Avengers High school Chapter 4

The walk to class felt like an eternity. Every group she walked past whispered or pointed and she could feel their eyes staring at her now short hair. She wished she could have worn her hoddie, but unfortunately it was one of the few items of clothing actually banned by the schools otherwise lenient dress code. A hat was also out of the question, though she supposed she might have been able to get away with it though the halls, before one of her teachers told her to remove it the moment she stepped into class.

Maybe she should just go back to her room, she thought to herself. It would hardly hurt her grades to miss a couple classes, and maybe if she hid under her covers long enough, eveyone would just forget she ever had long hair in the first place.

However Penny knew this wasn't an option.

Her next class was science, and she knew for a fact her partner would notice her absence and come check on her. Not that should would have minded Steve showing up to her room, but the idea of him pitying her made her stomach twist in an uncomfortable way. There was no way around it, she had to face this sooner or later, so it might as well be now, anyway maybe Steve would like her new hair, maybe he would think she was cute.

"Miss Penelope?" A voice said from behind her, breaking her out of her thoughts. Penny turned to see Loki's brother looking down at her.

"Oh...hello" Penny said, realising with slight horror that she couldn't actually recall the taller man's name.

"Eugh come on it was something weird. Thorn? Fork? Four? Oh Four sounds right." Penny thought to herself desperately

"I was hoping I could speak with you." He said gently, or at least as gently as one could with a voice you could hear over a thunder storm.

"Alright.." Penny replied, following as the blond turned and walked down the hall. As they walked, Penny noticed a couple more groups turning and whispering, but the older man must have noticed it too, as he shot them a look that made them silent.

"I'm sorry for what happened to you" Thor said, still walking down the hall but slowing his pace so he could stay by her side. "Rest assured, I her dealt with those cowards severely."

"Oh thanks...but it is really okay. I don't want anyone getting in trouble because of me.." Penny replied, she couldn't help but wonder what the man meant by 'dealt with' but looking at the man's muscle laden arms, she decided it might be better not to ask.

"It is not okay. In Asgard-"

"Long hair is important. Loki told me."

"Ah good. You have my thanks for protecting him." Thor said "My brother...he and our Father do not often see eye to eye. I fear him coming home with short hair..well Father would have only seen it as an act of rebellion."

"But it wouldn't have been Loki's fault, if you explained..."

"It would have done no good. It would have just made Loki seem weak, and Father would have blamed him for not being able to defend himself." Thor replied sadly. Penny was dumb struck, she couldn't imagine Uncle Ben ever blaming her for not defending herself. In fact the many times Penny had been picked on as a child, Uncle Ben had made sure she knew she wasn't to blame. Penny's heart clenched as she realised this was the first time she'd thought about Uncle Ben in a while. He may not have been her real Father, but she had been lucky to have such a kind man in her life to watch out for her. The fact she could just forget him so quickly made her feel sick.

"I am already in your debt for what you did." Thor continued, putting his hand on Penny's shoulder.

"Does that mean I can ask for a hug? Cause I sort of really need a hug right now." Penny thought to herself, but decided it probably wasn't a good idea to ask. There were enough rumours going around about her after all.

"But I wish to ask you to remain friends with Loki. He can be...difficult for many to handle, and I think that makes him lonely. I believe he cares a great deal for you, so please stay by his side."

"Oh Ofcouse, he is my friend I'm not about to just ditch him because of this." Penny said, touching her short hair gently. Thor smiled, but Penny swore she saw a note of disappointment in his face. Had he been expecting her to say something more?

"Thor!" An angry voice yelled from behind the two. Penny turned to see Loki marching up to them.

"What are you doing?" He asked angrily, glaring at his brother.

"I am talking with Miss Penelope." Thor replied, smirking slightly.

"Yeah well she isn't your. Back off." Loki said angrily, taking Penny's shoulders and pushing her the opposite way down the hall.

"Come on Penny you'll be late for class." He said, throwing one last glare at his brother who just chuckled slightly in response.

"You used to throw a tantrum whenever someone else touched your toys didn't you?" Penny asked

"If the other person was Thor, then yes." Loki said "He was always breaking my stuff."

Penny laughed slightly, moving to his side so she could walk with him rather than be pushed.

"What was he saying to you?" Loki asked.

"He just wanted to see how I was, and tell me he 'took care' of those guys. I'm sort of too scared to ask what that means." Penny said. She decided not to mention the part about Thor asking her to remain Loki's friend. It would only embarrass the younger boy to know his older brother was making sure he had friends.

"Yes well, they all still breath. Unfortunately." Loki replied. "But I doubt they'll be dumb enough to come anywhere near you now they know you have Thor's protection."

"They still attacked you, surely you were under his 'protection' as well." Penny said.

"That is different, they knew I would never tell Thor about their assault. But now they now know I will tell if any harm comes to you." Loki said. "I'm a safe target, you aren't."

"You should really tell Thor what has been going on." Penny said gently.

