One month had passed since their adventure to Anthony's apartment, and he hadn't so much as received a phone call from his brother. He knew he was already deployed to Afghanistan since his mother rang him up and filled him in on what was going on. He sat at a cafeteria table in between Steve and Anthony, staring blankly at the food in front of him. He had no appetite whatsoever but, the food seemed to be taunting him to eat it. Loki picked at the mashed potatoes, groaning quietly and resting his head on Tony's shoulder. Steve eyed the two out of the corner of his eye when Tony wrapped an arm around his side, and Loki shot him a glare. He had eventually befriended the jock, finding it relatively easy all things considered. He knew the guy was a good little Christian boy who thought being gay was a sin but, he kept his mouth shut when it came to Stark and Loki. Clint was sitting across from them, and as he had guessed when he first met him, he was an archer. He was actually attending the university for archery; Loki didn't even know there was such a class until it was mentioned. Clint and Anthony were deep in conversation about something to do with pop culture and/or parties. He closed his eyes and thought about the last time he spoke to Odin, realising it hadn't been since he was hit by him. He pushed himself more into Anthony's side, gaining his attention long enough to be kissed on the head before going back to conversing with Clint.

He huffed and stared at Steve who was busy eating and staring at people who walked past. His mind went somewhere else, thinking about school and the fact that there were only a few months left of this semester. Even though it was only the middle of February, the school only had three more months until it was complete for this year. For some reason, they barely got any snow this year, and it wasn't as chilly as usual, as he had heard from other people. He was still fairly new to the country, so he didn't know the weather patterns or if it did snow in New York. He was doing pretty decent in class, having been acing everything that was put in front of him. His two professors were impressed by the fact that he was doing so well, and earlier, Clint had mentioned that it was very hard to impress Natalie. He found it a bit odd that he would call her Natasha or Professor Rushman at times but, he ended up shrugging it off and going about his day. He was still pretty down about Thor leaving him for the war, and he hadn't entered their dorm since the day before he left, even though all of his things were in there. He frowned, still staring at Steve, who somehow, didn't notice. He shook his head and looked up at Anthony for a moment, watching him talk.

Their relationship was far from a secret, since all Anthony seemed to do was follow him around, take him to places, kiss him, and everything in between. Not many people were surprised though, seeing as Stark had a reputation for getting with everyone but, what they were shocked by was that they were actually holding it down. Anthony was still notorious for being a playboy, and he actually dating someone really just didn't happen. He wasn't one for hiding the fact that they were dating, either, always ready for PDA, and it apparently didn't bother anyone but, Rogers. He wouldn't say anything, of course, just make a face and turn his head away. It was pretty rude but, hey, what more could he expect? If he wanted to act like he lived in the forties, be Loki's guest. He respected him for keeping faith but, he wished he wasn't one of those selective Christians who picked out key bullshit to hone in on and use against others. Loki figured that if you were going to hate someone because your bible told you to, you should follow it from dotting the "i" to crossing the "t". He hadn't made any enemies yet, and he was surprised considering he was a foreign student. College in America seemed to be different than what he had in mind to begin with, mostly only getting an understanding about it from films. They were supposed to be all about drinking, partying, drugs, sex, frat boys, initiations, and all of that junk, at least from what he picked up.

"Hey babe, say something in Norwegian for Clint," Anthony requested, looking down at him.

"Why?" He whined, adjusting to get more comfortable against the shorter man.

"I told him you were from Norway, and he wants to hear some Norwegian," Anthony explained, smirking.

"En, to, tre, fire, fem, seks, syv, åtte, ni, ti," He finished with a sigh in his Norwegian accent.

"What does that mean?" Barton asked eagerly, looking at him with wide eyes.

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten," Loki answered, smirking when Barton looked crestfallen.

Steve had looked over once he started speaking, and when Loki caught his eye, he blushed and automatically turned away. Loki raised his eyebrows in curiosity for a split second until his attention was dragged back to Tony who was making some arm movements because he was demonstrating how a plane would look if a dinosaur ate it. He shook his head and chuckled, oddly intrigued by his boyfriend's crazy antics. He backed up when he was almost hit in the face by an elbow, awkwardly landing on Steve who abruptly jumped up from his seat and glared down at Loki. Loki smiled sheepishly up at him and waved with his fingers, looking over at Tony who seemed like he was about to burst with laughter. If the reincarnation didn't know any better, he would think Steve was secretly into him from the way he constantly had a blush on his face around him. He quickly grabbed his food and stalked off to the trash can, nearly running into someone along the way. Loki looked over to see who it was, noticing the person was a new student, so he hoisted himself up and casually made his way over, standing behind the blond headed jock. He eyed the newcomer up and down, noting the way he stood staring at Steve like he was a person he would have worshipped as a child, almost laughing at the hyperactivity surrounding him. He looked like he was going to explode with awe if he didn't say anything, and Steve just cocked an annoyed eyebrow at the man.

