I cannot prepare you for this in anyway. I do hope you enjoy it though. Because I love you all.
The chapter title is a song by Of Mice & Men. -hearts-
xoxoxo, ENJOOOOOOY.
"Stark?" Loki's voice was more confused than his features, but Tony really couldn't see that through the tears starting to leak over his eyelashes. "What's wr-"
Tony stumbled, falling into Loki's arms weakly. Sobs were shaking his body, and it was all coming so fast and so hard that he couldn't stop it. Not this time. He was an emotional wreck and he couldn't fucking hide it this time. Even if this was Loki, Loki who halfway despised him. Even if it was really fucking sad that in the whole wide world, he had only a pompous teenager -who would just as well scratch his eyes out as look at him- to come to.
But the youngest Odinson didn't push him away. He didn't make any disgusted noises or say something snide and arrogant. He merely wrapped his arms around Tony and let him sob- snotty and messy- into his t-shirt.
But Tony didn't think of any of that. He didn't inwardly thank Loki for the kindness and compassion he was suddenly showing, or analyze the reasons why Loki might have had this change of heart- instead, he remembered what his father had said.
The words were running around in his head in circles, chasing each other like a mutt chasing his tail. It felt like hot rods were poking at his brain, and the fiery tears running down his face, and the shivers wracking his body, it was all an assault on his already fragile senses. His nerves felt stripped raw and something inside him was breaking. Was it his heart? Did he have a heart to be broken at all? Was this just some delayed reaction to all the shit he had been through the past five years? Maybe it was all hitting him now. The suicide attempt. The contemptuous relationship with his father. The rollercoaster college experience. The casual fucks who never had a name and the booze that was more precious than gold to him. The prescription drug abuse. The non-prescription drug use. The fact that his father considered him a life-sucking parasite who had killed his beloved wife.
He sniffed and hiccuped, trying to choke the tears and overflowing emotions down. "I'm sorry." He croaked, pulling back and wiping his snotty nose on his sleeve. Disgusting. "I don't know why I'm here or what I'm doing and I just...I'm sorry." He couldn't bring himself to look away from his shoes. He felt ashamed for being here, for feeling like he could sob on someone's shoulder because they knew a stupid fact of his childhood. A fact, mind you, that had almost killed him.
Loki's hands still rested lightly on his shoulders, not entirely letting him pull away. "Anthony, why don't you come in? Hmm? I'll make you some coffee. My roommate isn't here." A snow-tinted hand twined with his, tugging him inside into the warmth. Loki's hand was as cold and cool as the weather it reminded him of.
'She's dead because of YOU.' Tony almost choked as the words rang through his head. His entire body went rigid and Loki turned to face him.
"What's wrong?" His voice was like silk in Tony's ear. But it didn't soothe him. He felt unworthy, useless, like his father had hit the nail on the head. Tony was a parasite. And he hated himself. He shouldn't be here.
"I-I should go." He stuttered, still not looking at the misanthropic teenager who suddenly had a heart.
"In your condition? I think not." Loki's hand latched around Tony's wrist. "Look at me, Anthony." Tony's chin was engulfed by an Arctic hand. He looked up into eyes that were almost the exact color of the forest. "What's wrong?" The words were emphasized, trying to get Tony's attention.
"It's my fault." The words were barely audible, but Loki's hand tightened around Tony's wrist. "It's my fault she's dead. He's right." He shrugged, the tears falling again. It was like a river he couldn't dam.
Loki wrenched him into his arms. "Don't you dare say that. Ever." His words were as fierce as his crushing hug. Tony melted, crying into his shoulder again. "Do you understand? Never say that in my presence again or I will slap you." He murmured, his feral tone practically oozing fury. He took Tony by the shoulders and shoved him back so they could look in each other's eyes. Tony stared at the wet spot on Loki's shoulder from his ever-flowing tears. "Look at me." He was growling like a wolf. Tony obeyed. Their eyes stayed locked. It felt like Loki was searching his soul. "God, you really believe it, don't you?"
