Chapter Text
Tony Stark tightened the last screw in the laser he was working on and leaned back with a sigh. "Now, Jarvis, all we have to do is test it."
"Perhaps now is a good time to suggest taking a break, sir."
Tony frowned. "How long have I been down here?"
"Almost six hours, sir."
Tony's eyes widened. “Shit! Is Peter home yet?"
"Yes, sir. The young master arrived home a few minutes ago with some companions."
"Okay, we'll test it tomorrow." Tony stood and stretched until his back cracked. "So who are these ‘companions’ - anyone we know?"
“Master Ned is with him, sir, and two classmates with whom I am unacquainted."
“Thanks, Jarvis."
Tony left the lab and headed to the penthouse. Peter had been with them for just over a year now, and Tony and Pepper were trying to do their best to act like real parents and give him the stability he needed in his new home. For Tony, that meant not working for long stretches in his lab. Instead, he tried to finish work at a respectable time every night, so he could talk to Peter and make sure he was happy and settling in well.
He stood in the doorway and looked at the group. The kids were sitting on the floor, books and papers fanned out around them. They seemed to be in the middle of a discussion that was quickly becoming heated.
A dark-haired goth boy Tony didn't know scowled at a pretty blonde girl across from him. "I didn't bring any money because I thought this was a study group, not a dinner party."
The girl gave a snide smile. “Sure, that's why you don't have any money."
Tony was about to intervene when Peter, ever the peacemaker, quickly interrupted. “Nobody needs to pay for anything, Dad will pay."
Tony smiled. Dad. He still loved that.
The goth boy flicked back a long strand of somewhat greasy-looking hair. His left eye was outlined with thick black eyeliner, while his other eye was completely covered with dark makeup. His lips and fingernails were also painted black. To Tony's surprise, he spoke with an English accent.
"If we just studied - like we're supposed to - we could finish quickly and nobody would have to pay for anything." He looked at his watch - and who, thought Tony, has a watch anymore? - "And anyway, I have to be at work at six-thirty."
Ned put a hand on his shoulder, and Tony noticed the boy flinch slightly and pull away. "It's okay, Loki, we'll be finished in plenty of time. It'd just be good to eat something first. Aren't you hungry?"
The boy - Loki - didn't answer.
"Well, I'm hungry anyway." The girl made it sound like a challenge.
Peter smiled a little nervously, trying to diffuse the tension. "Jarvis can order them, and we can carry on working while we're waiting. And Happy can give you a ride to work if we're running late."
Loki opened his mouth - probably to argue - and then seemed to change his mind when he met Peter's best puppy-dog eyes. He shrugged and looked away. Tony felt himself bristle. Peter was just being nice and this kid didn't have to be such a dick about it.
"Hey, kids, howya doin’?" They all looked up as he entered.
Peter grinned. "Hi, Dad. You hungry? I was just about to order some pizza, want to join us?"
“Sure." He shot a look at the dark-haired kid to see if he was going to object, but the boy simply rolled his eyes and said nothing. "You kids carry on working, I'll sort out the food."
“Thanks Dad!"
"Any special requests?"
"I like pineapple!" said the girl, her smile a little too large.
Tony tried not to shudder. Fruit belonged in a bowl, not on a pizza.
"And Loki's vegetarian!" Peter added.
Of course he was, thought Tony. By the looks of him, he was probably into all kinds of weird new-age shit and health fads. That would explain his pasty white skin and underfed appearance. The kid's mother probably spent all her time cooking perfectly good meals while he turned his nose up at everything she put in front of him. Tony was tempted to ask if he was also gluten-free - he looked the type - but decided against it. Peter would be annoyed at Tony baiting his friend, and Tony didn't care anyway. If the kid didn't want to eat the pizza when it arrived, he didn't have to. Tony certainly wasn't going to lose any sleep over it.
While he waited for the food to arrive, he wandered over to the bar and poured himself a drink. The dark-haired boy watched him with distaste. Peter was looking down at his book, and so didn't notice as Tony smirked and raised his glass to the kid. Figured he'd have a bug up his ass about alcohol as well, Tony thought, must be a joy to live with. Once again, he thanked all the powers that be that he had a great kid like Peter.
“So, who are your new friends?"
The dark-haired boy glared at him. "We're assigned study partners."
Tony gritted his teeth. He knew he wouldn't like everyone Peter brought home, but he already wanted to slap that kid three ways to Sunday.
Again, Peter stepped in. “Dad, this is Amora Chantress…"
The girl stood up and preened flirtatiously, holding out her hand to Tony. Tony made a mental note to warn Peter to stay well away from that one - she smelled like trouble. "It's so wonderful to meet you! I’ve read all about you!"
“Didn't know they'd written articles about him in big print," muttered the dark-haired boy, and Amora shot him a look of pure hatred.
"And this is Loki Laufey."
The boy barely glanced up from his book. "Hi."
For some reason, the boy's casual dismissal of Tony irritated him. "Please, don't get up."
Loki raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? I could bow if it would make you feel better."
“Dad!" Peter knew Loki could be difficult, but he hadn't expected Tony to be so confrontational.
Tony took a deep breath. “Sorry. Long day. You kids carry on, don't mind me."
He walked over to the bar and began to pour himself another drink. He looked up to see Loki watching him out of the corner of his eye, and he pointedly downed half of it in one gulp. He watched the boy's lip curl in contempt.
Peter's voice broke the silence. "Okay, so we need a business idea."
"I think we should pick something that's easy to do and makes a lot of money," suggested Amora.
Loki rolled his eyes. "No shit. How long did it take you to come up with that brilliant suggestion? Seriously, I want to know. Have you been thinking about it for hours, or did it just occur to you that you needed to state the obvious?"
Amora glared at him. "Well, at least I'm contributing."
"Fine. I also have an idea. Let's write down every dumb thing that comes out of Amora's mouth and turn them into memes. We can copyright them for royalties and make money selling ad space."
“Loki." Peter's voice was serious and they locked gazes for a moment, until Loki shrugged and backed down.
"Fine."
"What about investing? Playing the stock market?" suggested Ned.
Peter frowned. "It's risky. We'd have to really know what we were doing and even then, you can have one bad day and lose everything."
Loki looked thoughtful. "If we study everything, we can try and calculate the risks. If we succeed, the returns can be high. But you're right - the investments that offer the greatest returns will also be the most dangerous, and there are some things you just can't anticipate. We have such a small startup that we could lose it all before we have a chance to make any real money."
