Hello my friend, I see you're back again
Hello mystery, don't bother to explain
How 'bout maybe it's all been in my head
Hey world, I'm tired of this black & blue
Black & blue
-Black & Blue by Miike Snow

Loki's sitting in math class, barely listening to a lecture on derivatives, when his phone vibrates.

It buzzes loudly, rattling off of the locket nestled beside it. The kid next to him glares and he slides it out of his pocket, glancing at the screen.

meet me at the baseball field behind the dumpsters.

Checking the number, he realizes it's Tony. Furrowing his brow, he types back, Why would I do that?

The reply comes mere seconds later.

i want to show you something

And what would that be?

its a surprise

He thinks a moment. Whatever it is, it's better than derivatives. I'll be there in a few minutes.

He excuses himself to go to the bathroom, nonchalantly throwing his jacket over his shoulders as he leaves the classroom. His footsteps echo through the empty halls, stirring up thoughts and traces of feelings on his skin.

He thinks of the way that Tony's hands felt in his own, all rough and calloused and well-used. In comparison, his long, smooth, pale fingers seem almost useless. Absentmindedly, those fingers come up to touch the bandage just below his hairline that Tony had placed there the day before.

He remembers getting home after finishing up at the library and going to look in the mirror. Tony had almost left his thoughts by then but seeing the lime-green bandage on his forehead had brought those tawny eyes back to the front of his mind. They had stayed there since, and Loki was beginning to be frustrated that every other thought was something to do with the brown-haired boy.

Cold air brushes his skin as he pushes the door leading outside open. He pulls his jacket closer against the cold, scanning the snow-bleached parking lot for any sign of Tony.

Loki's pocket buzzes.

come down over towards the baseball field

He searches for some sign of the other boy but his green eyes find nothing. Reluctantly, he does as asked before his phone goes off again.

a little to the left

"Wha-" he starts, stepping left unconsciously.

Suddenly, something soft and cold and wet smacks him in the ear.

He whips around, causing snow to fall into his collar. He can feel the icy wetness melting on his warm skin. Another snowball thumps into his back, sending him off his balance.

Loki can hear Tony cackling from behind the dumpsters.

The raven-haired boy growls deeply, kneeling down to gather snow in his palms. He packs it together, tightly, and calls out over the dumpster, "This is your idea of a surprise?"

In response, Tony just laughs harder. His head of tousled brown hair pokes over the dumpster, a shit-eating grin on his face. "C'mon, Hamlet, this is the best kind of surprise."

"The kind that's only fun for you? I see," Loki sneers, and he lobs the snowball at Tony's head.

"Whoa-" the brunette boy begins before a load of snow smacks him full-on in the face. He splutters, brushing it off his nose and down his shirt.

It's Loki's turn to double over laughing, and Tony just scowls at him. "Oh, you'll pay for that, Odinson."

"Will I now?" Loki teases, gathering more snow. "Is that a threat?"

"You better believe it," Tony retorts, chucking another snowball in his direction.

Loki dodges but the icy sphere smacks his knee, getting his black jeans sopping wet. In return, he clips Tony's ear and the other boy clutches the side of his head with his bare hand.

Tony ducks behind the dumpster again suddenly, disappearing for a few moments. Loki stares, confused, until he has a mouthful of snow a few moments later. He shouts as he's pelted with an entire arsenal of snowballs, Tony shouting insults at him between blows.

"What'cha gonna do, Odinson? Just stand there and take it like a sissy?" Smack.

"Aw, c'mon. Stop shaking like a leaf, you're embarrassing me." Smack.

"You're so skinny, it's a wonder I don't miss. I suppose it's because my aim is so spectacular." Smack.

Suddenly, the insults became less... insulting.

"It's okay. I like skinny." Smack.

"Actually, there's not a lot about you I don't like." Smack.

Loki, meanwhile, has been crouched on the ground, his back turned to Tony in a mock-terrified sort of position. Suddenly he whips around, eyes ablaze, and tosses a ball of sludge straight at Tony's head.

It hits its target flawlessly and Tony goes down with a thump. Loki cackles, clutching his belly, only stopping when he realizes Tony hasn't made a sound from behind the dumpster.

"Tony?" he says, unsure.

When there is no response, he crunches over to peer behind the dumpster. There, Tony is lying on his side, his back to Loki. The raven-haired boy immediately rushes over to him, turning him over to rest on his lap.

"Tony, are you okay?" There's blood all over his nose, and Loki realises that the snowball he'd thrown was more ice than anything.

"Hmm?" Tawny eyes flutter open. "Loki, hi. That was not playing by the rules. No iceballs allowed."

"Are you okay?" Concern creeps into Loki's voice despite himself.

Tony sits up, seemingly fine despite the bloody nose. "Yeah, no thanks to you." He pulls a tissue from his pocket and dabs at his nose.

Loki snatches the bloody tissue from his hands and starts wiping at Tony's nose himself, clearing the tan skin of crimson. "I'm terribly sorry."

"Psht, don't worry about it," Tony says.

Loki's fingers ghost over the other boy's skin, checking for fractures of the nasal bone. Tony leans into the touch, eyelids drifting shut. Beneath Loki's fingertips, the brunette's skin is cold from the snow and a bit red from the winter air. But there's a warmth beneath it, hovering just below the surface, that gives Loki a shuddery feeling up his spine.

His thumb drifts over to the side of Tony's nose, coming to rest just below his eye. There, the flesh is puffy and soft, like Tony hadn't slept the night before. The tawny-eyed boy sighs at the touch, his breath clouding out from between his lips.

Loki gets an overwhelming desire to throw him against the wall and suck that breath out of him and into his own lungs. He wants to take part of the boy before him and lock it away inside his ribcage.

Suddenly Tony sits up on his knees and takes Loki's hand, eyes opening again. A small smile graces his lips. "Hey, I have a question." His voice is barely above a whisper.

Loki looks suspicious, quirking an eyebrow. "I may or may not have an answer."

"You know winter break's next week, right?"

"Obviously."

"So," Tony starts, brushing his hands through his hair, "I'm having a New Year's party on... well, New Year's, and I want you to come." He shrugs, not meeting Loki's eyes. "There are usually a lot of people there, and it gets kind of crazy, and your brother usually shows, so I'd understand if you didn't want to-"

Loki puts a finger to the other boy's lips, silencing him with a "Shh. I'll think about it."

"Really?" The grin that spreads across Tony's face is sweet, Loki thinks, and it makes him feel guilty. He knows he can't go- Thor's going to be there, for starters, and he can think of a million different reasons- but it makes him sad to give Tony hope.

"I'll think about it," Loki repeats, his voice weak.

"Awesome," the other boy says, oblivious. He leaps to his feet and helps Loki do the same. He links arms with the raven-haired boy, opening the door to the school for him with a mock-curtsy.

They're greeted with a blast of warm air that does nothing to warm the cold pit of guilt in Loki's stomach.

Dearest readers,

Okay. This is where we start to get things rolling. Hmm... parties. Ehehehe.

Thank you to all my wonderful reviewers! Things are backed up a bit for me right now, so sorry I'm taking longer than usual to respond to your reviews. I respond to all of them, so check your inboxes! ;)

Thanks to cara-tenaka, too, for being the best beta ever!

All my love,
RagAndBones