A/N Okay so sorry for not updating for a while, I don't exactly have Internet access. Only when I can get to the library, and on my days off from work. Uhm I'm usually not one for asking for reviews but, does anyone want to give me any? ;;. I'm like 500% sure this story is not up to par, so some feedback would be nice. uvu. Thanks bbs. Ily.
Loki was leaning against Anthony in the smoothie shop that his hyperactive boyfriend finally chose. He could have sworn he counted twenty that they passed before a decision was made but, he specifically wanted this one. They were sharing a strawberry and banana smoothie due to the fact that Tony would not stop chanting "strawberry" and bouncing up and down like a five year old. Strawberry and banana just happened to be Loki's favourite combination of fruits, so they went with it. His boyfriend was fairly unusual, completely different from what the pale man was used to but, he liked it. He sighed in content as the engineer slid his arm around him as he grabbed the drink. He put his chapped lips to the straw and sucked hard, letting the red content slid through it and into his mouth. He swished it around a couple times to spread the flavour before swallowing with a barely audible sigh. Usually he groaned and complained about having chapped lips but, the reincarnation knew that the weather would keep them in that state no matter what he did. He blinked tiredly from the exhaustion that seemed to be dragging him down, from the crying and the rain. He stifled a yawn the best he could, closing his eyes and resting his head on the shorter man's shoulder. Tony ended up finishing the smoothie and planted a kiss to Loki's forehead before rubbing his arm and standing up, earning a protest from the other. He was comfortable and it was absolutely not fair that he had to become uncomfortable for that playboy to move. His head dramatically fell forward but, eased its way down onto the table as to not hurt himself, trying to emphasise his exhaustion.
Stark just laughed at his actions and pulled him up so he was standing half way in the booth, half way out. Loki whined and forced his legs to work instead of being sacks of potatoes, leaning against him for a moment before walking out to the car. He didn't bother with sunglasses but, of course, Anthony had his designer ones on. He huffed and got into the fancy dancy car that he seemed to be spending a lot more time in, letting his head slump forward, listening to Tony chuckle again at his dramatisations. He lazily flipped him off and let out an exaggerated groan followed by a yawn. He knew when he got back to the dorm that he would pass out the second he hit the mattress. It wasn't his fault, today just wasn't a good day, aside from bothering Steve and meeting Phil. New people always cheered him up, so he quietly wished he would have met him after the depressing call with his brother. He had only been able to see him for ten minutes out of an entire month, and it was driving him up the wall. If his mum hadn't rang him this morning to let him know that Thor was going to call, he would have not checked his laptop, and most likely would have missed the rare opportunity to share a moment with him. He frowned at the thought, suddenly longing for that brute, his blond hair, blue eyes, overly muscular build, constant optimism, and everything else that just screamed Thor. He wondered sadly when he would see him or hear from him again, and figured it might be another month or so to get some form of contact. Loki was proud of his brother; don't get him wrong, he just wished he was here with him. The war he would always hate, the president he would always despise for dragging his country into fighting, and his father which he despised the most. The evil man who ripped his only support and happiness from his fingertips like some cold hearted asshole who only wanted his adopted son to suffer.
"You're really tired, huh, babe?" The soothing voice of Anthony, his Anthony filled his ears as they headed down the road.
"Yes, quite a bit," He replied softly, sighing and yawning for what seemed to be the millionth time to him.
"Let's get you back home, then," He said with a smile, picking up speed a bit.
Anthony, oh my dear, how did I ever end up with you? You're sweet, you're intelligent, you're protective, you're patient, and you have been what I need. With whatever is going on in that beautiful heart, whatever you are struggling with in that amazing mind, and whatever is going on with your father, I swear I will make it okay again. Please believe me. He voiced in his head; for a split second hoping that he didn't suddenly get telepathy powers. It would have been weird for him to know, especially since he really wasn't the type for gooey-mushy things. Loki snorted and decided he was going to change that fairly quickly. Be prepared because Loki considers himself to be a hopeless romantic and will want to cuddle, watch films together, eat pizza, then go climb onto the roof to star gaze. If Stark kept this relationship, he would be in for a ton of new experiences. All, he hoped, good ones, since he owed that much to the almost broken inventor with some severe daddy issues. He had a bit himself but, Odin didn't downright beat him for messing up and doing something illegal, all though he was sure he would now. Thor wasn't there to protect him, so he was fair game now from the verbal and now physical abuse from Odin AllFather. AllFather, the name that was attached to a car business, which Loki could take down if it was known his former father, was violent. Sadly enough, he wasn't corrupt enough to do that, and had too much compassion for the human species to sink to that level. As for his boyfriend, he didn't exactly know what was going on, so he couldn't judge the situation or how far Anthony would go to set things straight. He wouldn't take down an entire company just out of spite, would he? He was going to be the next owner, the heir to the business, the prized prince with a dash or two of cockiness.
