Here we are! I know I should update my other story... BUT I BLAME STARK. EVERY TIME I SAY I SHOULD WORK ON THE OTHER ONE HE ALWAYS IS LIKE, "NOOOOOO I WANT MORE KILLING LONELINESS!" (I know you are reading this Stark...) Sorry... Rp friend of mine... ANYWAYS! this chapter is MUCH LONGER than I thought it would be! So hope you all like it!
Killing Loneliness
Chapter 9: We Disappear In The Lie
Loki had yet to call Tony back. It had been a couple of days since his talk with Pepper and Happy. He had said he would call Tony back, but he couldn't get himself to pick up his phone and dial. Tony had still been sending him messages, just not as regularly. Loki believed he had finally realized he needed some space. Loki had gone back to going to random meetings and investigating humans in their world.
It was during one of these meetings that Loki received a message from Pepper. It stated, 'I know you still haven't replied to Tony. I still would like to see you again soon.'
Loki looked at the text in thought before replying, 'When would you like to meet up? I do not have anything planned.'
Loki waited a few minutes before he felt the phone vibrate once more. He opened the flip and read, 'There is a party being held tomorrow night. You should come.'
'Will Anthony be there?' he questioned, shifting a bit. He doubted he would be able to talk with the man yet.
A couple more minutes, 'I don't believe so. He is still recovering.'
'I will come then.' Loki replied. Pepper texted him the time and place of the party. Loki wrote it down so he would not forget it and continued to listen to the droning man explain a product. Loki was beginning to see why Anthony hated these meetings so much.
~/~
Loki stood in at the side of the party. He was on the lookout for Pepper. He studied the people as he waited. Since his time on Earth he had come to realize the different sets of people. He was now able to figure out a lot about them with just simple little things. So he waited, studying the people and finding out what job they had or how much work they actually did.
"Why are you here?" An annoyed voice sounded behind him. Loki turned to see Obadiah standing there.
Loki narrowed his eyes, "I was invited," his voice smooth.
"By who? Since Tony isn't here, I wouldn't think anyone else is friends with you." Obadiah stated which caused Loki to get a bit agitated.
"Ms. Potts invited me. I do have friends, Mr. Stane." Loki gave a reply, trying to ignore the feeling that he got around the man.
"Where is she?" He questioned.
"You seem to be in a questioning mood tonight." Loki told the man, ignoring the question.
Obadiah gave Loki a fake smile. "I don't trust you." Obadiah raised an eyebrow, "I think you are lying about something, Mr… Loki? I never did get your last name."
"Nor do I trust you." Loki replied, "Do you know what they told me where I am from?"
Obadiah shook his head and waited for a response.
"The best way you can tell if someone is a liar," Loki paused and stared straight at the man, "Is to be a liar yourself."
Obadiah seemed to be studying Loki carefully. He took a sip of a glass that resided in his hand. "Are you saying I am lying?"
"Perhaps," Loki never took his eyes off the man, "Are you?"
Obadiah seemed to give the man a malice filled grin, "You should stay away from Tony. He will bring you nothing but trouble."
Loki tightened his fist, "I am sorry to tell you." Loki glared at him, "But I tend to be drawn to trouble."
"Your loss." Obadiah said before walking away from the god.
Loki watched Obadiah's back before taking a couple of breaths to calm his anger towards the man.
"You are Tony's friend?" A voice broke him out of his meditation. He turned to find a woman in a black dress standing next to him. "Christine Everhart." The woman held out a hand.
Loki glanced down before taking the hand, "You may call me Odinson."
"Odinson? Is that your first name?" She asked.
Loki gave her a strange look, "No. It is my last name, but I do not know you well enough to be on a first name basis."
"Ok. Wow. I can see why Mr. Stark likes you." She sounded a bit irked. "I am part of a magazine and would love to interview you."
Loki let out a sigh, "Why would you want to interview me, Ms. Everhart?"
"Don't you know? You are the latest gossip, the mysterious man that has been near Mr. Stark." The reporter raised an eyebrow, "Have you not been reading the papers?"
Loki shook his head, "I have been quite busy myself, so no news or papers."
"That is interesting." She mumbled to herself, "So can I have that interview?"
Loki shifted debating on the outcome, "Alright, if you wish to do so. A small interview would be best."
She appeared to be going through her questions before asking, "How long have you known Tony Stark?"
He began to count in his head, "A couple months now."
"So you knew him prior to his abduction?" She asked quickly.
"Yes," Loki gave a short answer.
"What are your thoughts about his line business and what he did at that conference?" She raised an eyebrow.