Tony nodded, his breath hitching at the sharp ache in his chest. "Because it's true." He whined, sounding very much like a crying toddler who had fallen on his butt. "If I hadn't gotten in trouble, she never would have gotten in the car. She never would have been in that accident. She'd be okay, Loki. She'd be alive right now." He sniffed loudly, scrubbing his wet face with damp sleeves. "It's all my fault." He whimpered.
Loki stared at the young man in front of him, listening to his tearful confession and trying to stifle the feeling of his heart banging against his ribs and rending itself in two. Those brown eyes he adored were glassed over with tears and powerful emotions like regret, guilt, grief, and the torment of heartbreak. To Loki, it seemed more likely that Anthony's heart had been demolished by a cruel and spiteful hand. A hand he had no doubt belonged to Howard Stark.
"Shush, Anthony. That's not true. It was an accident. You had nothing to do with whether it happened or not." He knew the words were useless. What the young man was feeling was something words could never abate.
"I wish I hadn't failed. I wish I was dead." Stark murmured, his eyes drifting towards the floor again.
Loki felt his heart constrict painfully. "Oh, no, love. No." He pulled the engineer into his arms again, crushing him against him as tightly as he could. "Don't think that way." He cooed, feeling the young man respond by squeezing him around the waist so tight it almost cut off his breathing. "Come now, hush." He pulled back a few inches, running his thumbs under Stark's eyes and wiping away his tears.
And really, this was brand new territory for Loki. He had never comforted a soul. Not even Thor, who was too manly to cry in front of his baby brother. There wasn't a logical reason on earth why he should be standing here with this annoying young man that he often wanted to rip into pieces, comforting him with all the compassion of Mother Teresa. Yet here he was, and right now he wasn't going to question his motives, he was just going to do. Because Anthony needed someone, and he needed Loki. No one had ever needed Loki before. It was a strangely amazing feeling.
"I'm sorry." The boy mumbled, sniffing like a baby. Loki ignored how adorable it was as he pulled him towards the couch.
"Don't be sorry, Anthony." He murmured, letting his voice turn silken and soft. The serenity of his own voice had often comforted him as he sang through pain along with the radio. Perhaps it was the gods way of saying they were sorry for turning his life into such an unbearable hell. "You can stay here for a while, until you're okay." He offered, getting up to finally make that coffee he had suggested. He had noticed Stark shivering from the cold seeping through the cracks in the window sills and the chill of his damp clothes. His own wet scalp was causing shivers to envelope his slim body. Goosebumps trailed across his skin like nomads.
Stark sniffled. He seemed so little, so young. Loki felt like patting his head and telling him they could watch an action movie to cheer him up; like he would have had the boy been a five year old. Maybe even give him some ice cream. But Stark was anything but young and naive. His cure was alcohol and pills he truly didn't need. Sure, he had ADHD, but Loki knew Stark was taking far more than prescribed. Was it an addiction? Or a vacation? Or both? And, Loki had noticed it didn't help his wandering attention span, which was really closer to that of a gnat than an engineering, scientific genius. The medication wasn't helping Stark, it was hurting him.
"Thanks, Lo-Lo." The teary-eyed teenager offered him a shaky smile. It made a little blossom of hope bloom in Loki's chest beautifully. "I'm really sorry. I've never done this before. I just- I couldn't be alone after...everything." He shrugged, the apology in his eyes far more sincere and honest than the one that tripped and stumbled awkwardly off his tongue.
Loki smiled and nodded understandingly, because he did. Everyone goes through that moment when, if alone, they will undoubtedly do something they will regret- if they they wake up the next morning. He had been there too often. He remembered nights of him and Thor staying up to viciously play video games until dawn the next morning that had kept him from making many mistakes he would have regretted today. "You don't have to apologize, Anthony. Really, it's okay." He handed him some warm coffee. He remembered the chill off the other boy's body when they had collided at the door. It was the first hug he had had in years. "I am not a heartless bastard. No matter what the rumors claim." And there were rumors, just like there were rumors for Stark. They were just of a widely different strain. Stark had sex rumors. Loki had rumors running around about why he was oh-so acerbic and misanthropic.
