Okay, new chapter time! Thank you guys so much for the follows and favorites and reviews! 3!
I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Tony glared out the window, his mind buzzed and angry. Something inside him was breaking loose, like a monster breaking out of a cage. It was howling with rage and demanding attention. Bitterness coated his throat like bile. He eyed the bottle of Adderall on the counter, not three feet away. Maybe if he just took a few more, he would calm down. Wasn't it worth a try? It wouldn't be the first time he had taken more than prescribed. His mind waged a war with itself, to-ing and fro-ing between 'right' and 'wrong'.
He was swallowing three more pills before he could blink. Hey, he was Tony Stark. He did what he wanted. And slowly, the world stopped spinning so fast, and his mind adopted a more manageable pace. He could breathe. The yucky feeling of anger and decade-old bitterness was going away. It would be back, but for now he had peace.
Dragging on a coat and popping up the collar against the chilly wind, he strode out of his apartment. He had to get out of there, or he would drown himself in an angry whiskey binge. Maybe he would try to find Bruce or Clint or Steve. Somebody to keep him from doing something potentially toxic. Not that he hadn't done that plenty of times before...
Crossing the roads was almost hazardous. Everything was foggy and cheery, but beneath it something nagged at him irritatingly. Something called Consciousness. Something he did everything he could to try to bury beneath Adderall and whiskey. He had been doing it for years. Since he had been diagnosed and dosed for ADHD. Funny, back then it had been experimentation and the thrill of doing something 'dangerous'. Now, his intentions weren't so young and innocent.
He strode towards the dorm room that housed his friends slowly. It was a nice night, the air was crisp. He breathed in and felt clean oxygen fill his lungs. The cool air in his body cleared his mind, breaking the Adderall spell momentarily. Then he exhaled and the fog came rushing back. His eyes focused, following a raven-haired teenager across the green grass in front of him. He smiled. This was just so much better than playing video games with the guys all night.
"Loki! Hi!" He jogged to catch up with the long-legged boy who hadn't stopped at Tony's greeting. Rude, much?
Green eyes glared at him for a moment just long enough to convey how much of a burden it was for Loki to even acknowledge 'Stark'. "What is it, Stark? I'm busy." The boy huffed, still walking far too fast for Tony in his current state.
"No, you're not." Tony's eyes quickly swept across the teenager to find some evidence to said fact. Ah. He was wearing normal people clothes instead of his usual 'I'm-busy-fuck-off' dressy attire. "You're dressed-down. Meaning you're going home to study." Tony flashed an intelligent, charming smile. Loki didn't fall for it.
Those sea-colored eyes finally settled on him as Loki stopped and turned to face him. "Are you...high?" Loki's face momentarily invaded his personal space. Tony got a whiff of mint and evergreen and winter. It was almost intoxicating.
"Uh. No. I'm medicated. Adderall. I have ADHD. And no, I won't stop in the middle of sentences- Oh hey, your brother." Tony caught sight of the blonde quarterback and offered a shy little wave at the incoming giant.
Yeah. He was still intimidated.
"Anthony Stark! Brother!" Thor's face lit up in a huge, goofy grin. "Me and some of the others are going out for Friday night festivities. Would you join us?" Uh huh. Tony melted when Thor's big blue eyes turned pleading- and they weren't even focused on him. Damn. How could Loki say no to that?
Loki's green eyes drained to a dark forest color. The way they changed shades of green like a mood ring fascinated Tony to no end. Because, yeah, it seemed it was possible for him to be more intrigued about the sullen, dark boy. Really, this was getting ridiculous. He had never been this way with girls. What was it about this kid?!
"No." Of course, Loki's favorite word. "I have things to do, Thor. Unlike you, I have to actually do my homework. I am not getting a free ride because I can throw a ball." Feline eyes rolled delicately, eyelashes fluttering. Tony kept his snickering to himself. Loki was such a diva, seriously. Like Tony had room to talk. -snort-
"I'll go." He shrugged, it was something to get him away from his apartment and possibly away from his self-destruction. "I don't have anything better to do, apparently." He shot a short-lived glare at Loki.
