A/N: I do not own these characters. Or the people that portray them on film, unfortunately. (Can I just please have my very own RDJ? Please?)

WARNING: Mentions of sexual activities (not too graphic because I wimp out on these things, sorry. It'll get better. Eventually). Cursing (duh). Some emotional abuse, and some mention of self-harm and anorexia. Dealings with the aftermath of a rape. Pretty much everything there usually is. *sigh* I promise I'll get around to a happy chapter one of these days.

The chapter title is In Your Eyes by Darren Hayes.

And I will be answering all your reviews next time I get on here. I promise. I've just been grappling with writer's block and that's been making pissy and bitchy, and no one likes a pissy writer xD.

I LOOOOOVE YOU ALL.

Enjoy ;)

Tony woke up slowly, feeling the tepid slink of alcohol and drugs in his veins, oozing like sludge. It made his brain fuzzy, and all the memories from the night before were lost in snatches and hazy bits and a few desperate, frantic moments just out of reach. He stretched into full consciousness, feeling a pull in his chest that reminded him of the arc reactor buzzing delicately under the fabric of his t-shirt. Sweat covered his skin like a light, suffocating plastic bag. Everything was seen through blinking, fuzzy sight.

He groaned, rolling into sitting position and gazing blearily around him. Where the fuck was he?

"Tony? Oh, god damn, man." Clint was squinting at him with a twisted expression a few feet away. Tony grimaced, that couldn't mean anything good.

"What? Missing tooth? Black eye? Mohawk?" He experimentally ran a hand over his face, feeling a few sore patches of skin, but nothing that would garner Clint's characteristically diva reaction.

"No, man. Um, there's something...glowing in your...uh, chest?" Clint was staring at him like he'd grown two heads.

Damn.

He looked down, following Hawkeye's gaze to his bare chest. Lovely. Shirt. He needed a shirt. "What the fuck happened last night?" He scrabbled to his feet, his eyes racing around the trashed house for his somehow-missing shirt. What had he done this time? God damn it.

Hawk watched him, agape, until realization dawned across his face. "Oh. Oh. Tony. This isn't good." He whipped out his phone, getting online in a few taps to the screen. "Oh, man, this is really...bad." Clint's voice was low and shocked.

Tony grabbed the phone, holding his newly recovered shirt to his chest- it barely hid the light blue glow coming from the arc reactor. His eyes scanned the news article splashed across the screen before him.

Well. Fuck.

Last night, billionaire and crown prince of Stark Industries exposed a new genius creation to the world- straight from it's perch in his chest. The unveiling of the 'arc reactor' as he dubbed it, was unexpected and unannounced. Stark Industries creative teams have been infertile for years, the deceased Howard Stark having stopped all efforts to create anything other than weapons since his wife's death six years ago.

There, Tony stopped reading and sat down by Clint with a huff. This wasn't good. "Dude. Loki." Clint's blue eyes were glimmering in concern.

Oh, well god damn it.

Fuck his life, so very hard.

Loki let the warm water run down his sore, black-and-blue body as tears ran down his face. He should've gone to the hospital, reported Thanos, possibly gotten the rapist sent to jail this time. Instead, he was in the shower, washing away every scrap of evidence. He leaned back against the tile, letting his head thump back against the hard wall. Flashbacks from that moment flooded his head, making his shoulder's tense and his legs get weak.

He sunk down, feeling the hot water from the shower pound lightly on his skin like rain drops. He let his head fall down to rest in the cradle of his arms, crossed atop his knees. Bone-on-bone-on-bone. Just like Thanos had liked him. No wonder...It all made a little more sense.

Thanos looked down at him on the bed, still exhausted and boneless from the less than gentle intimacy from moments before. A dull pain was starting to stretch over him. He doubted he would be able to walk straight in the morning, but Thanos had no sympathy.

"You should go on a diet." Thanos shrugged on a shirt, not noticing when Loki's green eyes shot open. "You could lose a few pounds." The gruff tone in his voice cut deep. Loki tried to keep the stinging tears out of his eyes.

