Loki breathed heavily. He was an emotional mess and he couldn't get himself to stop sobbing all over Tony. He tried to match his breathing with Tony's, trying to slow down. It was just that the whole situation seemed so insane. Who steals a goddamn baby from the hospital and gets away with it?
He saw the pictures of his real parents in the articles. They looked so much like him that it was unbearable. How could he not know he was 'adopted' this whole time?
And the looks on their faces in those pictures was what hit Loki the most. His real parents looked devastated in every picture. Loki had never seen Odin look that worried about him. His so-called parents have never been that afraid to lose him. His 'parents' were psychos.
Loki turned his head away from Tony's neck to look at Thor through his tears. Thor was leaning against the book shelf, lost in thought, with a hand over his mouth. His frown told how much Thor was confused by this whole new development. Loki sympathized with him; Thor was related to the bastards after all.
He looked over at Tony then. Tony was already watching him with a steady gaze. He was so attentive that it hurt. Suddenly it all made sense why his parents wanted Loki to stay away from Tony Stark. He inhaled sharply. "They've been hiding me all this time," Loki said. The realization settled heavily in his chest. "That's why they covered up the car accident. It's because they don't want someone to somehow find out that I'm stolen."
Tony's gaze sharpened. "Shit. Now that picture is…"
"Do you really think people will figure it out from one picture?" Thor asked, frowning. Loki didn't think so either. They would just be random kids in the news. It's been sixteen years since Loki was stolen. Why would anyone suspect that he was related to the kidnapped Jarson baby?
"Probably not, but Odin seems to think so," Loki said. "He's not going to react well."
"Just like he's not react well to this room," Tony replied.
Loki froze, just realizing the extent of the havoc he had induced on Odin's office. Glass and paper were everywhere and there was a glaring dent in the wall. Loki paled considerably. "Fuck," he whispered. He hadn't thought about anything when he trashed the room; he'd just been so angry.
Hastily, Loki wiped all traces of tears from his eyes and knelt over the glass, trying to scoop up the shards into the trash. The magnitude of his actions were just crashing over him, reminding what Odin was capable of. The thoughts only made him work faster.
"It's too late for that now," Thor said, catching Loki's hand. He looked somber and serious. It wasn't a good look for Thor.
Loki dropped his handful of glass into the trash but winced when a shard lodged itself into Loki's hand. He hissed and raised his palm to look at it. It was small and just starting to bleed. Easily, Loki tugged the shrapnel from his hand, causing it to bleed faster but he just placed his hand over the wound to stop the flow. Pain like this didn't bother him.
"So what are we going to do?" Loki asked, looking around at the mess.
Thor shrugged. "There's not much we can do," he said. "We can't put this mess back…"
Loki sighed. "Tony, you should go back to your house before Odin comes back. Thor, don't get involved. This is all on me."
"No," Tony said angrily. Loki looked at him in surprise. Tony frowned deeply and his body tensed. "I'm not leaving you alone with him. Every time I do that, you get hurt. I'm not letting that happen ever again."
Loki was speechless. Tony was staring him straight in the eye with a look that said, don't argue with me. Loki instead interlaced their fingers and Tony's expression immediately softened.
"Well, since I'm doomed already, why don't we just escape for a while?" Loki asked.
"What do you have in mind?" Thor asked.
Loki smiled at them. "Let's go look at the stars."
A while later, they arrived at their cornfield where they liked to star gaze. Tony had invited everyone they were friends with: Pepper, Clint, Natasha, Bucky, Steve, Jane, and all of Thor's friends (unfortunately). They in turn invited many more. So it was a random party on a Wednesday night in the middle of a cornfield. If anyone drove down this deserted road, they would immediately know what was going on. There were tons of cars parked along the side of the road.
Looking around, Loki was satisfied to see that Thanos wasn't at this party. It meant that he would not be bothered tonight. Even Fandral was keeping his distance. Thor must have put him in his place.
Tony nudged him and Loki turned his attention back to him just as Tony placed a mixed drink into his hands. "What is it?" Loki asked, looking at the red drink suspiciously.
"You'll like it, I promise. Try it!"
Loki grimaced but brought the plastic cup to his lips. His face instantly soured with the sharp taste. "It's strong," Loki said. His nose was wrinkled as he fought against the lingering taste. He didn't often drink alcohol.
"It's a Strawberry Stripper!" Tony said with a laugh. "I thought it suited you."
Loki laughed. "Shut up, Stark."
There were people all around them in the narrow clearing of the corn field. They were lost in the crowd, essentially anonymous in the dark. The only light came from cell phones and the flash lights people held. Everyone had brought their own booze, stealing it from their parents' liquor cabinets, and they pooled it all together at the center of their clearing. Tony had brought a ton from his own house, claiming Howard wouldn't notice.
Tony grabbed Loki's arm and gestured to the opposite side. Loki squinted but grinned when he realized it was Thor and Jane, making out. "I called it," Tony said, taking a drink from his cup.
"And look over there," Loki said, gesturing to Bucky and Steve who were talking nearby. Their eyes were only on each other and no one else and they stood abnormally close together.
Tony grinned. "Steve is too shy and Bucky is too clueless. Someone will have to push them in the right direction." He winked at Loki.
