Chapter Text
When they met, he was a nobody. Not in the sense that he had no friends, although that was true enough, but in the sense that he was not much more than the space he took up in the homeless shelter. All he had to his name was the clothes on his back, a rather nice brown winter jacket, two pairs of sneakers, and a large blue sleeping bag. At some point in his life he could have laid claim to his good looks, his charm, and his skills for manipulation, but it was nearly impossible to use these things to his advantage now. His hair was too long, and too knotted. He had not had a proper shower in what felt like decades, though he was barely twenty five years old. The man could only imagine the way he must have smelled, as he had long since grown used to the scent of despair, sweat, blood and grime.
When his appearance faded into what it was now, his charm went with it. He could still talk his way out of messy situations, but he had a very hard time charming his way into homes, or beds, when he could not even get people to stand near him for more than a few seconds. That cut down the money that he was able to make. Without being able to sell his body, the only way he could make anything, besides by helping around the shelter, was stealing. That wasn't overly difficult, far from it, in fact. He had spent many years doing things of that sort, and it was easy to go unnoticed when he was lifting the wallets or purses. It was, however, very difficult to go unnoticed once he had brought the money back to the shelter. Too many times he had experienced people finding it and beating him until they could pry the money from his hands. He wasn't weak, he still had the same lean muscles as he always had, but he could not procure the energy to truly fight back over something as trivial as twenty or thirty dollars.
When they met, it was a clear Thursday night in March. The winter was mostly over, which was surprising given that the snow usually hung around much long than anyone ever wanted it to. This did not mean, however, that it was warm out yet. The spring was still chilly enough that he had no choice but to spend his nights in the shelter. He liked summers the best because it was the only time of year where he could spend days without returning to the shelter. Despite being a bit too cold for his liking, that night was particularly nice. The sun had just set, and the little stars that were visible in the ever shining lights of New York City had come out to play. The man was walking toward the fountain in the middle of the park, his favorite place to be at nighttime. His green eyes were cast downward, following his feet as he walked the familiar path. However, something fairly uncommon was to happen that night. For the first time, he collided with another person. Usually those around him gave him a wide berth, partially because he truly looked homeless, and partially because he still gave off an air of distaste for others.
For whatever the reason, this person had not noticed. When the two of them crashed into one another, the man was acutely aware of how much shorter the other person was, and how much cleaner. A strong scent of expensive after-shave and shampoo met his nostrils. He pulled himself away from the other person as quickly as he could, offering up a mumbled apology. Without meaning to, his eyes flicked to the person he had hit. The other man was gorgeous, his eyes were a deep brown that could only be compared to what the constellations must have been made up of. His hair was short, but shaggy enough to give him a soft look despite the sharp edged facial hair that he sported. If he wouldn't have been such a mess himself, he could have asked this man to share a bed with him.
"Hey, buddy, next time you should watch wh-" The other man stopped when he gazed up at the other, "Holy shit."
He was suddenly very aware of the way he looked, and he reached up and ran a hand through his filthy hair. He didn't know what he looked like to this man, he didn’t even know what to say next.
Strangely enough, the other man spoke again, "What is your name?"
He felt oddly uncomfortable by the intensity in the question, but answered it any way, "My name is Loki."
The brown haired man raised an eyebrow at that, "Loki? Where does that name come from? And is it just Loki? No last name? Are you Just Loki, Loki?"
The man blinked at this stranger, lost in his questions, "It is of Norse origins, and yes. It is just Loki."
"Well, Just Loki, I am Anthony Stark, but Tony is good too."
A light bulb went off dimly in Loki's mind as Tony told him his name. He had heard it somewhere else before, perhaps many times, but he could not pinpoint where it had been and why. "Pleasure, I am sure. Now, if you do not mind I will take my leave and allow you to continue on with you night."
Loki tried to step around the other man, but Tony stepped in front of him again, "You speak very well for someone who doesn't seem to know what a shower is. Or who I am, for that matter."
"I have not lived on the streets my entire life, Anthony Stark." Loki snorted, trying to find a path where he could get away from this odd man.
"So I would assume you do know how to use a shower, you just haven't the ability to use one."
Loki furrowed his eyebrows, looking at Tony he sighed, "What is it you want, Anthony Stark? Are you attempting to convince me to find a shower or are you offering your own? In which case I would have to decline."
"I just want to talk to you." Tony shrugged, "I've never meet someone like you before."
Loki's nostrils flared, "Like me? Do you mean poor? Or homeless? Not everyone has the ability to afford whatever it is that they want, and certainly we have not all been taught how to survive in a way that we would be able to prosper as you, yourself has. If you would kindly step aside I will be leaving now."
"No, no!" Tony started, gripping onto Loki's forearm as he attempted to step around him again, "That isn't what I meant. It's just, you're interesting. Beautiful, even."
"What?" Loki stopped in his tracks, looking at the other man in a very confused fashion.
Tony laughed awkwardly, "Look, I know that sounds creepy, but just talk to me for a bit, okay? Then you can go."
Loki was not sure why he nodded to the shorter man. There seemed to be no reason for him to do so, he would not be gaining anything out of this conversation, so why would he even bother to cater to this stranger's whim?
