed on the breaks.

Loki lurched forward in his seat, spilling Cheetos all over the car floor. "What the hell?" Loki said.

Bucky did a tight U-turn and swung the car around and accelerated quickly, heading in the opposite direction of town. Bucky turned up the music louder. "Brace yourself, Loki. We're going on a road trip! We're going to the cities!"

"Why?" Loki hollered over the blasting stereo.

"I know a place we can go."


They arrived in the cities close to 10pm. It took about two hours to drive to the cities from their hometown and in that time, Bucky had gotten three calls from his parents. Loki looked at his own phone. No missed calls. He thought that someone would've noticed his absence by now… but he had snuck out his window, so they might have just assumed he was reading in his room like always.

He pocketed his phone again and rested his head against the window while he turned to look at Bucky. "Where are we going again?"

"I've got a guy," Bucky said as they turned onto a quieter street, "that can get us some fake I.D.s"

Loki sat up straight, wide eyed. "What are we going to need I.D.s for?"

Bucky smirked at him. "Really? You're not that naïve, are you?"

"Well, you've told me absolutely nothing," Loki retorted. He crossed his arms and blew a few strands of black hair from his face. "And I'm only 15, there's no way I'll pass for 21."

The car slowed and they parked by the curb in front of a tall apartment building. It was dim but it wasn't dark and creepy like Loki had expected. Loki opened his door and peered around before getting out. It seemed like a decent neighborhood.

Bucky appeared in front of him, rolling his eyes. "Would you stop being a buzzkill, Loki? This will be fun."

Loki swung out of the car, glaring at Bucky. "I'm just cautious."

"You'll be fine." Bucky led him away towards the building in front of them. They climbed the front steps and stopped at the door. Bucky looked at the registry and skimmed a finger down the listings until he found the one he was looking for. He pressed the button, causing a buzzing sound, and then he waited. Seconds later, the front door unlocked.

Bucky grabbed the handle and opened it but paused to look at Loki. "It'll only take a second."

They arrived upstairs on the third floor moments later and Bucky was knocking on the door of 1398. The door opened instantly and there stood a normal looking guy. Probably in his late twenties.

"Hey," Bucky said with a smile. "Do you have it?"

The guy didn't even say anything. He just handed two I.D.s out to Bucky, who took it, and promptly closed the door on them. Bucky laughed. "My cousin's never been very sociable."

He handed Loki one of the cards and Loki looked at it in surprise. The I.D. had a picture of Loki, slightly edited, with an adjusted age and everything. "When the hell did you do this?"

Bucky pocketed his own I.D. and shrugged. "I just knew that I wanted to do this but I didn't know when. So I had my cousin make us up some fake I.D.s."

"So what are we going to do with these?" Loki asked, pushing his own I.D. into his pocket.

"We're going to a club."


They had parked a few blocks away and walked their way to the club. The bright words "Prohibition House" glared down at them from the building in neon blue and green colors. Loki wondered briefly whether this was a bad idea after all but with one glance at Bucky's smile, he knew that he couldn't ruin this for his friend.

They got into the long line and Loki swallowed down his nervousness as the line slowly approached the door. He felt entirely underdressed and too small and young to possibly get in. Surely the bouncer would catch them before they went in?

"I.D.s," the bouncer demanded as they finally came to the front.

Bucky immediately whipped his out but Loki was a little slower and he handed his over shakily. The giant man took it roughly and brought it into the light to peer down at it. Loki watched as his eyebrows quirked slightly and his judging eyes snapped up to roam over Loki and Bucky. Beside him, Bucky stood confidently but Loki felt naked in his skin. They were going to get caught.

The bouncer stared it a moment more before passing the cards back to them with a knowing smile. "Go ahead," he said with a grin. "Have fun." His last words sounded strange but Bucky pulled Loki away into the darkness of the club.

The music burst forth as soon as they passed through the doors. Loud rave music overwhelmed them and the tight crowd made it instantly hot and claustrophobic. But Bucky led him further inside.