"I have an idea! What if we start an investment company? We could persuade people to invest a sum of money and guarantee they'll see a return on their investment. We'll persuade them to get their friends and families to invest, and pay them back with that - that way we won't be risking any of our own money!"
Loki rubbed his temples with his fingertips. “See, this is why you make it so hard not to call you stupid."
Amora narrowed her eyes. "I don't see why it wouldn't work!"
"Because you've just described a ponzi scheme."
She stared at him blankly. "A what?"
“Don't worry about it. Fortunately, you're attractive and rich, so there'll never be any consequences for your actions."
The moment he spoke, he realized what he'd said, and couldn't help casting a glance towards Tony Stark.
Tony bristled. “Something you wanna say to me, kid?"
Before Loki could respond, Jarvis called out, “Sir, your pizzas have arrived."
Ned threw down his notebook. "Great, I'm starving!"
Peter jumped up. “Me too! You're going to eat with us, aren't you Loki?"
Before Loki could answer, Amora sneered, "No reason not to, now that someone else is paying."
Loki colored to the roots of his hair. “Since it doesn't look like we're going to do any more work, I may as well leave."
Peter shot Amora a furious look. "Loki, please stay! We’ve got all this pizza and we can talk while we're eating…"
Loki's defensive posture softened but he shook his head. "No, I should go. I really do have to work tonight."
"Happy can drive you."
"No, I'd rather take the tube. Thanks, though. See you later." He hoisted his backpack over his shoulder - Tony couldn't help but wonder what he had in there to make it so heavy - and left.
Peter sighed and Ned shot him a sympathetic look.
"Well," Ned said in consolation, "it went better than I thought it would!"
----------
The journey from Stark Tower to the Burger Shack took a lot longer. He arrived with only minutes to spare and quickly changed into his uniform. It was already busy, so he headed over to the loaded sink, rolled up his sleeves and began his shift.
It was a little past two in the morning when he finally finished work. A group of older people had come in late and sat for hours drinking coffee. As far as the manager was concerned, as long as there were people in the restaurant, they couldn't close, so Loki and the others had to wait until their discussion - a loud, endless series of complaints about the world today and the idleness of young people - finished.
Loki sighed as he lifted his heavy backpack and began the long walk home. He debated whether or not he should sleep at the old factory and decided against it. It was late, and his father, Svad, and any friends that were there, should either be high or unconscious by now. Besides, he was too tired to take the detour and wanted to sleep in a proper bed. If the worst came to the worst, he could always leave.
To his relief, the house was quiet when he arrived. The occupants of the room - five of them in total - were sleeping, snoring heavily, despite the noise from the television. The stench of liquor was almost overpowering and he noticed a few pill bottles lying on the table. He slipped quietly past them, not bothering to turn off the tv. There was always a chance that the sudden silence would startle one of them into wakefulness and it wasn't worth the risk.
He opened the door to his room and slipped inside. With a relieved sigh, he set down his backpack, slipping a chair beneath the door handle for security. He felt hot and greasy after his shift, but didn't want to risk the noise of a shower; besides, he was just too tired.
Loki was grateful for his small ensuite bathroom. It was one of the few things his father had insisted on when they were looking for a house. Joe Laufey had learned - after an unfortunate incident which had led to a visit to the emergency room and a subsequent visit from a social worker - that if he wanted to lock Loki in his room while he was gone, the boy needed access to water. It was tiny, with barely enough space for the small washbasin and toilet, but it did give Loki his independence. As soon as he started earning his own money, Loki bought himself a microwave and a toaster, and now he could live almost exclusively in his room.
He washed his face and examined himself in the mirror. Without the heavy makeup, he could see that although the swelling around his eye had lessened considerably, it was still badly bruised. He sighed. Sometimes he wished he didn't have to bother with painting his face as much as he did, but the makeup covered the bruises, and it made his overall appearance look like a fashion choice, rather than all he could afford.
He thought about the kids in his school, having so much money that they never even had to think about it. He wished he could have enough money to buy clothes and live in a house filled with food where he could shower everyday, but he knew that - for now at least - that life was over for him. He also knew that if he didn’t graduate from high school and get a scholarship at a good college, he would never escape this life.
Sighing, he kicked off his shoes and tumbled into bed, exhausted.
He was asleep within minutes.
----------
As they settled into the bed that night, Tony Stark put his arms around Pepper Potts. “Peter's mad at me."
"I know."
Tony pushed back a little to see her face. "What did he tell you?"
“That you didn't like one of his friends and were acting like an ass."
Tony looked shocked. "He said I was acting like an ass?"
"No, I added that part because I know you. What's the problem with his friends, anyway?"
"For a start, that girl - Amora - is trouble."
"He already knows that. Peter's not an idiot, he can see what sort of person she is. But he wasn't talking about her. Apparently you were rude to Loki... what do you have against him?"
"He's snarky and judgemental and I'm surprised he can stand with the weight of that chip on his shoulder. Not to mention the fact that he looks like the lead singer of an 80's grunge band. Seriously, you should see this kid."
"I have seen him, and I thought he seemed fine. A little quiet, but very respectful - called me 'ma'am’ and made me feel about a hundred years old - but very polite."
Tony gaped at her. "You're kidding, right? What about all that make-up and the grease in his hair?"
"Lots of people like the goth style, there's nothing wrong with it. He's just expressing himself."
"Yeah, I know exactly what he's expressing. I'd just prefer it if Peter hung out with kids that didn't look like they had a side business selling weed and pharmaceuticals."
Pepper laughed. “Tony Stark, judgemental middle-aged dad! I never thought I'd see the day! Seriously, though - Peter has the impression that Loki's got rather a rough home life. He thinks Loki dresses the way he does because he can't afford anything better. He also suspects that's why Loki can be a little prickly at times."
"Prickly, huh? I'd say Peter's two letters off."
“Tony!" She turned to face him. "Just trust Peter, okay? Try and be a little understanding, and give the kid a chance."
----------
The next study group was planned for Sunday afternoon. Loki was coming straight from work. Peter offered to send Happy to pick him up, but Loki had refused and Peter hadn't pushed it. Loki - for once - finished on time and the buses were running on schedule. He ended up arriving twenty minutes early. He hesitated in the doorway. He didn't want to wait in the lobby - he didn't appreciate the way the security guards were eyeing him - and he didn't have money to waste in a coffee shop.
