A tale of childhood friends. A tale of two boys who find each other when they desperately need one another. The first of a series.
"We have new neighbors." Howard Stark mutters as he walks through the front door. Tony glances up from his bowl of Lucky Charms and shrugs.
"Any girls?" He quips. Howard shoots his son an exasperated glare. "No, three boys." He replies opening the refrigerator and pulling out a beer. Tony gulps down the rest of his cereal and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand.
"Shame." He replies, placing the empty bowl in the sink.
He brushes his teeth and half heartedly combed the mess of hair on his head. Tony grabs his backpack and trudges out the door yelling goodbye to his father as he went, Outside the air was crisp, the smell of fallen leaves fresh and strong. Tony shifts his backpack over his shoulder and glances at the house next door. A moving van is parked out front, but Tony doesn't see any kids. The rest of his day goes by slow and he soon forgets about the new neighbors. He eats with Rhodey and Bruce at lunch and tried to convince Pepper Potts to be his lady.
When Tony returns home that afternoon, the moving truck is gone. He spots two figures standing in the front yard of the house. A taller brunette boy stood, hands stuffed in pockets spotted Tony and smiles at him.
"I take it you are our neighbor?" The boy asks, his voice holding a faint accent that Tony can not place. Tony nods and grinned slowly.
"Yeah. Tony Stark." He holds out his hand allowing the older boy to shake it. The older boy raises an eyebrow as he takes his hand.
"Stark? Son of Howard Stark?" The boy questions. Tony nods face impassive. "The one and only." He confirms. The boy grins.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Baldur Odinson and this is my brother Thor." Baldur motions to a smaller boy that looked closer to Tony's age. The boy called Thor was tall and blonde, with bright blue eyes and a winning grin. He greets Tony cheerfully and it was soon discovered that they were in the same grade and same class.
"I can show you around tomorrow, big guy." Tony states and Thor nods. " That would be most helpful, Baldur is already in the Eighth grade, so he is not at school with me and my younger brother." Tony nods, baffled at the ye old language Thor was speaking. They were still talking when the front door opened and another boy slipped outside.
"Baldur, father wishes to see you." The young, soft voice calls out. The three boys look up towards the voice and Tony's breath catches in his throat.
You know how the stories of love at first sight go? How time seems to stop and all outside distractions seem to vanish and it is only the two lovers who seem to exist? Yeah it was almost sort of like that, only Tony thinks he is going to piss himself.
Bright green eyes clashed with chocolate brown. A smooth pale face surrounded by dark waves of short hair and a thin mouth curved up into a faint smile.
"Brother!" Thor calls out. "This is our neighbor, Anthony Stark." Anthony approaches the boy and held out his hand with a pleased grin. The gorgeous boy took it and met Tony's eyes a smirk quirking his thin lips.
"Nice to meet you." The boy states, with the same accent as his brothers. Tony licks his lips and nods slowly. "Likewise."
"My brother is in the fourth grade." Thor comments as Baldur walks inside the house. Tony nods again.
"Does he have a name?" Tony asks. Loki smiles again.
"I am Loki." He replies easily eyes bright. Tony grins again. "Well, Loki, it's nice to meet you." He states. Loki cocks his head still smiling.
" I am sure we will be good friends." The youngest Odinson murmurs. Tony nods trying not to look too excited.
"The best."
Even with Loki the grade below him, Tony knows his title as smartest student is rattled by this new boy.
The Odinson brothers had been in town for two weeks and so far Tony was sure of two things.
1. Thor somehow managed to get half the girls in their elementary school to fall for him. Second graders giggled when they saw him at recess, the fifth graders hushed each other when he entered the room and watched his every movement, and even the sixth graders who for all purposes were considered elementary royalty, became giggly when they spotted the blonde.
2. Loki was a genius. Not in the mad scientist way or anything, but Loki never received anything below an A- on an exam. From what Tony had heard is that Loki had outscored all his classmates and there was talk about him skipping to the fifth grade. Tony remembered being offered a chance to skip ahead, but he enjoyed being the smartest kid, he couldn't just leave!
