"Loki?" the female voice asked, shock evident even over the phone. "How… How are you?" Loki struggled to find words, but could come up with none. He and his mother had never been close, had not spoken in years in fact. Loki had always resented the fact that his mother had been adamantly against her son's job.
"I am fine," the dark haired male sighed. "Sorry if I caught you at a bad time, I know it is probably lunch over there." instant regret filled Loki, wondering why on earth he would call his mother. It had been a decision made in haste, but it surprised the young man he still had done it.
"Loki, you haven't!" his mother exclaimed, her voice filled with mild anxiety. "Did you want to speak to your father?"
"No, no," the young man shook his head. "I wanted to speak to you, actually. I need… Um, some advice."
"Advice? Don't you think your father is better at that?" she asked. "He is the business man." Loki heaved another sigh as his mother's rambling tapered off.
"No mother, it is not business," the male explained. "It is… Um, one would say boy troubles, I suppose." he mumbled as a shocked gasp was the immediate reply.
"Boy troubles? But, Loki," his mother struggled to answer, confusion filling her thoughts. "You never showed interest… Are you sick?"
"No mother, I am not sick," said male replied, rolling his eyes at his mother's concern. They had always been polar opposite. The only time Loki could remember bonding with his mother was when he came out as gay eight years prior. His father had been bitter at first, but his mother offered nothing but compassion and understanding. He had found comfort in that until his father accepted the fact. Soon after that, Loki and his mother were back to fighting, the only bad part of his adolescent years. "I just need some advice, alright?" he asked, taking a deep breath.
"Um, okay. What is it you need help with, sweetheart?" the term caused the dark haired male to flinch, but he kept his emotions in check as he fell onto his back against his bed.
"… I have a friend."
"A friend?" he could practically feel the smile radiating off of his mother.
"Yes, mother. A friend. He can be quite difficult. You see, he is hard to get along with, but I love him dearly," Loki explained, his voice the only noise in his room. "He has these, well, walls put up. He built many, but someone has knocked the first of many down. Maybe even two."
"Go on." Farbauti smiled, twirling a lock of black hair around her ring finger, grey now twisted in with it.
"My friend does not know how to take it. The man that is after him is annoying, showing up everywhere I- he goes." Loki frowned, his eyebrows furrowing. His mother laughed softly and looked across the room where her husband had entered.
"Who is that?" Laufey mouthed. Farbauti smiled and waved a hand at her husband to leave.
"Loki," she mouthed back. "Leave!" she finished soundlessly. Laufey made a zipping closed motion in front of his lips and turned on his heel, striding out of the room. "Annoying? Loki, I don't think you would call me just to tell me how much a man gets on your nerves."
"Not me, my friend."
"Oh right, your friend," Farbauti rolled her eyes, brown and not green like her sons. "Well, I think your friend should let someone in. He needs to know that not everyone is out to hurt him. There are people in this world that will be there for you if you fall, if you get hurt." she explained; silence the only immediate answer to meet her ear.
"But how does one even bring that up?"
"Loki, it doesn't have to be brought up," Farbauti laughed, closing her eyes. "You have to open up. Just take a part of your heart and give it away for once."
"I do not like the sound of that much." Loki sniffed, pretending not to care. His mother shook her head and scoffed.
"Loki, stop. Listen, you deserve to be happy, you really do. You can be such a kind man if you just let one person in, to show you that love is worth it. That giving your heart to someone is not a white flag of surrender."
"Love? A waste of time." the dark haired male rebutted. Farbauti smiled slightly and looked at the window sill, where a picture frame sat of her and her twins. The female twin was taken in mid-giggle as the older female tickled her with one hand. The male twin was smiling, hands wrapped in the mother's long black hair. Her smile melted into a sad one, tears welling in her eyes. Long gone were those days and her heart hurt in realization. She had said goodbye to her four children long ago, each one taking a piece of her heart. Loki, the only one who refused to talk to her on many occasions, unknowingly took the biggest part. She feared for her youngest child -a mere ten minutes younger than his sister- and how he would fare across the continent. She snapped out of her thoughts at a cough from the other side of the line.