"Hi, my name is Phil. Phil Coulson, what's yours?" He offered, extending a hand to him.

Steve just grunted and walked over to the bin, dumping his food into it, slamming the tray on top of it, and heading off to who knows where. Loki frowned and waited for the person named Phil to be upset but, he still looked the same as before. No frown, no sadness in his eyes, he didn't even seem like he noticed the rejection of conversation. Loki automatically admired that of him fairly quickly, hoping he could befriend the lad. Before he could say anything, arms immediately went around his waist, holding tightly, and a chin was placed on his shoulder. He was being clung to possessively, and when he looked down at the tanned arms of Stark, he just snorted and looked over at him. He was acting defensive as if he would let go, Coulson would jump on Loki and have his way with him right dead centre in the cafeteria. All he could do was roll his eyes and lean back into him, keeping an eye on Phil who was looking in the direction that Rogers left in, like he expected him to come back and introduce himself. Loki blushed slightly as he was kissed on the cheek by Anthony, making a sound of content to hide his embarrassment at the PDA in front of the new guy. He seemed to not be paying attention, sort of like he was stuck in time, just staring and waiting for Steve to return. It almost became awkward until he shrugged and gave a five minute delayed wave.

"Nice meeting you!" He called, and turned to the two beside him.

"Don't worry about Steve, he's a bit moody sometimes," Loki whispered, giving him a smile.

Phil returned the smile and was about to introduce himself, when Loki shushed him and told him he already knew his name. He held out his hand and Phil shook it, seeming pleased that someone finally shook his hand. Tony buried his face into Loki's neck for a bit, causing him to tense up, fearing the reaction of the new person but, relaxing when he didn't seem fazed by it at all. He wondered if he was homosexual himself, seeing as how he nearly fainted when he ran across Steve, the Adonis of the school, as some called him. He wouldn't be surprised if he was, though it wasn't his place to ask. He felt Anthony smirk against his flesh, almost like he could read his lover's mind. The smirks turned into soft kisses, almost causing him to moan but, instead wiggling and pushing back against him. He didn't want to make things awkward, though he knew Anthony was in a teasing mood. As much as he would like to give in, he was expecting a Skype call in about a half an hour from his older brother. He had been around Stark long enough to see that he could make things fast if needed but, he couldn't look so ravaged by the man around his brother. Thor would already freak out in happiness when he told him he was in a relationship with the inventor, and he didn't need anything else. He purred with affection from the way Tony's hand slinked up his back and played with his hair, grunting as he tightened his grip.

"I'm Loki, and this is my boyfriend, Anthony," He introduced himself and the person hanging off of him.

"Really? That's a cool name, Loki. And you are the son of the owner of this school, correct?" Phil responded, confirming his thoughts.

Anthony nodded against him and suddenly let go, now interested in Coulson who dived into conversation about the college and other things owned by the Stark name. Loki wasn't bothered by his boyfriend doing that, he knew he had poor tendencies to go off and forget he was spending time with him. He shrugged, walking back to the table to let the two talk, picking up his tray. Clint mimicked his actions, following him as he dumped out the food and tossed it on top of the bin as Steve did a few minutes ago. Clint tried making conversation but, Loki ignored him, deciding to go back to Tony's dorm to wait for the call. It was raining as he stepped outside, earning a groan from the tall man. How convenient was it that his umbrella was left in his old dorm? It wasn't like the rain or the cold bothered him, he just didn't feel like being wet at the moment. As he began walking, his clothes automatically suctioned to his body, making him shift uncomfortably and hang his head. His black locks were plastered to his face and neck, the water drizzling down his face and onto the cement below. He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment and pausing, then continuing on. He didn't feel like doing much other than getting into warm clothing, curling up in the sheets that smelt wonderfully of Anthony, and waiting on a call. He missed his brother dreadfully, and would relish this call, since he didn't know when he would contact him again, if ever. He was a positive guy but, one always had to know the possibilities of a situation, and this one being that his brother could be wounded or killed in battle.