He nodded, running his hands back through his hair. It was getting long, long enough for Thanos to wrap it around his hand and pull far too hard for comfort. He seemed to love the expression of pain on Loki's face- he winced to realize it got the other man 'excited' and swallowed down the disgust in his throat.

"You know, cut down on sugar, carbs," Thanos wrinkled his nose. "All that sugary coffee you get from Starbucks is making you fat, Loki." He looked down at Loki condescendingly.

Loki stared up at the ceiling numbly. His hand rested on his ribs, the sharp bones digging into his palm uncomfortably and he could feel the pulse in his stomach jump furiously. His skin was too thin for him to wear anymore. The brief idea of cutting it and letting some of that thick, gooey blood out entered his mind and squatted there, festering. When Thanos came over, those thoughts visited and refused to leave the comfortable confines of his troubled mind.

"Okay, Thanos. Whatever you think." He murmured, running his fingers across the dips and grooves of his rib cage.

Thanos leaned down to engage Loki in a hard, biting kiss that left Loki with bruised lips and short of breath- and not in a good way. He watched the broad back leave his room, and listened for the front door to slam before he sat up. His head dropped into the cradle of his wide, long hands in despair. He was sinking further every day. Why? Why couldn't he be happy like Thanos expected him to be? The man was gorgeous, and he wanted to be with Loki! He should've been ecstatic. What was wrong with him?

He shuffled into the bathroom, looking at his sunken, black-ringed eyes, frowning at the sharp cheekbones and ghastly pale skin that stared back. His verdant eyes were dull, listless. His hair hung in lank, sweaty strands down his back, tangled by Thanos' thoughtless fingers.

He hated what he saw.

Under the sink, he shuffled around for a moment, finally drawing out a sharp silver razor from behind some soap and cologne and some old eyeliners. It lay in the palm of his hand, looking so delicate and harmless. But he knew it had a terrible bite, a tear-jerking sting, a harsh burn. He knew the mark of this monster, so graceful and glittering. He loved it, and he hated it. It was his master, and he it's willing slave. Loki was so enslaved, to so many things and people and feelings. It broke him down, corroded his soul, shattered his heart and stomped on his strength like he was nothing. Like all the little pieces of him that were slowly being desecrated were nothing. He was a speck on the planet, and just the dirt on somebody's shoes in this world. What did he matter?

Two months later, Loki saw something different in the mirror. Thin, skeletal pale. Angry, broken veins bleeding across the white in jagged, violent red lines. They were starting to fade into the white, trying to hide in shame with the rest of his skin- the appearance of normality but the shadow of pain, hatred, self deprecation. He was destroying himself.

"You look good this morning." Thanos dragged a hand through Loki's hair, pulling it down his back and pressing a kiss to red, emotionless lips.

Loki nodded.

He knew.

Finally.

Loki stared down at the hollow indentation of his hips, the way his stomach curved inward, the hollow curvature of his ribs. His knees were knobby, his wrists merely fragile bone. He was right back where he'd been three years ago. Breaking point. Too tiny to feel, too broken to smile, too introverted to get help. He was so far down, he couldn't see the light above him any longer. There was no hope in Loki's broken mind. What was there to go on for?

"Loki?" Someone tapped on the door, a familiar voice breaking him out of his reverie. Anthony was here.

Loki sniffled a bit, staring at the locked door through the crystalline water resting on his long eyelashes. They dropped off with every blink, only for more to gather in their stead. Tears mixed in with the shower's spray, turning his vision hazy and warped.