He decided to go to the penthouse and wait with Peter until the others arrived. He hoped Ned was already there; he liked Ned. Having made up his mind, he strode over to the elevator, trying to look as if he belonged there.
----------
"Fuck! Fuck, fuck, FUCK!" Tony Stark threw a socket wrench across the room and it made a hole in the wall when it connected.
Tony took a breath and sank down to the floor. He wanted a drink. He'd wanted a drink all day, and the need was just getting worse.
He'd tried to cut back on his drinking since Peter had arrived; he wanted to be a good father to the kid, not an embarrassing drunk. He had done better than any of them thought he could, himself included, and although he knew he could never stop completely, he was learning to cut back and moderate it.
But then there were days like today, when he knew that if he touched a single drop, he wouldn't be able to stop. He wanted to drink until he was pass-out drunk. Lately, his drinking had been increasing to the point that Pepper had talked to him about it yesterday, and he'd agreed, because of Peter. He had promised he wouldn't touch a drop today.
But his head was aching and his hands were shaking and he just really, REALLY wanted a drink.
"Jarvis, is Peter home?"
"No, sir, his errand took longer than anticipated. He asked me to convey the message that he and Mr Hogan have been caught in traffic and should be here within the next twenty minutes. However, the others are here for his study group. Miss Chantress and Master Leeds have just arrived, and Master Laufey is waiting in the penthouse."
Tony was just tidying himself up to head upstairs when he froze. "Wait, backup a bit - that creepy goth kid is alone in the penthouse?"
"Yes, sir."
"What the hell, J? You couldn't just tell him to wait in the lobby?"
“Master Peter's orders were clear, sir. If anyone arrived early, then they were to wait for the others in the penthouse."
"Peter's an idiot." Tony was hurrying from the lab as he spoke. "I mean, the kid's a genius, sure, but he's also a teenager, and that means he's an idiot. It comes with the territory."
Ned and Amora greeted him as he got into the elevator. He tried to ignore Amora's fluttering eyelashes and pushed-out chest.
Tony rushed into the penthouse before his guests. He looked around; there was no sign of the kid.
Then he heard a noise behind the bar.
Great, the kid was drinking his booze. He felt his fury rise. Why should this sixteen year-old asshole be drinking his booze when he couldn't? Angrily, he stepped behind the bar.
Loki was bending down, loading bottles from the fridge into his backpack.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Loki jumped, startled, and dropped the bottle in his hand. It rolled away across the floor and out of sight. The kid looked more annoyed at the interruption than embarrassed to be caught stealing and Tony felt himself lose his tenuous grip on his temper.
"I was just…"
“Stealing stuff from our fridge! I have eyes, you know."
Loki stood straighter and narrowed his eyes. "I wasn't stealing."
"Oh no?" Tony leaned forward and grabbed the backpack from the floor. Depositing it on the bar, he began to pull out bottles of ...water? He stared, confused. "Why the hell are you stealing water?"
"As I was saying, I was just…"
Before he could finish, Tony spotted something held in place by the bottles. "Well, I guess it wasn't just water, was it?" He reached into the bag and pulled out a Starkpad. Tony recognized it as Pepper's. He placed it on the counter. “This is Pepper's. Y’know, she was sticking up for you, telling me I should be a good person and feel sorry for you, like Peter does! You little shit, you couldn't even be grateful, could you?"
Loki was ramrod straight and his eyes were icy. "No, I couldn't. I neither need nor want your pity. So what now? Do you intend to call the police and have me arrested?"
"If I thought it would do any good, I would. But something tells me you're not the type to be scared straight. I want you out of my building, and don't want you anywhere near Peter. He doesn't need friends like you!"
“That suits me perfectly." He leaned forward to pick up his backpack, but Tony pulled it away.
"Not so fast."
Loki's face was burning as the billionaire pulled out his greasy work clothes, and Tony's nose wrinkled as a pair of socks and some underwear fell out. "Okay, you know what? I don't even care if you’ve taken anything else, I'm not going to keep digging through your dirty laundry. Take your stuff and get out of here."
Face flaming, Loki swept his things back into the bag and pushed past Tony.
It was only then that Tony remembered Ned and Amora standing behind him, witnessing the whole event. Ned was staring open mouthed as Loki flew from the room. Amora seemed to be barely watching, all her attention fixed on her phone.
Tony took a breath and tried to calm himself. It wasn't working. Any minute now, Peter would come home and Tony would have to tell him how Loki had betrayed his trust.
He tried to smile at Ned and Amora. "Hey, would you two mind if we rescheduled your study group? Gonna have to explain all this to Peter. I'll have someone drive you home again, ‘kay?"
Amora looked annoyed, but Ned nodded his head vigorously. “Sure, Mr Stark. We'll head out. Em… tell Peter… Never mind, I'll call him later."
Tony watched them leave. He walked back behind the bar and started returning the water to the fridge. He did it slowly, methodically, trying to keep his eyes away from the cans of beer and bottles of vodka and wine.
Why water? he wondered. In an apartment like this - Tony Stark's penthouse, filled with cash, liquor and mostly legal pharmaceutical drugs - why on earth would anyone want to steal water? Pepper's Starkpad, that made sense… but he couldn't explain the water, and it was bugging him.
He stood up. There was a bottle of whiskey on the bar and he reached for it, his hand stroking the bottle like a lover. The altercation - and the thought of telling Peter what had happened - had only increased his need for a drink.
“Hey Dad!" Peter walked in cheerfully until his eyes fell on the bottle in Tony's hand. "Everything okay?" He knew how hard it had been for Tony to cut down his drinking, and he appreciated that his dad was making the effort.
Tony sighed and put the bottle on the shelf under the bar, out of sight. "Yeah, I'm fine. But we need to talk."
“Sure." Peter looked around. "What happened to the study group?"
"Yeah, ‘bout that. Let's sit down, okay?"
Peter frowned but complied. "Okay…"
"Loki was already in here when I came in with Ned and Amora. I found him behind the bar loading bottles into his backpack."
Peter stared in disbelief.
"I searched his bag and found Pepper's Starkpad. I told him to leave, and I don't want you hanging round with him anymore. I had Happy take Ned and Amora home again. Sorry, kid, I know you trusted him."
Peter looked up at him, his eyes round. "I just don't believe it… He always hated it when anyone tried to give him something and wouldn't even let me treat him to lunch. He had this whole thing about not accepting charity." He frowned in thought. "You said he was behind the bar loading his backpack… What was he taking? I know he doesn't approve of drinking."
