Tony woke up to the smell of chlorine and medicine. His body aching and his head throbbing. He squinted his eyes against the harsh light.
"Did I win?" He groaned at Bruce, who was sitting next to his bed, reading a thick book with a passive expression on his face.
"No, Steve knocked you out. That's why you're here." Bruce deadpanned, looking blankly at his friend through his thin framed glasses.
"That sucks." Tony said, wincing as he tried to sit up, ultimately, he fell back against the mattress with a grunt of pain. Tony carefully detached the buttons of his dress shirt before opening up the two folds of fabric, inspecting his wounds. Bruises scattered across his ribs and toned abdomen.
"Nice going Tony, facing off against Captain America when you're not even strong enough to sit." Bruce raised an eyebrow at Tony's droopy eyes, it would appeared that Tony Stark, ultimate playboy philanthropist (self proclaimed), was not even conscious enough to realize his own pain.
"What're you talking about Banner, I'm perfectly fine." Tony said, smiling dazedly. Bruce sighed, put down his book and scooted closer to his friend.
"Oh really? When's the last time you had a full night sleep huh Tony?" Bruce asked softly, kind eyes full of concern. He scowled when Tony scoffed. "Seriously Tony, you need sleep. And not just a power nap. Though I have no idea what it means. I meant a full eight hours sleep Tony."
"Pfft," Tony curled his lips at the suggestion. "Sleep is for idiots, Banner. I have things to do. Smart things."
"Not so smart if you're letting your health deteriorates without giving a damn." Bruce chastised Tony with a frown. Sighing at his friend's unshakable resolve, Bruce lowered his head and dragged his fingers through his thick curly hair frustratedly. "Damn it, then at least get some sleep so the next time you're facing off against Rogers, you'll be bright eyed and on guard."
Tony pursed his lips and contemplated the idea. He would love to sleep, he would have done it already if he could. The problem was that no matter what he did, when night rolled around, Tony would find himself wide-eyed and staring at the ceiling, so he just thought that he should just put that time to good use.
"Look, you've slept through third period already, they've called Jarvis, he's coming soon, so I suggest you get some shut eye before he arrives, how's that?" Bruce said, smiling gently at his friend's sulking face. "I'll try and handle the outcome of the fight between you and Rogers, Loki already said he'd lend a hand. Don't worry, we won't let your reputation go down the drain."
Tony answered Bruce's grin with his own before settling down and tossed his consciousness away. Bruce sighed at the sight of Tony falling asleep almost immediately before closing his book, standing up, and exited the room.
OoOoOoOoOo
Bruce was fixing his cardigan when Loki turned the corner, a slender framed man in a casual black suit, with his dyed blonde-orange hair styled, to be curled up and away from his face to reveal sharp green eyes and high cheekbones, Loki was looking incredibly sour until he saw Bruce. A quick look of terror entered his green orbs before it disappeared.
"Ah, Loki!" Bruce said, walking over to his frenemy. Everybody's frenemy to be precise.
"What do you want Banner?" Loki demanded, arms crossed in front of his chest.
"I need you to help me contain the mess between Stark and Rogers." Bruce explained, keeping his face passive and his shoulders lax. It was no secret that Bruce beat the crap out of Loki when they were in middle school because Loki was being a little shit to everyone, thus earning himself the nickname Hulk, because no one had expected Bruce Banner to hulk out and beat the shit out of the third richest kid in school.
"What mess?" Loki might be a tad bit scared of Bruce, but that didn't mean that Loki had lost his intense sarcasm and defiant attitude.
"They were fighting again and Steve knocked Tony out. I need you to stop any printings that mentioned the fight between them. It could end up bloody for those two idiots." Bruce said, hinting at the fact that since Loki was the head of the News department at Avengers Academy, he had the powers to control the rumors and gossips around the school yard. Nobody really knew how Loki came into power in the News department, he was an disorderly rascal and a no good trickster, he treated everything like a joke, spreading false informations and creating scandals, scandals that led to destructive violence; but then again since he loved to create mayhem, the teachers must have let him take over the news to ruin others' reputation rather than ruin others as a whole. He had been pretty mellowed ever since his coming into power sophomore year.
"And why would I do that? The News department only have one job, Banner, and that's to spread news. If we keep holding back precious materials like this, how on earth do you expect us to do our job?" Loki smiled sweetly, his tall frame leaned against the rows of lockers as he checked Bruce out challengingly.
The shorter man sighed. "Fine, then can you at least not mention their names?"