He pulled open the door to the dorm building, stepping onto the tile and narrowing his eyes against the fluorescent lighting. The AC whipped against his wet flesh, causing him to shiver, though he enjoyed it. Trotting off to the dorm he shared, he almost got lost in thought about why Thor shouldn't be at war, nearly passing where he needed to go. Another door opened and he instantly headed inside and closed the door, stripping of all clothing. He rummaged through Anthony's dresser, picking out something dry to wear, and pulling them on. He looked down in satisfaction at the white muscle shirt and red boxers he was now sporting, clambering up onto the warmth of the bed, and curling up in the blankets that lay upon it. He reached for his laptop at the end of the mattress and opened it, rubbing the touch pad to wake it up. Loki smiled at the soft groan it gave before flickering the welcome page where his name shown at him, drawing his finger across the pad to click it, typing in his password which was conveniently his boyfriend's name. Is that weird that we have only been dating a month and a half, and I already put my laptop password as AnthonyStark? No, it couldn't be, considering people said "I love you" after the first day. He shook the thought from his mind and stared at the TARDIS background in front of him. Can't blame a man for liking things. He signed into Skype and stared at his brother's offline status, sighing, before going onto the Internet. He typed in into the URL bar, getting to it and checking what was happening with his friends back in Norway. Obviously everything was defaulted to read in Norwegian but, it wasn't a problem for him. Nothing interesting was going on, just some stupid game application requests along with event recommendations that he couldn't attend being half way across the world.

Loki nearly jumped out of his skin when the sound for a Skype call went off, quickly accepting it with a video chat. Thor's face lit the screen, clad in military style turn outs and grinning, like he had never left at all. The all too famous brother! sounded through the microphone and rang into his ears, causing him to smile as well. That greeting would never get old, and as much anger he held toward his brother for not using his own judgement and will to stand up to his father, it went away immediately when they spoke. He missed the blond brute and the way he would pick him up off the ground in a crushing hug, the way he would hold him to comfort him when he was upset or scared, the threatening tone to his voice when he was about to kill whomever hurt him, and everything else wonderful about the man he so wished he shared blood with. Was that all going to come to a permanent end? Loki didn't know. He let his mind wander back to Thor, silently wondering how much time had passed since he drifted off into his thoughts. Luckily it was only a minute, and Thor was talking about something to do with life in Afghanistan.

"No pretty women except for one but, she's not part of my platoon. Her name is Jane Foster, and I think I am going to ask her out, soon. How's college?" Loki caught the last part of his rambling, smiling and shaking his head as he listened to him talk about her.

"Decent, though I wish you were here," His eyes darkened a moment as he spoke before continuing. "I have a boyfriend,"

"I know, brother, I wish I was there, too. But I have a duty to my country, and I want to complete at least one tour. Boyfriend, do you mean Stark?" Thor inquired at the end, raising both eyebrows.

His sexuality had never been a secret, and all though his previous partners had all been female, he knew he was attracted to men. Thor tried to hook him up with people he thought could be suitors for him but, he was never interested. Loki sighed at the memory, wishing he could have more with him. He flinched when he heard him say "my country", and all he could think of was that home town was Norway, and if he was there instead of this gods forsaken pathetic country, none of this would have happened! Loki had a bad habit of dwelling on things that pushed him beyond his limits regarding upsetting things, letting them bother him more than they should. It was something he honestly needed to work on, one of his weak spots. He would have liked to say he didn't have any downfalls but, he wasn't too proud like he was sure Anthony was. That wasn't a bad thing, pride; it was just sometimes a great asset not to have so much of it. His boyfriend wasn't a terrible person, he wasn't even bad. The man had a good heart but, didn't always have such a great personality and the attitude could use some adjustment at times. He adored him for the way he was; there was not a thing he would change. At that moment, his brother suddenly had to go, leaving barely enough time for him to get in an "I love you, too," before the call ended. Sadness weighed heavily in his heart and he let that take over him, tears beginning to form as he started to cry. Cries evolved into sobs, and soon he was a shaking mess, pushing the laptop off of him, slamming it shut, and curling into the blankets more.

