So hello everyone. This is a new and improved version of my incomplete story 'This Year in Bloom'.
...Buuuuut we don't need to go into all that drama again. So here it is! I hope it's up to everyone's standards and I hope that you all like it :3 Also, The title is from a song and the chapter titles (surprise, surprise) is also from songs. Chapter title is from Foo Fighters.
Let it be known that I don't own anything! absolutely nothing, all rights belong to Marvel/Stan Lee and so on and so forth.
Once again, let me all caution you, This story has mentions of self harm/drug abuse/rape/character death :O and a bit of drunkenness now and then, but all of that will be in more future chapters, I'd rather not throw that all at ya in the first chapter. Anyway, you have been warned!
Also, I understand the sensitivity of self harm/rape/drug abuse and so on, so if anyone wants a chat, then once again message me because I'm all ears.
And Odin is a good dad to both Loki and Thor in this story, because I would just like Odin to be a good dad :) and Loki and the Avenger's age is around 19, a well as other characters (Pepper/Coulson/Bucky).
Today, the weather was cold yet bright, it was like a fresh start Loki hummed to himself. Because this morning, he was heading off to Shield University. At last.
In his room, Loki sat on the edge of his bed as he gazed out of the window. The frost clinging to the daffodils outside in the garden, the sight of the pale morning spring dazzling his eyes.
Loki had received his acceptance letter three weeks earlier, along with Thor. Shield University was an upstanding and highly successful college, one that Loki was determined to make it in. Nevertheless, it was obvious he would get in. He was at the top of all his classes, and his grades was consistently outstanding. Yes, Loki worked hard to make it.
Thor however did not. His brother was academically under-achieving, failing miserably in every test and every exam. If it weren't for Loki's tutoring, Thor would have failed everything. More importantly however, if it weren't for Odin; their father. Thor wouldn't have been accepted into Shield so easily. Odin was a Senator, a powerful and ruthless man, and not to be messed with. So he held plenty of authority, and where education was concerned, Thor and Loki had the best of the best.
However rocky and bipolar Loki and Odin's relationship may be, it was improving. Odin knew perfectly well that Loki was intelligent, and he made it known to Loki how proud he was, much to his surprise. He recalled his father telling him last night over dinner that 'I expect great things off you Loki, and in reward you will gain more appraisal.'
Loki would've argued that he did not need nor want appraisal from anyone, but in this case, he accepted it generously. He wanted nothing more than to prove to Odin that he was a worthy son, and as equally worthy as Thor, all his life Loki has strived to be better and cleverer. But in his youth it seemed that no matter what Loki did, Thor would be the golden son. Though, recently in these rare moments Odin would smile at Loki, a knowing glint in his eye, perhaps to show Loki that he was always worthy.
Loki shook his head, maybe he needn't have been competitive against Thor for all those years, perhaps he was always loved by Odin, just like Mother said he was. Loki wasn't always right, and he misread many things. Frigga however, was always right.
He smiled fondly at the thought of his mother, how she would always make things seem alright. How would he cope without her over this next year?
At least this way Loki would understand what it would be like to be independent, living the college life... even if he had his brother with him.
Loki was interrupted from his thoughts from the sound of heavy footsteps pounding up the stairs. He needn't of guessed who it was, there's only one person that could be that loud and that clumsy.
The bedroom door was flung open rudely as Thor clambered in, out of breath. "Brother! The car is ready to take us! hurry, we must go!" Thor boomed, picking up the suitcase by the desk.
"My goodness Loki! your bag is so light! do you even have anything in it?"
"I have my books and a few clothes." Loki nodded.
"Well come! we must leave at once."
Loki followed Thor out of the door, glancing back at his room for the last time as he shut the door.
The two brothers made their way down the winding staircase of the grand Odinson mansion, below Frigga and Odin were standing patiently as they both made way down to the hall.
"There's my boys! off to their first day of college!" Frigga cried happily, tugging Loki and Thor into a loving hug.