"I could but why would I do that Banner?" Loki smirked. "This is gold for reporters like me, I heard that Stark and Rogers have been nurturing this feud ever since they were young, such a relationship would no doubt overshadow all the other important issues that the rest of the school can even hope to come up with."
"What if I give you another piece of juicy gossip?" Bruce suggested, frowning exasperatedly.
"Calling the result of my professionally done investigative process gossip is a bit too much, don't you think Banner? You're asking for my help but you're being incredibly rude right now." Loki pouted, turning his face away, his mirth was barely in his control.
"Goddamit, can't you just be tactful this once, Laufeyson?" Bruce cursed loudly, his hands into fists at his sides. Clearly his trigger was Loki because everything the taller male did was weighing heavily on his patience.
"Such animosity, Banner. Why, I can't understand why you're being so rude to me right now. You asked for my help, and I said no. Something as simple as that can't be that offensive, can it, Banner?" Loki smirked evilly, knowing full well of his impression upon Bruce. And despite the initial fear Loki has, his overall excitement to rile up just anyone in general overcame his caution for Bruce's seemingly quick temper.
"Fuck, I've forgotten how annoying you can be." Bruce muttered while turning his face upwards and began counting to one hundred.
"Such accusations, Banner." Loki gasped. "And here I thought you liked my tempting you."
"No one can like you, Loki." Bruce said, calmly this time as he stilled his expression to a neutral emotionless canvas.
Feigned hurt, Loki tilted sideways, his tall, lean frame perform an arch to the side as he clutched his heart.
"Oh the pain, the sorrow! Doth thou hath no mercy?" Loki wept mockingly.
"Fine, what do I need to do for you to make this story goes to the trash?" Bruce requested after inhaling deeply. Loki sighed.
"Not very sure about your intentions here, Banner. In just our very short interaction, you've managed to upset me, courtesy wise, disregarded my department as nothing but measly gossipers, and overall just hurt my feelings." Loki's face was the perfect picture of impenetrable fragility, his green eyes fluttering in mock embarrassment. Loki turned away in indignation with his hand on his chest. "I don't think I should be talking to you anymore Banner, I wouldn't want anyone to associate us together since I am just so unlikable. It is without doubt that you and I, good sir, orbit on entirely different wavelengths. This shall be our last encounter, good bye."
Loki stomped away forcefully with his chin up, his mouth quivering as he tried to keep his satisfied smile away. And just as he suspected, a strong hand closed around his lean bicep accompanied by Bruce's lowered voice.
"I'll tell you everything you want to know about Thor." Bruce whispered, his eyes lowered in defeat.
Loki finally let his smile brightened his face.
"Let's talk somewhere private."
OoOoOoOoOo
Tony woke up feeling refreshed, it shouldn't be twenty minutes after Bruce had left, but still, it was a fantastic twenty minutes as far as Tony is concerned.
Stretching but instantly regretting it, Tony glanced at his stomach, still heavy with bruises. Frowning in annoyance, Tony secretly promised himself that he would put laxatives in Steve's drinks and have the tall, blonde haired, blue eyed monster crap himself to death.
"Stark."
A single word floated into Tony's ears. Stiff and unbalanced. Turning to where Bruce sat twenty minutes ago, Tony came face to face with Steve, the object of his loathing.
"What do you want Rogers?" Tony asked, secretly covering himself with his ruined shirt.
Steve frowned, his blue eyes laced heavily with guilt as they traced Tony's form on the flimsy nurse-office bed, he shouldn't have started that fight, it was incredibly immature. Steve's lips formed a thin line as he gazed at Tony's busted lip and nose, the injuries were still untreated since Tony had been under ever since he was brought in, although Steve wondered why the nurse just hasn't gone ahead and do it, it wasn't like she didn't have the equipments. Unhooking his crossed arms, Steve moved to the cabinets where the nurse kept her medicinal materials to extracted a bandaid and a disinfectant bottle before returning to Tony, who stared after him confusedly.
"I'll fix up your face." Steve muttered as he sat down close to Tony on the bed. Making the hinges creaked.
"Oh my god, is Captain America actually taking care of me?" Tony gasped with a girlish tone as Steve poured the chemical liquid onto a wipe. "Oh, I think I just died and went to heaven!" He quickened his breath intake and feigned fainting against the bedposts with a ridiculously lady-like sigh.
Steve rolled his eyes, smearing a q-tip into the disinfectant soaked wipe before grabbing at Tony's jaw and moved his head closer.
"Be quiet for once can't you Tony?" Steve said, frowning as he dabbed the q-tip along the cut on Tony's lip.