"Love is not a waste of time, Loki," she tried to speak without choking on her memories, her failed relationship with her baby boy. "Love is the strongest force in the world. It is patient, it is kind. It can turn the most hateful man into one of compassion. You are not an exception. If there is a man in New York trying to help you, trying to knock down those walls, I suggest you let him. Maybe throw him a ladder so he can climb over them." the dark haired woman argued. Loki's eyes opened at the voice in his ear, so filled with sadness. He looked at the ceiling and felt something he had never felt before. A hollow ache began to grow in his chest, in his heart. It was not sharp, but he hated it all the same. It left him feeling empty, not himself.
"Mom," he choked up. "I… Thank you." he felt tears threaten to spill at the corners of his eyes. He held them back as long as he could. A small sob sounded on the other side, laughter accompanying it.
"You're welcome, baby." she smiled, wiping her eyes, the black of her makeup smearing onto her hand. Loki bit his lip as tears finally won over strength, spilling down his cheeks.
"I have to go…"
"Okay, sweetheart." to this, Loki took a deep breath and almost hit the end button, but decided against it. He put the phone to his ear and wiped one stream of tears away.
"And mom?"
"Yes?" Farbauti asked, watching her husband walk back in, eyes widened when he saw his wife crying.
"I love you and I am sorry." Loki managed to say, hanging up and breaking into silent sobs. Farbauti heard the line go dead in her ear, but smiled brightly.
"Oh, Loki." she took a shallow breath as a hand settled on one of her shoulders.
"What did he do to you? Why are you crying?" Laufey asked, his accent yet to leave him even after all the years of living in Western culture. Farbauti stood up and embraced her husband tightly.
"He said he loved me… And that he was sorry." she sobbed and snuggled her face into her lover's dress shirt. Laufey's vivid green eyes widened as he hugged his wife back.
"He did? Jøss." the older of the two announced, bewildered by the sudden change in his youngest son. If Loki was truly beginning to change, Laufey knew he would have to visit him. 'Perhaps my decision was rash…'
"I'm glad everyone is in a better mood tonight," Natasha mused, pleased to see her two male friends were no longer moody. Clint smirked and nodded to his fiancé.
"Agreed. Where's Bruce? He loves coming here." Tony looked up from his menu and shook his head.
"Banner is on a date actually," the oldest in the group laughed. "Don't ask me how he got a girl, but she loves Astronomy. They went a Star Party."
"What is that?" Steve asked, looking up from his menu. Tony looked at the blond and shrugged his shoulders.
"No idea, but I want one." the billionaire replied while scratching his beard methodically. Steve raised an eyebrow, but went back to looking at his menu in front of him. Everyone with the exception of Steve looked at the waitress when she stopped by their table, serving them all beer. She looked at Steve and blinked, confused at the blond's presence.
"New guy?"
"Indeed," Natasha smiled as Steve finally looked at the brunette who was serving them. "Steve, this is Victoria. Victoria, this is Steve." she introduced.
"Oh! Hello, Steve. Joined the group I see." she smiled as they shook hands briefly. "Where is Bruce?"
"Star Party, whatever that is." Clint announced while taking a gulp of beer. The petite female's smile brightened.
"With a date." Tony added, earning a shocked gasp from their server.
"Whoa! A date? Good on him. Star Parties are fun. I went to one with my dad a few years back. He's into that stuff."
"You'll have to give me the info on them. I want to host one. No, I will host one." the oldest in the group decided, his smile as smug as ever.
"Of course. I'll message you on Facebook," Victoria smiled. "What did you want, Steve? A beer?"
"No thank you, ma'am. I'll just take a water." Steve replied politely. The brunette smiled and nodded enthusiastically.
"Sounds good! I'll be back with your water and to take all of your orders in a second." with that, she walked off with a sway of her hips.
"She sure is nice." Steve smiled, as innocent as ever. Tony rolled his blue eyes and leaned back against the backing of the booth they always sat in. Natasha hit the billionaire for his actions, but looked at Thor, who though happy, was intently staring at his phone.
"You okay, Thor?" the sole female asked. Baby blues looked up, filled with a mix of emotions.
"Yes, I… Well, I was supposed to get a message…" he trailed off as his phone rang off. Eyes snapped back down, gazing at the message on his lock screen. A smile broke over Thor's face, which cause the group great confusion.