Tony wondered how Peter knew that. "He was filling his bag with bottles of water."
"Water? Why would he take water?"
Tony sighed. "Honestly, I have no idea. I would have let it go if I hadn't found the Starkpad."
Peter slumped in his chair. “I still can't believe he did that. I really believed I could trust him… Sorry, Dad. I guess I didn't know him as well as I thought."
"’S okay. I'm just glad it didn't turn out a lot worse. A kid like that could have got you into some real trouble."
The elevator opened and Pepper rushed in. Before anyone could speak, she said, "Can't stop! Got to be at a meeting in -" she looked at her watch, “shit! Four minutes!"
She hurried behind the bar, emptied out a box, and started to fill it with the water Tony had just put back in the refrigerator.
“Anyone seen my pad?"
Tony frowned. He didn't like coincidences. "It's right there, on the bar."
"Thanks!" She shoved it into her purse and went back to loading the box with water.
"What are you doing?" He had a sick feeling he couldn't quite shake.
"Well, first, my assistant called in sick and no-one ordered any water for the meeting, and then I realized I left my Starkpad up here. I met that kid - Loki - in the lobby and he said he'd get them for me, but I guess he must have forgotten. Damn! Look at the time, I’ve gotta go!"
She grabbed the box and hurried away from the room, leaving Tony and Peter staring after her in shock.
----------
Peter recovered first. "He was getting those things for Pepper… Why didn't he just say so?"
Tony didn't know what he could say. Loki had tried to tell him what he was doing, but Tony - being Tony - hadn't listened.
"I… I…" Tony could taste bile at the back of his throat. He'd screwed up before - like maybe a million times - but having to confess it to Peter may have been the hardest thing he had ever done.
"I mean, he could have just said he was getting that stuff for Pepper, right? Why did he let you think he was taking them?"
Tony cleared his throat. "I might have…"
Peter turned to look at him. Tony wished he could crawl under the rug.
"I might have flown off the handle a bit when I caught him behind the bar."
"I mean, he was behind the bar and I thought he was drinking my booze and it irritated me, and then I saw he was filling his backpack with bottles and I just… you know, lost it, because you'd been so nice to him, and then I saw Pepper's Starkpad in his bag, and I thought, she'd been defending him and he'd stolen from her, and I even said -" He cut off abruptly, hoping Peter wouldn't notice what he'd almost said - I even said how shitty it was to betray us when we'd been pitying him. "I'm so sorry."
“That's…" Peter's natural instinct was to try to make people feel better, but he couldn't bring himself to say 'that's okay’, because it wasn't.
Tony had accused Loki without waiting for any kind of explanation or defense.
Tony's voice broke into his thoughts. "We’ll call him. I'll apologize, do whatever it takes. I'll give him a brand new Starkpad, laptop, whatever. We can fix this."
Peter shook his head. "We can't call him, Loki doesn't have a phone."
Tony stared at him, mouth agape. "Everyone has a phone."
"Not Loki."
"How do you contact him?"
Peter shrugged. "We see him at school."
"His dad must have one. Jarvis, find a phone number for -" He turned questioningly to Peter.
"Laufey. L-a-u-f-e-y."
"First name?"
Peter shook his head.
"Address?"
"I don't know. Loki's a pretty private guy."
“There are 159 telephone numbers listed under the name of Laufey within this school district."
Tony swore. "What about that job of his? Where's that?"
Again, Peter shook his head. "I don't know. I know it's a fast food place, that's all."
“Shit!" Tony tried to think of something - anything - else they could do, but there was nothing. He slumped down beside Peter. “Sorry, kid. I know I really screwed the pooch on this one, but I promise I'll fix it. Hey, at least it's Sunday, right? You'll see him tomorrow at school and you can explain and I'll do whatever it takes, okay?"
"Yeah. Thanks, Dad." Peter tried to smile as though he believed him. Peter's grandmother always claimed he had a little ESP; his mother - who had been an entomologist - called it his 'spider-sense’. Whatever it was, it was screaming at Peter that this misunderstanding was only going to get worse.
----------
After the altercation with Stark, Loki had flown into the elevator, pressing the button for the ground floor as he sagged against the wall. His breathing was hitching and he took a drag from his inhaler as he tried to calm down. He jumped as a voice came from a speaker above him.
“Master Laufey, do you require medical assistance?"
Loki shook his head and tried to slow his breathing. "N..no."
By the time the elevator had reached the ground floor, his breathing was close to normal. He forced himself not to run to the door; if Tony Stark was going to have him arrested for theft, it would make no difference if he ran. Besides, his chest hurt and his breathing still felt labored.
He was glad he didn't have to wait too long for the bus. He decided to go to the factory instead of going home; he didn't think he could face his father and Svadilfari.
The bus seemed to take forever; there must have been someone waiting at every stop. He walked the last quarter mile to the factory, threw his backpack through the window and climbed inside. The old man that slept in the corner glared at him, before turning away to continue his conversation with his imaginary friend.
Loki made his way up the stairs to the corner where he kept his stuff. He had the upstairs mostly to himself. The stairs were rickety and a few of them were completely missing; Loki was one of the few nimble enough to be able to climb up. He set down his backpack and curled up in his sleeping bag.
Despite himself, he had trusted Peter. He had even begun to think of him as a friend. Loki didn't know if he had a hand in setting him up as a thief, but even if he hadn't, how galling it was, to know that Peter had only befriended him because he felt sorry for him!
Loki had been foolish enough to think that Ned and Peter had genuinely enjoyed his company, and instead they had just seen him as someone they could look down on. Perhaps that had been the problem; perhaps Tony Stark had decided that he didn't want his perfect child associating with a kid like him. You didn't send a child to a school like Marvel High just to have him bring home someone like Loki.
Loki should have trusted his instincts from the start. He knew - he knew - that you couldn't trust rich people, that people with money and power liked to play with the lives of ordinary people. He should never have accepted Peter's invitation and walked into the lion's den. He should never have gone to Stark Tower.
----------
Peter got to school early on Monday morning. He didn't want to miss seeing Loki before class.
As he walked in, a boy - someone Peter didn't know - shouted out to him, "Enjoyed the vid! What a freak!"
Another boy shouted, "Not like we didn't know he was a weirdo!"
Peter frowned; he had no idea what they were talking about. He heard a noise and looked up.