The only lights inside were dim black lights and neon strips and there were people everywhere. Loki glanced up at the skywalk where people were dancing in a trance. The whole place was vibrating with the movement. Off to the right was the bar but it was hard to see with the plethora of bodies surrounding it. Loki breathed slowly, trying to capture everything at once.

"Should we dance?" Bucky hollered over the music at Loki.

"No way in hell!" Loki yelled back. He didn't dance. Ever.

Bucky laughed and led the way away from the dance floor and towards the bar area. Just as they were maneuvering through the bodies, Loki slammed right into a man, whose drink splashed over his chest.

"Sorry!" Loki said quickly, jumping away.

"It's okay," the man said in a deep-toned voice. Loki looked up at him and was affronted with a man who looked to be in his thirties with a scruffy dark mustache and beard.

Bucky appeared at his side and said, "Sorry man. It's crowded."

"I'm used to it," he said, smiling widely. Loki shivered at the look in the guy's eyes. "You know what? Let me buy the two of you a drink."

"Hey, thanks!" Bucky said as the guy moved away from them, heading for the bar.

As soon as he was gone, Loki turned to Bucky worriedly. "We need to get out of here."

"We just got here."

"There's something messed up about that guy," Loki urged. "He-"

"He's fine," Bucky said, waving him off. "You need to loosen up Loki."

Loki sighed heavily in frustration but he had no time to say more. The guy appeared quickly by them again, handing them each a drink. Bucky immediately took a swig of it but Loki hesitated, holding it up to the light. "What is this?"

"Vodka sour," the guy replied. "Try it, you'll like it."

Loki brought it to his lips, testing it out. It was bitter and it burned going down. Loki looked up to watch as the guy turned his creepy gaze over at Bucky. Loki did not like where this was going. Maybe he should just pull Bucky away and take him somewhere else in the club.

Turning away, Loki scanned over the crowd to scope out a safer place to head towards as he took another swig. A girl appeared in his line of vision. "Hi!" she greeted warmly.

"Out of the way!" Loki yelled at her instantly.

"Jerk!" she tossed back angrily, stalking away.

Perhaps he could take Bucky up to the skyways and they could escape the freak up there. He watched for a moment, sipping his drink. The crowd was jumping to the beat. Now that was something Loki would like to be a part of. Not standing around talking to creepy guys by the bar.

Suddenly, the world dipped to the side and Loki stumbled, spilling his drink a bit onto the floor. He caught himself just in time and straightened up, blinking hard. What was that? He felt fine… But maybe… He held up his half empty drink, peering at it in alarm. No, it couldn't be. He lowered his arm with an uneasy feeling.

Quickly, he turned back for Bucky and froze. Where the hell were they? The spot where they had just stood was empty! "Fuck!" Loki swore. He shoved his drink onto the nearest surface and headed toward the bar glancing around in fear. "Fuck you, Bucky," he murmured under his breath.

For several minutes, he wandered around aimlessly, growing more worried as the time wore on. His vision was wavering but it was still at bay. He just needed to find Bucky.

At least ten minutes had passed when he stopped by a group of girls standing a few feet where Loki and Bucky had stood earlier. They were slightly shadowed from the low lighting. "Hey, did you see a creepy old guy and a kid my age pass here?" he struggled to say under the dizzying cloud in his brain.

The girls glanced at each other. "Aren't you too young to be in here?" one asked, blinking in confusion at him.

"Answer the damn question," Loki slurred over the pulsing of the music.

"I think I saw them go that way," a different one said, pointing towards the far side of the dance floor. "And you know, he probably drugged that drink your friend had. He looked pretty out of it when he passed."

"It's only been maybe five minutes since he started drinking!" Loki protested, not actually how long it had been. Time was blurring.

"That shit works fast," she said seriously. "You better go find him."

