I swear I'll be updating more. I had a rough few weeks, but I'm all good now.
"When I give someone fifty dollars, I expect results," Tony growled in Clint's face, almost appearing out of nowhere once Clint closed his locker.
"I'm on it," Clint reassured him patiently.
"Watching that son of a bitch demolish my car doesn't count as a date."
"I've got it all under control, okay? Besides, he has to do stuff like that. Keeps his image intact."
"How about this? You don't get any then I don't get any, so you get his ass by the end of this week," Tony was sick of Clint trying to brush him off. He could tell Clint was getting nowhere.
"Alright, well I just upped my price."
"What?"
"Hundred bucks," Clint started. "Per date."
"Forget about it then."
"Okay, 's'all the same to me. Forget about Thor, then," Clint spoke in a simple tone, entirely nonchalant. Tony's eyes darkened and his face betrayed frustration. Stark smacked one of the lockers and pulled some money out of his pocket.
"You better hope you're as smooth as you think you are," Stark narrowed his eyes. "Bastard." Instead of reacting, Clint smiled and plucked the bills from Tony's fingers.
Steve dictated some more French to Thor. "La copine et I 'ami? La diferance?"
"A copine is someone you can count on. An ami is someone who makes promises they can't keep," Thor glared a little, getting irritated with these lessons.
"Is there something on your mind?" Steve closed the French book in front of himself, full attention on Thor.
"I've been counting on you so I can go on a date, and you and that thug have not gotten anywhere thus far. Are we ever going on our date?"
"You have my word!" Steve offered a smile to go with his pleasant tone.
"You are sweet," Thor returned, brushing his fingers across the back of Steve's hand. The smaller blonde blushed slightly as Thor flipped his hair.
"How do you get it to look like that?"
"Hm? Oh, I deep condition a few times a week. And I never, ever use a blowdryer without a diffuser attached."
"I think I read an article about that once," Steve really was trying to show his interest.
"You did?"
Clint flicked his hands dry in the sink, Bruce and Steve both visible in the corner of the bathroom. He shook his head slightly.
"Say it,"
"What?" Bruce prompted.
"Whatever the hell you're standing there waitin' to say." Clint replied. Steve came forward before Bruce.
"We wanted to talk to you about the plan,"
"What plan? What are you on about?"
"The situation is that Steve here," Bruce joined in. "He wants to win Thor over. He has a serious thing for him."
"What is it with this guy? Does he have a dick made of heroin?" Clint glowered and Steve started to speak up to defend Thor.
"I think I'll make it pretty clear by saying Steve's love is absolutely pure. Purer than say - Tony Stark's."
"I don't care who Stark plows. I'm in it for the money." Steve choked at Clint's words.
"See, we can help you. With Loki."
"Help me with Loki so Tony can get Thor?"
"Look at the big picture, Clint. We're behind all of this. We set this up so you can get paid and Steve can have Thor. Stark's nothing but a pawn on our board."
"So, you two are going to help me tame the wild beast?"
"We're your guys."
"And he means that in an entirely platonic non-prisonlike way," Steve added.
"We'll see," Clint turned on his heel and went out the door, leaving Steve and Bruce grinning, feeling like they had a triumph under their belt.
In the hall, Steve noticed flyers with "Future Princeton Graduate Wine Tasting Party - Casual Dress." Steve held one up to Bruce's face.
"This is perfect. We can get Clint to bring Loki and then Thor will be there,"
"We'll have to make it known school-wide, then,"
"Okay, that shouldn't be too hard,"
"Not at all. I know the guy throwing the party. He's a total kiss-ass." Bruce took the flyer and made alterations to it.
Later in the day, he handed it off to a group of jocks with a nod. The jocks passed it to the cheerleaders, the cheerleaders to their boyfriends, and the words spreads easily.
Tony leaned against the closed locker next to his open one, the inside plastered with magazine covers with his face on them. "Which do you like better?" He held two pictures nearly identical in Thor's sight, one he was in black and the other in white.
"The white."
"Because it's more . . . " he trailed off so Thor could finish his sentence.