As Loki walked into the hall, there was a low murmur of sound. Then someone shouted, "Hey, Dooki, still want some water?"
Suddenly, people were lining the hallway spraying Loki with water and calling to him. "Need water, weirdo?"
"Hey, freak, take a bath!"
“Thirsty, Dookie? I’ve got water for you!"
"Now you just need to steal some shampoo, Snape!"
Then Peter heard Loki's voice, but not from his mouth - someone nearby was holding up a Starkpad. Peter recognized his apartment and saw Tony confronting Loki. Tony had told him what had happened but he hadn't seen it, and even though Jarvis recorded everything, he hadn't thought to ask the AI to play it for him.
Almost as soon as he had the thought, he realized that someone else - Amora, it had to be - must have recorded it, must have uploaded it and spread it throughout the school.
He heard Tony's voice saying, ‘I should be a good person and feel sorry for you like Peter does!’
Horrified, his eyes shot back to Loki. Loki’s face was white, but his expression held only anger, no betrayal. He didn't look surprised.
Peter stepped forward, pushing aside the laughing students. “Loki!"
Loki's eyes were hard. He turned away from Peter and ran a hand through his wet hair.
"Loki, please!" In desperation, Peter grabbed Loki's wrist.
“Don't touch me!" Loki tried to break away but Peter's grip was firm. In desperation, Loki pushed him away. He watched in horror as Peter slipped on the water, crashing into a nearby locker. Peter thrust out a hand to break his fall and felt it twist beneath him. He cried out with sudden pain.
Loki stood, frozen in shock and confusion. He wouldn't have hurt Peter, however much he would have liked to at that moment. He wasn't like his father, he would never strike someone in anger. He took a step forward and stopped. He didn't like seeing Peter in pain, but Peter had hurt him first; Loki hadn't forgiven him for that first betrayal.
While he considered, the crowd had turned. The laughter had died away and now they were shouting angrily, calling him names.
A loud shout broke through the other voices. "Loki Laufey, what have you done?" Mr Stanley, the headmaster, seemed to appear out of nowhere and knelt beside Peter, who was still on the ground and cradling his wrist. "Peter, do you need an ambulance?"
Peter shook his head but said nothing, his teeth still gritted against the pain. Loki felt a sudden wave of contempt for him. He'd broken wrists before; the pain was bearable.
The headmaster gestured for two of the stronger boys to help Peter stand. “Take him to the nurse immediately."
Peter swayed in their grip, his face ashen. "But Loki…"
The headmaster smiled kindly at him. "Go to the nurse. I will call your father and we will discuss everything then."
Peter nodded and the students led him away.
Stanley's face was a lot less kind when he turned to face Loki. “My office, now!"
Loki paused for only a minute before turning and walking towards the office. He was dripping on the floor and his shoes squelched with every step.
The headmaster's secretary frowned when she saw him. "Where do you think you're going?"
Loki wiped a hand over his face as his hair continued to drip. “Mr Stanley told me to go to his office."
"Well you're not going in there like that! Wait there and don't sit down!"
She came back a few minutes later with a towel. "Here!"
Loki took it gratefully and began to dry himself. He dried his hair as much as he could and finger combed it to one side of his face. He hadn't worn much makeup that day - he hadn't needed to - but he knew that what little eye makeup he had on was probably running in black streaks down his face. A dab of his face with the towel confirmed that. He wiped them away with the back of his hand, not wanting to cause further upset by staining the towel.
The secretary pointed to a chair outside the office. "Wait there."
He sat and waited and tried to calm his nerves. He knew the headmaster didn't like him - hell, most of the people in school didn't like him - but there had been plenty of witnesses. They had all seen that it was an accident, that Peter had slipped on the water - which certainly wasn't his fault - and that Peter had put his hands on Loki first. But experience had taught Loki that being innocent did not necessarily mean that you wouldn't be blamed or punished. Peter may have started it, but Loki was well aware that he looked like a troublemaker, and for most people, that was enough.
----------
Peter leaned back in the ambulance. He'd tried to argue that he didn't need to go to the hospital, but after a quick examination, the school nurse had insisted - there were to be no risks taken with the son of their most important donor. He reached for his phone and sighed in frustration. It had been in his back pocket when he'd fallen, and the screen had shattered. Still, Mr Stanley had promised to call his father and then they could sort out this mess together.
He felt bad about grabbing Loki. He knew the other boy didn't like to be touched. He should have waited, chosen a better time to speak to him when everyone wasn't watching, when Loki hadn't just been attacked and humiliated by the rest of the school.
He hoped they wouldn't get into too much trouble. He suspected that Mr Stanley didn't like Loki very much - he didn't have the clean cut, wealthy image the school liked to project - but Peter hoped he would still be fair. He was sure that when the headmaster realized it had been an accident - a simple misunderstanding - he would let them both off with nothing more than a reprimand. He felt sure that he would. He just hoped his father would be equally understanding, and not fly off the handle at the thought of Peter getting hurt in a fight.
----------
Mr Stanley returned to his office, spoke to his secretary, and went inside without a word. Loki wondered what he was waiting for. Why not just call him into the office and get this over with?
He found out why when he saw his father. His heart plummeted. Oh, no, no, nooo! Even though it had been a long time since he'd held a steady job, his father HATED being disturbed during the day. He was going to be furious!
Loki stood as he approached.
His father didn't even acknowledge him. Instead, he spoke to the secretary. "I got a call to come in - what's this about?"
The secretary gave a tight smile. “Just one moment, I'll tell Mr Stanley you're here."
They listened to her side of the conversation. “Mr Laufey is here… Certainly, sir, I'll send them in." She turned back to Loki’s father. "You can go in now."
Loki followed his father, feeling slightly sick. Whatever happened, he knew he would pay for this.
Mr Stanley didn't stand when they walked in, and Loki knew that would annoy his father even more. He liked to be shown respect, regardless of how little he deserved it.
Mr Stanley looked up from the papers in front of him. “Mr Laufey, Loki, please sit down." Robert Stanley tried to keep the smile from his face. He was going to enjoy this.
“There was an incident in the school today, and my inquiries led me to discover something I find deeply disturbing." He leaned back in his chair and templed his fingers. "We assume a certain degree of responsibility for the students in our care, whether in our school or outside it. When we assign study partners and extra curricular assignments, we expect our students to act with a certain degree of propriety."
Loki frowned; what was he talking about?