"He'll have put two and two together at this point, especially since I had to explain the hair cut was originally meant for me. I imagine they have been warned off me for now, but those idiot have short memories. Give them a couple months and they'll start to test the limits." Loki replied, more reserved to his fate than actually sad. The way Loki spoke let Penny know this wasn't the first time this had happened. It made her wonder how many boys had made Loki their target in the past. Had they all been at Midgard Academy? Or where there people back in Asgard who had made him their victim just as much as here.

"This is your class correct?" Loki said, stopping in front of one of the science classrooms.

"Right, but what about you? Aren't you going to be late?" Penny asked.

"I have a free period. I was heading to the library when I saw you." Loki explained. "Now go on, you don't want to keep the blond boy scout waiting."

"Alright. I'll see you later?" Penny said.

"The usual place." Loki said, walking off down the hall. Penny rolled her eyes, but she had to admit she would miss it if Loki was to stop hanging out in her room. It was nice having someone there when she got back, like having a pet.

Ignoring the whispers as she entered, Penny headed straight to her desk and took her seat next to Steve. To her surprise she wasn't met with his usually greeting, which may have had something to do with the fact the blond was currently slumped over with his head on the desk.

"Steve?" Penny said, looking down at the blond.

"Hmm..? Oh hi Penny." Steve said, turning his head towards her. "How are you feeling?"

"Oh I'm okay, Gwen evened my hair out." Penny replied, waiting for the boy to offer some sort of compliment about the new do. Unfortunately the boy didn't do that, instead he made a small grunt of acknowledgement and then turned his head back to the desk.

"Hey, are you alright?" Penny asked, concerned. She had never seen the blond boy look so unhappy before, in fact before yesterday she wouldn't have been able to name a time she had seen the boy not smiling.

"I'm fine...sorry I never came to check on you yesterday, I sort of...got dumped." Steve said, taking his head off the desk and slumping back on his chair. Penny's heart skipped a beat. This was what she had been waiting for, play her cards right now and she could take the first step towards becoming Steve Roger's girlfriend.

"Oh Steve, that is terrible." Penny said, suppressing a smile. "What happened?"

"It is complicated." Steve replied sighing. Penny waiting for him to go into more detail, but when it was obvious he wasn't going to, she spoke again.

"Right...well you know Steve you are a great guy, there are dozens of girls out there who would think themselves lucky to be dating you." Penny said, resting a hand gently on his shoulder.

"Heh don't I know it." Steve spat bitterly, shrugging off her hand

"What do you mean?" Penny asked, taken aback by the sudden change in attitude.

"Sorry, I've just had a rough morning." Steve said, touching his forehead as though he could feel a headache coming on. "A couple girls, who I thought were my friends, jumped to ask me out as soon as they heard I was single. Turns out they weren't so much my friends as girlfriends in waiting."

Penny felt the guilt piece her like an arrow.

"O-oh?" Penny said, trying to hide her shame.

"Yeah...they weren't too happy when I told them no. I felt bad but...I just don't see them like that. I thought they were my friends...I guess now they are nothing."

Three more arrows hit Penny's back.

"Yeah...that sucks.." Penny said, unable to look at him. She felt horrible, Steve had been so kind to her, and here she was just lying in wait for someone he cared about to break his heart. She was a terrible person, and she had to make it right.

Steve needed a friend right now, so it was time to push aside any feelings for him and step up.

"Icecream." She said after a moment.

"Excuse me?" Steve asked, looking at her like she'd gone mad.

"Well I don't really know what guys do when they get dumped, but girls go and eat a crap ton of ice cream. So how about it? I'll treat." Penny explained.

"Ice cream sounds good." Steve said smiling. "I have a free straight after class, you?"

"Same. Canteen?"

"Sounds good."

"Great so we'll head over after class. Drown your sorrows." Penny said, smiling.

"Right, thanks Penny." Steve replied smiling. Penny blushed slightly and looked away.

"He needs a friend. He needs a friend heneedsafriend" Penny reminded herself harshly. She had treated him badly, and now she had to make it up to him, which meant under no circumstances could she ask him out.

Atleast not for a while longer anyway.

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"So want to tell me what happened?" Penny said, taking a seat on the bench next to Steve. In her hand was a strawberry icecream cone she had bought from the canteen, which had had a surprising amount of options for a place that was meant to encourage healthy eating. Penny had only expected one or two flavours but had instead found 16 in total, as well as a large range of toppings. In the end she had chosen a plain strawberry cone, mainly because she didn't feel she deserved toppings right now.

"It..is kind of complicated." Steve said, looking down at his vanilla cone with chocolate sprinkles.

"Yeah...you said that." Penny said, licking her own cone. She wanted to help, but it would be hard if Steve wouldn't open up.

"So what were they like?" Penny asked, changing tactic.

"Smart, Funny, handsome, with an ego the size of the ocean." Steve said chuckling slightly to myself. "They were kind though, a lot of people don't see it because they make a lot of jokes at people's expense. But it was never vindictive, they were just teasing."

Penny nodded. She couldn't help but think it was a little weird Steve would use the word handsome rather than beautiful, but maybe the girl just had that kind of face.

"So how long were you two together?" Penny asked.

"Since last year...they were helping me with science but we um...got a bit distracted from studying" Steve replied blushing slightly. Penny bit her lip and cursed the fact she hadn't been born a year earlier.

