It was a typical warm sunny day of end august. The streets were empty as people chose to sit in the comfort of their house's interior or under the shade of trees in their garden. Thor's window was half open. The summer breeze perfumed his bedroom with the scent of dry grass. The sound of birds happy chirping filled the space. The blonde was packing up his last personal belongings under his best friend's vigilant eyes. Today was an important day for Thor Golden. Today he would move out of his parents' home to start his independent life in college. It had been a great accomplishment to be accepted in Sport Counseling, something Thor couldn't believe possible two years ago. He was proud and enthusiastic with the start of his new life as a self-sufficient man, but he had mixed feelings. He was leaving behind the security and comfort of his home and of his parents. He was going to live four hours away from his birth town. But most of all, he was going to miss his best friend's daily company.

"Don't you dare and forget me!" Loki Frost demanded in a warning tone, while Thor closed the box. He looked up at his friend and knew Loki was hating his departure. He at least was sure he going to miss his dark-haired friend immensely.

"How could I ever forget you?" Thor said with a chuckle, but Loki didn't looked amused at all. The blonde blinked a few times in surprise.

"You will meet new people, make new friends, be busy with papers and projects. It will be easy to forget. Believe me." Loki knowingly said and Thor understood his friend was basing himself in his experience with his older brothers. Thor stood up and sat next to his friend.

"I won't forget. I promise you." Thor said while he locked his gaze on the green eyes. Loki looked warily at him.

"Well, I guess we have facebook and skype to keep a closer contact." He said in a tone like if he didn't believe in his own words. Thor gave him a sympathetic look and smiled while he rested his hand on Loki's neck.

"I won't forget you. Neither will I replace you. So stop putting silly ideas in your clever mind." The blonde said while he shifted his hand to Loki's head and gave it a playful nudge.

Loki released a sound between a giggle and a snort. Thor rested both his hands on his lap, looked at the last packed box and sighed heavily. It was time, but suddenly he was reluctant to leave. Loki hit his shoulder against Thor's teasingly to have the blonde's attention.

"Come on. You've been waiting years for this. Go."

Thor gave him a hesitant smile, stood up, picked up the very last box and descended the stairs. Loki's smile died instantly and was replaced by a look of sorrow. He waited a few minutes before he followed his best friend.

…

Thor was hugging his mother when Loki finally climbed down the stairs. His blue eyes looked like two sapphires, shinning from emotion and they shifted to meet this friend's gaze. Thor and Loki contemplated each other before their farewell.

Thor was the son's mayor. His father, Odin Golden, was the most powerful man in town. Frigga, who also played an important role in Odin's council, was respected for her wisdom and kindness by their community. They had, years ago, had a younger son, Balder, who died as an infant. Frigga never wanted another child since then, her mourning for the little one scarring her heart forever. Thor was only three years old when his little brother died, and had therefore no memories of the infant.

Strangely enough, he missed his sibling. He liked to think he had found his lost brother in the person of his best friend Loki, son of Lauffey Frost. The man who succeeded, in mere fifteen years, to build an empire as head of a software company, but now witnessed its crumbling downfall. His mother Farbauti was originally head of the company's marketing sector, but had traded her job for a life as housewife some years ago. Loki was the youngest of three sons. Helblindi, the oldest, was fourteen years older than Loki while Býleistr was twelve years older. It was no secret that Loki had been an accident, because he had been conceived in a period his mother thought she couldn't bear children anymore.

Thor was tall, had golden blond hair and sparkling blue eyes. He had a gorgeous well-built body that envied many men. Thor was the school's football start and also did triathlon competitions, winning prizes for both sports. And all girls at school were in love with him and fantasized to marry with him some day. In short, he was the popular guy from High School due to his good looks and sociable character. As for his inseparable friend, Loki was his complete opposite. The teenager was a rebel with capital letters.

Thor was well aware Loki had lost his innocence long ago. In the last three years, Loki had already experienced more sex, drugs and alcohol in the crazy parties he went to, than some people in a whole lifetime. The black eyeliner that had been contouring his eyes for the last years highlighted his jade-green eyes. He had long black hair that went a bit beyond his shoulders, which was straitened until it was silky and shiny like ravens feathers. His head was partly shaven on the right side so the row of small black piercings along the ear were always visible. His long fingers were decorated with basic silver and black rings, combining with the black polished nails. His clothes were mainly black, tight to his small and lean body. Loki's looks not only screamed out rebel, but made him unpredictably stylish and exotic.

It happened often that people at school asked Thor why he hanged out with Loki. Truth was that Loki was quite the anti-social. He rarely allowed anybody close to him, but when he did, he was extremely loyal. He was also well-known for his witty and poisonous words, using other's weaknesses and private lives as lethal weapons. Not to mention he loved to sow chaos in people's rotines with his tricks and mischiefs. Thor was sure Loki had collected quite some enemies during his years in Junior and High School, although, he was convinced he too had his own fair list, only for completely different reasons. Despite their opposite characters, Thor could not imagine his life without Loki. He was his comrade and his confident.

He still could remember the day a seven-year old boy moved with his family a few houses away from Thor's. The raven-haired child had been curious about the blond boy that was about his age when Odin and Frigga came to welcome the new family. They played the whole afternoon and the following and the following one too. While an unpleasant hostility and rivalry quickly developed between the Golden and the Frost families, the friendship between the boys grew stronger by the day.