The teenager huffed a sigh. "Don't kill yourselves." Loki muttered, turning to walk away.
Thor shot Tony a pleading, puppy dog gaze that almost broke his heart. Really, those eyes were killer. What was with these two? Messing around with Tony when he's practically medicated off his nut. Not cool, guys, not cool. "Hey! Loki, come on, man. We need you." Tony smiled his 100% guarantee charm magnet smile on. It didn't work.
Loki smiled haughtily. "I know. I just don't care." And damn if he didn't look a bit like a pretty demon. It was actually kind of hot. Wait...
"Well, I can't blame you for not coming. Few people can party as hard as I can. I see how it might be intimidating." Tony shrugged nonchalantly, winking conspiratorially with Thor, who just about split his face smiling at him. Damn, could these two be more different?
Loki turned, eyes flashing. Jackpot. A challenge. Never failed with his type, although, Tony wasn't sure he had ever met anyone quite like the tall, emerald-eyed, acerbic nineteen-year old. Maybe that's why he was so curious. Maybe it wasn't how fatally attractive he was. No. Of course it wasn't that. Tony is a playboy. A playboy prodigy, in fact.
"Oh, you have no idea what you're asking for." Loki threatened, but his lips quirked. Was he...no. Surely not. But, yes, yes he was. He was flirting. "Nobody parties harder than a Odinson." And yep, there it was. An actual smile.
Tony shrugged, still pulling off his nonchalance like he was born with it in his bones. "I'm sorry. I just can't believe that. See, I have proof, no one can keep up with me. It's in my DNA." Green eyes fired gorgeously. Man. This was why he liked getting him riled up, his fucking eyes were like a whole new life form. They were a controlled explosion. Tony couldn't get enough.
Loki laughed. That was a first. It was like the glacier of the past weeks had melted to this hot little flame that was suddenly full of life. How hard was he tripping right now? I mean, Adderall had some side effects. But this was just too real. "Alright, Stark. I'll bite. You're on."
Thor and Tony chatted about which club they were going to while Loki sprinted to his dorm to get changed. Tony wouldn't deny that he was excited. Finally, Loki was starting to loosen up. And Tony was beginning to see a new addiction on the horizon; in the form of a tall, scrawny teenager with long hair and soul-eating eyes.
Ten minutes later, Loki came sauntering down the stairs in a loose green shirt that showed off a snowy neck and chest, and tight leather pants that really left nothing to the imagination. Tony was pretty sure he was gaping in a totally obvious way, but with this view, who could blame him?
"You're drooling, Stark." Loki flashed a brilliant grin at him that was equal parts devil and angel. Tony's head was spinning out of control.
"Side effects of the meds." He retorted, trying to keep his cool. Loki narrowed his eyes and arched one perfect eyebrow in a look that told Tony he wasn't fooling anyone. Oh damn. He was so in over his head this time.
Tony was almost forgetting about the alcohol in his hand. Loki was out on the dance floor. Let's just say, Tony hadn't know the teenager had a wild streak, let alone that he could move like that. And those lights made him look like he wasn't even real. They flashed on his hair, and played with the shadows his high cheekbones already created. He was stunned. This was a side of the teenager he hadn't anticipated. And he was not used to getting caught off guard.
Thor took Jane out, along with Clint and the girl he had somehow picked up ten minutes ago at the bar, and Bruce and his new girlfriend, to dance. Loki came over, his cheeks flushed and his hair wild. "So, who parties harder, again?" Loki batted his eyelashes and leaned close to hear the 'obvious' answer.
