I've been working on this for a couple of weeks and decided to post the first chapter here to see what you guys think. I am aware that writing this means I've been horribly neglecting my other works in progress, but when I feel the need to write, I'd be an idiot to surpress it.

Anyway, I don't own anything. And enjoy.


Loki Odinson walked into his first class of the year with scowl on his face that didn't show any signs of leaving. He walked, gracefully and seemingly unaware of the looks he was getting, to the back of the classroom and sat in the furthest corner he could, preparing himself mentally for another year of putting up with the idiots he could not escape in this place. Everywhere he looked, he saw footballers, cheerleaders and several groups of people living up to the stereotypes that they had been labelled with. SHEILD High (he'd long since given up remembering what that stood for) was the type of place that belonged in a movie, and Loki hated it. Here, if you didn't fit in with at least one group of people, you were labelled an outcast. And being an outcast was just about as close to certain death as you could get- you'd face constant bullying and torment from the people who considered themselves popular.

Loki was an outcast.

To his right, Loki heard his brother, Thor, and Steve Rogers laughing over some joke. They were the perfect example of the football player cliché, a breed the dark haired boy particularly despised. Tall, blonde and muscular, they were at the top of the foodchain, along with Clint Barton and Bruce Banner, who were slightly quieter but no less popular. Bruce Banner was an interesting one, Loki mused. He was the most introverted jock he'd ever seen, and even more shocking was the fact that he was one of the most intelligent people in the school. He was best friends with Tony Stark, who, speak of the devil, had just walked through the door and without saying anything, immediately demanded the attention of the whole class.

Tony Stark wasn't a mystery to Loki-who suspected his main claim to popularity was his father's name- as most people made him out to be; someone whose mind was a puzzle that they wanted to solve. The billionaire's son was, by all rights, a genius. He was up there with Banner and Loki himself, and that in itself demanded respect. He wasn't on the football team, but he was the school's token playboy. Yes, it must have been his money, then. He was attractive, sure, but so were plenty of less popular boys who had better looks who didn't get as much action.

Loki hated Stark with a burning passion. He'd known the boy for most of his life- their parents ran in the same circles, and at one point, they'd been friends. That was, until about the time they were ten and Tony decided to become a loud, attention-seeking jerk, and Loki became a quiet, introverted social pariah… And a jerk, if he was being honest, because you don't spend your entire high school career friendless without having a few defensive mechanisms like snark, sarcasm, and occasionally (possibly needless) cruelty.

The teacher, a serious young woman called Miss Hill, walked to the front of the class and shouted for quiet. She got it, because everyone knew Miss Hill could verbally kick your ass if you misbehaved too much while she was teaching. There were even rumours that she could physically kick your ass, and Loki didn't doubt it for a minute.

"This year in English," she began, glaring out at the class. "There are going to be a few changes. I expect every single one of you to pass this year, and therefore, I am putting an old system back in place. Study groups."

Several members of the class, including Loki, groaned (though his was quiet and less obnoxious, thank you very much). Study groups were something they had been forced to endure in their freshman year- groups of students, not necessarily friends, who were forced to sit together in class and were expected to study together at least once a week. Protests about social calendars and social standing came from around the room, but Hill would have none of it. With a slightly evil looking smirk, she told them at their study groups would be on the senior notice board at lunch.

Loki spent the rest of the class not paying attention to the actual course outline they were being informed on, and choosing instead to pray to every god he knew that he would be with bearable people. While he didn't have friends, he did have an extensive list of people he would rather cut off his own leg than to work with in English, and study with once a week, all year. All. Year. If he could be stuck with quiet people who didn't hate him and he didn't hate back, he could at least handle this without trying to either kill himself, or everyone else in his group.

By the end of his second class, Drama (that Loki took despite the fact that it was filled with loud, annoying buffoons), and at the beginning of the lunch hour, Loki had worked himself into a worry about who he would be forced to socialize with. He almost ran to the senior notice board outside the cafeteria, but there was a large crowd surrounding it and he was pushed unceremoniously into Jane Foster, Thor's girlfriend, who shot him an annoyed glance before her face softened when she realized who he was. Jane was not particularly bad, Loki supposed, as far as Thor's girlfriends went. She was the most intelligent and bearable, by far. That did not mean Loki didn't hate her, because he hated everyone associated with Thor, but he stopped himself glaring at the girl, at least.

When he finally reached the board, Loki didn't both hiding his groan of despair at his study group.

Thor Odinson
Loki Odinson
Bruce Banner
Steve Rogers
Anthony Stark
Natasha Romanoff
Clint Barton

"Ha!" came a familiar voice beside his ear. Loki turned his head around to glare at Tony Stark, who had a shit eating grin on his face the taller boy wanted to smack off. "Looks like we're stuck with each other all year, Odinson."