The children shared a particular imagination and during their playtime they lived great adventures in dangerous lands with strange names. In their fantasy world, the boys were brothers (although Loki insisted he was adopted, or better kidnapped by Odin as a baby, because he already had two siblings in real life). They were princes of a realm called Asgard. Thor was the warrior, valiant and with the power of wielding thunder (and he would walk around with one of his father's hammers). Loki was the mage, clever and with great powers that defied the logic of the cosmos. Together, they had the mission of protecting the nine realms (however, often it was Loki that endangered them by making strange alliances with enemies, just to piss off Thor). When they entered their puberty, their adventurous tales were replaced by celebrities, sports, music and girls. They were replaced by ideologies, ambitions and dreams. Thor became the athlete, Loki the artist. And maybe, it was exactly their divergent characters that united them this strongly. Because when they were together, they were never bored.

Thor released his mother from his embrace and, after a short hesitation, he wrapped his arms around Loki. Loki chuckled awkwardly at the gesture while his heart cried desperately. Thor released him and Loki watched his best friend walk to the car, turn around to wave one last time, enter the vehicle and drive away. The raven-haired teenager felt his heart contract painfully. He already missed his best friend. Thor liked to think of them as brothers but Loki had a very different view on the matter. He loved the blonde dearly, but not as a brother. He loved in the way lovers do, a feeling that has developed naturally the last years. His heart broke as he watched as Thor's car disappear at the end of the street. And wondered how long it would take for the blonde to forget him.

One year later

It was with some apprehension that Thor moved in a small apartment with Loki. Despite the tension that always existed between the Golden and the Frost families, Loki's parents had recently and, quite unexpectedly, deposited a great trust in Thor. It wasn't really surprising they would not allow their youngest son to move out and live alone, but Thor had never expected them to insist he should be the one to share the house with Loki.

"They want you to babysit me." Loki mockingly said while he carried a box up the stairs and entered the apartment.

Thor grimaced. He couldn't help but feel that way about the whole situation. Loki was a freshman, but Thor was certain his friend's parents weren't worried about their son's incapacity of self-sufficiency, on the contrary. Thor had the uncomfortable feeling Loki's parents expected him to protect Loki from himself. He was sure the Frosts were afraid their son would sink even deeper in his own self-created darkness. It was a fact. Loki was a danger to himself.

So, out of pity for Loki's parents, and above all, for the adoration he felt for his best friend, Thor accepted to share the apartment. Besides, this was a benefic situation for him. The Frosts were wealthy and bought an apartment large enough for two people, just a few blocks away from campus. Thor didn't have to pay rent anymore so if he wanted, he could quit his part-time job and focus more in his study and football training.

"Consider the babysitting as the payment for your rent." Loki added, while he entered Thor's bedroom, his sardonic tone becoming bitterer.

Loki was young, but he was far from being stupid. He sat on the older man's bed. "Why didn't your parents buy you an apartment anyway? They could at least have helped you with paying the rent." The younger man pointed out. It was true. Thor's parents had the financial possibilities to pay his rent and much more. Odin was after all the richest and most influential man in their town.

"My parents want me to learn to be independent and self-sufficient." Thor said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Yeah, and mine want to cage me." Loki said in a dark tone. He crossed his arms annoyed. "You don't need to worry about me, you know that. Just lead your own life and I'll lead mine. The last thing we both need is you controlling me."

"I'm not here to control you." Thor said while he crouched and started unpacking his box.

"You wouldn't succeed if you wanted." Loki said with a mischievous grin.

Thor froze. There was the defiance in his friend's tone he had come to hear more and more often. He hadn't seen Loki much for the last year, since he entered college, but it had been enough to notice a subtle change in the teenager. Despite Loki being friendly and playful around him like always, Thor sensed a wall had emerged between them, one that never existed before. There was a kind of distance and tension around Loki that was unfamiliar to Thor. He suspected his friend was upset with the lack of contact between them the previous year. Thor had truly done his best to talk and be with Loki as often as he could, but life in college simply didn't allow him. He figured out they would make up for the lost time now that they were sharing the apartment. Yet, there was one thought that worried the blonde greatly. What would Loki do with all the freedom that was offered to him in college?

"Just don't get yourself in trouble." Thor uneasily said while he unpacked a box and took out one of his trophies. He heard Loki snort, obviously finding Thor's last comment ridiculous. Only, the blonde was being plain serious. He stood up, placed the trophy on a wall shelve and turned to Loki. "You do know I care for you, don't you?"

"I know that." Loki said with a surprising serious tone, his usual sarcasm absent. "But I'm all grown up now and can take care of myself, thank you very much." And the sarcasm was back. Thor resisted the urge to chuckle and shook his head. Loki was always the clever of the two. He certainly could handle himself. Yet, it didn't mean the blonde wouldn't keep an eye on him. Thor promised himself he would take care of his best friend.

A/N

So here's an introduction to these beloved characters in their Midgardian college versions.

I hope this first glimpse to this story has made a good impression on you.

Let me know what you think ;)

Constructive critics are always welcome

Review :D