Work Text:
There was very little to recommend working the late night shift. The convenience store where Loki was employed ran twenty-four hours, but apart from some drunk or high customers, midnight to four a.m. mostly found him alone, bored and trying not to fall asleep.
He usually put his laptop on the counter and edited his latest article. He would sometimes watch videos or catch up on his reading. If he was feeling particularly maudlin he might even start thinking about his life and what the hell he was doing with it, but that didn’t happen often, his stubborn pride usually kicked in and he turned back to his word documents.
Loki was a freelance writer struggling to get by on the checks he gained for his contributions to online journals and the ones he gained for his graveyard shifts. Loki knew he could make life infinitely easier on himself if he just got on a plane and flew home.
His adopted family were rich and although they had told him the truth about his adoption in the worst possible way and while he’d made some terrible mistakes after learning that, they were offering an apology for their own actions and forgiveness for his, Loki just had to come home.
Loki was tempted sometimes, when he was low on cash, exhausted and wishing for one of his mother’s comforting hugs, but one of the last arguments he’d had with Odin had ended with his adopted father snarling; “never come back” and him viciously snapping; “I would rather throw myself off a bridge then come back here.”
Loki couldn’t just walk back in as if nothing had happened. He also, damn it all, still wanted to prove himself to the Odinson family.
It found Loki where he was, bent over a counter and blearily attempting to proof-read a scathing article about a new Indian restaurant he’d sampled a few days ago. He was pretty sure he was doing more harm than good to the prose when the doors of the shop opened.
His head raised and Loki sucked in an instinctive breath; it was Tony.
The customer was a college student, a regular, a few years younger than Loki and by far Loki’s favourite thing about working the graveyard shift. Tony was funny, perpetually sleep-deprived, and usually spent anywhere from ten minutes to an hour talking to Loki whenever he stopped by to stock up on his energy drinks.
Loki had told Tony more than once that it would be cheaper to buy in bulk somewhere else, but Tony always waved him off with a wink and a flirtatious ‘somewhere else doesn’t have you’. Loki was charmed, he was also crushing slightly on the other man, but he’d learnt early on that Tony was a natural flirt and Loki wasn’t anything special to him.
It didn’t mean Loki couldn’t enjoy it while it lasted.
Although, Loki had to admit that he was growing concerned. He normally saw Tony once every few weeks and a bit more frequently if he had a project or an exam he was preparing for, but Loki had seen him every night this week and he was buying Red Bull in alarming quantities each time. It was possible he was buying for more than just himself, but Loki doubted it.
His worry was only rising at the sight of Tony tonight. The other man not only took pride in his appearance but in his manner; even the two times Tony had come in hungover, he still managed to smile, crack a joke and look endearingly haphazard. Tonight, Tony just looked terrible.
His hair was a mess, his clothing looked slept in, he didn’t smell of cologne but old coffee, motor-oil and a hint of stale sweat. His goatee was becoming more of a beard and he had on two different sneakers.
Loki watched his slow shuffle to the counter with increasing alarm. Tony placed down a new carton of Red Bull and before Tony could speak, Loki was asking, genuinely worried and unable to hide it, “Are you okay, Tony?”
Tony blinked very slowly, seeming to take a moment to process the words and that meant something was very wrong. Loki reached out before he could stop himself, resting a hand on Tony’s forearm. “Is there anything I can do?”
Tony gave him a heartbreakingly soft smile in reply. He still looked exhausted, but his eyes were warm. “Nah, Lokes. No one can fix this but me.”
“What’s wrong?” Loki asked, still not letting his arm go. “You don’t look like your sleeping. Are you even eating? You can’t live on Red Bull alone.”
Tony’s smile turned amused and a little more like normal. He also slumped against the counter.
“Sleep is for the weak,” he quipped, still sounding terribly tired. He closed his eyes. “Gotta fix it if I’m gonna pass.”
“You could pass in your sleep,” Loki countered, having learned enough about the other man to know that. “You just want to awe people.”
Tony’s lips tipped into a smile. “Ya know me so well, Lokes.”
“And I know you’re not eating,” Loki insisted. “Can you buy something more than just Red Bull? You look like you’re going to pass out.”
Tony pressed his cheek to the counter. “I really could.”
That was it; Loki couldn’t just ignore it anymore.
It was entirely against company policy, but Loki didn’t care. He closed his laptop and put it under the counter. He then locked the doors of the shop before walking around to Tony’s side of the divide. It made Tony lift his head, frowning in confusion, Loki just grabbed his arm and started leading him towards the back room.
“What’a’ya doin’?” Tony asked, his words a mumbled slur.
“Keeping you from getting behind the wheel of a car,” Loki grabbed a sandwich and a bottle of water on the way to the staff room. He then unlocked the door and pulled Tony inside. Loki sat him on a chair and gave him the sandwich and water, telling him to try and eat and drink half of it. He then got to work forming a makeshift bed on the floor. It wasn’t ideal, but if you were tired enough, you could sleep anywhere. He was lucky one of his co-workers had forgotten her yoga mat while another had started bringing a blanket to work, claiming the staff room was too cold during their break.