Loki sniffed. "I would rather you kill me now, Stark, than wait for my inevitable suicide after spending any prolonged period of time in your presence."

The other boy looked a little surprised, which Loki guessed was reasonable. Though they were not friends any more, Stark had never, like the other popular guys, gone out of his way to cause problems in the other boy's life. They mostly ignored each other these days, as they were expected to. A small part of Loki's brain wondered what people thought, seeing them making eye contact, let alone talking.

The shorter boy grinned again. "Admit it, Odinson, you love me."

Loki cursed Stark's ability to shrug off any and all insults, and walked away without another word. He prayed that the other boy wouldn't talk to him again.


The first meeting of their study group could have gone better. Which is, it could have not happened, and they could have lied about it happening, but Steve Rogers was, in Stark's words "a fucking goodie-two-shoes" (they were friends, but Stark was always one to be blatantly truthful about, well, everything) and had insisted they comply to their teachers expectations. The rest went along with it because they were friends, and Loki was again the odd one out. He must have been put in this group because of Thor, he decided, which made him a bit bitter. He hated being known as "Thor Odinson's brother".

Well, he hated being known in general, but still.

They met in the library at the end of the second day of classes, and everyone else was already there by the time Loki showed up, having taken his time. Of course they were. Miss Hill had a soft spot for Steve, and would have made sure he was with his closest friends, so of course they probably arrived together.

Natasha Romanoff gave Loki a polite greeting when he sat down in the only available seat at the table- between Thor and Stark (just his luck). She was nice enough, a gymnast and cheerleader, and the best friend of Clint Barton. She had fiery red hair, dark eyes with a face that was set in a permanently serious expression and a body that most women would kill for. If Loki was so inclined, maybe he would have appreciated it a bit more. Even still, he respected her for being the only cheerleader who didn't dress in revealing clothes and throw herself at football players, and for her quick wit and intelligence.

Next to her was Barton, who glared at Loki. He had hated the quieter boy ever since freshman year, for an incident Loki neither cared about nor remembered. The boy was a little shorter than average, with sandy blonde hair and a face that was either grinning or in set in a stern glare. He used to be on the football team, but had quit for archery, and everyone had to admit it suited him better. He was close with Stark and Banner, and Loki knew for a fact that he and Bruce were sleeping together secretly. He'd seen them in a very compromising position at a party of Thor's, and the clues were there for those who looked for them.

Bruce Banner smiled shyly at Loki. The Odinson suspected the boy, who obviously preferred books and science (and boys) to football and girls, was only on the football team because he would be eaten alive without the status boost. Sure, he played well, but when not on the field he could easily be mistaken for (gasp) a nerd, if he didn't hang out with people like Steven Rogers, who was sitting across from him.

Rogers was a nice guy, plain and simple. Loki had no idea how a teenage boy in this day and age could manage to be such a blushing virgin, but this boy defied all expectations. He was determined to be fair and nice to everyone, so he gave Loki a forced grin and shook his hand. Loki would have preferred it if he'd not tried to smile, but he couldn't begrudge the boy for at least trying to be civil. Or, he could, because there were plenty of times Rogers has witnessed Loki being bullied, whether verbally or physically, and had never had the balls to do anything about it. That, however, had been years ago and he'd noticed the blonde had stopped hanging out with that group, so he wondered if he was being nice to try to make up for it.

Thor didn't speak to Loki, which the others may have found odd, or not, depending on what Thor had told them. Thor and Loki hadn't spoken civilly since it was revealed Loki was adopted, or maybe since Thor had gone off and started being a jerk with Stark when they hit puberty. There was an uncomfortable pang in Loki's chest as he recalled when they were close, but he shoved it off. He didn't want to be thinking things like that, things that made him vulnerable, while surrounded by these people.

Last but not least there was Stark, who broke off his conversation with Banner as Loki sat down and offered him a sly grin. Loki gritted his teeth, amazed how the boy's mere presence could irritate him, and offered him a polite nod. Stark raised an eyebrow, but Loki ignored him as Rogers started addressing the group.

"Uh, so guys, I have this sheet Miss Hill gave us. It's apparently going to be exactly like freshman year; we have to each fill in a thing at the end of the year about how, uh, we think we worked as a group and how much we've grown, all that. Our first suggested 'activity' is looking at our English homework for the day and see if we need any help with it." He looked up from the paper. "Guys? Anyone need help?"

There were negative answers because no matter what Loki thought of these people, they were actually all intelligent, and eventually, they set out to work on their individual work together. Loki had already finished his homework last night, so he took out a spare notebook and started doodling while conversation struck up between the friends around him. He decided he wanted Miss Hill to burn in hell for putting him with these people who obviously needed no bonding. There wasn't a weekend that went by where these people didn't grace his house with their presence.