And they were all wrong about him. He just didn't like people, for multiple reasons that were privy to him and him only. Panic swept through his chest at the idea that someday, someone would figure him out for what he really was. Secrets, secrets were the key to happiness. Not that Loki was happy, but who the hell was these days?
Stark frowned at him. "The last time I heard a rumor, it was after my mother's death. And about my suicide attempt. I stopped listening to rumors right then and there. They hurt more than anything. Gossip isn't harmless in any shape or form." The boy growled, his eyes flashing at the memory. Loki fought to look away, he wasn't entranced by those eyes at all. God no. Pfft. How absurd. "I wanted to be mad at those kids, to go beat them up and make them sorry for saying all that. But I didn't. I laughed at it. I laughed because they were right. Cruel, but right. I had tried to kill myself. But I betrayed myself when I laughed like that, because it wasn't funny. It was serious and thought-out and painful."
Something tugged on Loki's heart. He knew how it felt, to be around people who laughed at your pain. Most of the time, they did so unwittingly, but it still heart straight to the core. Loki remembered, time and again, listening to his blissfully ignorant friends make jokes about self-harm. He hadn't laughed. He hadn't pretended to be amused. But he hadn't spoken up either, and some part of him felt as if he had been a coward not to. Hadn't he had the right to be offended and hurt? Hadn't he had the right to bitch them all out for being heartless cunts? Yes. So, why hadn't he? Loki was not one to back down from confrontation, even if it meant getting his ass kicked. There was no explanation, except for shame. Secretive shame.
"Did you ever tell any of your friends what had happened?" Loki lay back on the couch, stretching out his feet and hooking one bony ankle over Anthony's thigh. A soft smile play with the other boy's lips. But he looked surprised by the question.
"What friends." He scoffed. "People like me don't ever have real friends." He shrugged, eyes narrowing and staring down at his coffee. Loki wasn't sure if he should be offended, because, he wasn't sure if Anthony considered him a friend or not. Did he? Were they friends? Hell, did he even want to be friends with Stark?
"People like you are wise enough to learn the difference. You can have real friends." He shrugged, not really having any room to talk because -ahem- where were all his 'real' friends at? Oh wait, he didn't have any.
Stark raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Really? How? All anyone ever wants from me is money and free booze. Which, in case you didn't know, flows like a river when a bartender sees my face." He sighed, running a hand back through his wet hair. "I guess that sounds cynical, but I learned that lesson when I was very young. I don't want to learn it again." His eyes were dark with bad memories. It seemed they both had some past issues they hadn't quite dealt with, at least not effectively.
Loki sighed, laying his head back on the couch arm. Why was life so hard on the young and ambitious? Why does it always steal the most vibrant dreams and the brightest personalities? He would bet good money that Stark had once been a beautiful, happy boy. His insane humor proved that without a doubt. But there was a sardonic strain to that humor and a darkness to that gleam in his eye that told Loki there was a lot more than he could see on the surface. Stark was like an iceberg, and he was just seeing the tip that ripped through the glass surface of the seas surrounding him. If he wasn't careful, he might hit the hidden edges beneath the waters, and end up sinking to the depths. If Loki wasn't careful, he might get hurt. If Loki wasn't careful...he might actually start to like Stark.
When he looked up from his reverie, Stark was curled up in a ball at the end of the couch, one hand curled around Loki's lean foot like it was a teddy bear. The soft snoring was endearing in comparison to Thor's lumberjack snoring that he had been forced to live with for the first, long decade of his life. Anthony's pug nose twitched, his fingers hugging Loki's ankle tighter. His brown curls tumbled against the cushion prettily, making him seem angelic. A frown drew itself on Loki's face, Stark didn't deserve his father's verbal abuse. Much like he hadn't deserved his own father's abuses. Maybe it was that, that seemed to draw them together like magnets.