After school that day Tony trails behind Thor towards the bus. The blond is happily chatting with him and Bruce Banner as they made their ways through the crowded hall, teachers ushering children towards the buses. They pass Loki's fourth grade class and spot the youngest Odinson holding his backpack against his chest and waiting to be dismissed. Thor quickly makes his way over to the door and smiles at his brother.
"Brother! How was your day?" Thor asks as three fourth grade girls let out breathless giggles. Loki shoots the girls a glare before turning towards Thor and shrugging.
"It was fine." He replies, he spots Tony behind Thor and he smiled faintly.
"Hello Anthony." He states stepping towards the other boy. Tony takes this as his cue and makes a show of sauntering up to Loki and grabbing his hand. He places his lips against the younger boys hands and smiles.
"Hey Loki." He greets. More giggles erupted and Thor blinks. Loki snorts and rolls his eyes.
"Sit with me on the bus?" He asks with an air of casualness.
Tony nods eagerly.
Thor had invited Tony over after school to play video games. Something about viciously mauling an enemy on screen was deeply satisfying to the both of them. Currently the two boys are sitting in Thor's room, wildly pressing at the buttons eyes glued on the screen. Thor is amazing at these games. His face twisted in concentration his eyes narrowed.
Loki is sitting in his room sorting through his books. He sneers at the books gifted to him. All were books for boys like Thor or even Tony. Nothing that interested him. Captain Underpants? Really? Loki tosses the book aside and stands stretching his arms over his head. He thinks about Tony Stark. The boy was smart, that was for sure. The boy was arrogant, obviously. But then again so was Loki. Loki strides out of his room and passes by Thor's. His brother's door was wide open and he can see the older boys pressing away at their game.
Loki observes Tony silently and when Tony realizes he is being watched he looks up and grins and winks at Loki who smirks back. Thor obliviously plays on and after a moment, Tony too returns his attention to the game his grin still in place. Loki smiles to himself and makes his way downstairs and out the front door. The cool air greeted him and he closes his eyes allowing the cold breeze to nip at his face.
Tony Stark was alright, Loki admitted, not understanding the flutter in his stomach when he locked eyes with the older boy.
Tony woke up early on a Tuesday morning. He brushed his teeth and hair after a bowl of Fruity Pebbles while his father cursed at the coffee machine. Today was the first day of Sixth grade. Today was the day Anthony Stark took his rightful place as king of the elementary mountain. Today he left behind childish pursuits in place of those of a growing man. Tony was quick to get outside, grinning ear to ear. He spotted Thor and Loki emerging from their house. Baldur was now in high school eons above his elementary grade brothers. Thor greeted Tony warmly and they headed towards the bus stop, Loki trailing behind them.
The bus was packed with hyper children and Thor quickly marched his way to the backseat, Tony grabbed onto Loki's wrist and followed behind. The two plopped down and made themselves comfortable. Loki placed his backpack on his lap and watched as Tony did the same. Tony offered Loki a grin.
"Fifth grade eh?" He nudged his friend who nudged back. "Not as exciting as Sixth." He replied as the bus made another stop. Tony grinned. "I'm the big man on campus now."
"Until next year. Then it's the bottom of the food chain again." Loki replied with a hum. Tony snorted. "Always have to ruin my happiness." The boy muttered earning a laugh from Loki.
Lunches were at specific times for specific grades. The kindergarteners through second grade had first lunch. Third and fourth had second and the fifth and sixth had the last lunch period. This year Loki would be having lunch at the same time as Tony. Tony failed to mask his excitement. Rhodey was now a seventh grader up at the middle school and Pepper wanted to eat with some of her lady friends. Sure he could eat with Thor, but the boy never stuck to one table.
Tony sat his tray of overcooked macaroni down on the table. He opened his milk carton and sipped at the straw waiting for Loki to show up. Thor and Loki tended to bring lunch and it was no surprise for Tony to spot Loki approaching his table with a brown bag. Loki sat across from Tony and offered him a happy smile. He pulled out an apple and juice carton from his bag. Loki's mom had packed him a ham sandwich.
Loki hated ham.
He offered it to Tony who gleefully grabbed it and shoved his macaroni towards Loki.