"… From who?" Natasha asked, before looking ahead to the restaurant door opening. "Oh." she muttered as Thor got out of the booth.
"Hey, what's going on?" Tony asked, putting down his menu. He followed Thor to see who the blond was greeting. "No. Fuck. No." he shook his head in disbelief. Clint watched the blond greet the stranger, smirking as he finally understood.
"Ou. This'll be fun."
"… Bunches." Natasha grumbled while Steve looked up, smiling brightly. It had been awhile since he had seen his former classmate.
"Loki, you came," Thor smiled, watching Loki push his scarf away from his face. "I didn't think you would." to this, the dark haired male shrugged his shoulders and removed his black pea coat.
"I tend to be full of surprises," he said lightly, his voice dropping to a whisper then. "I wish to speak to you after this dinner is over. Alone." green eyes locked with blue, almost mesmerizing for the older of the two.
"You sure are full of a lot of things." Tony frowned, crossing his arms across his chest.
"Oh, you are here. How wonderful." Loki mused, sauntering past Thor. He stopped in front of the table his enemy sat at and smirked ever so slightly.
"How's the job? Oh wait, you don't have it. My bad." Tony retorted, smiling now. The younger of the two clicked his tongue, sliding in next to Natasha, facing Tony across the table. Thor sighed and sat down next to the former business tyrant.
"Cute, Stark. How is Stark Industries? Oh wait, it does not exist. I toppled it. My apologies."
"Does it give you joy to destroy people's businesses?" Tony asked, matching Loki's smirk.
"Not really, just yours. For someone with impeccable entrepreneurship, a young adult managed to take you down in a matter of months," the younger of them shot back. The two glared each other down until the dark haired male felt a hand rest on his thigh. Narrowed green eyes blinked and instantly softened. His gaze shifted from Tony to the only other blond at the table. "Steve?"
"Hey, Loki." Steve smiled slightly, placing his menu down and folding it back together.
"It has been awhile. How are you doing? What brings you to New York?"
"Hometown. I didn't like California much. Moved back here as soon as I had the chance. Everything is better now, my dad finally retired. How about you?" Steve asked, watching Tony grumble to Clint and Natasha. The dark haired man looked at the billionaire as well, then directed his attention to Steve.
"It is quite different than New York. It is good to hear he finally retired. My father refuses to do so, but something tells me mother will make him," Loki mused. "May I borrow your menu?" he asked Thor, immediately being granted so. "Thank you."
"You both have the hard working trait it would seem. It's a good thing to have at times, but you should always think about yourself and others as well. Not just work." Steve smiled, watching Thor's good mood around his former high school peer. Green eyes shifted from one blond to the other, giving a small shrug.
"You always did have the best advice for me." he said, trying not to be cold around an old friend, someone who had stood up for him when the other popular kids took to bullying. Loki had never forgotten that day. It had been a windy December in his last year of high school, the lack of snow all too common for California. He had walked onto the school ground, books pressed against his chest so the many study notes wouldn't go flying away in the breeze. He remembered the cool wind had caused his eyes to water, so he had kept his face down. Before he could look up, Loki bumped into one of the many jocks of his school. He recalled his anxiety peaking, knowing all too well what would happen. The jock had taken his books and threw them into the wind, papers flying everywhere. After a laugh, the group of seniors sauntered off. Devastated, Loki recounted that he stumbled around, trying to pick up the papers. While running after his Biology notes, he bumped into yet another man. Another jock was what Loki assumed, but he had been wrong. In the strangers hands were the remainder of his papers, some wet, but most in good shape. A caring smile was painted across the blond's face. Loki remembered Steve and him exchanging names and then being told that no one would ever knock his books over again. To Loki's surprise, Steve Rogers had been right. The next time it happened was the last, the blond male coming to his defense, standing up against every jock on the football team. Although Loki kept him at a distance, Steve continued to be next to him, enough for Loki to consider him somewhat of a friend. The smaller of the two wondered why they stopped speaking, but deep down he knew the answer. He pushed him away, like everyone else.
"Someone has to." Steve smiled as the same waitress stopped in front of them.
"Another new one? You are definitely going to need a new table."