Loki sighed and lay his head back again, not fighting the sleep when it pushed his eyelids closed gently, slowly. Sleep covered him like a warm blanket, wrapping him in dreams and happier thoughts then those that troubled him in the form of a young man cuddling his foot.
"Loki?" Tony whispered, cautiously squatting beside the sleeping boy. His hair was tangled about his face in a thick black spider-web that Tony desperately wanted to move. He was inordinately curious about Loki's angular face and what it looked like when he slept. "Lo-Lo?" He sang softly, making sure the teen was very asleep before he snuck out to get them breakfast. He felt it was only right, considering he had totally bombed the other boy's night by showing up at his dorm door sobbing his lungs up.
Satisfied that Loki was indeed asleep for another ten minutes at least, he slipped his shoes on and tip-toed out the door like a pro. Hey, he had been doing this since he was ten, for Christ's sake. Starbucks was just around the corner, but it was a fucking beautiful morning- or maybe spending the night with Loki made things look fucking better- and the air felt good in his weary lungs. His body felt used and abused, as one always felt after a really hard cry. The crisp morning cleared all the negative thoughts out of his mind, even if the emotions still lingered dangerously. He felt like they were eyeing him like muggers hiding in the alleys of any big city. But it was day time, muggers came out at night, right? He was safe until the sun went down.
Nevertheless, Tony has always attracted the predators that didn't quite play by the rules, and soon the thoughts were assaulting him like he was their favorite brand of carcass. His father's words played through his mind, and he cringed when he remembered the sorrowful look on Loki's face last night. He had been so understanding, and kind. And he swore the boy had reacted when he started talking about friends. Were they friends? Was it plausible that the teenager was willing to befriend him? After all the weeks he had been begging and pleading and dying of curiosity, would the teenager finally give in? Tony's mood lightened a little at the notion.
He was back at the dorm room almost too soon. He really hated dorms. He felt like they were the public bathrooms of housing. Kind of taken care of in a half-ass, who-the-fuck-really-cares way. Not really clean (not like his was, but he had a maid, for fuck's sake). And everyone living here had a kind of loud, intense sound streaming from their rooms in some form or another. Of course, there was also the matter of roommates, and Tony did not do roommates. He and Howard had agreed it better that he live on his own instead of costing them far more by whatever damage he would end up doing with another person around to torment.
Loki was snoring like a kitten on the couch, one arm hanging off the edge, the other tangled in his hair. He looked impossibly sweet, Tony felt he was from some other, better world than earth. It couldn't be possible that such a being existed. And where were all these warm, cuddly feelings coming from? He had woken up with the kid's foot in his face- which, no, he hadn't really been as upset as he should have by that- and here he was cooing over how cute he was! What was wrong with him? He was Tony Stark, playboy extraordinaire. And Loki was not a platinum blonde with a great rack.
"Mmmmfff." Loki stretched, body twisting and arms and legs reaching for miles. Tony bit his lip to keep himself in line. He was totally in control of himself. Loki was a dude. A pretty dude...but no. He was straight. Maybe. Damn. "Enjoying the view, Anthony?" Loki murmured, casting a sleepy green glare at the engineer.
Tony grinned. "Just waiting for you to awake, Sleeping Beauty. Want some coffee? And I got scones or some shit from Starbucks." He winked.
Loki groaned, burying his face in his arms as if Tony had suggested they walk to fucking Nebraska. "Staaaaark." Loki whined. "You're making me fat." He pouted, glaring at Tony under a bushy mess of black curls.
Tony almost awwed. Those curls. He looked so adorable. And he was pouting. Seriously, Loki, what are you trying to do to Tony's heart here? "Yeah, Loki, you're huge." He rolled his eyes. "If you gained ten pounds, I could still pick you up and throw you across the room." He scoffed.
Loki's serpentine green eyes narrowed. "I'd like to see you try." He dared, his eyes just as challenging as they could humanly be. And Tony never backs down from a challenge.
