Christmas week passed by quickly for seven high school students. In a whirlwind of gift-buying, wrapping and opening, turkey-roasting and eating, and drunken-singing and dancing, New Years Eve had finally arrived.
Tony Stark had received new Stark technology for Christmas, which wouldn't be on the market for another few years, from his parents, and his father had a beach house built for Tony and his mother. From his girlfriend he got a whole outfit, complete with a sweater and shoes. A couple of his friends had given him gift cards to Future Shop and Best Buy (as if he needed them) and one had even given him an advanced chemistry set (Clint, teasingly, of course. Because everyone knew Tony had nearly every element at his disposal in Stark Tower.)
Even Loki had given him a present: a roll of duct tape with a note saying, 'No need to thank me'. Thor had later sent him a neatly-wrapped gift of a box of chocolate and an apology note.
Bruce Banner had been given a new phone (Stark tech), and a pair of glasses and a sweater from his cousin. Disappointingly, Betty had only sent him a card saying, 'Merry Christmas, Bruce. I'm sorry, but I can't see you for a while. Best wishes for the new year.' There wasn't even a smiley face on it, and Bruce was glad he'd only gotten her a bracelet from Claire's.
To Bruce's surprise, Tony had dropped by his house to give him his gifts. As well as the phone, he was given a book on anger management, but the pages were carved out in order to fit a box of chemicals for experiments.
Clint Barton got more presents than he had any other year. His parents bought him a coupe and he immediately ran outside. Of course, he then realized he was dressed in his pajamas and socks, and promptly slipped on the ice on the driveway. Then his parents proceeded to tell him that he would be sharing the car with his brother, who, up to that point, had been taking the bus to and from his school. Barney plucked the keys from Clint and stepped into the driver's seat, waited for Clint to get to the passenger side, lock the door, and back out of the driveway with Clint standing where the car was.
To Clint's surprise, Barney returned an hour later bearing gifts (albeit unwrapped), for the whole family. Clint had received a new video game and his parents were given a pair of plane tickets to the Caribbean. How his brother had afforded all that, he didn't know. Tony had also given him some presents: The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood book, The Hunger Games book set, and The Lord of the Rings book trilogy.
Natasha Romanoff received a pair of new pointe shoes from her uncle, a Stark phone from Tony, and a few gift cards from other school friends. Pepper had taken her shopping the week before, buying her at least fifty-dollars worth of things. To Natasha's surprise, Yelena had dropped off a gift as well: a roll of lambswool and a sparkly grey infinity scarf.
Clint and she exchanged presents on Christmas day. He'd visited her, driving his new coupe with a huge smile on his face and a peppermint mocha in his hand. Natasha had baked a batch of red and green cupcakes for him and his family, and a set of Bluetooth speakers for him. On top of the mocha, he gave her a beautiful green and silver charm bracelet.
Steve Rogers was given more than he had on his non-existent wish list. His mother bought a pair of tickets for them to England to visit family; they hadn't visited there since Steve was five years old. His friends gave him some money, and Tony gave him a personalized red-and-blue Stark phone with a silver star in lieu of the home button.
Peggy gave him a sweater and a book set he'd been wanting. He had spent forever thinking of something to give to her, and finally found a gift after two weeks of hopping in and out of stores. She was delighted when he gave her a portrait of her that he'd drawn. Then, as Steve wasn't the type to only give one gift, he'd baked her sugar cookies and gave her a necklace; she was so happy that she kissed him for a little too long and Steve's mom walked in on them.
Thor Odinson had been given three hundred dollars in total from all his family, and a hand-knit sweater and a new laptop from his parents. Loki gave him a box of red velvet Pop-tarts and a video game. Jane dropped off a box of cookies and a hat-scarf-gloves set, and in return, he gave her a pair of admission tickets for the Rose Centre for Earth and Space, which she'd been wanting to visit for a long time.
His other friends had given him gifts as well. Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg pooled money to buy him a new Xbox 360 after Volstagg had accidently sat on his old one. Sif brought over a mug of hot chocolate and a nicely-wrapped watch.
Loki knew he was a difficult person to shop for. Only his mother and brother knew what he wanted – a set of poetry and mystery books, a bottle of hair gel, and a box of Twinings' green tea. A Stark phone from Tony, a box of fruit-flavoured assorted chocolates from Thor's friends (which they knew he hated), Chap Stick and mints from Sif, and a gift from Sigyn.
He opened Sigyn's last, the wrapping of gold and green and sparkling gold bow on top was too nice for Loki to rip. Instead, he carefully unwrapped it, folding the wrapping paper and bow neatly. Inside was a photo album. He flipped through the pages, grinning inwardly at the photos. Snatching the album away from the prying eyes of his brother, he put it in his room where he knew no one would look.