"So they are a student here?" Penny asked, racking her brain to think of any girl she had seen Steve with that could be this mysterious girlfriend.

"That red haired girl? The scary one with the accent?" Penny asked. It would make sense, the girl was beautiful, with come hither lips and eyes that said so I can stab you.

"Natasha? No we are just friends." Steve replied.

"Then who? I don't think I've ever seen you with anyone.." Penny said thoughtfully. She'd Steve hanging around with his friends before, but they were almost all male. Penny didn't think she'd ever seen Steve consistently talk to a girl who wasn't Natasha.

"Yeah um...it was sort of a...secret relationship." Steve said, looking away. Penny looked at him confused, who on earth would hide the fact they were dating The Steve Rogers? Were they worried about repercussions from the other girls? Maybe, but still it was impressive they could hide something like that for over 6 months.

"Okay...so why was it a secret? Didn't she want people to know?" Penny asked.

"Um..actually I was the one keeping it a secret. It is sort of complicated." Steve replied.

"Complicated like why you two broke up?" Penny said "I get the feeling maybe she wasn't too happy about the secret keeping."

Steve nodded his head. Confirming Penny's suspicion.

"I can't believe I messed this up." Steve said, looking down at his feet. "I just...I can't have people knowing...I'm not ready...not yet.."

Sighing deeply he slumped against the back of the bench.

"I just wish he understood that." He said, looking up at the sky.

It stood out to Penny like a neon sign. Like a mega phone had screamed out the one word Steve obviously hadn't meant to say.

"He?" Penny repeated, the reason for the secret suddenly becoming as clear as glass. The moment the word left her mouth, Steve stiffened and his head spun towards her. His pupils had dilated and for a second Penny thought he might bolt like a scared deer. Had Penny been alone, she'd have allowed herself to feel disappointed. She'd have allowed her face to drop just as her stomach had. But she wasn't alone, she was with Steve, and her earlier thought rang again in her head.

He needs a friend.

"Don't look so frightened Steve." Penny said gently, placing an hand on his shoulder. "It is okay, don't worry all right I'm not about to turn on you."

Steve's shoulders relaxed.

"You don't think...I'm a freak.." Steve said.

"Ofcourse not! Steve, anyone who thinks that isn't worth you time." Penny said.

"Thank you..." Steve said breathing a sigh of relief. Penny gave him an encouraging smile.

"No problem, and don't worry about me telling anyone either. Anything said on the bench will remain on the bench." Penny said, patting the back of her seat. "So with that in mind, want to tell me what happened?"

Steve was quiet for a moment, as if contemplating whether or not he should, but then seemed to decide he had nothing to lose.

"My boyfriend, he is out and he is fine with it, but me...I'm not ready yet." Steve said.

"Right...I've heard it can be difficult." Penny replied, she didn't have much experience with being closeted herself, but it was a popular subject on TV shows. "But you know I doubt many people here would give you trouble, and those who do aren't worth your time."

"It isn't someone here I'm worried about..." Steve replied, and Penny remember that like her, Steve didn't have parents.

"Your Grandparents wouldn't approve?" Penny asked.

"My Grandfather mostly...don't think too badly of him. He is a product of his time." Steve said.

"Times change, people should to." Penny replied. "Especially when not doing so makes the people close to them unhappy."

"He is old..." Steve replied, watching his icecream melt on to his hand.

"...he also isn't here. How would he find out?"

"He could...they visit sometimes. The school has parents weekends...it would only take one wrong word and then..."

"What? What is the worse case scenario?"

"He gets angry...disowns me...kicks me out the house?"

"Okay yeah...that is pretty bad. But is that really what you expect? I mean he is your Grandfather, he took you in when your parents died, would he really throw you out because of who you love?"

"You don't understand.." Steve said, slightly angry.

"Maybe you are right, maybe I don't." Penny replied. "I don't know if I could give up someone I cared about, just because someone far away might have a problem with it."

"I didn't give them up, they gave me up..." Steve said sadly.

"Well...being kept a secret must hurt. Maybe he felt like you were embarrassed about him. I know that is what I would think if my boyfriend wouldn't tell anyone I existed."

"I'm not embarrassed! I just don't want everyone knowing that..."

"You are a freak?" Penny finished. Steve stared at her, the hurt clear in his eyes.

"That is what you were worried I would think right? That you are a freak because you want to date a guy not a girl." Penny explained "And honestly...maybe your Grandfather will think that way, and some other people too, but you can't make yourself unhappy just to make them not feel uncomfortable. My Uncle used to say 'The people who matter won't mind and the people who mind won't matter' and..I think that might be how your boyfriend feels. He doesn't care what anyone in school says, but I bet he cares what you think. And Steve...if you think yourself a freak for being gay, then whats to say you don't think that all gay people are freaks. Including him."

"What? No I would never! He..he isn't. There is nothing wrong with him.." Steve said, looking down at his feet again.

"Actions speak louder than words Steve, and the action you have taken is to hide you relationship away like it is some dirty secret. What else is your boyfriend meant to think?"

"I...never saw it that way. I only thought about myself..." Steve replied, in his head the argument from last night played over.