He was across the room and had Loki draped in his arms before Loki had time to react. It was actually a little thrilling to hold the chilly, squirming teenager so close. He smelled of mint and evergreens so strongly it made Tony a little heady. His hair was feather-soft against his arm and even darker this close, so that it looked like Loki had spilled ink into his thick curls.
"Anthony! Put me down this instant!" Loki squeaked, his nails digging into Tony's back in feline terror.
"Hush. I won't drop you, kitty-cat." He giggled at the violent glare Loki gave him for the nickname. "Besides, I haven't thrown you across the room...yet." He backed away from the couch, the lithe teenager still clinging to him like he was going to fall ten stories instead of a few measly feet if Tony dropped him.
"Stark, don't you dare. I will cut off something you love." He threatened, venom dripping in his words.
Normally, that would have merely egged Tony on. But, he was in a gracious mood considering how kind Loki had been the previous night. So, he feigned dropping the scared teenager- getting what would probably be holes in his back from those damn, sharp nails- then gently set him on his feet. Loki scowled, straightening his ruffled clothes, which were still wrinkly from spending the night fully dressed.
"I hate you." Loki growled, sounding like a bear. He obviously wasn't a morning person.
Tony grinned. "Sure ya do. I brought you breakfast. It's against the law to hate someone who brings you breakfast." But, his entreaties were ignored. This was Loki. Laws? What laws?
He got a narrow glare for his troubles. To be fair, Tony was trying to be loveable. He just wasnt used to the capricious teenager's mood swings, nor was he capable of anticipating and preparing himself for them. But, who could? The boy went from sunshine to dark as death in .05 seconds, and Tony just couldn't keep up. He made it his new goal in life to find out just what made Loki Odinson tick.
They were standing far too close for comfort, and the heat trickling across Tony's skin like raindrops was almost too much to handle. Those green eyes were smoldering and god damn it, everything was just too hot. He was starting to feel that prickly beginning of sweat on his forehead and neck. Just one step and he could kiss that boy. It was the first time he had ever thought that about another of the same sex. Really, he wasn't gay. Maybe they were both just too vulnerable, maybe-
"Loki, you know- Tony?" Steve burst through the door, making Tony jolt like he had been shocked by lightning. "What are you doing here?" The confusion on the quarterbacks face was priceless.
"Good morning, Steve." Loki purred civilly, flashing Tony a huge grin. Yes, Loki, you've got 'Anthony' in an awkward situation. You're so clever to live with Steve for just such occasions.
Tony rolled his eyes. "I brought Loki breakfast. Figured maybe he'd hate me a little less for it." He grinned as he watched Loki sniff his coffee cautiously.
His green eyes snapped to Tony's. "Who told you what coffee I like?" He demanded, his eyes flashing. He really didn't like people talking about him behind his back. Tony filed that away for future reference.
"No one." He shrugged. "I just figured you liked one of those girly latte thingies." He smiled at the dark scowl he got in reply. "So, whatcha been up to, Stevie?" He purposely called him this because Rodgers had once mentioned it made him sound like a flaming homosexual. He blushed every time he called him that sense.
"Uh. Nothing. Did you just get here?" His blue eyes were judgmental. He could tell Tony was lying. Damn it.
"Oh my god. Steve, he spent the night." Loki rolled his eyes, exasperated. "And no, we aren't having sex. Nor are we dating. He came over, we watched TV. We both fell asleep because late night TV is that boring. Now stop asking stupid, convoluted questions." He growled. Yep. Definitely not a morning person.
Tony flashed a million-dollar smile at Steve that would make him second-guess Loki's claim against sex. What did Tony care? He already had a reputation. And Steve's mind always went straight to the gutter when it came to his salacious friend. Might as well have fun with it. "So, where were you all night, Steve?" Tony bit into a scone. Mmm. This was practically a sin. "Playing with your girlfriend? I'm sure it was all pure and chaste." Tony snorted.
Steve huffed, face going cherry red. Loki snickered. "I- I was with the guys." Steve raised his chin proudly.
"Mmhmm. Okay, Stevie. This is a great time to prove you're straight, y'know. Brag about all that action I know you got last night. It'll clear your name." He teased, Loki now full-on laughing beside him.