"I will miss you both so much!" Frigga stroked both of her son's hair, pulling back to smile up at them both. Loki and Thor now towering their mother, they had grown so fast, and looking down at his mother, Loki noticed this.
"Do not fuss my dear, They're men now, and have their own lives to lead." Odin interrupted, patting his wife on her back.
"Oh I know Odin, but they will always be my little boys."
Loki chuckled, "Of course we are."
Odin shook his head as he pried Loki and Thor away from Frigga, leading them out the door and to the steps outside towards the car.
"Remember to call us both, especially your mother. She will be anxious to know how you are." Odin said, both arms around his sons. "I am proud of both of you, now enjoy yourselves and Valhalla's sake please be good, and don't get into any trouble."
Loki and Thor nodded humorously, remembering how much chaos they caused in High School.
"Goodbye Father." Thor said, bringing Odin into a hug. Pulling away Odin turned to Loki, "Goodbye my boys."
"See you soon." Loki replied, before being pulled into a short hug by his father, Loki smiled warmly at his father before Thor dragged him inside the car.
Once inside the brand new bmw, Loki rolled down the window to wave at his parents. Frigga and Odin stood on the bottom step, a content smile on both of their faces, Frigga had one of her hand's laced in her golden hair, her other arm around Odin, as he stood proud in his tailored suit and eye patch.
My, how Loki would miss them both.
Loki waved goodbye to them enthusiastically alongside Thor, winding the window back up gently as they drove down the long driveway. The Mansion and the waving figures of his parents slowly fading out of sight.
"I cannot believe we are actually leaving!" Thor yelled, hands wrapped around a pop tart that suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
Loki and Thor heard a chuckled ahead of them, Heimdall; the Odinsons personal driver and bodyguard (Yes, bodyguard ;)) was shaking his head affectionately, his unearthly golden eyes glancing at the boys through the drivers mirror.
"I can't actually believe you're leaving either, it will be quiet at the Odinson Mansion." Heimdall's voice rumbled smoothly.
Thor leaned forward to pat Heimdall on the shoulder. "Yes it will, won't you miss us Heimdall?" Thor asked, breaking a piece of his pop tart.
"Oh yes, of course I will miss you both Master Thor. The noise however, I will not miss."
Loki laughed heartedly, "At last you will have peace and quiet!"
Heimdall nodded, "Indeed I will Master Loki. Also, I was told by your mother that if ever either of you should need me, then call me and I will arrive to take you to wherever you wish."
"Thank you Heimdall." Loki replied, his green eyes meeting honey-gold ones.
Thor muttered a 'Thanks' through a mouthful of pastry, Heimdall rolled his eyes playfully and carried on concentrating on the road ahead of him.
There was fifty miles to go before they reached their destination, it was a long way from home, but Loki was actually quite glad it was. Loki longed for something new, a new place with new faces. Well, mostly new faces, Loki frowned and glanced at Thor.
"Didn't you mention something about your merry band of friends attending Shield University Thor?"
"Yep." Thor nodded thoughtfully, crumbs falling out of his mouth and onto the expensive leather interior of the car. "All of the Avengers are attending!" Thor boomed.
Loki frowned in distaste, glancing at Heimdall who winked at him through the mirror.
Crossing his arms and leaning back in his seat, Loki recalled the so-called 'Avengers'. The last couple of years of High School, Thor had joined a new gang of friends. This gang was called the 'Avengers', for whatever reason Loki did not know, stupid name really.
Glaring out of the window as they passed bare trees and frozen lakes, Loki thought of the Avengers. Thor used to prattle on about them, almost obsessively, he still does. They were often a loud group of people, always laughing boisterously and making lewd remarks. They were a bunch of imbeciles.
Well, perhaps not all of them. There was Bruce, who Loki was actually fond of, Banner was a sensitive and shy soul, but with a dark side to him that not many noticed, but he was impressively knowledgeable, his intelligence could rival Loki's.