I need you to acknowledge this is real!

Ofcourse it was real! Steve cared about Tony more than anyone and yet, he had been hurting him. All this time he'd hurting him, hiding him away their relationship like it was something wrong...like their love was something disgusting.

"Steve no one can force you to come out if you aren't ready." Penny said, putting her hand on his shoulder gently. "But you need to decide if it would really be worse to have people know, than it is to give up the person you love."

Steve looked at Penny. He could see the parts of Tony in her face, the same eyes, the same nose. He missed him, even after just a day he missed him. The way those same eyes lit up when he was about to say something clever, or rolled when someone else said something dumb. He missed it, and the thought of never been able to see them again made his chest ache.

Are you happier like this than with people knowing?

Steve thought about it. He didn't think his Grandfather would understand, he was too old, too set in his ways. But how long could Steve really keep it a secret? Once he graduated from Midgard he had planed to move home, so what would he do then? Sneak out at night and hit a gay bar? Too afraid to ever bring a boy back or even speak the name of someone he cared about.

He couldn't live a lie forever. One day it would all come out.

Maybe he could have a few more years without having to deal with the world knowing, but in exchange he'd have to give up Tony, probably forever.

It wasn't worth it.

"Thanks Penny." Steve said "You are a good friend."

"Right haha yeah.." Penny said, another stab of guilt hitting her in the stomach.

"I'll talk to him...it won't be easy." Steve said licking his ice cream. "But it'll be a lot easier than this."

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Tony was sulking.

After his break up with Steve, Tony had gone back to his dorm room and drank three more bottles of shampoo booze, which had not only let him with one of the worst hang overs of his life, but also completely without any more alcohol.

So Tony was sulking, as he would be until he could replenish his stash and drink it again. Then he would still be sulking, but he would also be drunk, which in his experience made anything less terrible.

"What is up with you?" Clint asked, flicking a piece of paper at his face. "You look like you found out your Dad lost his fortune betting on chihuahua racing."

"Screw off Clint." Tony snapped, not in the mood to deal with his idiocy today. He was beginning to regret choosing to sit with his two friends when he had entered the library. But he had known that not sitting with them and sulking alone would be a giant red flag.

"Shit, he didn't actually lose it did he? Cause I got about 40 bucks on me if you need to sell your car." Clint replied, aiming up his next shot.

"Clint leave him be." Natasha said. "You aren't going to get him to talk by flicking paper at his face."

"You don't know that." Clint said, flicking another piece of paper at Tony. This time however Natasha caught it and gave Clint her patented see what happens if you disobey glares.

"There is nothing to talk about, I'm fine" Tony said unconvincingly. The truth was he wanted to talk about it, the fight from last night had been going around and around in his head and he really wanted someone objective to tell him he'd done the right thing.

Had he done the right thing?

Maybe he'd been putting too much pressure on Steve, maybe he would have eventually felt comfortable enough to tell people about their relationship. Maybe he'd been an idiot.

Tony shock his head and knocked those thoughts away. No, he'd waited long enough. If Steve had really loved him then he'd have been willing to tell people about them, instead of keeping it a secret.

Right?

He really didn't know any more, and the worst thing about all of this was that he couldn't ask his friends.

He couldn't talk to anyone, not without revealing Steve's secret. Even if he said he had just broken up with someone, it wouldn't take long for his friends to realise it was probably the man he spent 90% of his day with.

So Tony suffered in silence

Maybe he should say something, reveal Steve's secret in one final act of revenge, but he knew that would hurt the blond man deeply, and even after everything he couldn't bring himself to harm the man he loved in such a way.

No he would suffer alone. And drunk once he could replenish his supplies.

"Tony we are worried about you." Natasha said, moving to the seat next to him. "We noticed your car was missing, but Steve wouldn't tell us where you had gone, and now you are obviously hung over and looking like you have the world on your shoulders. So, what's up?"

Tony looked at Natasha. He knew the woman well enough to know that she wouldn't give up, and any pretence that he was fine would be easily seen through. He had to give her something.

"My Dad...had an affair while my Mom was dying. Turns out the woman he was banging had got pregnant and had a little girl. She goes here. I just found out." Tony said. He knew that would be enough to keep Natasha off his back, and he'd be lying if he said he didn't want to talk about this with someone.

"Woah really? Look I know your house is huge, but I didn't realise it was big enough for you to miss a whole other kid." Clint said, Natasha gave him another warning look.

"She didn't live with us idiot!" Tony snapped. "She lived with her Mom, and then when she died, her Aunt. Apparently Dad didn't bother to visit, so the kid is still in the dark about him."

"Are you going to tell her?" Natasha asked.

"I..I don't know. I mean I want to but where do I start? Oh hey so turns out my Dad is your Dad but he couldn't be bothered to tell you so..." Tony replied.

When he left his Dad's he'd been set on telling Penny the truth, but the closer he had gotten to school the less sure he became that it was such a good idea.

"I think you need to think carefully about this Tony." Natasha said "There won't be any taking it back once it is out there, and the last thing you want is for her to shoot the messenger."

"And here I was planning to just blurt it out." Tony replied, rolling his eyes.