"Loki? Sweetie? Are you okay?" He could hear Stark sitting down outside the door. "I- Well, Clint told me that you got beat up last night." He could practically see the boy biting his lip, hesitating past the caring words and launching into a long, rambling, nervous soliloquy. It brought a stinging smile to Loki's split lips. "For some reason, I don't think that's all that happened. He told me not to come here last night, so I didn't. I got drunk, somehow ended up revealing my arc reactor." Anthony chuckled. "Pretty stupid, eh? I was so... so angry and hurt and confused, Lo-Lo. I didn't understand why you didn't want to see me; until this morning, when I woke up and realized that I had seen you beaten and bruised before. But I'd never seen you after you..." Loki was digging his teeth into his cut lips, forcing back a whimper that betrayed exactly how smart his engineer was. "I need to see you, Loki. I need you, baby. I can't be alone, not anymore. You've ruined me, you perfect bastard." There was no teasing tone in Anthony's buttery-warm voice, just care and tenderness and seriousness and love. Wondrous, mind-blowing love.

Loki sat, his head buried in his arms and the water turning cold on his skin. He was shivering, squeezing his eyes shut and hardly breathing. This was a decision that would alter their lives. If he opened that door, admitted that Anthony was right, he would be opening a door that would suck their lives into something ever intertwined, something that could never be severed or broken apart no matter the miles and fights and sex and irritation between them. It would seal them together for eternity. Because if Loki opened up to Anthony, he would be opening himself up for the man to see completely and fully. He would be vulnerable.

Anthony had already taken this step, in showing Loki his arc reactor and telling him everything that had happened in Afghanistan. He had told him- breaking down, scared, afraid of the world- he had trusted Loki. It was something neither of them would ever forget, that night, that rooftop, that secret shared. And if Loki told Anthony what Thanos had done- irregardless of the outcome- it would be something branded on them forever, marking them as each other's in an intimate and frankly, terrifying, way.

Slowly- and gingerly, because fuck did he hurt- Loki shut off the shower and dried off and yanked on some black boxers and a forest green tank top. He gathered his damp hair back into a tight, neat ponytail. Then he faced the door.

He could feel Anthony's presence on the flip-side, waiting patiently for Loki to make up his mind.

Fun Fact #26: Loki's never been treated with patience. Not by Thor, Odin, Frigga, Thanos. Everyone expected him to make up his mind and have the answer in a split-second. But not Anthony. Never Anthony. Anthony treated him like a princess, babying him and waiting on him and being soft and patient with him- like Loki would break under too much pressure. This just proves the wisdom Anthony had when it comes to all things Loki Laufeyson.

Loki turned the handle and practically collapsed into the waiting arms, wrapping his thin arms around Anthony's neck and holding him tightly. It hurt, it hurt to feel those strong arms so tight with love around his bruised and abused body. And it hurt to feel such intense, desperate love from someone just like him- who'd been hurt just like him, who'd been abused day in and day out for most of his life. It hurt like a gushing wound being cauterized. The healing always hurt. But when would the wounds stop reopening, when would they finally be healed?

A week later.

Tony was bouncing in place, waiting for Loki to come out of the bathroom so they could leave. He was...nervous. Really, this was a bad idea- which both he and Loki were prone to have- yet, they were going anyways. Because, y'know, Loki couldn't back down and he'd be fine and even if he wasn't, Tony was there. It'd be fine. If fine were now defined as a horribly traumatic, completely unnecessary evening spent at the college dorms. It was a Christmas party. Another party so soon after Loki'd been attacked by Thanos- and yeah, Tony was positive the son of a bitch wouldn't miss this lovely opportunity to further traumatize Loki- seemed like a superbly stupid idea.

But, when Loki stepped out of the bathroom, running his hands through his hair and reading a message from Natasha, all thoughts other than 'Loki' were effectively wiped from his mind. Because, Loki was stunning. He took Tony's breath away and he felt his heart stutter over a few uneven beats before getting back on track and sprinting against his ribcage. If he had ever doubted that he could lust after a boy- boy meaning Loki- those doubts had disappeared and his mind had plummeted to the gutters.

Loki was dressed in a dark gold top which hung loosely off porcelain shoulders, and dipped low down his back, giving Tony the perfect view of that snowy expanse of skin and muscle. His pants were dark green skinny jeans that, yeah, really didn't leave much to the imagination- but if Tony were being honest, he was imagining a lot right now. Boots clad his feet, toes pointing and giving him the appearance of an extremely tall, sexy elf. Inky curls were straightened down Loki's back, swishing back and forth against pallid shoulders.