They ate in comfortable silence for awhile, as Loki happily shoveled down the noodles. Loki had a sweet tooth. And adored pasta. Tony remembered and smiled to himself.
"Don't choke Loki." Tony snorted as he took a gulp from his milk. Loki scowled.
"Don't start."
He finished his macaroni and moved onto his juice box. Tony snickered and went back to his food.
Halloween
This was more than likely Loki's last year dressing up. His mother had insisted he do so. Thor was still all for dressing up and was happily showing off his Jedi costume. He looked quite good in his outfit and proudly wielded his light saber. Loki had opted for a Grim Reaper costume with a cloak and weapon. The cloak proved billowing and light, reminding Loki of professor Snape. Sadly Loki could never quite make it flow like Snape's. He followed Thor out of their house and they made their way over to Tony's. Tony must have been waiting because he opened the door as they approached grinning. He made a cute Indiana Jones.
Tony quickly walks over to Loki and grasped his gloved hand. Placing his own hand against his chest he bats his eyelashes.
"Baby if you were death, I would die just to meet you." He wails dramatically kissing Loki's hand. Loki laughs. "If I were death you would never get the chance."
"Ouch. My heart." Tony replies in mock hurt, clutching his chest. Thor sniggers. The three head down the street and Thor walks ahead almost running. Tony taks Loki's arm and pulled him back. Loki glances at his friend frowning.
"What is it?" He asked. Tony grins and holds out his hand presenting Loki with a large dark chocolate Hershey bar. Loki smiled and took it from Tony.
"For me?"
"Duh."
"Thank you!" Loki replies happily placing the bar of chocolate in his basket. A warm feeling tingled in Tony's stomach. He brushes it off as too much chocolate.
The rest of the school year slowly rumbles onward. Tony and Loki take lunch together. They sit together on the bus and always meet at the school entrance. It is routine now to see the two boys together. Sometimes Thor would join them, other times the older boy was with his own group of friends.
Loki could honestly say that Tony Stark was his first actual friend. His first friend who did not have a stronger connection to Thor. It was nice to have someone of his own.
Summer was fast approaching and Loki was ready for the year to end. He listens to his teacher drone on about missing homework assignments, Loki is not among those students. He doodles absent mindedly on his paper as he pretends to be paying attention to Ms. What's Her Name.
Tony invited Thor and him over for a camp out this summer. Loki is looking forward to it. He adores around Thor and Tony. Baldur was too busy to hang out with his kid brothers. He had done soccer and basketball during his freshman year and it seemed he was going to keep at it sophomore year as well. Their father was beside himself with pride.
Loki sits with Tony on the bus as per usual and the older boy hands him a snack size Three Musketeers bar. He eats it happily munching on the sugary goodness as he listens to Tony rattle on about his excitement for seventh grade. As Tony continues to speak a heaviness filled Loki's chest. He observed his friend in concern as Tony spoke.
"You won't stop will you?" Loki asked, swallowing the last of the candy. Tony frowned in confusion. "Won't stop what?" He asked.
"Being my friend?"
"...'Course not!" Tony declared looking scandalized. Loki frowned.
"When you're in middle school, you won't forget about me?" His voice was steady even though he felt like he was going to fall apart just asking about it. Tony huffed and reached into his backpack pulling out a bottle of Axe spray. He handed it to Loki.
" See this? Bigger guys where it for the ladies. I'm gonna give it to you so you know you'll always be my friend, no matter what grade or what girls I meet." Loki held the bottle and beamed at his friend.
" I have something for you too!" He looked in his bag and pulled out his doodle paper, handing it to Tony. It was a picture of Godzilla and King-Kong destroying a city while holding hands. Obviously created during class to wane Loki's boredom. Tony laughed.
"It's not all that deep but I hope you like it." Loki stated.
"You kidding? I love it! Sign right here so that when you're famous I can show it off!" Loki laughed and signed his name at the bottom.
"Take good care of it."
"I'll keep it safe." Tony promised. Loki smiled.
"I knew that you would."