"No need. He's not permanent, Vicky." Tony insisted, grunting when Thor's foot found his shin in a kick.
"Oh, okay. I see." she smiled, serving Steve his water. "Well, good evening, sir, I'm Victoria and I'll be serving you all tonight." the young girl said to Loki politely.
"I think there may be a need, Miss Victoria. I quite like it here already. Small town restaurants are always a nice change of scenery." the dark haired male smiled with propriety, eyes shifting to Tony. A sparkle of mischief was evident, causing the older male to glare.
'Fucking hate this kid.' the billionaire thought, looking at Clint to see him snickering behind his hand. "Would you care to not laugh at my misery?" he whispered, frowning the whole time. Said male looked back at him, shrugging.
"I can't help it. It's hilarious. You two are acting like a couple of high school girls," the brunett whispered back. "Besides, Thor looks happy." he said, gesturing to said blond, who was enthusiastically speaking to the newcomer of their group. Tony looked at his younger friend, the joy so evident in the way he spoke to his enemy.
"Ugh, stop being right. Okay, okay. Maybe he does look happy with that weasel," the older of the two sighed. "I just don't want to see the big guy hurt. Loki is a diva and gets bored of things easily. I watched that kid grow up." he muttered.
"I think they will be fine. Thor can change the toughest of people. He's a great guy, Loki will see that." Natasha butted in, whispering as well.
"I guess. I'll warn Point Break over there, because Loki isn't a great guy. Now, stop this gossip circle, they are staring." Tony finished, breaking off the conversation to look at the other four watching them.
"Gossiping, Stark?" Loki asked. Victoria sighed and rolled her brown eyes.
"He likes to do that."
"Oh I know," the green eyed male said, looking at her. "If it is not too much trouble, do you have a wine list?" he asked. The brunette blinked and smiled at his request.
"Of course! I normally don't give them the list, I've learned they aren't into wine." she gestured to the group. "I'll go get it-"
"Oh no, no need to fetch it. Do you happen to carry Cannonau di Sardegna?" the dark haired man asked, watching the waitress dive into thought.
"Hmm… Yes! We do! Would you care for a glass?"
"Please." Loki nodded, smiling with upmost propriety.
"Alright, I'll grab that quick and then take orders. Sorry guys, be right back!" she smiled and hurried off.
"She is quite nice." the newcomer to the group said out loud, earning a nod from most, with the exception of Tony, who continued to brood.
"That's what I said." Steve agreed, smiling brightly. Loki chuckled slightly at his old peer's excitement. He blinked as he felt a hand on his thigh again, looking down to confirm the hand belonged to Thor. Reluctance tugged at the younger male's heart, his mind telling him to not bother. That there was no point.
'Just let one person in, to show you that love is worth it. That giving your heart to someone is not a white flag of surrender,' the words of his mother echoing in his head. 'Love is not a waste of time, Loki. Love is the strongest force in the world. It is patient, it is kind… If there is a man in New York trying to help you, trying to knock down those walls, I suggest you let him.' the voice continued to disturb his thoughts, cause his heart to hurt again, like it had earlier that day. He took a deep breath and laid his closest hand over the bigger one on his thigh. Green eyes met blue and both of the men smiled slightly, before going back to their present conversations. When Loki looked back at Steve, the blond gave him a knowing look.
"Not a word." Loki said sternly, causing the blond to laugh heartily.
"Alright, alright." Steve agreed. The smaller of the two leaned back closing his eyes momentarily.
'Thank you, mom.'
The rest of the evening went well, conversations going deep into the evening. The group ate and drank their fill, finally beginning to end the night with tea and coffee. Loki surprisingly enjoyed himself, despite the occasionally meeting gaze between himself and Tony. He was half finished his coffee when the doors to the restaurant opened, the chime of the bell sounding off softly. Loki thought nothing of it until a figure stopped in front of their table.
"I knew I would find you here, Mr. Stark." the deep set voice mused, someone Loki recognized instantly. While the rest of the group looked up, he shrank against Thor, looking down at his simmering coffee.
"… Thanos. Um, hey." Tony chuckled. However, the bigger of the two did not find anything funny. Thor looked at the man named Thanos, to Tony, then finally to Loki, who had gone ghost white.