"Are you-" Loki looked up and frowned. "Are you okay?" His voice was low and sultry- wasn't it always?- and pretty much pushed Tony over the edge he's been toeing for a few minutes now.

He caught Loki in his arms and pressed him gently- because he's been handling Loki like a glass figurine ever since last week- against the wall. Their lips joined like a meeting of two halves joining to become one, true whole. And Tony has felt this way since he saw Loki, since he locked his brown eyes with those burning emerald ones, since he first called Loki 'Frosty'. He had been wanting this boy since the first time he caught a glimpse of snow white skin and jet black hair and irascible green eyes. Because Loki made it hard for Tony to catch his breath, to remember what speech was, how to not trip over his own feet. Loki changed the game completely.

"Love isn't real. It's a game. Whoever gets out first, wins." He still remembered saying that to Clint when he first arrived at this college, bitter and spurned by love from all outlets. And Clint had looked at him cross-eyed, wondering how someone so young could be so old and cold. Tony supposed it hadn't taken him long to figure it out, after he got drunk and spilled his entire life story to the young, bright-eyed archer who'd then exposed a tender spot for his best friend. Tony would never forget crying into the blue-eyed blond's t-shirt about his father and how unfair life was. He owed Clint a lot.

But he owed Loki even more.

Which was probably why it was Loki he was kissing, Loki he was in love with, Loki he was desperate to become one with. If he had had the choice, he would have melded their bodies and souls and minds together. He would have embraced Loki's cool winter in his own summery heat, he would have adopted Loki's brilliant verdant eyes instead of his dull brown, he would have let Loki's pale skin overcome his tan. Because Loki was perfect, and Tony paled in comparison.

His hands wandered across Loki's back, feeling cool smooth skin under his fingertips. Loki's fingers had tangled in his hair, tightening his grip and pulling on it softly. Tony picked up the teenager, pulling lithe legs around his waist and holding Loki to the wall with a growl. Boot clad feet knocked against the back of his thighs. His tongue slipped through Loki's lips, and the purr from the boy in his grip made his hormones go into frantic mode.

Christmas party? What Christmas party?

Tony pulled away from the kiss, taking in Loki's breathless, crimson lips and his hazy, blown forest irises and the way his shirt had ridden up slightly to reveal pale hipbones. "Mmm. You're so gorgeous. So, so, so gorgeous. I can't believe how fucking beautiful you are." He purred the words against Loki's jugular, kissing and nipping at his skin between the words. Loki's legs gripped him tightly, and the world seemed to dip and spin and fall from focus in Tony's eyes- which were filled with Loki and only Loki.

"Stop...we have to go to the party." Loki's voice was sensual and as lost to the world as Tony felt, the words were feeble attempts to be serious, to stop thinking about how much he wanted exactly what Tony did. And Tony knew this.

"Fuck the party." He growled, digging his teeth in a little harder as a reprimand. "I want you." Tony's intentions are anything but pure, in this moment- like they ever are at any other time- and Loki has suddenly become a god, a prince, something ethereal and otherworldly in his arms.

"Anthony, we- we..." His words drifted off into a high-pitched, soft moan. His back arched off the wall Tony'd backed him into, and unintentionally pushed their hips into hard contact. Tony jolted from the pleasure ripping through him, and yeah, for a while, he'd forgotten how much he loved sex. Especially sex with Loki Laufeyson.

"Oh, fuck." He murmured, pulling Loki tightly against him, slotting their bodies together perfectly. He rolled his hips in an experimental motion, feeling Loki's legs embrace his waist unyielding and tight, hearing the growl escape the marble white throat.

He pulled the slender teen up into his arms and laid him across his bed gently. Loki's eyes were squeezed shut, and everything came flooding back to Tony like a brick to the head. Loki had been raped. Loki had been hurt. Loki had been abused. He hovered on all fours above the teenager, stroking back a few strands of black bangs that curled across Loki's eyelids delicately. One verdant eye slit open slowly, eyeing him curiously. Asking him what the fuck he was waiting for. And yeah, Tony's about to lose his mind- but there's that one sensible, caring, tender part of him that won't let him move for Loki's sake. And the more time that goes on, the more that side of him takes over, growing and expanding and placing Loki's well-being above anything Tony desires.