"Tony we both know you aren't the most tactful person. Just remember there is no rush, no one is saying you have to tell her just yet. Take some time" Natasha replied, suppressing the rage she always felt when someone dared to roll their eyes at her.

"Heh wonder if my Dad used that excuse, it is amazing how one day turns into 16 years" Tony said.

He knew Natasha was right, he couldn't just barge in and tell Penny they were related. But if he put it off one day it would become two, and then three. Tony was always terrible about procrastinating.

"So who is it? Someone we know?" Clint asked, having moved from flicking paper to making a paper airplane.

"I don't think you've met." Tony replied, but he really had no idea whether they had or not. Clint was captain of the archery club after all, and for all he knew Penny was on the team. Or she could hate archery with a red hot passion, Tony wouldn't have known either way.

He didn't know Penny at all.

No that wasn't fair, he knew her a little. He'd thought she was sweet enough when ever they worked on the robot arm. However now that Tony thought about those sessions he realised that he was the one who did most of the talking, and it was almost always something technical.

She liked Steve, he was almost certain of that. After all he'd only hacked into her file to prove to Steve she wasn't as innocent as she appeared. Wow had that plan backfired.

It occurred to Tony in that moment that there was a possibility Penny and Steve could start dating. After all she did like him, and if he'd decided to play the straight game, she was just the sort of girl he'd need. Someone innocent who wouldn't think about it too much when Steve didn't want to stick his tongue down her throat. In fact she'd probably think he was a gentleman.

Tony felt his stomach clench. No Steve wouldn't do that. If nothing else he knew that Penny was Tony's sister, that would be enough to keep him away. He'd pick some other girls, lord knows he had plenty to choose from.

"Coooome on. Give us a name! I wanna know if arrogant jerk is a hereditary trait!" Clint whined, finishing his paper airplane and throwing it into the air. It would have been an impressive flight distance, if the plane hadn't been stopped in it's tracks by a wall of blond muscle.

"Aww Steve you made me crash!" Clint complained, picking up his plane off the ground.

"Oh, sorry Clint, I didn't see it." Steve replied awkwardly. He glanced at Tony, then looked at his shoes.

"Yeah well next time watch out, that's a good way to lose an eye." Clint said, sitting back down and re-shaping his plane to make up for the damage Mt Rogers had caused.

"Right...sorry. Tony I um...was hoping I could...have a word with you." Steve said, looking straight at Tony, but obviously resisting the urge to look back at his shoe. Gaa why did he have to be so cute!

"I'm busy." He snapped, turning away. He could be strong. He could be strong as long as he didn't have to look into those sparkling blue eyes.

"Please." Steve said calmly, taking a step closer to him. Natasha and Clint watched the two men, but said nothing.

"Fine." Tony replied, getting up from his seat. He didn't look at the blond, instead turning and walking to a quieter part of the library. In a way it was a small act of rebellion, Tony knew Steve would be more comfortable talking in a place he could guarantee no one would over hear him, but he was done working around Steve anxieties.

"So what is it?" Tony said, crossing his arms.

"Well first I...wanted to apologise." Steve said. "You know I have some issues with..who I am but...I just wanted you to know that...I never thought those things about you. You are..you aren't...Tony it is different with you...it's like...like we are vampires"

"Vampires?" Tony asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah..I mean if I was a vampire I'd be really upset about it and wouldn't want to kill people. But if you were in my Hive or whatever I'd...I'd still think you were amazing and hansom...and funny in this way that is mean but some how you get away with. So..even if I had a problem with my vampireness, I wouldn't mind your vampireness because..it is part of you."

"Right...you do realise you just compared being gay to being a blood sucking monster right?" Tony asked.

"I'll admit it didn't cross my mind until I finished the metaphor." Steve joked. Tony hated it when he joked, the way he always looked so pleased with himself and he mouth turned up into that cute smirk with his lips and-stop it! Stay strong.

"And um...second of all." Steve said, looking down at his feet the way he always did when he felt uncomfortable. "Hiding like this it is comfortable and safe but...if it means I have to give you up then it isn't worth it. Tony I love you and I want to be with you and-"

Before Steve said another word, Tony moved forward and kissed him. Steve was taken a back at first, and another day he would have pushed Tony away, but today he resisted the urge.

"It won't be easy, but it is easier than giving you up." Steve thought to himself, pretending they were alone in the room and deepening the kiss.

"Woooo" A voice said from behind them, followed by a loud wack.

"OW Nat! Come on..." Clint complained rubbing his newly formed bump.

"You were ruining the moment." Natasha replied, holding a particularly large hardback book in her hands.

"Oh..h-hey guys." Steve stuttered, his face going completely red. Behind him he felt Tony stiffen.

"If this doesn't go well" Tony thought, then Steve will be deeper in the closet than ever.

"So...you two are...?" Clint began.

"Dating, yes." Tony replied, decided it was probably best for him to take the lead.

"Dating, you mean like a real relationship?" Clint asked.

"Yes, as in Steve is my boyfriend...well I mean he was yesterday, and then there were some...issues...but I think we can safely say we are back together now." Tony said. He tried to sound casual, but in he was watching his two friend's faces closely.