"Nah, we better let them figure it out on their own," Loki said. He looked fondly at Stark. "You know a couple months ago I would have never guessed I would end up here."
"Yeah, a lot has happened," Tony said. "You, me, and everything else."
At his last few words, Loki's smile wavered as reality set in. What was waiting for him at home… He really didn't want to think about it.
Tony caught onto his thoughts and squeezed Loki's arm. "Come on. Follow me," Tony said.
Curiosity distracted Loki while he followed Tony into the thick stalks of corn and down the rows. The leaves flapped against Loki's face and he held one hand over his drink as he walked. He wasn't letting spiders drop into his drink! No way.
The sound of the small party faded behind them until they were further into the field. The moon drifted directly above them and the stars burst with light. Tony stopped abruptly and Loki bumped into him. Tony turned to him. "We could get lost in here, couldn't we?"
Loki rolled his eyes. "Of course not. We would just have to follow the stars."
Tony's eyes were on his, full of emotion. Even though Tony's face was shadowed by the night, Loki could feel the love radiating from Tony in that moment.
His drink was taken from his hand and Tony set both of them onto the uneven dirt. "What are we doing out here?" Loki asked.
"I thought we should be alone," Tony told him with a devious smile.
Loki smiled. "Trying to distract me from the impending doom?"
"Of course," Tony replied. His tone wasn't joking anymore, though. His eyes morphed with worry and fear.
Loki sighed but took the initiative in pulling Stark into a hug. Although Loki was slightly taller than Tony, Loki had a smaller build; so it felt like he was being pulled into a warm blanket when Tony returned the hug. Loki's heart leapt and a powerful urge to tell Tony he loved him overwhelmed him. He gathered his courage. Yes, he would make himself say it tonight.
Loki took in a deep breath, ready to whisper the words into Tony's ears when suddenly Tony pulled out of the hug to look at Loki's face. "What do you think will happen tonight?"
He huffed, a little frustrated by Tony's sudden change in subject, but dragged a hand across his forehead to clear his thoughts. "I don't know," Loki whispered. He looked into Tony's eyes and somehow his courage grew. "I'm not just going to sit around anymore. I saw what Odin did. I'm not going to let him bully me anymore. I have something to hold over him now."
"I have to go with you," Tony said, pressing his warm hands into Loki's cold palms. "I have to make sure that you're okay."
"Thor will be there," Loki tried to reassure him. It did not change the fierce expression on Tony's face.
"No, I'm going to be there," Tony told him. "You're everything to me, Loki, and I will not forgive myself if something happens to you again."
Loki pressed his forehead to Tony's. "Let's just focus on this moment, okay?" Loki said. He didn't say it, but Loki felt something foreboding in their future. His veins were alive with adrenaline.
On impulse, Loki kissed Tony. It was light and soft. He had yet to say those words Tony wanted to hear but he did his best to convey his feelings through this kiss.
The kiss went on for a few seconds but then Tony's lips went slack against Loki's, forcing Loki to open his eyes and look at Tony. "What is it?"
There was this frown on his face that made Loki breathless. "I just have this bad feeling…" he trailed off and looked off to the side, as if confused by his own feelings. So Tony felt the same as Loki. Something was going to happen tonight. Loki could feel it in the air.
Loki didn't try to contradict Tony but said, "No matter what it is, we'll be okay."
"You don't know that for sure," Tony said quietly. "Maybe this is all my fault for not being more careful around Howard."
Loki glared at him. He really thought that? "You're an idiot," Loki said flatly. "This stuff probably would have happened sooner or later. Besides, you're the best thing that's happened to me in a long time."
Tony smiled and traced his fingers along Loki's cheeks affectionately. Loki's heart lurched at the contact. "Look at you, suddenly so sentimental."
Loki face heated. He covered his red face, beyond embarrassed. "Shut up, Stark," he said through his hands. "You're a jerk."
"I may be a jerk but I'm also the best thing that ever happened to you," Tony taunted with a sly grin.
He groaned, burying his face deeper into his hands. "I should have just kept my mouth shut."
"Ah, don't say that," Tony said. "You're just so adorable."
"You're an ass."
Tony laughed, grabbed Loki's wrists to pry them away from his face. Loki tried to resist but Tony was slightly stronger than him and he pulled Loki's hands away from his face easily. Holding Loki's wrists, Tony kissed him once more.
"I love you, Loks," he told Loki, pressed against his lips.
Loki breathed in and prepared to say the words back when Tony's ringtone sounded, breaking the moment. "Hold on," Tony said, digging his phone from his pocket. "It's Thor," he said when the screen lit up. He immediately answered. "Yeah?" Pause. "We're not far. We'll come back." Another pause. "Don't get your panties in a bunch, big guy. We're on our way."
Tony hung up and looked at Loki. "We should have grabbed your phone before we left your house," Tony said. "Thor is out of his mind worried. Let's go back before he starts a search party for us."
Loki nodded, following Tony as he steered them into the corn again. Their drinks were left behind. Loki stepped over the uneven ground carefully, watching the back of Tony's head feeling more than a little wary. They could drag out this party as long as they wanted but eventually they would have to go back home. Loki wasn't sure what would await them, but he was sure that something horrible was in store for them.
Hi, yes. This is a more fluffy chapter and not too much is going on, but... Yeah, I have nothing else to say about it. I just needed some fluff before things go down.