"Lo-"
"Hush." the younger hissed quietly, automatically shutting a curious Thor up.
"Good evening, Mr. Stark," the man -about the same age as Tony- said without a smile. "And is that? Oh my, it is. Mr. Laufeyson." the smile appeared now, cruel and calculating. Loki cursed mentally, but straightened his posture, keeping as composed as possible.
"Hello, Thanos."
"Who would have thought I would kill two birds with one stone. May I have a word with you two fine gentlemen?" he asked. Thor frowned, as Loki was obviously uncomfortable with the strange man.
"I don't think he wants to talk." the blond male retorted, earning Thanos' full attention. Brown, almost red eyes, dropped to the connected hands, a smile yet again returning to his face.
"Loki, I see you've found a toy. Cute. However, I don't think not talking is an option." Loki glared at this, ripping his hand out of Thor's.
"He is not a toy. Now, excuse me Thor." Loki said coolly, his heart beating in his ears. Begrudgingly, Thor slid out of the booth, letting Loki out. Clint and Steve did the same for Tony, worried looks on all of their faces, especially Steve.
"Stay frosty." Tony said to Steve, smiling like nothing was going wrong, when everything was about to.
"Tony…" Steve sighed and sat back down with Clint. Loki's eyes darted back to Thor, showing anxiety.
"Do you need me?" Thor asked softly. Loki shook his head and stood straight, posture perfect as usual.
"No, I will see you soon." he said, sauntering out of the restaurant after Thanos, Tony following with hands in his pockets.
"So uh, momentary truce?" Tony asked before stepping into the cool autumn air. Green eyes met his and nodded quickly.
"I believe so, Stark." he muttered as he shrugged into his pea coat, leaving the building swiftly. Tony took a deep breath and followed after, shuddering at the cold, even in his jacket. When the trio stopped in the alley way next to the restaurant, nothing was said for a matter of moments. Finally, with a deep sigh and shake of head, Thanos began.
"You boys owe me money."
"Hey, I'm good for it." Tony argued.
"And yet I don't see the money. Haven't for a year now," Thanos growled, watching the two men. When Tony said nothing, he clicked his tongue. "That's what I thought. Mr. Stark, you owe me two-million dollars. I don't think you fathom how much that is."
"Two-million? Really, Stark?" Loki frowned, looking at a surprised Tony.
"I didn't think it was that much. Couldn't be more than one point five." the brunette defended.
"Interest, Mr. Stark. Mr. Laufeyson, I wouldn't be in disbelief about that figure. Yours is quite something as well. And even better, I know you don't have the money. As you have lost your job. One-point two-million is quite a lot."
"Holy shit." Tony exclaimed, rubbing his beard methodically. Loki gulped, running a hand through his hair.
"I… I cannot pay it back yet. As soon as I get my job back-"
"What job, Laufeyson?" Thanos asked, laughing loudly as he shoved his hands in his pin stripe pants. "You don't even know if you'll get it back. Unlike Stark here, you have no money other than your parent's. You've become dependent on them. Pathetic for someone who was ruling the business world not months ago."
"I am not dependent! My father has done this! The fault is not mine!" the youngest of the trio argued, earning another laugh from the tallest of them.
"You boys have a month. I'm tired of this. Really tired. Just say that I'll be sending someone in a week. I think you know Him," Thanos warned. "two-million, one-point two," he said, pointing to Tony and then Loki respectively. "Good night, boys." the man said before sauntering out of the alley, getting into a car with blacked out windows. As the car left, the two males exhaled loudly.
"Never going to deal with a loan shark again," Tony laughed, looking at Loki, who had gone ghost white again. "Hey man, are you okay?"
"How can you be so calm about this?" Loki asked. "He plans to send Him."
"That could be anyone." Tony tried to defend himself, defend the both of them. Loki looked at the billionaire and shook his head.
"No. It will be Him." Tony sighed to this, awkwardly punching his enemy lightly.
"Hey, no big deal. The money will be paid. Let's just get back before everyone thinks Thanos made a homicide out of us." the brunet smiled crookedly, hiding the worry in his heart. Loki shook his head.
"No. Send Thor." Loki said simply. Tony watched the younger man carefully, but resigned to doing as the dark haired male requested. He left the alley and made his way back inside the restaurant. When he made it back to the table, everyone got up, surrounding him.