"Shut up, Stark. There's only one person who needs to know I'm straight. And she knows, trust me." Steve growled. Then turned on his heel and stomped into his room. The door banged against it's frame loudly, making Loki and Tony giggle like children.
Fact #4: Loki enjoys pushing people's buttons. Maybe even more than he enjoys avoiding their presence. It's honestly the only reason he even has a semblance of a social life.
Tony studied Loki for a moment, watching the way he picked at his food like he would suddenly put on three hundred pounds if he ate like a normal person- not that Tony could even claim to eat like someone remotely normal. It almost worried Tony. The boy had major self-esteem issues. He wanted to fix that. Loki was gorgeous, someone needed to remind him of that. But Tony had the feeling Loki wouldn't take to kindly to it here and now. It burned on his tongue, but he stifled it, swallowing it down with the coffee.
"You're gawking, Stark." Loki admonished, turning his eyes on full power. Stark swallowed his heart, which had leaped into his throat.
"Does that bother you, your highness?" He purred, leaning closer to the glaring teen.
"What if it does?" He challenged. And, damn, this kid just loved to search for the boundaries, he just didn't realize yet that Tony didn't really have any.
"Then I'll back off and you'll never find me staring at your gorgeous ass again." Oops.
Loki's eyebrows lifted. "I was never particularly fond of my ass, but I suppose you like it enough for the both of us, hmm?" Something cynical reached his eyes. "Do you think I'm gay, Stark?" Damn. Back to Stark. Although, he had never really committed to Tony's first name.
Tony sighed. "I don't know. Hell, right now, I don't even know what my orientation is." Oops. Time for his meds, he was talking way too freely, saying everything that popped into his beehive of a brain. It wasn't siphoning his thoughts correctly.
Loki looked shocked. "Really? With all those sluts you've slept with? I'd think you'd have plenty of experience to base your decision on." he murmured, toying with his food again.
Tony eyed him. "So, you believe the rumors, eh?" He sighed. He had always hated the public perception of his spiral into full-on degeneration. Destructive behaviors existed in many shapes and sizes, why was sex the one that everyone always zeroed in on? Couldn't they bitch and moan about his drinking problem, or that time he had tried heroin, or anything besides how many times he had sex a week?
Loki looked at him guiltily. "Every friend I has talk about how much of an ingrate you are for having sex almost nightly." He shrugged. "I try to tune it out." He cringed.
Tony laughed. "You and me both. But no, I don't have sex nightly. Most of the time I'm in my fucking lab." He scoffed. "People always assume the worst." He scowled at his coffee. "You know, Loki, being famous certainly has its cons. One being that people are always consumed with your life, and if you make one mistake, they except you to repeat it and make more. They expect drama and pain and misery, because that's what sells. Reporting that I'm spending a night up to my ears in grease and my tools won't garner half the attention that me spending a night in Vegas with a pretty girl on my arm will."
Loki frowned. "I know. You do realize that you can't do anything in Vegas. You're too young." He pointed out, ever the master of details.
Tony laughed, like, hard, hysterical laughter. "Babe, I'm Tony Stark. I challenge you to find a bartender who won't serve to me, or a casino that won't let me gamble." He smiled, a fake, almost painful smile. No one was looking out for Tony, not even he himself. It was just a matter of time until he slipped over the edge, and no one would notice.
Loki's mouth twisted in what looked like a pained expression. "That's awful. People serve to an underage kid, they should go to jail." He criticized.
Tony shrugged. "There are other ways to get booze. I've tried hard to drown my demons, Loki. But they know how to swim. And no bartender can fix that."
The look Loki gave him would have broken a weaker man.
Loki felt like a zombie. Just moving took concerted effort. And having Tony next to him, fawning over him and fussing like an old woman was not helping. At all. It did, however, make him feel pretty certain he had just enough energy to murder the man before he became catatonic. His lips twisted into a snarl.