"Damn it!" Clint said annoyed, pulling out his wallet and handing Natasha $20 "My money was on fuck buddies."

"I told you it was love." Natasha said smirking. She took the money and slipped it into her bra.

"I'm so glad you can't find any clothes with pockets." Clint said, not so subtly watching her hide the money. Natasha raised the book again and he took a step back.

"You knew...?" Steve asked quietly.

"Suspected." Natasha replied.

"You guys always look about five seconds away from making out. It wasn't hard to guess." Clint added.

"However, since it is important for someone to come out in there own time we thought it best not to ask about it." Natasaha said.

"We've sensitive like that." Clint continued smirking. "We may make bets about whether or not you are doing it, but we aren't going to ask you about it."

"Well um...thanks." Steve replied, his face beginning to return to it's normal colour. "I um..appreciate it."

"As you should." Clint said. "Now we'll leave you two alone so you can continue making out or whatever"

"Right, don't let us interrupt." Natasha said, turning to leave. "But if you want some privacy the Russian literature section is always very quiet."

"Shh don't give away our spot." Clint hissed. Natasah just rolled her eyes and walked away, Clint followed close behind, turning back only to give the two boys a thumbs up before disappearing.

"So..." Tony said. "As bad as you thought?"

"I'm pretty mortified they caught us...but I guess it wasn't too bad." Steve said, his face still a little pink.

"Well we have good friends." Tony replied. "They'll understand, and you don't have to tell everyone today. In fact I think your time right now would be better spent following me to my room so we can get some privacy."

"I think I'd like that." Steve replied, sighing with relief. He might have taken a big step, but he was still much more comfortable behind closed doors than out in the open.

"One step at a time" he thought to himself. Four people knew now, and that was three more than yesterday. The rest of the school could find out later, and one day, one far away day, he'd tell his family. He'd tell them he was happy, and in love, and he'd hope that would be enough to make them happy for him.

Steve felt Tony take his hand, and for the first time in public, Steve didn't pull it away.

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When Penny got back to her room, Loki was waiting for her.

"Hello." He said as she entered, unusually he wasn't reading one of her books, and was instead just sitting on her bed as if waiting for her to return.

"Hey." She replied, throwing her bag into the corner of the room. "Wanna go get some lunch?"

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather go with the Rogers? I heard he got dumped by his girlfriend and I saw you little icecream date this morning, I admit you work fast." Loki asked, he sounded slightly annoyed, but Penny just put that down to him thinking he couldn't hang out in her room now their deal was complete.

"Oh that? That wasn't a date." Penny said "He just needed cheering up."

"Ah and you volunteered to do the cheering, I suppose that is a good place to start. So what next?" Loki asked.

"Nothing." Penny replied.

"Nothing? Penny I think you are getting confused with part one of the plan."

"No I'm not..look Steve isn't..." Penny began, but then stopped herself as she realised she was about to betray Steve's confidence "I mean...I sort of convinced him that his relationship wasn't over. They'd just had a fight, after the ice cream he went to find them and make up."

Loki was quiet for a second and then burst into laugher.

"Only you could try and seduce a guy and end up getting him back with his girlfriend." He laughed, wiping a tear from his eye.

"I wasn't trying to seduce him!" Penny replied. "By the time I'd spoke to him a bunch of girls had already asked him out. He though they were his friends and he just looked so sad...I felt awful."

"Ah, so you weren't the only girl placing herself on deck. I thought that could be an issue."

"Then why didn't you warn me?"

Loki shrugged.

"What could you have done? Gone after them all with a hatchet? Your only option was to hope Steve liked you best."

"Yeah well...evidently I'm really not his type." Penny said sighing. "It's my own fault, I should have just been up front from the start. I mean if I guy liked me I'd rather he just told me, not wait to try and catch me out when I'm vulnerable."

"You'd prefer the straight forward approach." Loki asked, watching her closely.

"Yeah, I mean I'd rather that then one of those lame guy who is nice to a girl and then complains they put her in the 'friend zone'. If all you want is to sleep with someone than you aren't really a friend in the first—Mm?" Penny began, but she was cut off as Loki crossed the room and kissed her on the lips.

"Penelope. I like you. You should be my girlfriend." He said as they broke off the kiss. Penny felt her face turn red.

"W-what?" She stuttered. She was completely caught off guard. How long had Loki liked her for? Since she saved him from those bullies her first night? Or had it come later? How had she not realised?

"Right oh of course. I mean, it isn't like he broke a guys noes after he cut your hair or anything, oh wait."

Gwen was right. Gwen was right and Penny was a complete idiot for not seeing it before.

"I-i-" She stuttered.

"Damn it Penny, pull yourself together, you need to give him an answer! Any answer! Just don't say sit there stuttering like an idoit!" the voice inside her head screamed.

"You don't have to answer right now" Loki said, smirking as though he was enjoying her reaction.

"I swear if this is another one of his pranks I'm gonna punch him in the face." Penny thought to herself as he moved away.

"I realise I've probably shocked you, so take a little time to let it sink in. Then come find me." he said, kissing her forehead.