Tony cackled. "Boy, you aren't even drunk. Come on." He dismissed him with a wave of his hand. Ooo, he was getting good at this acting stuff. "Get some booze in you, and then the court will revisit the case." He had learned from the best exactly how to bluff his way through life. Howard Stark was a class A actor, Tony had seen that up close and personal while his father bragged and doted in front of the television crew cameras.
Loki arched an eyebrow and frowned. "I have to be drunk to party hard? I think not." He lifted his chin, scoffing Tony with both tone and body language. Impressive. No one had ever contradicted him like this before. It was captivating. Really, Loki was pushing Tony far out of his comfort zone tonight. And Tony liked it, for a change.
Sure, Tony was no stranger to pushing boundaries and playing this game of cat and mouse, but it was different with Loki. There was no ulterior motive. Loki was just having fun, and tomorrow morning he would again be the cold bastard he always was toward 'Stark'. This wasn't about Tony's fame, father, or finances. He didn't want in Tony's pants, or wallet. It was refreshing and new and unexpected and Tony couldn't help but crave more. There was a sense of danger here, with Loki. That feeling that he was walking a tightrope with no net below to catch him when he fell.
"Please. It's the American party scene. If you ain't drunk, you ain't partying." Tony grinned, trying to charm Loki. It had never worked, and he wondered for a moment if he was losing his touch. Seriously, Loki should be wrapped around his finger by now.
Loki rolled his eyes. "I don't drink." He admitted, and was that a blush? Tony almost fell out of his seat. "I rather like being in control of my actions."
Tony gulped down the rest of his scotch. "That's the problem. You're too in control, Lo-Lo. You never let lose. Be more like me, babe. Be crazy, for one night." He pushed his face close to Loki's, expecting him to back away. As always, Loki defied his expectations and stayed right where he was, staring rebelliously in his eyes. "I dare you to spend one night doing whatever crazy stunt pops into your pretty little head."
A small smile spread across Loki's red lips. He pressed a finger against Tony's lips, which acted like an electric jolt to Tony's backbone. "And what if that stunt would make you very uncomfortable?" His tone had dropped low and husky, and damn, Tony's mind had taken off and his eyes couldn't seem to look anywhere but into those emerald gems that were alive with mischief and something else that he couldn't quite understand yet.
He chuckled, laughing off his raging uncertainty in this new direction their conversation was heading. "There isn't anything you can do that would make me uncomfortable." He shrugged. "That's my talent. I make everyone uncomfortable. I do stupid shit that makes people hate me like it's a reflex or something. I guess that's why I'm here, why I push everyone's buttons, why my dad just fucking abandoned me, why I don't have a friend in the world other than Pepper. I'm cancer." He stared into his cup, wondering why the fucking fuck he had just said all that to someone who already hated him. Pushing the glass away, he looked anywhere but at the teenager standing next to him, staring a hole into his head.
Loki turned away and drummed his fingers on the bar for a moment. Tony felt the silence between them crawling across his skin uncomfortably, even though the music was banging almost painfully through his head. The pills were wearing off, because suddenly the world was bright and agonizingly focused. The lights flashed around him like little lightning strikes, and the music blared against his eardrums like nails on chalk board. It wasn't the first time he hated his penchant for party clubs and loud distractions. But this was what kept his mind off everything that tortured him, at least for a little while. And sometimes, it gave him yet another distraction to take home and keep his self-loathing brain occupied even longer.
"You aren't so bad, Sta- Anthony." Loki sounded hesitant. "Get me drunk, corrupt my innocence." Tony turned to see Loki smiling at him, genuine and stunning.
Tony grinned. "My pleasure."
Loki wasn't entirely sure what he was doing, he just knew it was a very bad idea that would end in misery the next morning. Drinking had never treated him well, which was precisely the reason he had sworn it off nearly a year and a half ago. Waking up in his own vomit between two people whose names he didn't know and faces he didn't recognize had finally shocked him into the realization that he much preferred his wits about him and his memory a functioning section of his brain.