"That's not English homework." a voice came from beside him. Too close. Loki glared at Stark who was leaning over to look at what he was drawing. He covered the drawing with his hand.

"I already finished it. Kindly shut up? I don't want this hour and a half to go be any more unbearable as it already is just by you being here."

"Ouch," the billionaire put on a mock hurt look. "What did I ever do to you?"

"Existed?" Loki spat out, and maybe he was being a little harsh, but he wasn't used to being talked to, at all, by people who weren't his mother or online friends, and there was something about the fact that Stark was talking to him that rubbed him the wrong way. Rudeness was safe, he decided. Rudeness didn't show any vulnerability in the case that this was all a part of an elaborate plan to humiliate him. Stark looked genuinely shocked at his answer however, and was frowning. Loki continued, "Can you just let me be? We don't actually have to socialize, you know. This is a children'sactivity."

"Why do you hate me so much?" the billionaire asked quietly. His eyes were searching Loki's face for any sign of what the taller boy was thinking, but Loki knew he couldn't find any. He'd spent the last five years perfecting indifference, and he wasn't about to let Stark see that he didn't actually have an answer to that. Why did he hate Stark? Surely it was because of their old friendship being broken off, or because the boy was popular, Loki was not, and that was just the way of the world.

Loki ignored him. He packed up his books and left without a word, ignoring the curious looks he got from his study group as he strode out of the library.

"What was that all about?" Bruce asked Tony as they watched Loki leave. Thor was staring at the billionaire like he was an alien, and he realized they would have noticed him talking to Loki.

"I have no idea," Tony admitted, looking at his English homework and avoiding all their eyes.


Tony walked into English the next day with his usual easy grin in place. He winked at some girl who was giving him a flirtatious smile, and his eyes quickly scanned the room for his study group. He hated the idea, really. Just because it had worked in freshman year in helping people's grades, that didn't mean it would work now that they were all grown up and separated into their own little social clichés and it was, quite frankly, messing with people's reputations.

When he saw that none of his friends were in class yet, he looked for Loki who, as he expected, was tucked away in a corner and doodling on his notebook.

Tony had been curious about (fascinated with, a part of his brain pointed out, which he shoved down) Loki Odinson for the better part of a year, but for all his genius, he hadn't worked out a way to talk to the other boy that didn't involve lowering his social status or the other boy kicking him some place tender. It had started when he'd attended Thor's birthday party last year and, on his quest to find the kitchen while slightly intoxicated (Thor's mansion was as big as his, so excuse him if he forgot how to get there while drunk) he'd accidentally interrupted Loki in what appeared to be an entertainment room. The boy had glared at him until Tony had managed, "I, uh, um, forgot where the kitchen is?"

He'd stumbled a bit, and expected the other boy to snap at him to get out, but to his surprise, the younger Odinson boy had gotten up, paused his movie, and had told Tony to follow him, because "as much as I'd love to see you fall down the stairs and injure yourself, that would make father come home, so I'll help you just this once."

Just as Loki had apparently predicted, Tony stumbled down the stairs and was only saved from certain concussion when a hand of long, pale fingers grabbed his wrist, and he was pulled up so Loki's arm was around his waist, holding him up. For such a skinny guy, he was actually quite strong.

Tony didn't remember much from after that, but he'd suddenly become obsessed with Loki's hands, and he'd admitted to himself a few months later that maybe he'd been staring at the boy a bit more than necessary.

So maybe Tony was a little attracted him. Whatever.

He made his way to the corner, and slipped into the seat beside Loki. This classroom, he was glad to note, had desks pushed together in pairs, and Loki would have to give up his place at the back of the room if he wanted to escape. Plus, they were in the same study group, so he had no excuse. Maybe the system wasn't as bad as Tony first thought.

"Go away, Stark." Loki said, not looking up from what he was drawing. Tony glanced at it curiously and saw that he was doodling was looked to be an eight legged horse.

"No," he replied, grinning. "You're in my study group now, and no-one else is here yet, so you'll have to put up with me for today."

Loki glared at him. "What do you want, Stark? Why are you talking to me? Aren't you afraid you'll catch the loser from me?" Tony frowned at the biting tone. Did this guy really hate him so much?

"Nah," he replied, leaning back. "You're not a loser; you just choose to be alone. Why is that, anyway?"

Loki looked back down at his drawing, a little shocked that Tony Stark of all people had made that observation. "What do you want?" he repeated, a little of the venom gone from his tone.

Stark shrugged. "We're supposed to be bonding?" he offered, and neither of them spoke again for the rest of the lesson.

When Natasha, Clint, Bruce and Steve showed up, they gave Tony questioning looks about who he was sitting with, but didn't make any comments as they took their places near him. Thor walked in and frowned at him, but as he opened his mouth to ask Tony what was going on, Miss Hill quieted the class.


What do you think?