"It's raining!" Loki snapped as he entered through the front door, his hair plastered to his face. Frigga looked up from her book and smiled at her youngest son. She set the book down and beckoned Loki over. He approached her and she chuckled slightly. Loki's teeth were chattering and goose bumps lined his arms. Frigga smoothed her hands over Loki's arms until his teeth chattering faded.
"Are you spending the night with Tony?" Frigga asked with a warm smile. Loki nodded and brushed a hand through his damp hair. "He's with his father at a meeting right now." Loki commented. Frigga nodded glancing at the clock.
"Baldur's with his girlfriend for the day and Thor invited his friends from your old school over." Loki grimaced.
Old school friends.
Meaning, Sif, Fandral, Volstagg and Hogun. They lived in a separate town but their elementary schools merged in the middle school before merging with another middle school in high school. Meaning Loki would be going to school with The Idiots Four next year. Meaning that Loki had not escaped them.
Loki walks up towards his room, creeping by Thor's, where he can hear them laughing. He manages to get to his room unnoticed. Once there he settles down on his bed and pulls out his sketch book. He glanced through at his previous work, smiling or scowling as he examined each page. His eyes flickered towards his alarm clock, which read 3:21. Tony was supposed to be home in nine minutes. Loki set his sketchbook down and glanced out the window. Rain pattered against the glass lazily. Loki looked away from the window and back at the clock. Eight minutes. Loki's mind wandered to his first day of school, and how Tony willingly and cheerfully helped show him around.
"This is the library. Nothing really good here, cause it's an elementary school." Tony sweeps an arm out and Loki curiously glances around the display of books. " Nothing good?" Tony shrugged. " Nah, I've read better." Loki frowned.
"Like what?" Tony's face screwed up in thought.
"They don't have the Harry Potter books anymore, cause people were using them as weapons." Loki snickers as he pictures students smacking each other with the books. Tony leads Loki down the hall and towards the gym which also served as the cafeteria. Loki grimaced as he observed the class of Sixth graders pelting each other with balls.
"You don't like gym class?" Tony asks as they watch the older students. Loki scowls and shook his head. "Yuck." He muttered earning a laugh from the other boy.
"Double yuck." He replies. Loki beams. Tony next showed Loki back to his classroom, where the rest of the fourth grade class were doing math.
"This is where I leave you." Tony grinned. Loki nodded his thanks. "Tomorrow, I'll show you what is the best swing at recess." The older boy stated. Loki grinned back.
"Thank you!" He calls as Tony turned the corner back to his own classroom. Loki was grinning ear to ear as he reentered his room.
Car lights illuminate the driveway next door and Loki leapt to his feet with a pleased grin. He yanks his coat off the edge of his bed and throws it on. He races out of his room, tearing down the hall only to collide with Hogun Grim. Hogun and Loki smacked into each other before stumbling back. Loki grasping onto the wall steadying himself. The commotion brings about Thor and the rest of his friends.
"Where are you rushing off to Loki?" Fandral teases from behind Sif. Thor glances at his friends. "Loki is spending the evening with our friend Anthony Stark." He grins. He glanced at Loki who was pulling the zipper of his coat up.
"Loki has friends?" Sif commented frowning at Loki who glared back.
"Obviously." He sneered. Sif rolls her eyes.
"Okay, I have to see this." She states pushing passed Loki and heading down the stairs. The other three were quick to follow her while Thor frowns at his brother. "Why do you always do that?" He asked. Loki glanced at Thor.
"Do what?" He questions as he strides towards the stairs. "Talk to my friends like that." He questions while Loki rolls his eyes.
"I talk to them like they talk to me." Loki snaps before turning on his brother and walking down stairs. Loki shoves past a grinning Fandral and opens the door just as Tony was approaching. Tony beams at the sight of Loki.
"Eager to see me?" Tony questiones before glancing behind Loki. "Who are they?"
"Thor's little friends." Loki replied without sparing them a glance. Tony rose an eyebrow. "They seem...clean." Loki offers Tony a smile. He heard Sif scoff behind him and Volstagg ask who Tony was. Fandral however was looking between Loki and Tony, his grin wide.
