A/N:Due to a lack of writing on my part during the last week, chapter 7 will more than likely be updated later than my usual time. I apologize for the delay, but I do hope that the fluff written below will sate your desire for FrostIron in this fiction until the next chapter is ready to go.


Chapter 6

Anthony Stark

If someone had told me a week ago that I would be strolling through Fort Tryon Park while holding a male stripper's hand, I probably would have laughed at them, socked them in the teeth, and then thrown them out of the window from the top floor of my tower. It was definitely a strange feeling, grasping another man's hand in the early hours of the morning when no one was around. Normally, people would flock to the chance to see if they could catch him and me doing anything inappropriate enough to publish in a cheap tabloid rag of a magazine, but I couldn't even see a single paparazzo around.

I spared a glance from the corner of my eye at Loki, whose small, warm hand was currently being clasped tightly by mine. A ghost of a smile was playing on his lips as he was talking. About what, I had no idea because I wasn't paying his words an ounce of attention. Most of it was just looking at him and admiring the good looks God gave him.

I tuned back in to his talking at the very end of his sentence. He had been talking and asked me a question about something. Shit, what was he saying? Ah, hell, I didn't even try to think about it. I just leaned down and planted a kiss on him. That shut him up just long enough for me to gather my surroundings. I still had no idea what the hell he was talking about.

After pulling away just a few centimeters, Loki gave me a knowing smile. "You weren't even listening to me, were you?" he guessed, and I gave him a shrug and just kissed him again. It wasn't unpleasant to kiss him; it definitely did not involve the words "Did you feel something?" afterwards like most people would expect because it didn't matter if I felt something or not. It was a simple fling, right? Even if it was just with another male, I was going to make sure it wasn't something weird or uncomfortable for me to deal with.

I didn't think that a park in New York would be quiet. Central Park was usually filled with street vendors, dogs, and people on bikes or jogging. There were even horses with feathers adorning their front brows that carried excited children and their parents through the park. You could smell those monsters before you saw them, but the park was almost silent and no odor snuck up on you when you least expected it. The occasional teenage couple passed us but they were so enraptured with each other that they didn't seem to notice we were two men holding hands and leaning really close together. That, or they didn't care. Most teenagers these days were pretty liberal.

"I thought you wouldn't enjoy this place, since it doesn't provide alcoholic beverages at the wave of a hand," Loki said with a smile on his face. "Would you rather take this stroll to a place a little more crowded?"

I cracked a smile. "I don't have to get myself drunk every time I see you."

"You've had a drink in your hand every time I have seen you."

"Name one time."

"I can name three, actually: our first meeting at the bar, the charity event my brother's girlfriend forced me to attend, and our date last night. Now, if you wish, I'll give you a few moments to think of something to rebuttal that."

"You're a world-class comedian, Loki." I released his hand and put an arm around his shoulders. "And an award-winning smartass. Who taught you to speak like that? They should be locked up for it. They've created a monster."

"I'm self-taught, actually. But I guess you could say my brother did assist. You have to have a quick wit in order to speak with him sometimes. He's not the sharpest tool in the shed, but . . ." He smiled to himself. It was a warm, familiar smile one normally wore when thinking of someone special to them. He sighed deeply, a plume of white mist sprouting from his nostrils. The smile was wiped away. "Well, I really would prefer not to talk about my brother."

"I would definitely prefer it if you didn't talk about your brother, either," I said with a grin. "It's not exactly . . . sexy."

"I'm glad you think so." He looked up and winked. "I would hate for the man who continuously asks me out to find my brother sexier than I. Talk about a serious ego-bruiser."

"Please, I wouldn't find someone else sexier than you." The words were strange coming from my lips but I just let them out. Besides, they made Loki's cheeks burn bright red, and that was becoming harder and harder to do I noticed. Maybe he was getting over his shyness and learning to like me.

I dropped my hand from his shoulder and intertwined our fingers again. I grazed my thumb over his knuckle as we walked, taking in the silence of the park and just enjoying his company. There was a multitude of questions I wanted to ask him about his work as a . . . a stripper. Gods, it was still uncomfortable for me to think about, but I just wanted to know what it was like and why on earth he would want to take the job when he was perfectly qualified to be a damn lawyer.

And, because my damn mind couldn't seem to forget even the smallest tidbit in anything that I read, I began to wonder if it had something to do with those men who had stolen from their companies to pay for whatever the hell Loki had wanted. I watched him carefully as he droned on and on again about how peaceful it was in Fort Tryon and how he had grown up playing in this park with his brother and his friends.

"Tony, have you ever seen the sunrise?" Loki asked, a small smile breaking out on his face.

I frowned as I thought. Yes, I had seen plenty of sunrises in my time. When I would stay up all night to finish a last-minute adjustment to a project, or spent all night doing the research for a new project, I would look out my window and watch the sun peek out from behind the tops of the tallest skyscrapers in the city. Often times, the sun would poke out just right enough to blind me and I would close the blinds.

I also remembered staying up all night after receiving news of my father's death. I didn't bother crying, and I was too young to get my hands on a bottle of alcohol without bringing attention to myself, so I sat on the couch, an old baseball game playing in the background, while I stared out the window and watched everyone's lives pass by while mine slowly, but surely, began to fall apart. Have I ever seen the sunrise?

"Yes."

"Have you ever felt one?"

"Well, Loki, considering the sun is somewhere around 149,597,870,700 meters from the Earth's surface, and the sun's surface is, well, billions of degrees, I would definitely not live to tell the tale of touching the sunrise."

The look he gave me was one of annoyance and impatience. He apparently did not appreciate the sarcastic science drabble as much as I had enjoyed giving it, despite my inability to correctly calculate the sun's temperature from the top of my head. I chuckled to myself as he rolled his eyes and jabbed me hard in the ribs. After a small sparring match, he had me pinned against a tree. I called uncle and took advantage of his turned back to put him in a headlock. After releasing him, we were holding hands again.