"What happened?" Clint asked.
"We owe money, no biggy." Tony answered.
"Who was that?" Natasha inquired.
"His name is Thanos, he's a loan shark." he replied, before meeting Steve's gaze.
"Are you okay?" Steve questioned frantically, looking the older man up and down.
"Yeah, didn't even touch me." Tony assured the taller of the two, clapping a hand against the blond's back, winking.
"Do I have to kill him?" Victoria frowned, ushering to her metal serving tray. Tony rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"Nah. I did owe him money, my bad. I forgot about it completely." the billionaire laughed, before being pulled to meet the angry stare of his friend Thor.
"Where's Loki?" he asked, almost frantic. Tony flinched at the pressure and wiggled in the bigger man's grasp.
"Thor, your inner psycho is showing," he frowned, feeling the man automatically let go off him. "He's, uh, outside in the Alley. Wants to talk to you actually." Tony finished, but Thor had left before he could say anymore. Natasha ushered them to sit, Victoria sitting with them now, as the restaurant was empty and about to close.
"How much do you owe?" Clint asked as Tony sat next to Steve. The oldest in the group shrugged and rested his chin on top of his palms.
"Two-million dollars."
"Two-million!?" Steve blurted out, shocked at the large sum. "Why would you borrow two-million dollars from a loan shark?"
"Hey, don't worry, sweet thing," Tony winked, elbowing the blond playfully. "I still got enough for us."
"Don't call me sweet thing, Tony."
"Alright, alright. Listen, it's not a big deal. I can pay it, but Loki isn't as lucky. I think I might feel bad for the weasel."
"And his heart grew three sizes that day." Victoria cooed, earning a glare from the older of the two.
"Don't you have to get ready to close?"
"Going~" she chimed and got up, skipping off to the back. Tony watched her leave and rolled his eyes. As he joined back into the conversation, he couldn't help but feel guilt edge away at his mind. Although Loki had done bad things to him and ruined Stark Industries, he felt as if something had to be done. He knew Thanos would send Him and while Tony would be fine, Loki wouldn't be so lucky.
'Being a nice person sucks.'
When Thor exited the restaurant, he made his way directly to the alley way where Tony said Loki would be. As soon as he reached the alley, the figure standing their looked up, green eyes clashing with blue.
"Loki, are you okay?" the blond asked frantically, walking over to the dark haired male.
"Yes, I am fine." Loki nodded, still shaken as Thor could plainly see.
"What happened?"
"Nothing I cannot handle." the younger of the duo replied. Thor sighed and took Loki's hands in his.
"Loki, please. Just tell me. I'm here for you. I swear." Thor vowed, squeezing the other man's hands.
"I just owe money."
"How much?" the other male inquired.
"A lot." Loki smiled slightly, the gesture insincere. The younger man's eyes shifted down to their hands, where Thor had laced their fingers together.
"How much is a lot?"
"One-point two-million," the dark haired man mused dryly. "I have a month." to this, Thor's eyebrows furrowed. An idea came to mind, causing him to smile brightly.
"… I could help you pay for it."
"Excuse me?" Loki asked. "Are you assuming I have an insufficient amount of funds?"
"You seemed awfully worried for a man who can afford it."
"I do not require your charity, Odinson," the younger of them hissed, ripping his hands from Thor's for the second time that night. "I do not need your pity, your stupid money. Goodnight." he spat before turning on his heel.
"Loki! I didn't mean it like that! I just wanted to help…" Thor trailed off as the figure disappeared in the night. "Fuck."
Told you guys Loki wouldn't be so easy of a catch.
SO YEAH. I'M BACK. Just kidding… I wish. My essay got a week extension, so I chose to update Seven Devils before going back to having no life. Sorry if there is bad spelling anywhere. My sister wasn't here to proof read. If there is anything spelled really really wrong, I encourage you to message me. This writing software pretty much sucks. So yeah, love you all. Thanks for the follows and putting up with my absence. 8D I'll see you all on November 6th when I update my other story, Gravity of Love. 3 R&R's would be so nice right now. Not feeling the best, pretty stressed out. Well, have a great day everyone!