"I mean, Steve, come on. How was I supposed to know you two lived together. You never mentioned it. And we're friends, only, so it's not like you walked in on me humping him," And who had said he would bottom, for Christ's sake. Wait. "Or anything awkward like that. And even if you had, don't you think this is a bit of an overreaction? I mean-"
"Anthony, would you kindly SHUT UP?" He snapped, his mouth moving far faster than his brain could even conceive of moving. God. Sleep was necessary for Loki. It just was. No ifs, ands, or buts.
"No. That was an overreaction." Steve murmured. Loki shot him a glare that really should have turned him to blessedly silent ash.
Ow. He was starting to get a migraine. Fantastic.
Stark was looking at him with worry lacing the perfect, crinkly lines around his eyes. Brown eyes. Like molten chocolate. Cue mental sigh. "Loki, really, you should take the day off. What if you're getting sick?" He shifted his backpack to his other shoulder. Loki totally didn't notice the way his muscles rippled. Totally didn't.
"I'm not- achoo!- ugh." He glared blearily at the I-fucking-told-you-so look on Stark's face. He wondered idly if it would hurt him or Stark more to punch the cocky engineer.
"Yeah, you two have some heart-to-heart. I'm going to class." Oh yeah, Steve, because their 'heart-to-hearts' always start with glares and nagging.
...well, maybe that wasn't entirely false...
Stark glared at him for Loki. Because Loki truly didn't have the energy. Hazy, he leaned against Anthony's arm. The shock in the other boy was amusing, but Loki was too tired to really care at this point. "Would caffeine help?" He whined, consulting the only person he knew who actually drank coffee in large quantities. Or maybe it was just that Anthony drank enough caffeine to kill a large horse that made him consult him.
Stark laughed. "I don't think so. You need to go home, Loki. You can miss one day of classes, I promise." He allowed Loki to rub his disgustingly snotty nose on his sleeve. Aw. Ew.
"Take me home, Anthony." He whimpered, completely ignoring the boy's reaction to his perhaps ill-considered use of wording and dropping his backpack and sinking to the ground. Everything was spinny. "I'm dizzy." He murmured.
"Loki!" Odin's voice rang across the campus.
For once, Loki seriously considered cursing. Like, out loud. Yep, he needed to sleep, badly. Anthony's hand on his shoulder tensed along with Loki's whole body like it was just an extension of Loki. "Uh." The boy looked frantic, completely uncertain of what to do.
"It's alright. Go to class, darling." He murmured, allowing Stark to haul him back to his feet.
His stomach flipped and the world spun. Fabulous.
Stark gave him one last concerned look, then reluctantly did as he was told. That was the fantastic thing about Anthony, he always followed orders like a lost puppy. Whatever Loki said was taken as law. It was nice to be in charge of at least one relationship for once. Speaking of which...
"Hello, Odin." He gingerly picked up his too-heavy backpack. What was even in this thing? Gods.
"Son. Where's your brother?" He demanded, completely skipping over the whole 'How've you been, son?' part. Loki rolled his eyes and sighed as if this was just so tedious even talking to the man.
"Well, since you came during class time, I'd assume he's in class." Loki replied wearily. At least he sounded more condescending than exhausted.
"You might want to watch your tone, Loki." Odin snarled.
"How about you go find your perfect angel and leave me the hell alone." Oooh. Loki used a bad word. This was serious.
Odin scowled at him darkly. "You need an attitude adjustment, boy." And if that didn't irk Loki, nothing did. He hated being referred to as a 'boy'. He was not a little boy any longer. Nor had he been for some time now.
"I don't care. I don't want you around me, Odin. I don't know where Thor is. Go find him yourself. When and if you ever want to have a relationship, then maybe I'll consider being anything less than the same level of a jackass as you are." Another bad word, he was on a roll today. Seriously, he must be ill. Words like these just did not come out of his mouth.
Odin was turning red. Never something that bode well. Never. "Loki, I am losing my patience with your rebellious, insolent attitude quickly. I haven't done anything wrong to you. Never." He snapped, sounding like a bulldog. "Now, perhaps you'd like to rephrase your response." He put his hands on his hips and glared at Loki with his one eye and his eye patch. And yes, for the record, Loki felt that thing glared just as much as his eye. It was freaky.