"Oh my lord, I can't believe Captain America just called my name, I think my soul just went to heavens! Someone catch me!" Tony murmured as his jaw was locked in place, eyes still blinking rapidly as a form of female fanatical exasperation.
Steve stayed quiet as he fixed up Tony's lip with a small white bandaid and resumed his actions on Tony's nose.
"Got nothing to say, Rogers?" Tony taunted with a raised eyebrow.
Steve stared into Tony's eyes as a moment of silent washed over them. Steve's blue eyes danced from left to right as they tried to catch up to Tony's brown ones, Steve instictively loosened his hold on Tony's jawline since the smaller man didn't seem to be struggling in any way, all the while their breaths mixed together.
"I beat you up good, Rogers. You're bruised all over." Tony huffed. His lips threatened to stretch into an arrogant grin but the pain stopped them.
Steve frowned at the wounds Tony exhibited on his face. He tried not to glance down at his nemesis's abdomen and be further ashamed of himself, although he would think about it all throughout the night. So, Steve focused on Tony's face, he grabbed the disinfectant cloth and slightly pressed it against the dried blood around Tony's nostrils, the disinfectant painted a nasty brown color around Tony's nose and upper lip but that did not distract Steve from staring into Tony's coffee brown eyes.
"Yeah, you beat me pretty good."
In the deafening silence, Steve's whispers could be interpreted as him screaming, everything was so quiet. The only sounds were their own breathing, the wet noise the cloth made as it connected with Tony's skin, and the rumbling of heater strapped in the corner of the room, with the crazy slamming of Steve and Tony's hearts against their rib-cages.
"'Course I did, I'm freaking Iron Man. You don't stand a chance against me." Tony declared softly, his eyes unable to leave Steve's.
"Yea, I don't." Steve agreed quietly and stopped rubbing disinfectant around Tony's upper lip. His eyelids drooped and his pink lips hung opened. Tony gone for the opposite reaction, his chocolate brown eyes went wide and his mouth dropped open, stretching his cut.
"Rogers?" Tony asked, not for any other reasons than just to ask. "Cap'?" He asked again, this time Steve replied with a hum. "Steve?"
"I don't know why we fight all the time, Stark." Steve said with a sigh, removing himself from Tony, who began to feel ridiculous at himself for thinking there was something that was about to transpire between them. Steve cleaned up all the used equipments and put the bottle back to its place in the cupboard.
"Is this your idea of an apology, Rogers? 'Cause I gotta say, it's pretty shitty." Tony exhaled with relief. He wasn't sure why he was relieved, though.
"I am sorry I broke your machine, Stark." Steve said seriously. His face back into a frown.
"Didn't feel like you were when you were punching my guts outta my mouth." Tony said as he began to stand up, Steve winced as Tony hugged his midsection briefly.
"I was angry you hit me last Friday. It was understandable why you did it, I just couldn't come to terms with it." Steve started. "I was immature and I am sorry I hurt you."
Tony smiled. This was better than winning the fight. Seeing the all time prideful Captain America lowering his head for him.
"Damn, Cap', never thought you were this much of a goody two shoes." Tony mused, leaning back against the bed's railings, grimacing slightly at the throb in his midsection.
"I'm just doing what's right, Stark." Steve huffed, turning his head away, simultaneously showing off his sharply angled jaw. Tony removed his eyes from the perfection that is the profile of Steve Rogers, cursed himself for almost feeling like a girl, and quickly ran through his brains to find something rancy to say to Steve.
"Say what you want, Cap. You're still too good. That kind of personality ought to be great in the line of duty." Tony commented, frowning when his supposed insult didn't come out as a… well, insult.
Steve's eyes brightened at the mention of the military.
"You think I'd do great in the army?" Steve asked, face brightening.
"Yeah. Where else would accept your over the top 'protecting people in the name of justice till the day that I die' attitude?" Tony said, then immediately realized his mistake when Steve smirked at him.
"Law enforcement?" Steve suggested coyly, raising an eyebrow at his nemesis.
"Oh please," Tony scoffed, turning away to hide his embarrassment. "Cops aren't for you. You're way too much of a…"
Good guy
Law abiding citizen
Good leader
Nice person
Upright
Full of integrity
Jesus Christ, doesn't Rogers have anything wrong with him? Tony asked himself bitterly. Then his eyes flashed, an insult popped into his head so fast it made him jumped. Steve formed an amused half smile again at the sight of Tony getting lost in thought and coming up with something so hard that he shocked himself into a jolt. Leaning against the chair he had sat down upon, Steve crossed his arms, making his muscles bulged.