"Your son was recently placed in a study group with Peter Stark. When we put students together like that, we trust that they will work together. It has come to my attention that your son recently violated that trust by stealing from the Starks."
Loki felt the blood leave his face. Was this the reason he had been set up? To get him in trouble at school? They were rich, and rich people played with the lives of people like him. It was probably just a game to them, a sick joke. He wondered how much of a part Peter had played in this.
He saw his father leaning forward to watch the recording on the small screen the headmaster was holding.
The headmaster put the pad down and leaned back in his chair. "In addition to this incident, this morning Loki attacked Peter Stark. Peter is being taken to the hospital now."
Laufey threw a glance at his son but said nothing.
"And so," finished Stanley, gleefully, "I am afraid your son will no longer be welcome at this school."
Loki thought he must have misheard. "What?" Stanley hadn't even asked for his side of the story. "No! I didn't do anything!"
Stanley shook his head. "I'm afraid we have witness statements that say otherwise."
Loki couldn’t believe his ears. "No, you're wrong! I didn't steal anything, it was a misunderstanding! As for this morning, Peter grabbed me first - I didn't hit him, I just pushed him away! It wasn't my fault he slipped!"
"I'd say the evidence we have is quite sufficient. There were plenty of students that saw your attack on Peter this morning, and I'm not willing to subject the school to a lawsuit because of your antisocial tendencies. This school prides itself on its reputation and I will not have someone like you dragging our name through the mud."
Stanley tried to keep the smile from his face. The school was contractually obligated to take a certain number of scholarship students and Loki had been one of those. On paper, he looked like the lesser of several evils; at least he was clever, and could improve the intellectual standing of the school. But the minute they met face-to-face, Stanley had been horrified. The long hair, the piercings, the makeup - MAKEUP! Sometimes his whole face was covered in the stuff! And his clothes! Not just shabby or torn, but grubby - in fact, the boy himself frequently smelled as if he hadn't bathed. It hadn't taken long for Stanley to decide that he didn't care about the school's academic standing, he just didn't want to see that goth freak in his school.
“Mr Stark is one of our most generous benefactors, and we don’t want him to think that his son is unsafe at this school."
"But I didn't hit him, he fell!"
The phone on Stanley’s desk buzzed and he answered it. Barely looking at the Laufeys, he stood, straightening his tie. "Excuse me, I’ll be back in just a moment. I have something that requires my immediate attention." He hurried off, leaving the door open behind him.
Laufey didn't move, didn't even look at Loki.
They heard Tony Stark shouting in the hallway. "Where's my son? And what about the asshole that hit him? I want him expelled! I'm going to fucking destroy him! I'm gonna make sure that no school in this state will take him, and then I'm gonna sue his family so completely, his great grand-children will be working to pay off the debt!" His voice disappeared down the hallway.
Laufey whistled and turned to look at Loki, his manner deceptively calm. "Well, you’ve really fucked up everything now, haven't you?"
Loki felt a chill run down his spine and he felt his breath hitch. He jumped as the headmaster returned, looking very pleased with himself.
"As I said, I have made my decision. Now will you leave, or do I need to call security?"
Loki realized how futile it would be to argue further. Stanley had always hated him, and certainly wouldn't defend him against Tony Fucking Stark if the billionaire wanted Loki expelled.
His father shifted in the chair beside him. The gods only knew, Laufey was a crappy father at the best of times, but surely he could say something, do something to help.
Loki should have known better.
Laufey narrowed his eyes at Stanley. "You think I want to sit here and listen to some inbred asshole tell me what a fuck-up my son is? Like I don’t already know? You got me to come in here and now you have the nerve to threaten me with security? You think you have anyone in this piss-pot of a school that could make me leave if I didn't want to?" He stood up, his solid bulk looming over the headmaster.
If he hadn't been so worried about his own situation, Loki might have actually enjoyed the look of fear that crossed the headmaster's face. Stanley leaned back in his chair, trying to distance himself from the larger man.
Laufey smiled. "Yeah, I didn't think so." He pushed his hands forward and Stanley fell backwards from his chair; Laufey swept his hands across the desk and everything fell to the floor with an almighty crash. He laughed.
The door flew open and the secretary rushed in. "Is everything alri… oh!" She turned indignantly to Laufey. "What are you doing, you…"
Laufey rounded on her, pushing her against the wall. "I'd be real careful about what you say next. Don't make the mistake of thinking I won't hit you because you're a woman."
She clamped her mouth shut, her eyes wide with fear.
"Hey, you learn quick. Maybe it's not such a bad school after all." He stepped back and smirked as she shrank away from him.
Laufey turned to Loki. "Well, son of mine, I think it's time we were going, don't you?"
There was no point arguing any longer. It didn't matter if it was true or not, the only thing that mattered was that Loki was poor and Stark was rich, and people would bend over backwards to swear that Loki struck Peter first.
He followed his father out of the room. Once they were in the hallway, Laufey grabbed his wrist.
Loki tried to pull away. "I need to get my things from my locker."
"You got money I don’t know about?"
"No."
"Got any valuables in there - watches, computers, phones?"
Loki shook his head.
“Then you don't need whatever's in there."
"But my books…"
"Pretty sure I just heard you won't be needin’ ‘em. And I think we need to have a little talk about that, don't you?"
He twisted Loki's wrist slightly and pushed him into the backseat of the car. "Get in."
Laufey loved his car. It was an old police car and he'd never altered it, keeping the grill between the front and back seats and the front locking mechanism. It had come in handy more than once, and now Loki anxiously sat, imprisoned in the back seat, as they drove home.
----------
Tony was sick with worry. Stanley had told him that although Peter wasn't badly hurt, they had taken him to hospital for a more thorough examination. They were, the headmaster said, worried about a concussion.
Tony knew someone must have said or done something to provoke Peter - he didn't just get into fights, everyone liked him. He tapped the steering wheel impatiently. The nurse told the ambulance to go to Stark's preferred hospital, which should have been a forty-five minute drive from the school. Unfortunately, there had been an accident on the highway and Tony had been stuck in traffic for more than two and a half hours - and he was still miles away. He couldn't even find out anything. Peter wasn't answering, and the hospital wouldn’t give out information over the phone. In a sudden burst of anger and frustration, Tony pressed his hand against the horn.
The driver in front flipped him the bird.
----------
Four hours and fifteen minutes later, he flew through the doors of the hospital. "Peter Stark! I'm looking for Peter Stark!"
