23 missed calls, 11 messages on your voicemail, 5 SMS.
Loki stared at the display of his StarkPhone and rubbed a hand over his face tiredly. He had just left the bed and checked the display of the small device that seemed to have been very active during the night. Luckily, he had muted it before going to sleep.
Every single message was from Tony.
He tapped onto the SMS first.
09:01 pm
u mad, bro? ;)
09:07 pm
Sulking? Come on, at least answer me.
09:15 pm
Are you coming back today?
09:19 pm
Loooooookiiii, I'm gonna spam you.
09:20 pm
LOKIII!
Rolling his eyes, the god closed the application and considered just ignoring the voicemail. After their argument the evening before, he had teleported into the small apartment he had in New York (which Tony, of course, didn't know of or else he'd probably have come there to annoy him further). But 23 missed calls? Maybe he should at least start listening.
09:21 pm
“I, um... hey. It's Tony. I just wanted to... jeez, I hate apologizing, but I think I really need to this time, huh? Well, here you go: I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that, I was angry and didn't think... much. I guess that's all. Sorry.”
The mortal's voice sounded strangely subdued, carrying a tone Loki had rarely ever heard from him before. Frowning, he continued to listen to the messages relayed for him.
10:01 pm
“Hey, Loki, Tony again. Did you get my message? Come on, please don't give me the cold shoulder, you know I can't stand that. I can't stand silence in general, and here I'm rambling again. Please tell me you're not one of these persons who never listen to their voicemail... like me. Usually, Pepper does that. Shit. Just call back, okay?”
Loki could imagine the engineer running a hand through his hair and staring up at the ceiling while talking. It was a strangely solemn picture.
11:25 pm
“Loki? Please pick up your phone.”
This one, just six words, sounded so incredibly lost and pleading that Loki felt a sharp sting of bad conscience while listening to it. He had gone to bed immediately after returning home (although the tower felt more like home to him than this apartment he hardly ever used at all) and Tony must have thought he'd ignored him all evening long. Had he been awake, he probably would have; he had been incredibly angry at the insolent mortal.
00:17 am
“Come on. Stop sulking. Yes, I screwed up, but you did, too, if I may remind you. Quit the diva act and just call the fuck back, Mr I-magic-my-way-out-of-every-fucking-annoying-situation.”
And just like that, all of Loki's regret was gone.
00:18 am
“Fuck, I did it again. Sorry, Lokes. I'm sitting here and I feel like a complete idiot. I am one, right? Please, call back. Even if it's just to tell me I'm stupid. Or message me or something.” The next words sounded more distant, as if Tony had lowered the phone already. “Fuck, I need a drink.”
And that drink he seemed to have since in the next message, his voice sounded slightly slurred and his sentences were less coherent than before.
00:43 am
“This is why I don't do feelings. I keep fucking up, everything and everyone, first Pep, now you. C'mon, Snowflake, give me – just fucking talk to me. This is – you're sulking, stop it. Stop acting like I'm perfect and not allowed to make mistakes, 'cause you know I'm far from it. I said something wrong, I apologized, now calm down. Or wasn't it enough? This is a voicemail, you can just repeat it and listen to me telling you I'm sorry and an idiot all over again. Please, come back. Or... or call back. Whatever.”
The next recording was even worse.
02:37 am
“Y'are fucking kiddin' me, right? I made a goddamn joke about daddy issues, well boo-fucking-hoo, get over it. Get your shit together, Lokes. You're acting like some spoiled little teen an' I know you're not. Stop it.”
After that, Tony started to sound surprisingly sober again.
03:15 am
“You win. I'm sorry, you win, I'm an idiot, I'll say anything you want, but please just call back.”
04:24 am
“Jesus Christ, Loki, pick the fucking phone up. You can't actually be asleep, right? I've been awake the whole night and you wanna tell me you just slept through it? Not buying it, buddy. You can't tell me this doesn't bother you. I hate fighting with you. Knowing my luck, you're not even listening to your voicemail, like, ever. Or maybe once a year or something.”
04:30 am
“I'm running out of things to say. Come on, Lokes. Don't be that guy.”
05:41 am
“Loki, please. You got me begging and that's more than anyone ever managed before. I love you, Lokes, you know that, and you know I'm sorry, but please just come back... Come home.”
No more messages. To repeat this message, press...
Slowly, Loki lowered the phone. He wasn't angry, not anymore, but he hadn't even thought of the possibility of their argument upsetting the mortal that much. Towards the end, he had sounded more and more miserable, and although Loki had wanted him to feel bad when he had left, he hadn't thought in such dimensions. Now, he felt silly and childish for his retreat the evening before.
With a sigh, he shed the clothes he had slept in and dressed in black jeans and a dark green button-up shirt. A glance at the clock on his nightstand told him in red numbers that it was 08:12 am. Running a hand through his hair, he searched for the energy pattern of the arc reactor (it made it easier to detect Tony than searching for the mortal's own, small aura). As expected, it was in the area of Stark Tower and Loki instantly teleported to the engineer's side.
Tony was passed out cold on a couch in his penthouse, a bottle of scotch laying on its side on the floor next to him with some sad remnants of the golden liquid inside.