"I um...okay." Penny mumbled, looking at the ground. She felt like she had just gotten an electric shock and needed a moment to just sit still a recover.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Loki said, heading towards the door. As he left he winked at her, sending another charge through her body.

Penny sat and stared at the door as it closed. She could still feel the soft touch of his lips on her own, the heat of his body, but Loki was...Loki! He lived to annoy her, not want to kiss her. He was like the pet that always greeted her after school, not a actual boy. A boy with piercing eyes and silky black hair and soft lips, damn it why could she still feel his lips.

Penny took a deep breath as she tried to get her heart rate to return to that of a human's and not a mouse on a caffeine kick. Once again, Gwen's words from last night rang in her ears.

Ah Pen, you have a lot to learn about men.

Gwen was right.

Loki liked her, had probably liked her all this time. She wondered whether he had had the same plan that she had had with Steve, to wait until her heart was broken and then swoop and take the place as boyfriend. Penny didn't think so, atleast she didn't think that was the plan from the beginning. But maybe it was, maybe he had been waiting all this time and had just said he wanted to room to be close to her. Penny couldn't be sure.

There was one thing she did know though, and that was as long as she could feel his lips on hers, her face was going to continue to be the colour of a strawberry.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You have to tell her." Steve said, his arm wrapped around Tony's waist as they sat on his bed together.

"I thought, you thought that what my Dad had done was best." Tony replied.

"No, I said he probably thought it was best." Steve corrected. "But Penny is a sweet girl, she deserves a proper family."

"I don't think there is anything 'proper' about us. We are more like a wasps nest."

"Still she deserve to know. You were right...secrets they just mess everything up."

"Aww you are learning." Tony said, kissing him on the cheek. "You're right, I need to talk to her."

"Have you decided how you are going to do it yet?" Steve asked.

"Naa, I thought I'd just wing it. I work better off the cuff." Tony said, getting up.

"Tony, I don't think that is a good idea. You need to be delicate about this." Steve replied.

"Hey come on, I'm Mr delicate." Tony replied. "Look Steve, If I don't do it today, I'll just keep putting it off."

"Alright, if you are really sure." Steve said, standing up and kissing Tony on the lips. "Do you want me to come?"

"No, I think it'll be better coming from just me." Tony replied.

"Alright, then good luck." Steve said noding.

"Hey, I'm Tony Stark. Who wouldn't want to be my little sister?"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Penny lay on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. The feel of Loki's lips had finally faded, but the thought of it kept the red blush in her cheeks. The moment circled round and round in her head as she tried to get the facts straight in her brain.

Loki, her rude friend who hung out in her room, read all her books, and lived to be as annoying as possible, was attracted to her.

Loki the prince with long black hair, emerald green eyes and high cheek bones, wanted to be her boyfriend.

It just didn't seem to make sense.

Penny rolled on to her side and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked at her mud brown hair, eyes the same shade as wet cardboard and a child like face. She wouldn't exactly win any beauty contests. So what did Loki see?

Maybe he really was just messing with her.

Penny sighed. The heroines in her books never had this problem. They always knew exactly what to say when a man kissed them, they didn't just sit there stuttering like an idiot. She wished she'd said something at the time, now it was all ahead of her, and honestly it was freaking her out.

She needed advice, and normally when she needed advice she'd call Aunt May, but somehow she didn't feel comfortable talking to Aunt May about a boy. So who else was there? Gwen might be good, after all she had realised Loki liked Penny, before Penny had. Maybe she could help Penny get her head straight.

Rolling off her bed, Penny stood and headed over to her door. Pulling it open she was just in time to see Tony Stark standing there, about to knock.

"Oh Hey, I was just coming to see you." Tony said, his hand ready to knock still in the air.

"Oh...why?" Penny asked suspiciously. She had always gotten on well with Tony when they were working on the robot arm, but after the way he had treated her yesterday, she didn't really know what to make of him any more.

"Well er...Steve told me what you did." Tony said. "So I thought I should come and say...you know thanks for that."

"Huh? Oh wait are you the...you know?" Penny said, not sure whether or not she could talk about it in the open yet.

"Yeah." Tony replied. "Look could we go inside?"

"Oh...sure." Penny said, standing aside to let him in.

Tony walked inside and his eyes were instantly drawn to the piles of tattered books covering the floor. Back home his Father had an extensive library of perfectly kept books, and Tony had no doubt Penelope would have loved it. Seeing this home made library of barely held together tat made Tony all the more angry at his father.

"You know maybe you should invest in a book cases" Tony said, stepping over one of the piles of books. The dorm room provided some shelves, but Tony could see they already held Penny's still immaculately kept text books.

"They are fine on the floor, I mean most of them are already damaged." Penny said, nudging one of the piles with her foot.

"Right...well um thanks for talking some sense into Steve. I don't know what you said but it worked, I've been trying to get him to come out for months." Tony said.

"No problem. So is he going to start telling people then?" Penny asked.

"Well sort of, we decided it was best to just not hide anything, but only out right tell our close friends. Other people will put two and two together eventually, but we didn't see the point in making some big announced."

"Makes sense." Penny replied.

The two of them stood in awkward silence.