Loki thought a moment, "If Anthony wishes to free himself of his past job he can if he wants. It is his decision after all."
"Anthony?" She asked surprised by the name he had used.
"Yes." He replied.
The woman seemed to snap herself out of stupor after a second hearing the name, "What about the people that will lose their jobs over this?" The reporter asked.
Loki could only glare in response, "You seem to always make Anthony out to be a bad person. He sold weapons, he is a bad person. Him trying to change his company, he is a bad person." Loki snarled at Christine.
"And you only seem to see the good." The reporter narrowed her eyes, "What kind of relationship do you have with Mr. Stark?"
Loki bit his tongue. He did not exactly know where they stood. He sat in thought before the woman coughed to get his attention, "Mr. Odinson?"
"A friend. We are friends." Loki mumbled back. "I need to go find Ms. Potts, if you will excuse me, Ms. Everhart." He bowed his head to her before stepping away.
She seemed to be cursing the short interview she had gotten before asking, "If you see Mr. Stark, please tell him I would like to talk to him. It is about his business after all." Her words seem to have gotten a cold edge to them as she spoke. Loki just nodded his head and walked to the bar.
Loki asked for a drink before going back to observing the people in front of him. It was then he saw Ms. Potts standing in the middle of the room in a nice blue dress. He took a step towards the woman before a voice made him freeze, "Hey Loki." Loki turned quickly and froze as he saw Tony standing there.
"A-Anthony, I didn't know you were going to be here." Loki murmured quickly.
"I could say the same to you." Tony grinned towards him.
Loki hummed in agreement before silence fell over them. They stood there for what seemed like hours. Loki had his brain going a million miles a minute. He didn't know how to speak to Tony. He always knew what to say, yet here his mind was blank of words, and filled with that night.
"I am sorry about our…last meeting. I crossed a line." Tony said not looking at Loki as he spoke, but instead his drink.
"It is alright. I understand." Loki nodded his head. Again silence fell over them.
Loki hoped to end the quite that reigned over them at the moment. Still no words left his mouth.
It was then Tony chuckled, "We see each other a lot at parties. I am beginning to think you are a party animal, Loki."
Loki gave the man a puzzled look, "I am no animal. I also don't know of any animals that party either way."
Tony let out a chuckle. It then turned to full blown laughter. "I have missed you, Loki." He gasped through laughs.
Loki gave him a small confused smile, "I am glad to have amused you."
"Another saying, Loki. It is a saying." Tony told the man with a smirk.
"I see. I should read up on theses 'sayings'." Loki spoke with wonder. "How far are you along on that project of yours?"
Tony leaned back against the bar, "It is almost done actually. Just needs some more… color."
Loki just raised an eyebrow then nodded, "Perhaps you could show it to me later?"
"Of course. You are my friend." Tony rolled his eyes as if it was obvious.
At this point Pepper glanced over at them. Her eyes widen in shock before rushing over too them. "Mr. Stark. I didn't know you would be coming this evening." Her eyes flickered to Loki.
"Always have to be surprising or everyone will know what is going to happen next." Tony stated, "And that would be so boring."
Pepper eyes kept going back and forth between the two, "Hey Loki, would you want to go see my project after this party?" Tony asked the man to his right. "If anything we should leave early." Tony winked at the man.
Loki nodded his head, "It would be wonderful to see your work." With that Pepper seemed to relax a little when Loki replied.
"You mean the project you refuse to let any of us see?" Pepper asked with an annoyed expression.
"It wasn't done when you and Obadiah tried to peak at it." Tony pouted at Pepper. Loki eyes narrowed when Obadiah was mentioned.
"We were concerned for your safety." Pepper told him. "You hadn't eaten in an entire day."
"I was busy building." Tony eyed Pepper.
"You still should eat, Anthony. It is bad for your health if you don't."
"Now you are taking her side?!" Tony exclaimed, "I thought you liked me better." He then frowned at the two.
"Whatever you say, Anthony." Loki chuckled at Tony's words.
"I must be off." Pepper smiled at the two men, "both of you behave." She pointed mostly towards Tony.
"Fine mom." Tony said rolling his eyes as Pepper walked back in the direction she had come from.
"Pepper is a really nice person." Loki said with a smile on his face as he watched her leave.
"Yes, she is." Tony said, but no smile on his face when Loki turned to him. Instead he held a weird expression the Loki couldn't place. Loki started to search his eyes but still couldn't place the emotion shifting though them.
"Anthony? Are you alright?" Loki asked confused.
Tony quickly changed his face to a smile, "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"
Loki watched the man cautiously before returning the smile, "You just seemed to have a strange expression."