The receptionist smiled patiently. "Let me check for you." She typed on her computer for a few minutes before saying, "Room 213." She pointed, "Elevators that way."
Tony smiled gratefully as he hurried away. He burst into Peter’s room. "Peter!" He took the boy's head in his hands, looking for an injury. He turned worried eyes to the nurse. "How is he? Is he okay?"
Peter sighed. Tony was once again in over-protective mode. “Dad, I'm fine!"
The nurse looked disapproving. "If you call a sprained wrist and a concussion ‘fine’."
Tony grabbed Peter's face and started peering at his eyes. Peter batted him away. “The doctor said it was just a mild concussion."
"It's still a head injury! Did they give you an MRI? A CT scan?"
Peter turned to the nurse. "Could we have a moment, please?" He felt awkward asking the nurse to leave, but someone needed to calm Tony down before he went off the deep end. “Dad, I really am fine. I have a slight headache and my wrist's a little sore, but it's just a sprain and they gave me some painkillers. I just want to sort this out and go home. Can we do that?"
Tony ran his hands through his hair. Peter sounded rational and coherent, and Tony was familiar enough with concussions to know that was a good sign. Maybe the kid was right, maybe he was overreacting again. He wished he had more experience at this parenting thing. He took a deep breath. "Okay, maybe you're right. I just… I want…"
Peter grinned and pulled his father into a hug. "I know, Dad. Me too."
There was a knock at the door. They looked up, expecting a nurse, and were surprised to see Mr Stanley walk in. "I hope you don't mind, I just wanted to check on our favourite pupil. Peter, how are you feeling?"
Peter pulled away from Tony. "I'm fine, thank you, sir."
"Nevertheless, I think it would be best if you take the rest of the week off."
Peter swallowed. "Are you suspending me?"
Stanley looked shocked at the suggestion. "Heavens, no! I'm simply concerned about your health. Why on earth would I suspend you?"
Peter looked confused. "Because of the fight?"
"We can talk about that when you're feeling better."
“Thank you, sir. But I'd just like to know what my punishment is."
His father and Mr Stanley stared at him in confusion. "Punishment?"
Tony frowned. "A kid attacked you, Peter. Why would you be punished?"
"Loki didn't attack me, he…"
"Wait a minute, this was Loki? He was the one that hit you?" Tony turned to the headmaster. "Loki did this?" He knew he was right about that kid. Peter must have approached him to apologize only to have Loki attack him. Tony felt his temper rise again. “That's it, we need to sort this out, now!"
Stanley gave a placating smile. “Don't worry, Mr Stark, I have dealt with the matter."
Peter tried to speak, but Tony put out a hand to silence him. "No, I'm not going to have that delinquent thinking he can hit you and get away with it!"
Stanley shook his head. “There is no need to worry, Mr Stark. Loki has been expelled."
Peter gasped and tried to interrupt but Stanley continued, "I do understand that you may wish to pursue legal action against him, and I will, of course, do everything within my power to assist you. Whatever you need, Mr Stark."
His phone began to ring and he glanced down quickly. Apologetically, he said, "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I must take this." He hurried away from the room.
Peter grabbed Tony's arm. “Dad, Loki didn't attack me!"
"Stop defending him, Peter. I don't care about what happened before, he had no right to hit you."
"But he didn't hit me!"
"You have a concussion and a sprained wrist. Want to explain how that happened if he didn't hit you?"
Peter felt his own temper rising. He wasn't an idiot or a child and didn't appreciate being treated that way. "Yes, actually. I’ve been trying to explain but no-one will listen to me!"
Tony crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "Fine. Go ahead."
“Amora must have posted a video of what happened in the tower…"
"And that's why he picked a fight with you? Peter, that still doesn't give him the right…"
"WILL YOU LISTEN TO ME!"
Tony stared at him in shock. Peter had never raised his voice to him before.
Peter took a deep breath and continued, "When Loki arrived at school, everyone started playing the video and spraying him with water. He was trying to ignore them and walk away, but I… I grabbed his arm." Peter looked shamefaced. "He tried to shake me off and walk away but I wouldn't let go. It took me a few seconds to realize how hard I was gripping him - I guess after all the training you and Happy have been giving me, I'm stronger than I thought - and I let go at the same moment that he pushed me away. I slipped on the water and put out my hand to stop myself falling, but I banged into a locker and hit my head as I went down. But I put my hands on him first!"
Tony lowered himself into the chair next to Peter. He realized that once again, he'd jumped to conclusions and been over protective. He just hated the idea of Peter being hurt. "But still, he shouldn't…"
"No, Dad. There's no way this was his fault. I started this."
Tony sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "No, actually, I started this by being an ass. According to Pepper, anyway. Okay, let's get you out of here and make this right."
Peter grinned.
----------
Once home, Laufey pulled Loki into the house and threw him to the floor, kicking him sharply in the ribs.
“You dumb fuck," he snarled. He pulled his foot back and punctuated each word with a kick. "You - stupid - fucking - dumb - ass."
Loki gasped for breath as he hugged his ribs.
Laufey pulled him up by his collar. "You were in the home of a billionaire - STARK FUCKING TOWER! - and you fucked it up by stealing fucking WATER! WATER!"
He struck Loki hard in the mouth. His ring caught the boy's mouth and Loki felt the skin tear.
"He probably has cash lying around for the taking. Stuff on his shelves that would pay our rent for a year. Hell, if you'd been smart, you could’ve worked your way in and found secrets and blueprints that his competitors would have paid a king's ransom for! We'd have been set for life! But no, my dumbass son manages to fuck it all up by stealing WATER!"
He threw Loki against the wall, grabbed his arm and spun him around to hit the ground. He pulled against the arm and Loki cried out as he felt his shoulder dislocate.
He heard the front door open and close, and Svad's voice. "What's going on?"
“This dumbass kid of mine was caught on camera stealing bottles of fucking WATER from Tony Stark and then he goes and beats up Stark's kid. Now we’ve got Tony fucking Stark gunning for us. Guy's talking about suing. He’s gonna be on us like flies on a carcass."
Svad gave a low whistle. "What're we gonna do?"
Loki lay on the floor breathing heavily, gritting his teeth against the pain. He watched as Laufey lit a cigarette and flinched as the spent match was tossed his way.
Laufey considered.
