The first time it was just teasing and being cruel, as children are wont to do.
Loki was the youngest, hanging out with Thor's group as they watched the Warrior's competition for the first time under Huggin's watchful eye. Thor's friends were there along with his big brother: Sif, Fandral, Hogun and Volstagg. Loki was just tagging along at his mother's insistence.
He sighed as the fighting went on and on and on, with his brother and his friends cheering everyone on. Watching fights was never fun, not for him anyway. Loki much preferred practising with the sword or the knife and trying out his spells than watching someone else fight.
With a look at his brother and friends, he got up from the stands, looking for the exit.
"Hey, where are you going?" Thor asked, quickly turning to Loki, though his eyes kept straying to the fight below.
"Just to get some water," Loki lied with ease, it was a skill that was becoming easier and easier, he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. "It's hot here."
"Oh, want me to go with you?" His bother asked again and Loki was tempted to say yes, but he would be depriving Thor of his favourite sport and that wasn't nice, so Loki shook his head instead. He was surprised to feel a weight on his shoulder, turning his head to see Huggin giving him a look.
He shrugged, sharing a smile with Thor.
Huggin soon took to the hidden corners, though, as Loki explored the grounds, the lush green vegetation, the hidden doors leading to the dungeons or the place where they kept the Bigelsnipes for fighting. Or even the forge. With so many things to explore, who cared about fighting games?
He took a turn to the left, then a right turn and another right turn, he was almost sure he was near the Bilgelsnipes' dungeons! He took a left turn on the next crossroad, looking at the light up room.
"What are you doing here?" A relatively young voice asked, drawing Loki out of his internal musings. He looked up to see a boy, probably around Thor's age, staring at him with a sword in hand, he noticed steam coming off the metal and the sheer heat of the place he was in.
"Just looking." Loki replied, looking around for Huggin. The bird was nowhere Loki could see, but he was sure he was still nearby.
"Aren't you supposed to look at the tournament going on? I heard Agna and Gunnar are going at it today like Frostgiants against the Æsir!" The boy said, his tone happy and excited, but Loki could detect the underlining of mockery.
"That's boring." Loki complained, perching on the wooden table and idly swinging his legs as he looked at the darkened corners due to heat and iron, unafraid that the other boy might hurt him. No one would dare harm one of the princes of Asgard. "My brother will tell me how it goes by blow by blow later on. What are you making?" He asked, looking at the piece the boy was working on.
"A sword." The other boy replied, enunciating his words clearly, as if talking to a child. Loki knew that for people Thor's age that was all he was, and he hated it!
"I know that, don't patronise me," Loki said, frowning at the other boy. "You're not old enough to wield a sword, well not a real sword anyhow, so why do you have that?" Loki asked again, nodding in the sword's direction.
The boy blinked at Loki, before grinning, a hint of mischief in his eyes as he gave Loki the biggest grin he had ever seen on anyone, ever!
"I made it! It's a different kind of steel than the ones the warriors use, and not heavy or enchanted like the ones from Svartalheim's dwarfs, which I think are more a hindrance than any help. It's light and I think quite durable."
"You made it?" Loki asked, disbelief and a hint of mockery colouring his words.
"Sure did! Finest piece of craft so far." The boy grinned again, Loki noticed a tooth missing from his mouth, the boy was too old to still have his first teeth, and it looked fresh enough that he hadn't seen a healer yet. If he had it wasn't a competent healer. Bullies perhaps?
"Prove it!" Loki said, not a hint of scorn in his voice but curiosity and wonder, he had never met young crafters like himself. "If you made it, surely you can do it again."
"Well… yeah, but why would I?" The boy asked, crossing his arms, sword held aloof in his right hand.
"Because…" Loki flaunted for a moment, searching the right words. "Because I asked and I'm prince Loki Odinsson, Asgard's second prince." They stared at each other for a moment, Loki nervously biting his lip and the boy looking at his prince with his eyes wide.
The look quickly vanished as the boy got another gleaming look in his eye, one that spoke of pure mischief, the kind that would potentially humiliate someone, Loki would have taken a step back if he could, however his pride demanded he stay.
"Only if you kiss me." The boy said with a haughty look, attempting to look down at Loki.
"Why would I do that?" Loki asked, his face twisting into a disgusted look as he stared at the boy's back. "I don't even know you."
"I'm Thorsteinn, son of Hallthoor, Asgard's finest blacksmith." The boy - Thorsteinn - bowed low, Loki inclining his head in recognition. He had heard of the family before. He thought it was specially funny that all of them had names that derived from Thor's. It was particularly entertaining since Thor had been mortified when they had found out about the family and always made sure he wasn't left alone with them.
"Please call me Tony, though." The boy grumbled, wrinkling his nose at the name. Loki just laughed.
"So, the kiss?" Tony asked again, wiggling his eyebrows at Loki.
"And you'll make the sword for me?" Loki asked, staring at the strange boy.
"Sure will." Thorsteinn - no, Tony, Loki reminded himself - grinned, leaning in close, Loki blinked stupidly at him, leaning back as Tony came nearer.
Loki leaned back further, hitting his head lightly against the stone walls as Tony leaned closer still until their noses bumped. Loki wrinkled his nose against the touch, before feeling a foreign sensation on his lips. His eyes went wide as Tony continued to press his closed lips against Loki's.
"You're a really bad kisser, aren't you?" Tony said as they parted.
Really it was only fair when Loki kicked in between his legs in retaliation, wishing to never see the boy again as he stormed out of the forge. As it frequently happens, the three often had other plans.