AAAAAAA
It was the morning of December 31, and Loki was just about finished planning every detail of his New Year's Eve party. He'd ended up inviting fifty people, but knew that there would either be double that, or half, depending on whether or not his calculations were correct – he wasn't sure if people would come because they wanted to know who he was, or if they wouldn't because they didn't know who he was. Thor had taken the liberty to invite all the football team, his whole English class, and all the guys on the wrestling team.
Originally, Loki was going to hold the party at his father's office, but decided to have it at his home instead. His mother fretted over their home getting ruined, but Loki's puppy-dog eyes and persuasion, and Thor's insistence that he was able to keep everyone away from Frigga's tapestries made her agree.
Never having been to a high school party other than Tony's Halloween one, Loki was unsure as to what to prepare. Thor helped him get the food, and even Jane contributed to the decorating. An hour before the party was due to start, their home was ready, bedroom doors locked, and valuables put away.
Still, Loki was a little apprehensive. He contemplated what to wear, and decided on a button-up shirt, slacks and a green tie. Thor sighed and went back into his room after coming out with the exact same outfit but with a red tie. Jane was already at their home, dressed in a simple short black dress. She was adjusting the Christmas lights they'd left up, and smiled slightly when Loki entered the living room.
"You excited?" she asked.
Loki shrugged. He had a feeling something was going to go wrong. Perhaps that was just anxiety.
Thor came into the room with a red shirt in lieu of the white one and a silver tie. Jane ran her hands through his hair, a smile spreading across her face.
"You look so handsome." She leaned closer to him.
"And you look beautiful," Thor said, and they began to kiss.
With a grimace, Loki left the room, checking the kitchen to make sure the food and drinks were all set up, and only a few bottles of beer in sight.
Then, at eight o'clock, the doorbell rang.
"Well, here goes nothing," Loki muttered to himself, and went to open the door.
AAAAAAA
The music much too loud for Loki's liking, and the music itself was not the genre he'd be listening to on a daily basis. Tony took it to himself to begin playing his music, as usual.
To Loki's surprise, there were at least seventy people who showed up, though he only knew about half of them. They seemed to be enjoying themselves, and there were only a couple people who were getting tipsy. Nothing was broken yet, to his knowledge, and he was certain no one had broken into his room.
"This is surprisingly a good party," Loki heard someone say. "I don't even know this guy."
"Thor's little brother. You know, kind of a shadow, quiet, kind of creepy too?"
"Oh. Okay. Still don't know him."
At around nine, there was another ring of the doorbell, which no one heard because of the music. Luckily, Loki was right by the door when he heard a knock.
Sigyn was there, her eyes wide. "Oh, Loki, thank goodness. I thought I'd be out here for longer." She held out a bag. "Happy New Year! My parents insisted on me bringing a gift, even though no one else did."
He took the present then gestured for her to enter. She looked around, an expression of surprise on her face.
"Quite a turnout," she said loudly to be heard over the pounding music.
"Let me take your jacket." He hung up her coat, safely putting it at the back. "I didn't think you'd come," he said, leading her into the dining room where Thor was.
"Well, the snow let up and I had nothing to do tonight. Also, I had this dress that I thought I wouldn't be able to wear until next year."
"Sigyn, what a surprise!" Thor greeted. "I don't believe you've met my friends. This is Tony, Bruce, and Steve."
"Why, hello," Tony said coyly, taking her hand and kissing the back. "You look lovely."
"And you have a girlfriend." Pepper slid in beside him. She turned to Sigyn, smiling. "I'm Pepper. Are you Loki's girlfriend?" She glanced at Loki's hand resting on Sigyn's shoulder.
Sigyn chuckled, shaking her head.
Loki sighed. "Are you hungry or thirsty, Sigyn?"
"Wait, are you Tony Stark?"
Tony grinned cheekily. "That is I. Would you like to know more about Stark Industries?"
"I'm sure she's fine," Loki replied, taking her by the elbow. When she looked at him with a bemused expression he said, "You do not want to hear him ramble on and on about the history of Stark Industries. Trust me."
He led her to kitchen where he bumped into Fandral, who was flirting with a few girls from the cheerleading team.
"Sigyn, my dear." Fandral looped an arm around her shoulders, dramatically sighing as he did so. Loki could smell a bit of alcohol on him and immediately took his cup away from him; he knew how Fandral got when he got drunk.
Sigyn gently removed Fandral's arm and pushed him back to the cheerleaders. Turning back to Loki, she looked at him expectantly.
"Well, are you going to introduce me to your other friends?" she asked.
Loki scrunched up his nose. "Do you really want to meet them? And I wouldn't exactly call them friends. More of acquaintances."
"I'll still meet them."
He led her to the living room where one of his acquaintances was bound to be.
Sigyn stopped him in the hall. "I loved the present you sent me, by the way. I'm actually wearing it now; it smells like heaven. Here, smell." She held out her wrist.
Hesitantly, he leaned in and sniffed. Of course, he already knew how it smelled, but it was an excuse to get close to her.