Tony laughed before saying, "Are you sure you are feeling alright?"
"I am just fine." Loki managed to say but was still studying the man.
They conversed for a bit longer, asking how they had been during their time apart. An hour had passed they began to speak to each other before either of them realized. It was as if the prior meeting had never happened.
"We should go to my place so I can show you my project. You will love it." Tony said, much more excited that Loki had ever seen him.
"Alright, Stark." Loki nodded in agreement bemused by the man's actions.
On their way out they ran into the one interview that had been speaking with Loki.
"Ms. Everhart. Hello, again." Loki greeted the woman.
"Mr. Odinson." She responded before turning to Tony. "Tony Stark."
"You two have met?" Tony motioned between the two, "What you have you been up to Loki? Meeting all these women." Tony shook his head, "How many have you slept with?"
Loki let a smirk grace his lips, "A few women here and there. I would much rather sleep with men."
Tony coughed in shock by the response. Tony gave Loki a deer in head lights look. Christine also gave him an once-over.
Loki laughed a heart filled laugh, "I was only joking."
Tony just gave him a blank look.
"Mr. Stark, I am quite shocked to see you here." Christine told the man, still eyeing Loki. "You have a lot of nerve showing up here." She turned back to Tony, "can I at least get a reaction from you?"
Tony gazed off to the side, "Panic. I would mostly say panic." He glanced at Loki, "and a bit of fortune."
"Fortune?" The reported seemed a bit confused. Loki just stayed silent. She shook her head before continuing, "I was referring to your company's involvement with the latest atrocities."
"Yeah, they just put my name on the invitation. I don't know what to tell you." Tony replied.
"I actually almost bought it. Hook line and sinker." Christine stated sarcastically.
Loki gazed puzzled by what she had said, "What do you mean?"
"I don't know if you knew this, but I was out of town for a couple months." Tony said but stopped when he noticed Loki flinch a little as he spoke.
"Is this what you call accountability?" The women asked as she handed Tony a thing of photos. Loki could not see what was on the photos but from the expression Tony held, it was not good.
"It is a town called Guamera." She put venom in her words, "Heard of it?" She asked skeptically.
"When were these taken?" Tony asked in a droned voice. Loki attempted to look over the man's shoulders to see what the pictures were. Tony pulled away before he could.
"Yesterday." The reporter said.
Tony was still looking at the photos, "I didn't approve any shipment."
"Well your company did." She glared at Tony. Loki still was unable to see the photos. Tony seemed to be trying and hide them from him.
"What are the photos?" Loki finally asked getting troubled by their words.
"I am not my company." Tony snarled, ignoring Loki's question. "We will have to reschedule, Loki. I will talk to you later." Tony motioned for the woman to follow him out the doors.
Loki stood there more confused than ever. He decided to follow the two and watched as Tony spoke with Obadiah. He pointed at the pictures, looking peeved. The other man seemed to shrug off Tony's questions before turning for pictures. Obadiah turned back to the party to go inside ignoring what now seemed a shell-shocked Tony. Loki was about to go ask the man if he was alright but froze. Perhaps now was not the best time. Tony seemed to break out of his stupor and headed for his car. He disregarded all the cameras flashing in his face. Loki stood at the top of the stairs as he watched the man go. With a quick decision he turned back towards the party to find the one man he knew was the cause. He found the man talking with a group of people, laughing as they spoke.
Loki walked up to the group and with a voice as slick as silk he asked, "May I speak with you Mr. Stane?"
Obadiah turned from his group and gave Loki a heated look, "I will get back to you guys in a moment." He waved them off and turned to Loki. "What do you want?"
Loki couldn't help but glare at the man, "What did you do?"
"I don't know what you are talking about." The man stated obnoxiously.
"You know very well what I speak of." Loki growled, "What did you say to him?"
"You were right. You can only tell who a liar is, by being one." Obadiah gave him a menacing grin, "I just told Tony the truth."
Loki cursed Obadiah, "How could you betray someone who thought of you as a father?" he seethed.
"Easily," Obadiah paused, "Life is always about who has the most stuff. It can be from weapons to money. All that matters in life is who comes out on top." Obadiah explained with a dull voice.
"You are wrong." Loki snarled, "It is the people you surround yourself with."
"Who taught you that? Daddy?" Obadiah mocked.
Loki growled at Tony's used-to-be friend. "I hope you pay for what you caused Anthony, in the worst way possible." Loki started to stomp off, ignoring the other man's laughs. He had never hated someone so much in his entire life.
Well...Obadiah is still a dick. I still hate him. Loki does love a good party apparently ;D eheh!