"Loki...I should have figured you were that way." He comments, earning laughter from Sif. Loki glanced at Fandral. "What way?" He asked, missing the scowl Tony shot the blonde. Fandral shrugged.
"Gay."
Loki frowns and Thor huffed in annoyance.
"Shut up Fandral." He mutters while Loki shoots Fandral a venomous glare. He does not have a retort however so it is Tony who spoke up.
"Ya know an attitude like that isn't all that good." He announced. Fandral glanced at Tony and blinked.
"Really?"
"Yeah really. Keep it up and I might have to break your face." Tony replied, tone friendly but words threatening. Something Loki had never heard coming from the normally relaxed boy. Fandral's mouth puckered up unhappily and he turns walking back into the house. Sif shot Tony a nasty glare.
"I can see why you and Loki get along so well." She jeers. Her lips curling in distaste. Thor nervously shifted looking from Sif to Tony. Sif finally turned to Thor.
"Come on Thor, let's play another game." She orders taking Thor's arm in a light grip. Thor nods slowly and allowed her to lead him back in the house with Volstagg and Hogun trailing behind. Loki scowls after them before walking with Tony towards his house.
Tony is surprised by the animosity shown between Loki and Thor's friends. He was quiet as he opened the front door ushering Loki inside. Howard had left with his friend Obadiah for a drink. He was in the middle of hiring a butler/ nanny for Tony. Some British guy named Beavis or Jarvis or something. He and Loki make their way into the kitchen, Tony flicks on the lights as Loki sat at the island trying to brush his damp hair from his face.
"Are you home alone a lot?" Loki asks softly, watching Tony rummage through the fridge. Tony pulls out some leftover spaghetti and set it on the counter. "Uhhh, yeah usually." He replies casually as he grabs two forks. Loki gets to his feet and helps deposit the spaghetti on two plates. " Don't you get bored?" Loki murmurs as Tony places one of the plates in the microwave and punches in one minute. The older boy shrugs.
"I used to."
"Used to?" Loki questioned watching Tony who glanced at him. "Well yeah. I have you now." Loki smiles and looked away from Tony who turns quickly back to the microwave, his ears red.
"Loki?"
"Hmmm?"
"Have you ever kissed someone before?" Tony asks turning back to Loki as the microwave beeped. Loki shakes his head and watches as Tony takes the plate out and replace it with the other. Tony glances back at Loki. "My dad's coworker has a daughter a year older than me. We kissed today by the vending machine." Tony grins. Loki nodded a light frown on his face as he watches Tony.
"Was it nice?"He asked. Tony shrugs.
"Was okay...we french kissed too." Loki blinks in surprise. That was something right out of a movie!
"Wow."
"Well...you want to try?"
"Kissing? But we aren't together." Loki states, looking astonished. Never the thought of it being another boy crossing his mind.
"Doesn't matter. People do it all the time. Come here." Tony motioned Loki to come closer as he closed the microwave door and pressed the button. Loki approached Tony and the older pulled him close. Tony leans forward pressing his lips against Loki's. Loki stood very still under Tony's lips. Loki's eyes drifted shut and he allowed the other boy to cup his jaw. The kiss started out sweetly enough, but of course with Anthony Stark involved. Pushing the envelope was something of a specialty. First kiss turned first french kiss in an instant. Neither understood why it was french. All they knew that it was very wet. Tony tasted like toothpaste and Loki wondered how he knew what to do. Tony cups the back of Loki's head as he kisses him, remembering the girl from earlier and the romantic movies his mother used to watch.
The sound of the microwave stills their kissing and they pulled back, foreheads still pressed together. Tony lets out a breathless laugh.
"See? That wasn't so bad." Tony declares. Loki grins.
"I guess..." He admits, feeling like he had just done something very grown up. He watches as Tony opens the microwave. "What does it mean?"
"The kiss? Well it's your first. We just don't tell no one who it was." Loki nodded in agreement. Tony placed a plate in front of Loki before digging into his own. As Loki ate he smiled. It was a nice secret first kiss. Maybe he wouldn't mind kissing boys rather than girls. He deduces Tony was just curious as he always was. Loki would not mind kissing him again.
Hope everyone enjoyed it so far! Part two will come soon!