All the same, for some reason, he was drinking to keep up with the resident alcoholic. Maybe it was because he felt something like empathy for Stark and his little confession. He had felt much the same way almost his whole life- or at least since puberty. For a long time, he had kept such feelings to himself becoming bitter and cold towards the world instead of talking about it with anyone- including Thor. Maybe that had been a mistake, but one couldn't go back and repair the past, one must merely live with their regrets.
Tony was giggling at something Clint had said, which Loki had effectively ignored, and leaned against Loki unwittingly. The warm contact almost made Loki flinch, but he stayed still. It was the first touch he had felt in a long time that wasn't sexual or harmful. He didn't even let Thor hug him any more. Truth be told, he had sworn off personal contact about the same time as alcohol. Maybe the transition hadn't been from drinking to sobriety, but rather from halfway happiness to full-on bitterness.
"Hey, wanna dance?" Tony was in his personal space, and Loki could smell the whiskey on his breath. The smile on the other boy's face and the way his caramel eyes had turned to burning liquid like the whiskey he drank was a little disconcerting.
Loki merely nodded, finding himself incapable of speech.
'What's wrong with me?'
Tony grinned even wider, jumping off the his bar stool and heading out into the writhing, gyrating crowd like he had been born with a swing to his hips and music in his limbs. Or perhaps he had adopted this world during long, drunk nights of abandonment and desperation. Loki felt a line forming between his brooding eyebrows. He hadn't remembered being such a depressed drunk. The thoughts quickly dispersed when Tony turned to him and took his hands, spinning them around, then pulling him flush against him. The strong arm warm around his waist and guiding him through the crowd made his brain turn to white noise except for one singular thought. Tony.
They danced through three songs, mostly mash-ups of pop songs that Loki had never heard before, not speaking a word. Somehow, the silence was comfortable, despite the fact that they had hardly spent five minutes in each other's company without some sort of banter or rambling (from Stark). The fourth song was a slow song. They stood still for a moment, staring at each other uncertainly. Then Loki shrugged and stepped closer, taking Stark's hand and wrapping his other around the man's broad shoulders.
'The hell with it.' In the morning, he could write all this closeness off as too much alcohol. It was certainly a plausible excuse, if not entirely honest. Some part of him screamed that the alcohol had nothing to do with how he was acting, that everything he was doing was him starting to actually like the genius that had done nothing rub him the wrong way for weeks. Maybe it was the common vein of pain and bad relationships and self-destruction that made him empathize, or maybe he was just in a generous mood. It made no difference. His tolerance for the pint-sized inventor had changed, either way.
"You're very good at this." Anthony's voice in his ear shoved chills across his arms and spine.
Loki smiled, resting his head on Stark's shoulder. His eyes drifted closed, he was getting tired. The alcohol was working rare warmth into his muscles, he had been up since six a.m. Maybe it would be okay to just relax for a moment, to let Stark guide him around, to follow...
"Let's get out of here." Stark pulled away, only to wrap a supportive arm around him immediately. "You look like you're ready to collapse."
Loki just wrapped his arms around Anthony's neck and 'mmhmm'ed groggily. Then he let his eyes close for good, this time. It was just too much work to hold his eyelids up any longer.
Loki woke slowly, feeling the warm blankets around him cozy and soft. Misery quickly set in, though. His headache hit like a locomotive and he felt the sweat on his skin and the acid coating his mouth. He groaned, not sure if he even wanted to open his eyes.
Beside him, something moved.
He shot into sitting position, opening his eyes and feeling the world dip nauseatingly from his far too quick movements. "Oh, gods." He held his head and winced at the brash light pummeling his brain. His head was throbbing with pain.
He looked beside him on the bed and saw one rumpled, sleeping Anthony Stark.
So, there's the teensiest bit of Frostiron in this. Kind of. Sort of.
Pleaseeeee, let me know if this is good or bad. I really want this to be enjoyable for all who read. So, tell me if I suck. xD
Thank you all so much for reading!
See you next time ;)