"Do you want to do...this?" He feels worry blossoming in his chest, grabbing his heart in a vice grip and showing no signs of letting go anytime soon. For Loki was all Tony had, all he loved in this wide world, and Tony would rather rip out the arc reactor than hurt Loki any further.

Loki raised a perfect, midnight black eyebrow. "Anthony, if you don't shut the fuck up and make love to me-mmf!" A surprised growl ripped from Loki's throat and vibrated against Tony's lips as he pushed their mouths together in the most passionate kiss he had ever given.

His brow was furrowed, because he was determined to make this erase all memory of Thanos, and what Thanos had done, and how much Thanos had hurt Loki. Tony wanted to eradicate the pain and the fear and the insecurities. Tony wanted Loki in such a haze of pleasure that he couldn't remember his own name. And god damn, he was going to make that happen. He was going to give Loki the night of his life.

Pepper drove into the Stark mansion garage slowly. The cars were all here, but there were no lights coming from the window in Tony's room. She caught sight of a green hoodie flung in the back seat of Tony's favorite car, and scowled. That kid was here. The one with the weird name, like Laurie or Landry or something. It wasn't that she didn't like him, it was more that she didn't like how Tony was all over him all the time. She knew Tony had an affinity for physical contact with people, and loved to hug and kiss on his friends- if he considered them best friends- but this seemed...different. Like, he was dating the boy or something.

How laughable! The infamous playboy, Anthony Stark, fucking a boy.

She snorted at the idea and parked beside Tony's car. It was waxed to a pristine shine, the silver paint gleaming like a samurai blade. It was beautiful. Not quite as beautiful as the dismantled car sitting on blocks in the middle of the work space, though. It was Tony's current project. The elegant vehicle was fire engine red with gold trim, and black leather interior. A few fingerprint smudges of black tarnished the shining paint; and she marveled at how wide Tony's hands were, the fingerprints spread far apart. She had held that hand at the funeral, while Tony half ignored her to murmur in the new boy's ear. She remembered how his arm had been slung around thin, almost deceptively feminine shoulders and how he had pulled the dark-haired boy into a heartbreaking tight hug. There had been tears in the other boy's eyes when he wrapped his arms around Tony, comforting him and whispering something that had a calming effect on her best friend.

Her best friend. Hmm. Maybe once, but now? She wasn't so sure. She hadn't seen him all Christmas break. So, she was taking matters into her own hands. She needed to know where her and Tony stood. This had been going on for years- and yes, most would say that was just Tony's way, but Pepper knew better. Tony may have been flighty and scared of commitment, but she had been different. When he was younger, they had been thick as thieves. She had kept his secrets and watched as he broke down from his father's hatred and abuse. She watched him become the man he was today. No one got to take him away from her, especially not some scrawny excuse of a teenage boy.

So, she used her key and let herself into the house. All was quiet. Deceptively quiet, like someone had just been shot and the ensuing silence nearly shattered one's sanity before an ear-splitting scream broke the serenity of the moment. But, there was no scream. There was no sound whatsoever. Just silence and peace. All the way down the hallway to Tony's room, there wasn't a single sound except for her soft footfall on the expensive hardwood floors. His door was propped open, so she peeked in.

Loki's breathing was heavy and he was sweating and panting and probably a hot mess from Anthony's hands fucking up his hair and Anthony's sharp teeth marking every erotic expanse of skin he had. The pleasure clouding his mind was becoming overwhelming, the heat within him was pushing him to the height of ecstasy. All he could think was: "Anthony, Anthony...Anthony." It fell from his lips like a keening mantra. His entire body tensed as his voice cut off and the pleasure turned his eyesight white and blinded. Hot liquid spread through the inside of his body, Anthony's warm skin was flush against his and suffocated him with that salacious fire that was eating him alive. "Ohhh. Fuck." He growled, feeling every muscle in him tighten till he was wire-taut and shaking.

