Legal Disclaimer: I own my stuff, but not the original source material. That belongs to whoever. Also, the opinions and interpretations I use here may not reflect the same in said whoever that owns the source material. Look, I'm just a poor college librarian. Suing me isn't going to get you anything but tears.
Warning: This work may be offensive to some readers. Feel free to back out if need be.
Author's Note: This fic is lightly salted. It's like fries. Which is just what the birthday girl ordered. Happy late birthday, Aya!
Submitting Info:
Stacked with: Hogwarts (Term 16); MC4A (Year 5)
Individual Challenges: Red Lights; Ruddy Nose; Red Bull; Neurodivergent; Rian-Russo Inversion; Disabled; Shifter MC; Nonhuman MC; Bi Bi Bi; Setting Sail; Zed Era; New Fandom Smell; Marvelous Cinema; In a Flash; Bucket Listing; Two Cakes (Y); Eating Cake (Y); Green Ribbon; Greatest Gift
House: Slytherin
Assignment No.: Term 16 – Assignment 07
Subject (Task No.): n/a
Other Hogwarts Challenges: 365 [29](Cavalier); 1000 Prompts Challenge [322](Hurt/Comfort); Hogwarts Gardens [Equipment 16](Lonely)
Other MC4A Challenges: SpB [4B](Service); TrB [4A](Faked Death); Ship (Frost Iron)[SpBig (Coffee/Tea; Fruit; Walking); Bingo (4D - Gift/Presents)]; Chim [Reta] ("The Anonymous Ones" - Dear Evan Hanson);Hunt [Sp WD](Judaism; Autism; Heart Condition);
Representation(s): Tony Stark/Loki; "Ashes" by Celine Dion; Ana Jarvis' Enduring Influence; Iron Fam
Primary & Secondary Bonus Challenges: Found Family; Nontraditional; Fizzy Lemonade; Machismo; Peddling Pots; Second Verse (Persistence Still); Chorus (Pocky Pockets; Wabi Sabi); Demo 1 (Spinning Plates; Trickster's Union; Horrible Love); Demo 2 (Tomorrow's Shade; Unicorn; Soul-Like; Hot Stuff; Sailor Delight)
Tertiary & Generic Bonus Challenges: T3 (Terse; Toad); SN (Rail; Ameliorate); Once (Santa Fe)
Word Count: 488 words
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Quiet Moments
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Tony leaned his back against the door of his hotel room after closing it. He had forgotten how exhausting it was to spend all day in board meetings only to wade through a public space in order to finally have a private moment. Pepper was amazing as the CEO of Stark Industries, and handing over that role had shifted a huge amount of the administrative load off his shoulders (no matter how much he had wished that they had worked out as a couple). However, as the majority shareholder, there were still a certain level of obligation that he owed not only the company and all its subsidiaries, but also the many, many employees who relied on him to keep better track of the inner workings of all the different levels.
Which was why he was currently in Los Angeles, the location of the West Coast headquarters of Stark Industries, despite how he still hadn't replaced the mansion that had been turned into rubble lining the Pacific Ocean and therefore had to stay in a hotel.
Not that New York was any better currently. The Avengers still hadn't come back together since they had scattered after the Battle of New York. None of them had even picked up the phone when Loki had shown up in the living room of Tony's penthouse to cash in on Tony's cavalier offer of a drink or had bothered to check in after the widely broadcasted debacle with the Mandarin. It was sort of odd, considering how aggressively Fury and Coulson had pushed to recruit him, but it still left a hollow feeling to be so alone.
It was just tiring, is all, trying to make sense of all the strange ways people acted. No matter how many psychology classes he had taken to aid his efforts to build his various coded children, Tony did not think he would ever understand people.
"You look like you could use a drink."
Tony's eyes snapped open as he turned his head towards the bed. Just like the unexpected voice had implied, Loki was lounging there in nothing but a skimpy pair of boxers, instead of being back in New York where Tony had left him yesterday. The trickster god grinned at Tony and preened under his attention. The fading light coming through the balcony window made Loki's bare skin gleam, especially when Loki took the opportunity to stretch suggestively as Tony watched.
"Good thing I took the liberty of ordering some refreshments," Loki continued as he rolled to his feet and stalked to the serving cart that was parked near the foot of the bed. He whipped the lid off to reveal a plate of berry tartlets and a small carafe that smelled strongly of Turkish coffee. Tony felt his heart swell at the consideration given by the whole situation.
In these quiet little gestures, Tony could taste the hint of a glorious future.