He wandered away unevenly and he did look, but there was no sign of his friend. Not anywhere. It was starting to scare him to death. He checked his phone for the millionth time, not quite seeing the numbers. At least thirty minutes had passed and Bucky wasn't answering his phone and no one had seen him. Loki was breathing hard, spinning to check for any sign of his friend. The world blurred with his movement. This was not good.

It was hot, too hot and the lights looked funny. Loki only wanted to lay down and sleep but he needed his friend. He could feel it in his bones that something was wrong. If only he could clear his thoughts! He huffed, pressing a sweaty palm to his hot forehead and pushed away his hair. "Fuck," he said for the millionth time.

Picking a random direction, Loki stumbled forward and headed towards the far wall. When he got there, he scanned the area. There was a dark corner to his right and he headed for it. Getting closer still, he noticed that there was a line of small rooms, lining this wall. Oh god.

Going to the first room, Loki threw back the curtain. It was a couple making out and they continued as if they hadn't been disturbed. He went to the next one and pulled it aside a little more gently. Empty. "Bucky?" Loki called, stumbling to the next curtain.

This one he pulled back quickly and he froze in shock. Bucky was lying on the small bench inside with his shirt off but thankfully, the rest of his clothes were still on. And there stood the guy. The guy that had done this to them. "You!" Loki yelled unsteadily, trying to stay upright.

The guy looked up from Bucky and grinned at Loki. Loki roared with anger and barreled forward, trying to tackle the bastard but he caught Loki by the waist and slammed him against the wall and pressed him there. "Came to join us?" the man murmured, barely loud enough to be heard over the music.

Loki tried to throw the man off but he was pushed back against the wall harder. The bastard snaked one hand downward along Loki's hip, heading for location Loki had never been touched. Just as the guy brushed him, Loki lashed out, panicking. He kneed the bastard in the groin and he cried out in pain, dropping Loki. "Fucking bastard!" Loki hollered, kicking the guy in the stomach.

The guy dropped to his knees and Loki had just enough time to scoop his friend up and throw him up into a piggyback. Loki was sweating, breathing hard, seeing everything in a blur, but yet he pushed his way through the crowd in a panic.

"Are you okay?" Loki remembered someone asking but he shoved them aside.

He got to the door. He wasn't sure how but there he was. Relieved, he pushed out into the cool night air and concentrated hard, heading in the direction of their car. It was this way right? It had to be…

The world blurred and suddenly he was in front of Bucky's car. What? When… Whatever, fuck it. Loki slowly lowered his friend from his back leaned back against the tire of his car. He needed to find the keys. He began searching.

The world blurred a second time and Loki breathed in sharply at the sudden evasion of light in his eyes. His hands were pressed on a steering wheel, a car pedal beneath his foot, his friend next to him in the car. The road was muddling back and forth in vision. Stay still, stay still, he urged the road.

He headed for the light. That was the way home he was sure. It got closer and closer and suddenly Loki's heart lurched just as they hit something solid, throwing the car into a shuddering 360. Loki screamed as the car span once more. Something hurt. Fuck, what was that?

The car lurched to a stop and Loki breathed hard, staring out the windshield, trying to piece together what had happened. What…

Loki turned to the door and pushed his way out, stumbling onto unsteady feet. It was dark. There was a street light leaning at a dangerous angle and the front of Bucky's car was smashed in.

Loki did not find any of this concerning. He made his way around the car and opened Bucky's door and pulled his friend out. It was the right thing to do, he was sure. But with Bucky's added weight, Loki fell backwards, hitting the pavement.

He didn't remember anything after that.

He was told that he and Bucky were found side by side, both uninjured, just bruised. And when he was told by Odin that Bucky had been driving that night, even though Loki knew differently. Odin covered the whole thing up with money and excuses and told Loki to never speak of the incident again. Bucky was thrown under the bus and Loki couldn't do anything about it.

Bucky had almost gotten raped, Loki crashed Bucky's car, and now Bucky was getting punished by his parents and was also charged with a DWI. All of this was done under their town's nose.

And so began Loki's isolation.


Sigh. I'm not completely satisfied with this chapter. Feel free to chew me out!