He relaxed into a loose bundle of exhaustion and satisfaction, feeling Anthony drop onto the mattress beside him. Hot breath fanned against the back of his neck as Anthony's warm skin pulled him flush against a chest and arc reactor. He smiled, feeling the electronic pulse of the device against his spine. It felt good, reminding him that Anthony was real, and that this wasn't just a dream, that he wasn't going to wake up to a different reality in the morning. Rough fingertips traced gentle patterns into his side, running across his ribs and down to the edge of his hip and exploring the soft skin between his hips bones and his rib cage. It was soft and searching and every nerve came back with the message that these fingers loved him and cared about him and that he could trust these fingers. He could trust this man who had taught him again, that love was gentle and kind and gave as much as it took.

By this, Loki remembered that Thanos didn't love him. And, because Thanos had hurt him, didn't mean everyone else who tried to touch him would do the same. And yes, he would still flinch away from tall men with cruel blue eyes. And yes, it would be hard to hug anyone except Anthony ever again. But he had recovered once before, and he could do it again- with Anthony's help. So, he reached for the hand tracing constellations into his pale flesh and threaded their fingers together, sewing them palm-to-palm.

"You're my heart, Loki Laufeyson." Anthony sleepily murmured, his eyes already closed and his words slurred.

Loki melted.

Pepper took in the sight before her and clamped her hands over her mouth to hide the shocked squeak that broke from her lips. Tony was in bed with that- that- that person. The blanket that Tony had had since first grade was draped across their legs, laying low across Loki's back and slanting across Tony's hips just high enough to keep things from being uncomfortable. They were laying, tangled together, eyes closed, noses touching lightly. She could see one of Tony's scared hands wrapped around the pale young man's neck gently- a touch she'd always yearned for. It burned her to know that this man got her true love's affection and attention, instead of her.

Tony stretched in his sleep, clutching the skinny teenager closer to him and murmuring something incoherent into black curls that fell across his face. It made something angry and viciously jealous roil in Pepper's stomach. This wasn't right, this wasn't what she planned! Tony was supposed to find her irresistible and gorgeous and want her desperately. He was supposed to fall in love with her!

She couldn't rip her eyes away from the two in the bed. No matter how badly she wanted to- and knew she should, because god knows when they'll wake- she couldn't force her feet to move away from where she stood, rooted to the floor by shock and heartbreak and envy. Even when Loki stirred in her best friend's arms and her heart jumped into her throat. Green eyes blinked open and a smile spread across his face as he looked at her boy. Hers.

Then they roved the room and landed on her. "Holy fuck!" Loki practically jumped out of his skin and yanked the blanket up to his shoulders. "What the fuck are you doing here? How'd you get in?" His voice was furious and his pretty green eyes were wide. Pepper smirked.

Then she remembered Tony, who was sitting up and staring at them both with bleary brown eyes and a confused expression. "Wha happened?" His voice was slurred and she could see his chest move fast with heavy breathes. Then something glowing blue in a silver circle in his chest caught her eye.

What the ever-loving fuck was happening to her life?

"What is that?" She pointed a shaking finger towards Tony's still-heaving chest.

All eyes focused on Tony's chest. Then Loki looked at her with one eyebrow arched under messy, tangled hair which fell across his hair in a- dare she say it?- very attractive way. "You don't watch the news much, do you?"

She wanted to slap him.