Speaking of cocks, that leads him to think about his sexuality and how Odin dealt with him coming out. He didn't take it too kindly but, he didn't act violently or like he wanted to murder him. With eventual days coming, his ex-father did tell him he was going to get AIDS and die from being with another man but, Loki did his best to tune him out. He was fifteen when he told his family, and Frigga and Thor seemed to be the only ones supportive. Odin on the other hand, besides his continuous insults, tried hooking him up with a girl from another school named Sigyn. He was highly uninterested but, agreed to go out on a date with him, which got him into a six month relationship with her. It wasn't a bad relationship he had to admit, he just wasn't into females. When he broke up with her, Odin lost his temper and went on a very long rage filled rant about how homosexuals were unnatural, how they bring shame to Norway, and how no son of his would be gay. Then he proceeded to brag about how Thor Odinson was as straight as a nail, which Loki had retaliated with so are spaghetti noodles until you get them hot. That earned him a grounding for a week, even though he knew his older brother was curious about the same sex at the time. Thor was straight, as far as Loki knew, and even if he wasn't, it wouldn't bother him. Hell, he could even become a drag queen named Thunder Goddess or some crazy name he would be bound to come up with, and Loki would love him all the same. He was an accepting man, as long as what you are doing doesn't hurt anyone.
The car suddenly stopped and before Loki realised where they were, they were back at the dorms. He let out a noise of approval, tiredly exiting the vehicle and dragging himself to the dorm building, not bothering to wait for Anthony to catch up. He sighed and entered, going to the door that read Stark and tried twisting the door knob but, he found no strength to do so. He felt like he hadn't slept for months, so he just assumed that it was the stress getting to him. He whined softly, since the bed was only a few steps away, he just had to get through this pesky door. He glared at it and tried the knob again, only to grumble when it didn't work. He turned his head to the side slightly, listening to someone enter the building with him. He looked over to see Tony walking in, so he whined at him for help. He laughed at the pathetic looking man standing by the door before heading over and opening the door. Once the door of evil, as Loki dubbed it was opened, he nearly squealed in joy and walked across the room and flopped onto the mattress. He sighed in content, curled up, and fell asleep, leaving Tony to cover him up and cuddle. The next day came too quickly for Loki's liking, waking up to the sunlight shining in through the window. He grumbled and sat up, sighing, and looking around for Anthony. The engineer was on his own laptop busy with something that didn't look too important to Loki so early in the morning. He yawned and stretched, crawling over and resting his head on his knee, watching the screen.
"Morning, babe," Tony greeted, running his hand through his hair.
Loki nuzzled up into the touch, "Good morning. What are you up to?"
"Just business stuff for Stark Industries," He replied, rubbing his jaw line gently with his thumb.
"I see, well, have fun," He murmured, yawning a bit and staring up at him.
He turned his gaze back to the laptop, looking at him type and fill out online forms. He hummed softly, stretching out, rubbing his cheek against Anthony's leg for a moment. He rolled onto his back, stretching his arms up into the air and making sounds that accommodated his boredom. Tony grabbed one of his hands, bringing it down, and held onto it, causing him to giggle and be called silly. He kissed the back of Tony's hand, almost purring from happiness. He reached over with his free hand and batted at his boyfriend's brown hair, snorting, and waiting for him to finish so he could have attention. He wasn't an attention whore, wasn't needy, or clingy, he only liked to hold conversations and the like. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt a vibration go through Anthony's leg and against his head, whining and scooting away. Stark chuckled at him lightly, reassuring him that it was just his mobile but, Loki was not convinced. He stared at his leg for a moment until the mobile was pulled from his pocket and checked. He watched the genius tense up and clutch it tightly, face turning into a scowl, seeming to get fairly angry. He reached his hand out to him but, flinched when the mobile was thrown against the carpet. His love seemed to be seething, jaw clenched tightly, hands balling up into fists. What's got you so angry? Loki scrunched up his face before the features fell into a frown, and he was attempting to comfort him again.