Steve was also quite friendly, the muscular blonde was always kind and sweet-natured, and well-mannered... certainly a rare trait to find in the youth of today. Steve Rogers seemed more of a man from an entirely different era, Loki recalled the times he would come over and insist on watching Casablanca with Thor. Yes, Steve seemed like a man out of time.
Then there was Natasha and Clint, they were like spies, mind always calculating and eyes always watching. Natasha was always more reserved than Clint, Natasha was normally quite silent and manipulating, and in a way.. Loki admired her for it. She was strong and tactful. Clint was the same, but he was more loud and outspoken, he was always wearing a bright smile and joke around and was a bundle of energy, however Loki wasn't fooled, he knew that Clint put up a façade, Clint had demons.
And then there was the famous Tony Stark; son of Stark Industries owner, Howard Stark. Loki remembered meeting both father and son at a convention four years ago. Howard and Odin are close friends, perhaps it was because they shared a common interest; Power. Tony however, was obnoxious, narcissistic and arrogant, all rolled up in one. He was smug and charming, and Loki could not stand him. Loki could not deny that Tony was a genius, he knew how smart he was, but it didn't mean Tony had to walk around acting like a know-it-all.
Tony was Loki's least favourite Avenger, but for some reason Loki didn't hate him.. there was something about him that Loki was actually rather drawn to, whether it was that smile or those eyes that spoke to Loki...
Disturbed from his thoughts, Thor shook Loki to tell him that they arrived. How long did he sit there absorbed in his thoughts?
"Brother, you have been awfully quiet." Thor said with eyes filled with worry.
Loki forced a smile, "Don't worry brother, just daydreaming."
Thor smiled and turned to gaze out of the window to stare at their new home. Shield University definitely lived up to its name. It didn't look like a college, it was more like an important government building, it was partly made of glass, whilst the other half was made of a silvery metal. It was incredible, there was a main building and reception, it took up most of the college grounds and consisted of six floors with a glass elevator on the outside.
On the north-west end of the grounds there was a softer looking building, it was wide and had only five floors, it looked to be the dorm building. On the east side of the grounds there stood a building with the title 'Engineering department & Laboratory' written on the front. And beyond, there stood green fields and running tracks, Loki turned to Thor, knowing that his brother would spend most of his time playing football out there.
Forestry encircled the college itself, Loki only wondered what it would look like in Autumn, when the tree's were a Technicolor of reds, orange, yellow and brown.
Loki decided he would definitely like it here.
Heimdall parked tidily into a space, turning round at the brothers, eyebrow raised. "We're here lads." Heimdall got out to open the back door for Loki and Thor. No matter how many times they both told Heimdall that there was no need to continue with such trivial formalities as opening the door for them, Heimdall would stubbornly ignore them both.
Stepping out into the bitter cold wind, Loki wrapped his arms around himself, shivering at the sudden cold attack of spring.
Heimdall passed Loki his respective suitcase as well as Thor and shut the boot of the car. "Well then Odinsons, I hope you have a pleasant stay here, and remember what I said if ever you needed me."
"We'll call you." Loki and Thor repeated, grinning boyishly.
Heimdall nodded sternly, "Damn right you do, See you soon." and with that Heimdall got back into the sleek black car and drove away and out of sight.
Thor sighed cheerfully behind him, "Well then brother, let's go, or we'll catch our deaths out here!" Thor shivered, motioning them both inside.
Once inside, Loki and Thor were greeted by a kind looking man in a sharp suit named Coulson, who was only a couple of years older than them, he handed them their timetables and dorm keys. Already, Loki was feeling at home.
The building that Loki saw and the north-west end of college grounds earlier was called 'Tesseract Tower'. Loki snorted at the name, it was hardly a tower, the building only consisted of five floors.
Loki and Thor shuffled in and between other students making their way toward the building, one student walked past them with a grumpy looking cat in a cat box. Did they even allow pets? and even if they did what was the point in bringing one? this isn't exactly Hogwarts.