"You have a quicker wit," he said. "I think you're the monster, not I."

"Well, that would be Daddy-dearest's fault. Taught me the family trade as soon as I popped out of Mom." The disgust and amusement that flashed across Loki's face was too obvious. "But, yes, I am somewhat of a monster.

"Now, back to that sunset. Why on earth are you asking such strange questions? I mean, I understand you're a weird guy . . ."

Loki hummed quietly to himself as he waited for me to be quiet, a smile touching his face. Once I took the hint to shut my mouth and listen to him, he said, "There's a place around here that's perfect to watch the sunrise. Thor and I used to sneak out of the house just to come here. We'd raid the pantries at home of food and have an almost-picnic here in the park waiting for it. He'd bring a few friends and whatever girlfriend he was with."

"And while they were making out, you were busy sticking your nose into the pages of a good book or something, right?"

"Are you sure you have never seen me before? It's frightening that you can guess so accurately." Loki smirked. "I actually had a few girlfriends at the time. Women are too much trouble for me. If I grab a guy, there's likely to be less drama and more . . . Well, more of the good stuff."

"Sex?"

"Yes, sex." He cleared his throat and avoided eye contact. Was he shy about intimacy? Oh, this would be fun.

Loki stopped walking and put a hand onto the crook of my elbow to halt me. I stopped as he looked out over a small stone fence just barely two feet off of the ground and a smile lit his face. The horizon was lined with a gradient of warm colors that started out yellow, deepened to orange, and then darkened into red. The red darkened to a dark purple which faded to the blackish-blue of the night sky. The sun hadn't poked its head out yet. Loki didn't hesitate to move to the wall. He jumped up and threw his legs over the side of the wall, letting them hang over the edge. I followed and was surprised to see a drop of at least four stories. At least. This man was either brave or suicidal.

I didn't join him on the wall; my arms snaked around his waist like a harness and I made sure my grip on him was tight. Wouldn't want him to fall over and kill himself, now would we? He seemed to not mind and grabbed at my wrist, giving it a comforting squeeze, almost as if he was reassuring me that he wouldn't fall. It didn't matter. I wasn't going to let him go.


Pepper was waiting for me when I got home. She had her strawberry-blond hair hanging down onto her shoulders, curled at the ends, and her blouse was unbuttoned low so that her cleavage was exposed. She looked up as I walked into the sitting room and she smiled towards me. Her eyebrows rose at my entrance, and I gave her a quick smile before heading for some scotch. Oh, the burn of it would be so soothing . . .

"Good morning, Tony Stark," she greeted warmly as I swallowed, and my body immediately tensed, ready for whatever it was she was going to throw at me. Figuratively, of course, but that might turn literal at any given moment.

"Good morning to you too, Pepper," I replied, half-listening to her. "Hey, J.A.R.V.I.S., could you give me the time? Oh, and add Loki's number to my contact list. I want to be able to call him should I have the urge." I finished off the glass and turned to see Pepper giving me a look. It was a wary look, one of confusion and speculation. Another glass couldn't hurt.

"It's seven-twenty-eight a.m., sir, and all clocks have been returned to their proper settings. Mr. Laufeyson's contact information has been permanently saved into the database. Did you have a nice evening?"

"Who is 'Loki'?" she asked carefully, staring at me intently. The side of my head began to smoke and was damn near spontaneously bursting into flames. Where was Dummy when I actually needed him? That fire extinguisher would be handy right about now.

"A new friend of mine. I met him at the charity event a few nights ago." Damn, Tony, this whole lying gig was getting easier and easier. Congrats. "He and I hit it off pretty well, we had dinner two nights ago, and then had a guys' night out last night." I turned around, yelping as I nearly slammed into her. "Whoa, careful, Pep. I almost squashed your toes."

"Tony, did last night involve strippers?"

And again with the . . .

"You're never going to let that go, are you?" I asked, spreading my arms. "It was one time, and I kept my money to myself, thank you. There was no ass grabbing, no crotch grabbing; I kept my hands to myself."

"And I'm proud of you." She stood behind me as I leaned into the couch and sipped on the scotch. I could feel her hands on my shoulders, rubbing my arms sensually, and I sighed, closing my eyes. To her, it looked like I was giving in to her sexual advances and enjoying myself. The truth? I was fucking tired. "Want to move to the bedroom, Tony?"

I moved my shoulders and shrugged her hands away. "Pep, I'm really not in the mood. I was up all night at the park last night with Loki, and I just . . ."

"The park? What park?" She pulled her hands away. "I thought you said you had a guys' night out."

"Yeah. At . . . the park . . ." I realized how strange the story sounded to her after I repeated it for myself. It was definitely a weird place for me to announce I had been, but I wasn't sure if I should have lied or not. She was already pissed because of the feather boa, which I still hadn't gotten rid of. "You know what? I'm taking the morning off. J.A.R.V.I.S.! After this scotch, it's straight to bed! Make an alarm for eleven-forty-five."

"Do remember to brush your teeth and floss before you turn in," J.A.R.V.I.S. said tentatively. "You wouldn't want a cavity getting in the way of your busy life, would you?"

"A cavity would actually be welcoming, right now." I turned back around to the couch and looked at Pepper. She looked like an abandoned puppy, her eyes sad and her lip trembling. I sighed and ran a hand over my face. "What?"

"Nothing." She crossed her arms.

"It's always nothing."

Ignoring her surprised gasp, I retreated to my room and ordered J.A.R.V.I.S. to lock the door. I didn't have the slightest idea why I had asked him to do it. I didn't hear a peep from Pepper for the rest of the day.