The two of them sat down on a bench under one of the more full trees in the park. It was rather empty, surprisingly. Usually the place was a bustle at night time with young couples trying to have a romantic evening, or drug pushers and addicts trying to make a deal. However, tonight it was quiet, peaceful, and almost comfortable. "Would you like to play a game with me, Loki?"
"It depends on what this game entails." Loki replied, glancing at the stranger to his right.
The man chuckled, a hearty, joyous sound, "Nothing sexual, unless you make it that way. It's simple, really. I ask you a question, and you answer honestly. Then you ask me a question and I have to answer honestly. When we come to a question that one of us refuses to answer, then the game is over."
Loki turned the thought over in his mind, it was an interesting proposal, and yet he wondered what the information could be used for. What was the point of it? What would the man ask, and what could he do with it? There was much that Loki would like to keep hidden, but he figured that it was very unlikely that he would ever see this man again after this night. It was a large city after all. "Alright, Anthony Stark. I will play your game."
"Brilliant. I will go first then." Tony flashed the other man a smile, "How old are you?"
"I am twenty five as of two weeks ago." Loki replied, "How old are you?"
"I am thirty one, and happy late birthday."
Loki arched an eyebrow, "Thank you. It is your turn."
Tony smiled, and looked toward the sky, "How long have you been homeless?"
Sighing softly, the black haired man shrugged, "About five years. How long have you been grossly wealthy?"
Tony laughed loudly, "Grossly? It's much more awesome than it is gross, but I would say since I was conceived."
"Born into it then? I was as well, before this happened, of course."
"And what is this? Being homeless? What happened?" Tony questioned.
Loki smiled, but there was no joy behind the motion, "I was a disgrace to my father. I was nothing like the golden child my elder brother was. He wanted me to be something that he could mold, and shape. He did not want an unruly, mischievous, and manipulative boy turned man. I was not meant to be controlled, and he knew it. My father cast me out, despite the protests of my mother, and since I have been living here."
"Your dad sounds like a dick." Tony offered in response to this.
"I would be inclined to agree." Loki leaned back into the bench a little, some of the discomfort leaving his body, "Why did you want me to stay and speak to you? Why not just walk away?"
The other man turned his head back to Loki, an awkward smile pulling at his lips, "Honestly? I was angry when we bumped into each other but when I looked up and saw those green eyes of yours and I was like, 'Damn. This guy is gorgeous' which I still think even though you reek to high heaven."
Loki let out a humorless laugh at that, "I assume that I do."
"Well at least you know it." Tony replied with a chuckle, "Do you really not know who I am?"
"Your name is one that I have heard before, but I do not remember where it was. I do not really have the chance to follow the news, or anything of that sort with my current living situation." Loki paused for a moment, then continued, "Why are you in the park if you are so apparently recognizable?"
"Well, even us famous people need to get out of the house sometimes."
The other man moved slightly closer to Loki, and the black haired man assumed that he was trying to be subtle, so he did not mention it, "I am sure. What is your next question?"
"Are you enjoying yourself?" Tony asked, moving his hand in a fashion that Loki was able to understand that he was talking about their little question game.
"I suppose so. It has been awhile since I have had any positive human interaction." Loki glanced over at the other man, to find that Tony was also looking back at him. The taller of the two held the others gaze for a long moment before turning away, "Do you often talk with homeless people you meet?"
"No. Only if they are as attractive as you." Tony flirted jokingly.
Loki rolled his eyes, "You should be careful with that. What if I was actually a murderer? You would be dead by now, Anthony Stark."
"I'm not as easy to kill as you may believe." Tony replied with a strange tone marring his otherwise smooth voice. Before Loki could question it, Tony had glanced down at an expensive looking watch, then back up at the man beside him, "Could we make this a regular thing?"
The black haired man was quiet for a moment before asking his own question, "This odd question game of yours?"
"Yes."
Loki thought for a moment then looked at Tony, a snarky sort of smile on his lips, "If you can find me."
"Oh?" Tony raised an eyebrow, "If I can find you?"
"Yes." Loki nodded, "I will wait for you somewhere in this park each Thursday at the time that we bumped into one another. You must find where I am. If you can succeed in doing so we can continue your game."
"I've always liked a challenge." Tony replied, a smile on his face.
Loki laughed very softly, "In that case I suppose I will see you next week then?"
"Yes." The shorter of the two replied, "I should be getting back. I'm sure there are some people looking for me by now."
"Then on your way you go, Anthony Stark." Loki gestured for the man to leave.
Tony stood and did a full body stretch before turning back to the other man, "You can call me Tony, you know."
"We will see if that ever happens." Loki replied, as the other man began to walk away.
"I'm sure we will!" Tony called back over his shoulder.
Loki watched the man's back as he walked on. He turned the events of this night over in his mind, wondering if Tony would actually show up and attempt to find him again next Thursday. Loki supposed that he would wait in this same spot on that day, just to see if he had been serious. If he had been, then he would make finding him truly challenging. For now though, he had to sure that the still sort-of stranger was not playing him for a fool.
"We will see." Loki mumbled softly under his breath, "We will see."