"Expensive?"
"Exactly," Stark confirmed, even though he was looking more for 'sophisticated.' "So, you gonna go to that party?"
"Hopefully."
"That's good, cause I'm not gonna bother if you're not gonna be there." Stark grinned slyly.
Thor sat across from Steve, in the library once again. "Have you heard about the party?"
"I sure have."
"I really, really want to go. But I can't unless Loki goes."
"I'm working on it, but he doesn't seem to want to go with our guy. He isn't..."
"Straight? No. I found a picture of Trent Reznor in his room once. But as far as I can tell, he doesn't care either way."
"But Loki likes, uh, vampire-like guys?" Steve questioned hopefully.
"Who can really say for sure? All I know is that Loki would kill a small animal before dating someone that smokes." Steve quickly scrawled down Thor's words, not wanting to miss a detail.
"So, what else is he partial to?"
Steve and Bruce were roughly pushed around and were about to be shoved out the door when Clint looked up from his current game of pool.
"Hey, Lou, it's fine. They're with me," he nodded an affirmation. Lou frowned slightly and let them go after a moment of hesitation. Steve and Bruce visibly relaxed as they approached Clint, bearing new intel. Clint brought them over to a table with a glass bottle of beer in hand.
"So, what do you have for me?"
"I've discovered a few pieces of information on Loki that could be helpful for you," Steve smiled, digging in his pocket and retrieving his notes from earlier.
"One question before we start: Should you be drinking when you don't have a liver?" Bruce inquired. Clint wrinkled his eyebrows and gave Bruce a 'what the hell?' expression.
"What!?"
"Good enough," Bruce shook his head apologetically.
"Okay, first of all, he hates smokers."
"It's a lung cancer issue.," Bruce added.
"His favorite aunt,"
"Dead at forty-one," Bruce finished. Clint sat up straighter.
"Are you telling me I have to be... a non-smoker?"
"Just for now. Er, at least, not when you're around Loki."
"The other thing Thor said is that Loki likes, uh, pretty guys." Steve tacked on after Bruce. Clint wrinkled his eyebrows, silent for a moment.
"Are you saying I'm not pretty?"
"No! Not at all!" Steve quickly attempted to remedy.
"He's a very pretty guy," Bruce looked at Steve and hit his arm, saying the words almost like they were a threat.
"I just wasn't sure," Steve looked down at the paper, humiliation outlining his face.
"Okay, his likes include Thai food, feminist prose, and angry female rock."
"So does this mean I'm supposed to take him out for noodles and read books and listen to shitty music?"
"Ever been to Club Skunk?"
"You're kidding, right?"
"Just one night, man. Please. Just give up your ears for a night."
"Her favorite band is playing tomorrow." Bruce was near pleading. Clint groaned in wordless agreement. "I also have a list of her most recent CD purchases, courtesy of American Express."
"Bruce," Clint grinned, wiggling his eyebrows. "Did you obtain this information illegally?" Bruce put a finger to his lips with a sly smile.
"I just see it as a little outside of what the law allows."
"I'm likin' you a little more," Clint looked down at the list of CDs. "This is actual music?"
Loki and Natasha were laughing in his room, music loud as they tried on different clothes in preparation for their night out. Thor let himself in to make a request.
"Can you turn down The Screaming Menstrual Bitches? I am trying to study." Loki didn't so much as spare him a glance, and Natasha didn't care. Thor sighed and crossed the room and tapped Stop on the stereo. "You are not actually going out? And on a school night, no less? Does this mean, do I dare, you are becoming normal?"
"It means that my favorite band is playing at Club Skunk, and I am not going to miss it for the world."
"Oh," Thor looked disappointed. "I thought perhaps you had a date," he paused briefly. "Are you going to the party this weekend?" Hope glinted in his blue eyes again.
"What do you think?" Loki sharply returned.
"I think you are a freak and you do everything you do just to torture me. Also you suck." Thor smiled fakely and shut Loki's door behind himself.
"Let's go," Loki's mood returned to the happy excitement he felt before Thor entered.