He had never wanted a kid in the first place, that had been all Bauti's idea. And he'd been right - the kid had been a real pain in the ass. Bauti had loved him, though, and when the kid was old enough to be useful, he'd been real good at taking care of her. Having a kid hadn't stopped her from OD’ing, though. Laufey had been away at the time - ‘at her majesty's pleasure’, as the expression went. By the time he got out, Bauti was dead and buried and Loki was in foster care.
He'd thought long and hard about just leaving the kid where he was, but in the end, decided to retrieve him. Single men didn't get as much money and help as struggling, widowed single fathers. It had worked out pretty well, too. Once he'd managed to knock some sense into the kid, he turned out to be pretty useful - he could keep the house tidy and put a sandwich on the table for his dear ol’ dad.
He almost changed his mind when Svad joined them. He and Svad had shared a cell and become close - closer than he and Bauti had ever been. Laufey had been jealous when he realized that Svad was attracted to Loki, but by then, Laufey was prepared to do whatever it took to keep Svad. So, Loki kept house for the two of them, and if Svad spent a little time with him now and then, well - Laufey wasn't going to say anything about it.
But now, the boy was a liability. The richest, most powerful man in New York was gunning for him and his family, and neither Laufey or Svad could afford to have anyone investigating them.
Laufey threw down his cigarette and ground it into the carpet with his boot. "Figure it's a good time to bug out. Boy's old enough to take care of himself, and we don't want him with us if he's gonna be a problem. Last thing we need is one of the most powerful men in the country watching our every move."
“So we're just gonna cut and run? Leave him here?"
"Yeah." Laufey eyed his lover. He knew what Svad enjoyed and had learned to accept it. There was nothing wrong with a bit of variety, and if it kept him happy, then why not? "Boy's proving to be a liability. But there's nothing to say we won't meet someone equally …enjoyable... on our travels."
Svad smiled.
"In the meantime, I'm going to grab our stuff. Why don't you," he looked down at Loki curled up on the floor, “relax and have some fun?"
Svad's smile became wolfish, and Loki realized that his hellish day was a long way from being over.
----------
Peter looked up anxiously. "Well?"
"Everything's going to voicemail, Stanley must have turned off his cell."
"What about Jarvis?"
"Nothing new. Sorry, we’ve just gotta wait. We'll go to the school first thing tomorrow and talk to Stanley, okay?"
"Okay." Peter tried to keep the frustration from his voice. He knew Tony was trying, but if he had just listened to Loki when he'd first tried to explain, this would never have happened.
----------
It was dark when Loki came to, and the house was quiet. He drew in a breath as he peeled his torn mouth from the rug, where the blood had stuck to the dirty fibers. He didn't need to see it to know he needed stitches, and he knew from experience that he had a couple of cracked ribs and a dislocated shoulder.
He pushed himself up to a sitting position and groaned. He hurt everywhere.
From where he sat, he could see into his father's room. The door to the closet was hanging open. He remembered his father's discussion with Svad about leaving. Initially, it was hard to be sure - his father had never been someone who took much interest in his surroundings, and certainly had never bothered to add personal touches to the house - but a further inspection made him think that they were actually gone. Svad's phone charger - a fixture since he had moved in - was no longer plugged into the wall, and his father's shoes were no longer lined up by the door.
Loki pushed himself to his feet with a hiss of pain and made his way to the room his father shared with Svad.
A closer inspection of the closet revealed empty hangers. Just to be certain, Loki pulled open a few drawers. They were all empty. His father had gone.
He thought of all the times he had woken up after a beating. On the occasions when he needed medical treatment, he usually tried to go somewhere far away where he wouldn't be recognized and he always used a false name. He even had a story he liked to use - he had been mugged and his wallet was stolen. It explained why he couldn’t show them any identification. But now he realized that everything had changed. It didn't matter anymore.
His great fear had always been that he would be taken away and put into foster care, where he would probably endure the same sort of treatment that he suffered at home, but without the benefit of going to such a good school. Marvel High School was one of the best in the country, and he had been prepared to grit his teeth and bear the abuse, if it meant he could stay and have a chance at a future. Graduating from Marvel High almost guaranteed a scholarship at any college he chose, and a good college meant a good job. Just a few more years and he would have been free...
But now, not only was he no longer at Marvel High, but he had been expelled for stealing from the great and powerful Tony Stark and hitting his kid. Hell, Stark was probably calling around right now, making sure no school would ever admit him. Loki knew how far a reach rich people could have; no school would dare to touch him, especially without a father to vouch for him. Not that Laufey had ever done much for him, but at least he would sign the forms and show up once or twice to prove he existed. But now Laufey had gone, along with Loki’s hopes and dreams.
He should never - NEVER - have trusted Peter Stark.
Loki stumbled to the bathroom and cleaned himself up as well as he could, putting a temporary dressing over the cut. It was ironic, he thought, that without Svad there to bother him, he could have showered if he hadn't been in so much pain. His t-shirt was soaked through with the blood from his mouth. He began to try to pull it over his head, decided it wasn't worth the effort, and cut it off. Grabbing a button down shirt, he changed into some cleaner clothes.
He looked around his bedroom. He didn't really have much there that he cared about. Laufey and his friends frequently broke into his room, looking for money or the drugs they imagined every teenager was taking. Loki had learned long ago to hide the things that were important to him. He had a small box of keepsakes hidden at the factory, and he had long ago sewn a false bottom into his backpack, so he could hide his money there. Not that he had much. As far as Laufey was concerned, he paid the rent and utilities and that was enough. From the time Loki was old enough to get a paper route, Laufey had expected him to contribute to the household expenses, and to buy his own things for school.
But now everything had changed. He couldn't afford to stay in this house, even if he wanted to. Even if he did find a way, Tony Stark would find him. The school had his address. There was no way Tony Stark would leave him in peace.
He took his school books and notes out of his bag. His hand lingered over the pages of writing; so much hard work, and all for nothing. He began to gather the few belongings he kept there - his jeans, a few shirts and sweaters, some socks and underwear. Everything of value - not that there was much - had already been taken by Laufey and Svad.
He couldn't go back to the school and get the things from his locker, and he remembered with a pang that he had left a notebook there. There was a photo in it, a reminder of another life that had been lost to him. He supposed it was better to cut all his ties and start over. Wishing for things to be different was an exercise in futility.
He wound a scarf to cover his bleeding mouth and winced as he hoisted the backpack over his good shoulder. He walked out of the house, closing the door firmly behind him.
He didn’t look back.