Five minutes passed of him crying when Tony came into the dorm, wondering where he had went off to. He opened his mouth to question but, immediately shut it when he saw Loki crying on the bed. Loki didn't even bother looking up, knowing who had entered, closing his eyes as he let himself be pulled into his arms and held against a muscular chest. He was being rocked and shushed now; Anthony trying desperately to comfort the man in his lap. Loki grabbed onto his hand, as if trying to make sure he was still there and not going anywhere. His hair was being gently stroked now, in a calming manner, as sweet nothings were whispered down to him. He opened his eyes to meet the chocolate brown ones of the short engineer, trying to smile. Anthony used a rough thumb to softly wipe away the tears streaming down his face, eventually relaxing enough so that the only sound he made was soft whimpers and sniffles. A quick kiss was planted on his lips, followed by a small smile that was reserved only for Loki. He let out a shaky breath, tightening his grip on his boyfriend's hand, looking down at their fingers which were now intertwined. He made a sound of approval at what he saw and got comfortable on him, letting his head rest against the arc reactor.

"What happened, baby?" He asked in a soothing voice, looking down at him with worry.

"Thor called, he...he had to g-go after about t-ten minutes," Loki choked out, nuzzling into the inventor.

He just nodded, rubbing his back gently and kissed the top of his head, not saying another word. Loki wiped his eyes, shivering from the cold that met his bare arms as the blanket fell from his shoulders. He pressed against Tony who pulled the blanket back around them both and lay back, dragging him along. He blinked sadly up at his boyfriend who shushed him before he could speak. He wrapped his muscular arms around the smaller man, holding him tightly and protectively, as if he would protect him from all his fears. That was how Loki felt, always safe and secure from the world if Anthony was around. He seemed to chase away the sadness, the loss, the grief, and all the negative emotions quelling his heart. He felt utterly comforted and relaxed now that they just lay there, like nothing could go wrong. He let out a heavy sigh as he adjusted himself so he was lying between the inventor's legs, on his stomach, with his head resting just below the arc reactor. He turned so his chin sat on his chest, looking directly up at him. Tony smiled at him softly, kindness in his eyes as he reached down and ran his fingers through his hair. Everything was okay now as he returned the gaze and smile lovingly, quietly wondering how he could have ever doubted this man. Their relationship had worked out so far; Stark remained faithful, even though he could leave whenever he wanted. He rubbed his eyes since they burned from the previous tears, digging the heels of his hands into his eyes a moment.

Forty-five minutes had passed of pure cuddling, and he honestly didn't want to move. He had eventually moved his head so it was sideways since his neck began to hurt and he didn't want to make Anthony uncomfortable. They had made small conversation about the events that led up to Thor leaving, dipping lightly into the part of how Odin had back handed him which busted his nose, listened to Tony threaten to kill him, smirked when he silently groaned when he was told he couldn't murder, and discussed his trip to the hospital. All the engineer had known previously was that Loki's leg was injured but, didn't have a clue to how it happened. He chuckled when he vowed to never let any harm come to him again, because the reincarnated god knew in his heart that it could not happen. He was bound to get injured, physically or emotionally, and he hoped Anthony would be there to help him through it when it happened. He suddenly sat up, one arm around Loki so he could hoist him up as well, looking around. His eyes lay on his closed laptop before leaving the bed, one hand around Loki's wrist. He narrowed his eyes curiously, wondering what was going on in that genius mind of his, seeming to watch the gears grinding in his head. He was pulled to the door before he was told where they were going.

"Smoothie, I want one," Stark said with a smirk.

"Alright, of course you do. Let's go," Loki replied, shaking his head with a smile.

Loki was dragged along through the door and out the hall, into the rainy parking lot. He shook the water that started falling onto his hair out; looking up to see it was actually easing off. Before he could do much of anything, he was pulled along to Anthony's Audi, the door to the passenger's side being held open and then watching him as he ran to the driver's side. He found his boyfriend's odd cravings to be simply adorable, and if he wanted to be an asshole, he could say he was almost like a pregnant woman with raging hormones who thought anchovies and cereal sounded amazing together. He laughed to himself at the thought of Anthony running around with a bulging stomach and bitching at everyone. He looked over to the man who was now speeding off once he was sure Loki shut the door and buckled in. They were racing at high speeds again down a freeway; the signs seeming to fly past at lightning speed. He watched Tony out of the corner of his eye, raising his eyebrow at the serious look he had on his face as he drove. It was either so they wouldn't crash, or he was seriously dying internally for a smoothie. He leant against the window, head facing him so he could stare, focusing on every little detail. Clean shaven face, prominent jaw line, serious yet kind eyes - saved only for Loki - , wonderful cheekbones, and a fierce drive to be the best he can.