But instead of complying, as he normally would have, Loki straightened his back and looked directly into Odin's eye. "No. I wouldn't. And for the record, you've wronged me plenty of times, Odin. And I won't forgive you until you recognize that fact. You don't deserve my honor or respect, and you won't get it. I will not allow you to bully me into submission just because you have an ego and too much pride for your own good." Loki spouted. What was wrong with him? Why couldn't he just be quiet, for once in his life? More drama. Ugh.
"Loki!" The sharp tone of Odin's grating voice made Loki's brain light on fire. "That is enough. I am your father, whether you like that fact or not. And whether you respect and honor me or not, you will act as though you do in my presence. Is that understood?" Like, oh yeah, Odin, he's gonna back down now. -snort-
"I will do what I want. Is that understood, Odin?" He snarled, sounding feral and wild and out of control. And maybe he was. Maybe he had become a little unhinged, somewhere along the way. It wasn't inconceivable.
Odin slammed one stubby finger against his chest. Loki barely caught himself before he went sprawling. The man was twice his size. "You will clean up your act, Loki Odinson, or I'll clean it up for you." Odin warned, then brushed past him to go find his darling Thor.
Loki seethed quietly to himself for a moment, realizing he was late for class and might as well not even go. Pulling out his phone, he texted Thor to warn him Odin might be coming barreling through the classroom door at any moment. Then he sighed, ran his hand back through his hair, and started trudging home. He needed a mug of hot chocolate piled high with marshmallows and he needed his bed. Now.
When Tony got out of class, he headed straight for the lab. But not the lab here, oh no. That shit wasn't nearly high-tech enough. He went to his father's lab. Because, yeah, he's a defiant ass and he needs his high-tech shit when he's upset and his mind is whirring all wrong. And this type of whirring was even worse than the normal, every-day, driving-him-nuts whirring.
The lab his father had was filled to the brim with all kinds of cool stuff one would find in an over-priced man-cave. Mostly because, well, that's what it was. Not that his dad was even nearly as genius as he was when it came to inventing, and really, the man was hardly down here anymore. It filled the entire basement level of the Stark mansion. Different posters from many eras hung on the wall, including some of Tony's favorite band posters. He ran a hand along them as he moseyed down the hallway to the main event. In the machine-clogged, grease-stained, smoke-yellowed (yes, he had blown things up in here many times) room, Tony found a haven. There was even an espresso machine he had demanded Howard install a few years ago.
Then...his phone rang. Obadiah. Plus, he had a few texts. He considered ignoring the call for the texts, but eventually decided Obie had done nothing against him...yet. And answered. "'Sup, Stane?" He answered, kicking a few different machines to life and contemplating how sadly inadequate they were. He needed to create something that responded to voice and touch, without all this clunky machinery that he had to manually work himself.
"Hi, Tony. Are you at the mansion?" There was an odd, manipulative tone to Obie's voice. Tony was immediately on guard.
"Uh. Yeah. Why?" Tony tinkered with the espresso machine, shooing gathering dust from the metal.
"Well, there's been a huge fire on the college campus. They're busing people to the hospital now. It's on TV." Obie informed him.
Tony dropped the phone and ran for the TV. He turned it on to the news and felt his heart drop. Loki and Steve's dorm was one of the buildings on fire. He was pretty sure Barton was bunking down there too.
He was in his father's fastest car and headed toward campus before he could process a single thought. If something happened to Loki...his heart was pumping too fast.
CLIFFHANGER. xoxoxoxoxo I'm sorry, guys. So, so sorry. Love me anyways? Yes? No? Maybe?
Yes, I am totally aware this chapter is all over the place. Its been an emotional few days. So, maybe that transfers? Maybe in a good way? No? Ok.
Please review. Tell me I'm a shit writer. I can take it. No, I can't. -hugs-
I LOVE YOU ALL. XO