Frankly, everything was happening much too fast for Tony. First Pepper found out about him- and really, like Loki had said, didn't she watch the news? He had kissed Loki on TV when he got back from Afghanistan; it was all over the news for weeks. And now, she had seen the arc reactor, and fuck, that was going to be a pain in the ass to explain. And he knew she was going to be beyond furious when she found out he had told Loki months before her. And really, had this even been telling her? She had sneaked into his house and found him and Loki asleep together, shirtless and arc reactor glowing just to spite him. The damn thing couldn't light his way to the bathroom- as his poor, stubbed toe could attest- but it could attract his best friend's attention. -snort-

Loki had pulled the blanket around him as soon as Tony pulled on some boxers, and really, he looked a little demonic with barbaric hair and eyes dark enough to boil anyone's blood. Tony shivered and smiled a little because damn, his boyfriend looked hot and dangerous and on fire. But now was not the time to get a boner because Loki was sexy and he was a virile young man with far too many hormones. Now, he had to be serious.

"C'mon, Pep. Let's go get some coffee started while Loki gets dressed and prepares to kill you." He looked over his shoulder to wink at his now-grinning boyfriend. Pretty ruby lips blew him a kiss.

"Tony, what's going on? You're...gay? And what is that thing in-in your chest?" She was starting to sound hysterical, so Tony directed her to sit down with gentle hands. Best to take this slowly.

"Yes, I am. Well." He sighed and looked down. "I'm not exactly sure what I am, I just, I know I love Loki, Pepper. He-" Tony smiled at the coffee filter in his hands. "He makes everything so much...brighter. Like, everything's okay when he's around." Tony shrugged. "I don't like any other men, but god damn, I love that man." He sighed again. "As far as the arc reactor-"

"The what?" Her voice was sharp. He looked up to see anger in her eyes. "You're in love with a man, Tony? What would your father say?" The words stung as they poured out of her mouth. "He would be disgusted with this! You are not gay, Anthony. You know that! Why are you letting this...this...freak get to you? You've been with dozens, probably hundreds of women! Something like that doesn't all of a sudden change." She folded her arms, her eyes dark and her mouth set in a firm line.

Tony was taken aback. Pepper had never once yelled at him. Never had she been prejudicial or judgmental. She had been the one person to take all of his crazy, wild, desperate self-destruction in stride, before Loki came along. What exactly was her problem?

"I'd prefer you not speak to my boyfriend like that, Ms. Potts." The dangerously low voice behind Tony startled him. He hadn't realized Loki was in hearing. He grimaced at the floor. Ahem, cat fight incoming. "And, quite frankly, I don't see how it's any of your business what his sexual orientation is, unless he were fucking you." The coldness in Loki's voice sent chills up Tony's spine.

Pepper snarled her lip. "I was talking to Tony." She snapped. "Don't you have somewhere to go?" The prissy tone in her voice made Tony sigh. It was going to be a long evening. If it weren't for the incredible sex, he wished they had gone to the Christmas party- but, as usual, there was no occasion under which Tony would give up sex.

"I am where I belong. Why should I go anywhere else?" Loki's arms slipped around Tony's waist, holding him to his chest snugly. Tony couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face.

"He's not going anywhere, Pep. We all need to talk about this." He ran a hand over his face and looked at the sputtering coffee pot. "We're all going to sit down with some coffee and talk like the civil adults we all are." He looked at Pepper pointedly. "Civil, being the key word."

It was going to be a very long night.

Loki inspected his nails in feigned boredom. Pepper was a little much to handle for him, and her possessiveness over Anthony was starting to piss him off. Make no mistake, Loki was not under the impression that he owned Anthony or his heart, but he was sure as hell not willing to let some little drama queen steal his boyfriend. And that's precisely what she was attempting to do. Cue a pissed off Loki Laufeyson.

"I don't understand why you didn't tell me all of this?" Pepper was ignoring Loki to speak directly to Anthony. He scowled at her back irascibly.

Fun Fact# 27: Loki isn't naturally misanthropic. He actually used to like people, hanging out with people. He was never popular, but he had a large group of friends that he kept close ties to. These people have since disappeared, one-by-painful-one, until Loki slowly detached himself from society and relationships. Perhaps Thanos was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Anthony shrugged. "I didn't think about it. I was more worried about Loki's reaction to it all." Loki's eyes fell do the glowing blue arc reactor in the engineer's chest. He loved that piece of metal. It was the only thing keeping Anthony alive.