"I have to go see my father, apparently, something got around and he wants to talk to me about it," Tony huffed, closing his laptop and getting up.
"Now? Do you want me to go with you?" He asked with the frown still on his face.
"If you want," He shrugged, moving to slip his shoes on, not bothering to get changed.
Loki did the same, keeping his head low, not liking the new tension that filled the room. Not many things seemed to go right lately, and he hoped it wasn't something bad. Karma could at least show some mercy, if that is what this all was about. Tony was suddenly out the door, leaving Loki to fast walk to catch up, closing the door. It wasn't hard before he reached the engineer since his longer legs allowed him to take bigger strides. He lifted his head, looking over to Tony a moment before adverting his gaze back to where they were heading. He stayed silent as they walked out and to the car, getting in per usual, and doing the normal routine, which ended with Stark speeding off down the street and to the highway. He had no idea what to say for comfort, so he just stared ahead and watched the movement of people in the city. Nothing interesting, everyone just going about their daily business at six thirty am, heading to work, school, or whatever it was that they could do. He looked sadly at the homeless men and women on the streets, wishing he could offer them some food or give them money but, they were already on the highway, topping speeds of 100mph. He sighed and wondered how he could go so fast and not get pulled over or wreck the damned thing. He tapped his fingers on his knee, a bad habit he managed to pick up on his journey through life. Thor would always playfully smack his hand to make him stop, as it eventually got annoying but, no one was making him stop now.
They pulled up to a skyscraper, and when Loki looked up to the top of the high rise, he noticed a giant sign that read STARK INDUSTRIES in silver colours. He looked to the door, and around the parking lot they were in, noting that everything had that name plastered on it. How they didn't run out of money by buying big things, Loki didn't know. Tony parked on the opposite side of the door, getting out and walking in, not waiting for his boyfriend. He seemed fairly intent on seeing what his father wanted that he either forgot Loki was there, or knew he would eventually catch up. He scrambled out of the car, intimidated by the luxuries around him even though he was used to them because of Odin, and trailed behind Anthony as they went into the building. People tried greeting the son of the billionaire who owned the company but, they were ignored, so they went on with what they were previously doing. No one bothered acknowledging his taller, skinnier, and paler shadow but, he was used to being ignored. Back in Norway, if anything public happened to the Allfather family, Thor was always the one to get attention, and Loki was just the adopted outcast who no one cared about. Honestly, why would they, when Thor was the star child? He shrugged and followed him into the elevator, leaning against one of the walls as it took them up to the eighty second floor, where Tony stepped out and walked across the hall to the end, reaching a giant double door. Loki started feeling uneasy, so he didn't follow his boyfriend into Howard's office, instead leaning against the wall by the door. From where he was, he could hear the entire conversation going on inside.
"What do you need, Howard?" Tony's voice travelled back to him, sounding annoyed.
"Welcome, son, please have a seat," Another slightly deeper voice, which Loki figured must have been Howard.
"No, we will talk about it from where I am,"
"Fine, as you wish. Now, there have been some rumours going around that you are seeing Odin Allfather's son, Loki. Is that true?"
"So what if it is? What's it to you, old man?"
"Anthony, relax. I just want to know,"
"Yes, I am dating Loki," Anthony's voice seemed to grow more angry, and he could imagine the playboy tensing up like earlier.
"I see," A reply, and what seemed to be footsteps moving toward the door.
"What the fuck are you doing, Howard?!" Tony yelled, and Loki guessed he was backing up.
"No son of mine is a faggot!"
Loki flinched when it sounded like a body was slammed against the wall right on the other side of him, and the familiar noises of struggling followed. He moved to the door and yanked one open with both hands, turning and seeing Howard strangling his boyfriend against the wall, and Tony looking like he was struggling to breathe. Loki tried catching his own breath so he wouldn't panic, watching the eccentric red faced man continue to deprive his son of precious oxygen. He ran over, trying to pull him away, only getting hit in the face as a response. He recovered quickly, just as Tony's eyes were falling closed, kicking the man in the back of the knee to make him collapse and release his grip. Anthony fell as well, lying on the ground and grabbing at his throat, coughing and gasping for air. Howard was getting up, turning his anger to the reincarnation, spitting curses at him, while Loki flipped him off and moved to his boyfriend's side to help him. He was rubbing his side comfortingly; trying to make sure he was breathing properly, sighing and keeping an eye on the older Stark so he wouldn't do anything. He was watching with pure hatred flaring in his eyes, not saying nor doing anything, just watching. It was pretty creepy but, eventually Tony got up, and Loki pulled him out of the room before he decided to do something he would regret. The door slammed loudly behind him, and he supported the shorter man as they went back into the elevator and down to the lobby area.