"So um..." Tony began. Maybe he should have thought of a plan before he came in here. Normally he was great at thinking up things on the fly, but right now, his mind was pulling up a blank.

"Is everything all right? You seemed a little flustered when you opened the door." He said after a moment. He'd build up to it, that would work, he just need to buy some time to think.

"Oh um..yeah I'm fine.." Penny replied, rubbing the back of her neck and looking away.

"You know, I'm sorry accused you of lying before, you are obviously terrible at it." Tony said, taking a seat on her bed. "Look the way I see it I was kind of a jerk to you yesterday and you helped me out with Steve so...I owe you one. You need someone to talk to I'm here."

"Well...it is kind of complicated." Penny said. She wasn't really sure if Tony was the person to talk to about this. When they worked on the robot arm all they really talked about was technical stuff, and he had been a pretty big jerk to her yesterday, but then again Penny did want to talk to someone, and if she spoke to Tony here she could avoid accidentally running into Loki on the way to Gwen's and giving him an answer before she was ready.

"It's nothing...just...well before you came by Loki...kind of..kissed me." Penny explained, feeling herself blush again.

"He did what?!" Tony said, angrier than Penny would have expected. "Do you want me to kick his ass?"

"What? No!...I mean I didn't ask him to...but it was just a quick one. I didn't mind...I kind of liked it." Penny replied, trying to calm it down. Why was he so mad? It was only a kiss, not something for someone Penny barely knew to be so outraged about. Maybe he was jealous? But that seemed unlikely, not when Tony had Steve.

"So what? Are you two dating now?" Tony asked annoyed.

"No, well maybe...he told me to think about it and give him an answer tomorrow.."

"Well I'll help, tell him no!"

"Why? He is nice..and hansom and.."

"He is a jerk! He is an arrogant, narcissistic ass hole!" Tony said, standing up. "You can't go out with him!"

"Pretty sure I can. He likes me and...and you know what? I like him! I do like him...he is my best friend and might not have thought about him as a guy before..but now I am I'd like to go out with him! So what is the problem?" Penny snapped. The words flowed out of her as though her annoyance had finally allowed her brain to put things in order. She liked Loki, she wanted to date him, and she really wanted to kiss him again.

"The problem is that I forbid it! You aren't dating him!" Tony said angrily, taking a step towards her

"Forbid it? Who are you to forbid anything I do!" Penny replied. What was it with this guy? Yesterday he'd accused her of being a liar, and now he was trying to tell her who she could and couldn't date. The anger burned in her like a steady flame, this wasn't like yesterday when she was already upset and tired, today she could stand her ground. She wasn't about to let herself be bullied again by some jerk who thought he knew better.

"Who am I to forbid it? You really want to know? I'm your brother that's who!" Tony snapped. The moment the words left his lips he regretted it. So much for not blurting it out.

"..What?" Penny said, looking at him like he had gone nuts.

"Ah crap...sorry I didn't mean it to come out like that." Tony said, rubbing his temple. "It is true...I only found out yesterday. You don't have a scholarship Penny, my Father...your Father...he is paying for you."

"You're lying..." Penny said. "This is a scholarship, my Dad...my Dad's name is Richard Parker, he died when I was a kid, along with my Mother..."

"That guy wasn't your Dad Penny. Look, think about it. Did you even apply for a scholarship? Did you do any sort of entrance exam?" Tony asked gently.

"No...the letter said they...they saw my science fair project." Penny replied.

"It was a lie Penny, all of it! Your Mom had an affair just before she got married, she got pregnant and tried to hide that it wasn't Parker's..."

"Shut up! My Mom wouldn't do something like that!" Penny yelled fiercely, causing Tony to have to take a step back.

"It is the truth Penny..." Tony said.

"No it isn't!" Penny said, tears stinging her eyes. She wouldn't cry in front of Tony, she wouldn't cry in front of this liar.

"Get out." She said, trying desperately to keep herself together. "Get out! You are liar!"

Tony just stood there. He couldn't believe he had messed this up. He had had a sister for less that 24 hours and she hated him.

"At least her and Dad will have something in common" He thought sadly.

"Alright...okay...it is a lot to take in." Tony said, trying not to let the disappointment show on his face. She'd calm down, in a few days. After she'd talked to her aunt, when she knew he wasn't a liar. She'd calm down.

Tony moved past her silently and left the room. Penny slammed the door behind him, locking the door the moment it shut.

He was a liar. He was a liar and a jerk and she didn't know why he was doing this, but it was all lies! Her Mom was a good person, she loved her Dad, and her Dad was called Richard Parker.

But in the back of her mind, there was a niggling doubt. Somewhere deep in her memories half conversation she'd heard as a young child were pushing their way to the surface.

She'd always been told she looked like her Mom.

Maybe there was a reason no one ever said that about her Dad.

-End Chapter Four-

Well I resolved one problem, better add in another couple to keep you guys interested.

Sorry for the delay guys, this chapter was pretty hard to write. There was quite a few big scenes this time around, and alot of the conversations wouldn't flow like I wanted them too. Hopefully you enjoyed it and i'll see you next time around for Chapter Five.