"You are way too much of a hot headed idiot!" Tony exclaimed brightly, beaming strongly at Steve.
Chuckling, Steve raised both of his eyebrows this time.
"That's what took you so long?"
"Shut up Rogers, I just woke up." Tony defended himself, face aflame.
Laughing, Steve shook his head at Tony, who looked even more humiliated.
The door to the clinic opened gently and in walked Jarvis, the Stark's ever loyal butler, he gave a distasteful glance at Steve Rogers before turning his gaze towards his Master.
"Young Master! You look horrible!" Jarvis almost shouted as he checked out Tony's injuries. When he got the call from the office saying Tony had gotten into another fight, he was postponing his trip to the school since he had thought that Tony had once again beaten someone else to a pulp. Now that Jarvis had seen his Master's adversary, he knew he should have come immediately when he was summoned.
Jarvis was a horrible caretaker.
"Jarvis, calm down. I'm fine." Tony said, waving his hand at his butler.
"No you are not, sir! Look at you!" Jarvis was unbelievably on edge.
"Heh, look at Rogers, though, Jarvis, I beat him good!" Tony bragged, pointing at Steve with a Cheshire grin. Jarvis grimaced, walked quickly over and pull Tony up in his arms. Tony wasted no time in protesting. "What the hell Jarvis, put me down!"
Steve watched the scene with amusement. Jarvis gave him a cold glare.
"I suggest you wipe that smile off your face, Mister Rogers. You are in vehement trouble."
Steve's eyes bulged, a look of shock took over his face and Steve now resembled a deer caught in headlights. Satisfied, Jarvis turned away while carrying Tony out the door. Steve gulped fearfully.
OoOoOoOoOo
"… and that's why we will not be publishing the fight between Stark and Dodgers." Loki announces proudly to his team of writers and reporters. The room frowned in confusion.
"Dude, it's Rogers." A girl with brown curls fixed him with a raised hand.
"What?" Loki raises an eyebrow.
"It's Starks versus Rogers, not Dodgers." The girl, Darcy, repeated, rolling a bubble gum in her mouth. Loki rolled his eyes and gave a quick shake of his head.
"Whatever. Long story short, we will not talk, write, discuss, or publish anything that has the words fight Stark Rogers feud epicness in the sentences. Capiche?"
"So what're we s'pposed to do for the gigantic blank on the front page? Since you said you wanted to save the entire center of the newspaper for the fight between Rogers and Stark, which you said was going to be written down in history." Darcy complained, chewing messily on her gum.
"I wouldn't have scratched off Stark and Rogers' fight if I didn't have something better." Loki smirked knowingly, making the entire room froze in anticipation. Darcy leaned forward at the suspense, her bored expression slowly fading away.
Loki Laufeyson never turned down any resources to form
his stories, he assigned different themes and sources to different people in the news department, and he usually expected something uncensored and full of social blemishes back. That plus a team of persuasively addictive writers, the News department had never been so successful. For Loki to turned down a story which would no doubt be bought and sold a million times like the fight between Stark and Rogers, which would have been so famously sought after was because of the unmistakable damage to both Stark and Rogers. Normally it would only be one of them that would be in need of a time-out and nursing care—Loki must have had some other juicy bits to sell. No one ever doubted Loki and his talents in finding covered up secrets that was so very much succulent to the entire community, he was the master at that.
"So… What is it boss?" Darcy pressed, her gum forgotten as it laid stuck in her left cheek.
"Patience is the way we would go about this. It is highly sensitive materials and we should tred this with utmost care. We cannot let this blow up in our face, nor can we let this go unnoticed. People would be talking about Bark and Sodgers all week this week, but we cannot let them dominate the news." Loki said, his voice calculative while full of caution. "This particular new must be investigated to its entirety and cannot be a hit and miss. Every single evidence must be facts and nothing can go wrong."
Darcy chewed her gum excitedly. The room held their breath.
"We will begin investigation today and we must be done with it by four pm today, and we will stay afterschool until midnight to write the sections and we will publish everything by tomorrow." Loki announced, there was barely a protest noise, except for Darcy's characteristic whine.
"Just tell us already man!"
Loki smirked.
"Ladies and gentlemen, and Darcy," Darcy grinned adorably. "I am happy to announced that our lovely, most powerful, most gorgeous, most beautiful lady Sif…" Loki halted mid-sentence. Everyone in the room leaned forward anxiously, like children waiting to see what Santa had gotten them.
"Is pregnant."