When he turned back to Tony he found the sandwich gone and most of the water. Tony was leaning his cheek on his hand which was propped on the table. He was peering at Loki through heavy-lidded eyes and grinning faintly. The expression made Loki want to flush and he hurriedly straightened and gestured at the mat. “You need to sleep, Tony. I’ll wake you before my shift ends.”
“Buyin’ me dinner and lettin’ me stay in the spare room? You’re a romantic, Lokes.”
“Shut up,” Loki grumbled, trying not to blush as he got Tony standing and then helped ease him onto the mat. Tony instantly wrapped himself in the blanket and closed his eyes.
Loki was still crouched beside the other man and he had to physically restrain himself from smoothing down the man’s hair or brushing the back of his hand over Tony’s cheek. He began to stand, but paused when calloused fingers curled around his wrist. Tony didn’t even open his eyes, but he whispered, “Thanks, Loki.”
Loki felt his heart tumble in his chest, but tried not to let it show as he squeezed Tony’s hand before unwinding it from his wrist. “You’re welcome.”
Tony hummed but didn’t say anything more and by the time Loki was quietly closing the staff room door, he was fairly sure Tony was asleep.
Loki checked in on Tony every hour or so, but the brunet was dead to the world. It always found Loki smiling fondly and lingering just outside the staff room door for a few moments, staring at the sleeping man.
Loki regretted having to go in an hour before his shift ended to gently shake the other man awake. Tony groaned unhappily and brown eyes cracked open looking tired and petulant. Loki gave him an apologetic look. “You’ve slept for four hours. It’s almost four-thirty and I’m going to have a co-worker arriving soon, you need to wake up.”
Tony gave another groan, but he still gave a nod. Loki took his agreement on faith and stood up. He left the staff room door cracked open as he made his way back to his place behind the counter. Loki didn’t expect anyone to show up for another half hour, but early morning workers could be hard to predict.
It took almost ten minutes before Tony shuffled his way over to the counter. He gave Loki a smile that was utterly blinding in its gratitude and sweetness.
“Thanks,” his voice was sleep-roughened and delightful. “I uh, rolled up the mat and folded the blanket on the table.”
“That’s fine,” Loki replied, feeling oddly nervous. “Do you feel better after some sleep?”
“Yeah,” Tony agreed, he gave a rough laugh, bringing a hand to run through his hair. “I probably need more of it.” He smiled sheepishly. “I might head home and go straight to bed. My project can wait a few more hours.”
Loki smiled back, relaxing at the other man’s words. “I think that’s a good decision, Tony.”
“Yeah.” Tony shifted on his feet, looking faintly uncomfortable; his eyes fell from Loki’s until he was staring at counter. “Look, I uh, know I’m a mess and can get kind of... obsessive over my projects and you probably think I’m an idiot, but um, I was wondering if I might be able to take you to dinner sometime?”
Loki’s eyes widened. He licked his lips, feeling hopeful. “You mean, as a date?”
Tony raised his eyes and his smile was soft. “I was hoping, yeah.”
“Then, yes,” Loki answered, not needing to think about it.
Tony instantly brightened, even seeming to shake off the last remnants of sleep. “Awesome. I’ll um, text you after I’ve slept?”
“After we’ve both slept,” Loki corrected with a hint of tease. “What do you think I’ll be doing when I get home?”
Tony laughed. It was a sound and sight that hadn’t appeared for weeks but that Loki had keenly missed.
When Tony pulled out his phone, Loki happily did the same and they exchanged numbers. They were both grinning ridiculously widely when they were finished. Tony was also quick to promise, “Dinner’s on me too, since you already paid for the first meal.”
It took Loki a moment to realise and then he instantly protested, “That sandwich does not count as a first meal and this was not a date.”
“Whatever you say, Lokes,” Tony told him, winking. “I’m still not changing my mind.” He began to sober, his expression serious and grateful. “And I really appreciate it, regardless.”
Loki found the fight leaving him at the sight. “You’re welcome.”
Tony just smiled again, bright, carefree and cheerful once more. “Awesome. Then, you, me, dinner, my treat.”
Loki shook his head at the other man, but he was grinning once more. He was about to say something when the doors opened and a customer stepped inside. They both glanced at him before once more at each other. It was Tony’s cue to leave and their disappointment wasn’t hard to miss.
“I better let you finish your shift,” Tony told him. He stepped back from the counter. “I’ll text you in a few hours.” He smiled. “I can’t wait for our date, Loki.”
Loki didn’t have a chance to reply before the customer was at the counter and Tony was giving him a wave, than a thumbs up and making Loki laugh before giving the other man a shooing gesture. Loki then turned to the customer in front of him, whose disgruntled expression wasn’t enough to dim Loki’s spectacularly good mood.
He had a date with the cute customer he’d been crushing on for weeks; life suddenly seemed a hell of a lot better.