Cursing under his breath, Loki made a small gesture and the bottle disappeared. Then, he crouched down to the mortal. He was laying on his back, his head turned awkwardly to the side. One of his hands was draped over the arc reactor in a subconscious, protective gesture, the fingers of the other were curled loosely around the phone resting beside his head. It steered a guilty feeling in Loki as he picked his mortal up, careful as not to wake him up, and watched the small device slip from his hand and fall onto the cushions with a soft thud. Tony's fingers twitched as if missing the weight and he made a soft sound when the god held him closer to his chest. He would laugh if he were awake now, Loki could practically hear him taunting: Bridal style, Snowflake? Really?
With quiet, small steps he carried the engineer into the elevator and was once again grateful for JARVIS because the cabin started to move towards Tony's floor without Loki having to give any command. When they arrived, the god laid his lover down onto the ridiculously large bed, carefully tugging the sheets over him after brushing his hand against the other's cold fingers. He pulled Tony's socks off before he fastened the blanket around his also cold feet. Only when he reached up to pull it over the man's shoulders, too, he saw that Tony was awake and watching him. For a second, he stopped in his tracks, but then just continued what he had started.
Then, he turned around and took a step away from the bed when the mortal's hoarse voice stopped him: “Don't.” He cleared his throat before trying again: “Don't go, I mean. Please. I'm sorry about what I said yesterday, it was childish and stupid, I know that, and I –“
“Hush, Anthony”, Loki interrupted and seized an armchair to drag it over to the side of the bed. “I was not going to leave.”
Tony, who had ruined Loki's work of wrapping him in a blanket by propping himself up on his elbows, exhaled and then snorted: “And there I'm lifting weights and running like an idiot to stay in shape, and my boyfriend goes around lifting armchairs. How's that fair now?”
“Be quiet and go back to sleep. We can discuss everything later.”
“I can't just go back to sleep now”, Tony protested. Albeit looking tired, he managed a stern gaze while continuing: “What I said, that whole embarrassing rambling on your voicemail – please tell me you listened to that – I meant it. I never meant to insult you that badly, I just –“
“You called me 'a spoiled brat with daddy-issues who can't appreciate what he's got', excuse my agitation!”, Loki snapped sharply.
“I didn't know it'd upset you that much! And you could have stayed to listen to me instead of magicking away to sulk!”, Tony shot back.
“I have no need to listen to your rambling about things you know nothing about!”, Loki hissed. In a matter of minutes, the mortal had brought his fury from the day before right back. “If you think you can judge the way I deal with my family, then you –“
“There!” Tony snipped his fingers and raised one of them into the air. “That's the point. Your family. You have one, you've had it for a thousand years, and you throw them away in a temper tantrum! That's what pisses me off. Just look at it. Thor loves you, he absolutely does, and every time he goes to Asgard he returns with greetings from your mother that you don't even bother to reply to.”
“She's not my –“
“You act like a fucking child and you don't even notice!”, the engineer interrupted. “They love you and you refuse to accept it. So maybe your father's an asshole, I can understand – I can relate with that, but that doesn't mean you've got to push away the rest of your family as well!”
Loki rose from his chair, his teeth gritted in anger as he hissed: “I have no need to listen to this ridiculous –“
“Oh, now that it's getting uncomfortable, you're going to do your magical escaping trick? Nice, Loki, that's gonna solve all of your problems, I'm sure”, Tony sneered, sarcasm practically dripping from his words. “If you're gonna run away all the time, then nothing's going to change- It won't solve any of your problems and I know you're not stupid enough to believe it would.”
“I know it will not, but as you said, those are my problems and not yours!”, the god stated sharply. This was not what he had wanted, not at all. He had wanted to accept the mortal's apologies and forget about their argument, to move on. Not start it all over again.
“They're not! We're in a relationship, Loki, and I'd be the worst boyfriend ever if I wouldn't care about your problems as well.”
“But I don't care about them, so why would you?!”
“Because I can tell you're lying, I know you long enough!”, Tony snapped. “Maybe you should just swallow your pride for once and talk to them.”
“You think my pride is what holds me back? What do you know, you infuriating little...” Loki saw the engineer rolling his eyes and sighed. This whole discussion was pointless, running in circles over and over again. They were not getting anywhere near a solution, not if neither of them gave up and they were both stubborn, nobody liked that part. But maybe he could end this discussion just for now. “You know what? If it shuts you up, I will think about it.”
Tony grinned. “See, it's not that hard.”
“That was not a yes.”
“I know, but that's just because your skull is about as thick as my armour.”
“Because you are one to talk, yes?”, the god snorted.
“Absolutely. And now”, Tony lifted the blanket in a clear invitation, “come here.”
“Oh, forget it, you reek of alcohol. I am not going to kiss you like that, it's disgusting”, Loki stated firmly, his arms crossed in front of his chest and his nose scrunched.
“Then don't kiss me, just spoon me. I'm cold.” The last word was a pitiful whine, accompanied by a pleading look out of Tony's dark brown eyes.
“Not fair”, the prince mumbled before kicking off his shoes and complying.
“Don't give me the grumpy expression, I know you love me, no matter what you say”, the mortal teased and Loki rolled his eyes. As Tony shoved his icy hands under the god's dark green shirt, he winced, grimacing, and wondered what good it was to be a frost giant if it didn't prevent you from suffering under your boyfriend's cold feet at night; but he didn't complain, because to be honest, the one night he had spent without this annoyingly chilly cuddling he hadn't slept half as good as he used to.