"Think this will work?" Natasha asked, tinge of nervousness in her voice as she nodded at the fake ID in her hand.
"No fear," replied Loki with ease. He looked up at the bouncer in front of the door. "Two for Gigglepuss please."
"I can count," he responded gruffly.
"I'll bet you can," Natasha murmured, handing him the ID. He looked them over and looked up to see Natasha posed like a model, a slight pout on her lips. Loki looked away to avoid laughing. He handed the IDs back with a straight face.
"Go ahead," he looked at Natasha. "And you."
"Yes?"
"Take it easy on the guys in there," he offered a grin. Natasha winked and entered, hips swinging, Loki shaking his head behind her.
"Hey, Mark," Clint called to the bouncer in front of the doors. "Good to see you."
"Always a pleasure. Didn't have you pegged for a Gigglepuss fan, Barton. Little too teeny-bopper I would have thought."
"Nah, I'm not. Fan of a fan, you know?"
"Uh huh."
"Did you see two minors walk in?"
"Never," he smiled.
"Padua girls. One tall, nice body, fire red hair. The other dark haired and undersexed?"
"Just waved them in."
"What happened to the last chick you came in with? The one with the snake?" Mark teased. Clint laughed and shook his head, continuing inside. A song wrapped up and came to a close as he stood against the bar, looking around for Loki.
"Hello, out there! We're Gigglepuss and we're from Olympia!" The leader singer spoke into the mic. A few shouts of approval rang from the crowd. "Pet my kitty!" someone hollered. "Meow," the singer replied sweetly. The next song fired up, and buried in the crowd around the stage Loki and Natasha look eagerly at each other, both already misted with sweat. Their faces light up and they break into dancing and jumping around, having the time of their lives.
Clint got the bartender's attention while he continued to scan the crowd. He found Loki and Natasha among the crowd, their glowing faces and nonstop moving forms. Loki was entirely loose, no scary image to keep up or anything to care about. He moved with no holds barred, a huge smile on his face. Clint felt something inside and knew there was no going back now.
After erratically dancing with Natasha, Loki paused to tell her he was going to get some water. Natasha nodded and continued bouncing on the balls of her feet. Loki turned and made his way back through the crowd and towards the bar.
"Shit," he hissed, seeing Clint also at the bar. Clint studied him, and when Loki peered back he averted his gaze before Loki could. The bartender turned to Loki. "What can I get you?"
"Two waters, please." Loki looked at Clint again, but this time his full attention was at the band on stage. Loki felt a twinge of irritation and took the bottles of water in a huff, stomping off without paying. He approached Clint. "You're not fooling anyone."
"Hey. Great show, huh?" Clint returns.
"If you plan to ask me out again, you may as well get it over with."
"Excuse me?"
"That is what you want, is it not?"
"Sorry, but you're kind ruining this for me," he nodded towards the stage. Loki could have had steam leaking from his ears. He watched Clint stare at the band, determining whether Clint actually liked the band or not.
"You're not surrounded by your usual cloud of smoke."
"I know. I quit." Clint leaned back against the bar counter, no signs of wanting to hit on Loki.
"Oh, really?" Loki moved closer.
"You know, these guys aren't exactly the Raincoats or Bikini Kill, but they're not far off," he motioned towards the stage.
"You know who the Raincoats are?"
"Yeah, don't you?" Clint stated simply, moving into the crowd. Loki was almost shocked by his words and Clint took it as an opportunity to lean forward and whisper in his ear. "I watched you out there. I've never seen you like that before," the song was dying down. He went to normal speaking volume. "I've never seen you look so sexy!" Clint's words rang loud and clear in the lack of music. They brought some blood to Loki's cheeks, and a short moment, Clint looked half worried at the people looking at him.
"Come to the party with me," he spoke loud as he stepped away again, another song starting.
"What?" Loki couldn't hear Clint over the music. Just then the bartender stepped up to Loki. "You didn't pay!"
"It's alright, I've got it," Clint stuck his hand out to the bartender, a few bills in his hand. "Nine-thirty, then!" It wasn't a question, and this time, Loki did not reply, but he did not say 'No.'