At first, he had hated the arc reactor. It symbolized how fragile Anthony was, how easy it would be for Loki to lose him. All he could think of when he looked at it, was how close he had come to losing the man who now had his unconditional, passionate love.

Fun Fact #28: Loki has always been a mercurial lover. He's been in and out of bound-to-fail relationships since he was fifteen. It was always about sex, or loneliness, or a desperate attempt to forget whatever was going on in his family. Never was it about love, because Loki was too smart for Cupid. No, he was far too intelligent to be shot by that arrow, to get caught with his heart in someone else's hands. Until now. And he'll be damned before he lets this chick fuck up his one and only good relationship. This wasn't healthy, by any means, but it made him happy.

Pepper snorted. "I've been your friend your entire life, Tony. You should have told me." Loki could hear genuine hurt in her voice. "I've been worried about you; you just disappeared off the map. I haven't heard hide nor hair of you for months. I came to see you today so we could spend some time together, maybe go out for dinner or something." She gazed down at the half-full coffee mug in her hands, and Loki could tell her fingers were trembling.

It all clicked. "You know he'll never love you, correct? If that was going to happen, it would have long before now." Loki's voice was gentle. He was just stating what she already knew, although, it wasn't likely that she'd see it that way.

When she spoke, her voice was quivering and humbled. "I do. But a girl has to have some hope." Loki's heart stirred, reminding him that he wasn't a completely unsympathetic person. "I'm sorry for intruding upon your evening, Tony." She stood, her hair falling to shield her face- probably to hide the tears Loki could hear in her voice- and reaching for her bag. Then her blue eyes caught Loki's, burning threateningly. "I do not like you. Nor do I trust you. Be aware, if you hurt him, or break his heart, I will personally skin you and use you as a rug in my living room."

Loki almost started laughing, it wasn't the first threat he'd received from girls that thought they owned some stake in Anthony's heart. Instead, he nodded complacently, mostly to keep things from getting violent. Emotions were running high in this suddenly small room, the tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a butter knife. Nevertheless, Loki felt pity for her, because she would gather herself and walk out that door. Then, she would retch up what felt like everything she had ever eaten in her entire life. Tears would crawl down her face and within her, her heart would break into a million pieces.

Suffice to say, Loki knows what she's feeling.

Tony stared up at the ceiling, illuminated by the glow from the reactor. Sleep wouldn't come, with the events of the day and the worries of his life roiling around in his head with a prime mixture of bad memories and PTSD. Loki's arms were around his chest, his nose pressed against Tony's neck, and Tony could feel his heart beating against his side. A soft fluttery feeling, like a butterfly trapped inside Loki's chest, aching to break free from the pain inside that small being that could crush its wings and take away its freedom forever.

He had seen something new in Loki, today. Something willing to fight, willing to risk everything- even his fragile pride- for someone else. That someone else being Tony. And there was something startling and vulnerable and passionate in that that made Tony's heart clench giddily. Until that black cloud above his head thundered, rumbling about the upcoming future in which all of this would end. There was no doubt about the ending, merely the path toward it. Which path would he take?

Could he ride this storm out till the end?

Or would he take the coward's way out?

A/N: I leave you with...what's this? Not a cliffhanger? Wait. Am I sick? No. Have I been hit in the head? Not that I'm aware of. So, enjoy my temporary insanity in giving this chapter, not a happy ending, but at least not one that puts someone in life-threatening danger or in the midst of a terrible argument or some other emotional trauma. So.

Yeahhhh, this was supposed to end like...several chapters ago. But, my chapters have been shorter, thus adding a few chapters till the end. Whoops.

Pleaseeee review. And yeah, I didn't read back over this, so I won't be surprised if it's complete shit. Nevertheless, I do hope you enjoyed.

AND I HOPE YOU ALL HAD A KICKASS FOURTH. Or, if you're not American, I HOPE YOU ALL HAD A KICKASS WEEKEND.

I love you all like I love new words. Yeah, that much.

The end of this pointless A/N.

~xoxox, Rayn