They both wisely decided not to take the elevator after seeing ten students cram their way in. Loki would rather take the stairs thank you.
Thankfully, Loki and Thor's rooms were on the third floor, so it did not take long for them to reach. Much to Thor's approval, Loki's room was number twenty-seven, and Thor's was twenty-six.
"Brother! we are next door to one another! isn't that fantastic!"
"Yes, yes very convenient." Loki muttered, jamming the key into the door, ignoring Thor completely.
Stepping inside his room Loki took a good look around, The room was very nice, almost had a feeling of luxury to it as well as practicality. There was a living area with a flat screen and two leather sofa's. Beyond that was a sleek kitchen and table. There was a hallway leading away from the kitchen into the two bedrooms, and a small but nice bathroom.
Loki nodded in satisfaction, yes this would do.
He went and dropped his bags onto the bed of his choice and waltzed down the hallway back into the kitchen only to see someone stumble through his door.
"Shit! fucking door!" The person stumbled and straightened himself back up again to kick the door shut.
Loki froze, Tony Stark stared back at him. "Loki! Shit, I didn't know we were sharing a room! man what a coincidence!" Tony yelled, flinging his bags onto the sofa.
"I did not know that either." Loki spat, grinding his teeth together. "This is room twenty-seven Stark, are you sure you have the right room."
"Well the key fit didn't it? Oh and it's Tony by the way." Tony shuffled past him, a smirk on his arrogant face.
"Don't worry about it Lokes, you and I are going to have fun here, because there's one thing I can do better than anyone else, and that's party."
Loki glared, he wasn't sure if he wanted to beat the shit out of Stark, or scream. There is one thing Loki will not tolerate, and that is disrespect and the other; Tony Stark.
"I think not, if there's one thing that wont be happening Stark, then that's partying, the other is bringing company back."
Loki smirked, finding a sadistic satisfaction at watching Tony smile falter sadly. "What?! are you telling me that there ain't gonna be no partying? no drinking and no sex?!" Tony almost yelled.
Pointing his nose in the air defiantly. "That is correct Stark, those are the rules.. I expect you to follow them."
Tony scoffed, grabbing the sunglasses in his pocket and placing them on his face (They were inside, what the hell?). "Listen Ice Queen, I don't follow rules, You got that?"
This had to be a fucking joke, Loki stared at the imbecile in fury. If it wasn't bad enough that they'd been assigned to share rooms together, they were now arguing like an old married couple and they had only been in one another's company for the matter of seconds.
Stark would have to understand, Loki did what he want and Loki's word was final, if they were to live together then Tony would have to abide by Loki's rules and they would have to have a sense of consistency and routine.
Loki strode up to Tony, finger pointed. "Now listen here Stark." Loki spat, his voice dripping with venom. "If we are to live together, then we are going to have to learn to negotiate. For a start, there will be no sex! no partying and no alcohol, end of! so don't mess with me, or you will live to regret it."
He stood back to examine Tony's expression, both men staring at each other determinedly.
To Loki's confusion, Tony started to laugh and sent Loki a devilish smirk, ripping off his glasses almost dramatically. "You got it Baby."
Tony walked past Loki and whistled down the hallway, as if nothing happened.
It wasn't what Loki expected, and he wasn't sure if Tony got the message or not, or if he completely ignored him. Either way, it just infuriated Loki further.
Crossing his arms in a huff, Loki impatiently tucked his wavy dark hair behind his ear. Not quite sure what to do now, he didn't want to deal with Tony. But he was stuck living with Tony Stark for almost a year.
With a gasp, Loki almost fell into the chair beside the table, repeating the words in his head.
He was stuck living with Tony Stark for almost a year.
Shit.
I love Idris Elba and the way he portrayed Heimdall , so I'm making Heimdall like a cool uncle to Loki and Thor :P