He looked pretty unfit to drive, so he demanded he was given the keys, and helped him get into the passenger seat, as he took the driver's. He made sure the other man was buckled in before he backed out and took off back to the dorms. They seemed to constantly go back there but, they didn't spend much time in their living quarters. Loki looked over at Anthony every so often, wondering if he should take him to a hospital to get checked out, seeing as he looked like he got hit by a train. He feared oxygen deprivation could have given him some form of brain damage, or the force of Howard's strength crushed his windpipe. He seemed to be stable, so he kept on driving to his destination until Tony made a noise and told him to stop. He frowned and did what he was told, pulling into the parking lot of a store, stopping next to a minivan. He looked over at him for a long moment as he sat there, holding onto the seat belt for a moment, before requesting that they went to a park so he could get fresh air. The dorm air was too stuffy and stale for him to properly breathe in, and it was always good to be around nature. The biggest problem was he had no idea where any parks were but, he vaguely remembered flying past one on the way to meet up with his father. Besides the fact that "father" sounded professional and proper, calling both Howard and Odin "dad" wouldn't be right, because it takes a special person to be a dad, while anyone could be a father, and he was pretty sure neither of the two were up to par.
Once they reached the park that he saw, Anthony was out the door before he could fully park, walking off to a bench underneath a tree. Loki sighed and followed suit, mostly to make sure that he was mentally okay. The foreign man walked over to him, face dark, and sat beside him, drawing a leg to cross over his other one. He put his hand on top of the back of Tony's, sliding his fingers in between his, to form a near perfect hold. It felt weird holding onto prior burnt flesh that healed over time but, he figured he would have to get used to it. It wasn't bad, not entirely, because it was Anthony – his Anthony. His insane, broken, accident prone, damaged, lab explosion causing, loving, sweet, boyfriend. The man who asks for all and receives nothing except worthless material things. One who wants to be loved, who wants to make his father proud, and who wants to make a mark on this world. He had barely any friends because everyone tended to use him for his fame and fortune, and just wanted free rides to bars, parties, or some cash. Loki wanted to be different, he wanted to show him that not everyone he meets is bad or trying to use him; he wanted to bring in romance, love, kindness, and hopefully wear through the hard shell around that beautiful heart. He wanted to show him everything would be okay, and if it wasn't, he'd do everything in his power to make sure he felt that way. He silently begged the powers of the earth to spare Tony, to give him something to make him happy, and to stop dragging him through hell and back.
"Anthony, are you...are you going to be alright?" He asked slowly, looking to him.
No response, only the future billionaire staring blankly at the grass below their feet. He looked like he wasn't there, had a distant look to him, and seemed oddly empty. Loki tensed up, worry setting in fairly quickly as he examined his boyfriend. His shoulders were slumped, his neck muscles barely holding his head comfortably; looking completely lifeless. The joking manner, the perverted gestures, everything was just gone, like Howard drained him of all that he was. Loki figured he had a lot of work to do if he was going to brighten this young man's spirits, so he rested his chin on his shoulder and kissed his jaw. Nothing, no reaction whatsoever. Come on, Anthony; please don't be like this, I don't want to lose you. He requested in his mind, only vaguely remembering that he couldn't hear other people's thoughts. It was something created by man to make creatures in stories look fierce and powerful. It didn't exist, and it never would; no technology in the universe could possibly turn someone into a telepath. That was something that came out of X-Men or Twilight or something, not something in real life. He almost whimpered, wishing he could hear what he thought without having to voice it, so his feelings were genuine and not made up or forced. Howard really damaged his son, and Loki couldn't decide if it was from choking him or the harsh words he shot at him. He went with the words, considering Anthony could handle a lot of violence and physical pain.
Almost like his wish of mind powers came true, his love whispered, "No son of mine is a faggot,"
"Baby, you're beautiful, okay?" Loki pressed, trying to get him to at least smirk from the compliment.
"I need a drink, let's go to a bar," Stark said in a depressed voice, getting up and going back toward the car.