He realized now that he truly did like Sigyn, and he probably had since she'd moved away. He never liked having 'crushes' on anyone, as it clouded his judgment sometimes, but he couldn't help what he felt.
"Your hair looks lovely, as usual." He flicked a stray strand.
She smiled. "Do you compliment everyone this much?"
"Only the ones who deserve them."
To his satisfaction, she turned pink. Taking her arm lightly, Loki introduced her to a few of his classmates.
AAAAAAA
By the time Clint and Natasha left Natasha's ballet performance of The Nutcracker, it was nearly ten o'clock, and they still had Loki's New Year's Eve party to go to. Natasha had quickly changed into a slinky green dress and reapplied her makeup after her and the other ballerinas took a few pictures.
They hopped into Clint's car and drove across town to the Odinsons' home. The door was unlocked, and they could hear Black Sabbath twenty feet away from the house. Inside was packed with more people than they'd thought there would be. Natasha realized she didn't know some of the students there, and hoped that they were actually students at Marvel High.
"It's the hawk and the spider!" Tony sauntered to them. "Such a lovely, deadly couple. How were your Christmases?"
"Pretty good, I guess," Clint said. "Yours?"
Tony made a face. "We were supposed to have a party, but we were snowed in and no one came which fucking sucks because I wanted more presents."
Natasha rolled her eyes. "You could buy all of Macy's if you wanted to."
"Yeah, but that's not in the Christmas spirit."
Clint glanced at his phone. There was an hour and a half until midnight and he had plans to carry out.
"Tasha, I'll be right back." He squeezed her hand and left, weaving his way through the crowd. He found Thor and Jane outside on the deck, gathered around a fire pit with a few other brave people.
"Are you ready for the… thing?" Jane glanced around to make sure no one else was listening in. "The supplies are in Thor's room and I'm positive Loki's in the kitchen. We have ninety minutes. Go!"
Eyes wide and a little taken aback at her eagerness, Clint headed up, unlocking Thor's door. He grabbed the things he needed and headed to study room.
Meanwhile, in the corner of the den, Bruce was more than glad to see a few familiar faces at Loki's party. There were some guys from the science club at school, and he hung out with them for most of the time. It was a great relief from the nonsense some of the other guests were going on about.
He'd heard Tony shout something about SHIELD Health and Wellness Gym to Loki, who ignored him. Natasha and Clint were having a quiet argument in the front foyer, and he heard something along the lines of 'prank Loki' and 'what did he ever do to you?' Peggy and Steve were inspecting the pictures in the dining room of various wars and debating which war was most significant.
Sometimes, it was nice to talk to fellow science nerds other than Tony.
Before he knew it, there was half-an-hour left until New Year's. He knew there'd be no one in his conversation group who had plans for a midnight kiss, but he wished he did. He had a potential girlfriend who was apparently banned from seeing him, which really, really sucked.
The first girl who ever liked him and she wasn't allowed to see him.
AAAAAAA
Somehow, they ended up on the balcony of his father's study. Loki and Sigyn stood outside, this time with a blanket around their shoulders and boots on their feet. There were five minutes until the New Year, and Loki felt a little nervous.
He had a plan at the back of his mind to give her a kiss at midnight. Whether or not she responded well was entirely up to the few minutes he had to speak with her.
Leaning against the railing, Sigyn pulled out her phone. Grabbing Loki, she pulled him closer and took a picture of them. Loki grimaced. He hated taking pictures.
"Oh, come on." Sigyn held out the phone again. "You look dashing today. Just one nice picture."
Giving in, Loki allowed her to snap a few photos, and he even made an effort to smile in a couple of them. After she put her phone away, she took his hands in hers.
"I missed you." She smiled sadly. "I know I said this on Christmas day, but I really did miss you. And I want to tell you something."
He nodded, gesturing for her to go on.
"Loki, I -" Suddenly, she lost her balance, tipping too far over the railing.
"Sigyn!" Loki watched as she fell, lunging over the railing. His heart pounding, he leaned over the balcony, neck craning to see where she landed.
But of course, she didn't land at all.
"Christ, Sigyn!" he shouted when he saw her dangling from a bungee cord that was hidden under her cardigan. "What the hell?"
She was laughing along with Thor and Jane who were on the deck helping her down. Just then, people inside the house shouted, "happy new year!" He saw Thor and Jane give each other a kiss, and Fandral grab Sigyn and peck her on the lips.
He sighed, turning his gaze up to the sky. In the distance, he heard and saw fireworks explode above Stark tower and further away in Central Park.
Revenge wasn't sweet when it was being taken on oneself, he thought. How could he be a fool to believe Sigyn would actually return his feelings? Oh, yes, now he remembered.
Sigyn glanced up at Loki who stared down at her, embarrassment, resentment, and a little bit of mischief in his eyes. He knew that if he were down there, he'd see her pupils dilate again, and feel her pulse race, just as he'd done before she'd fallen.
She certainly did like him; he'd just have to get her to truly admit it.
.
A/N: sorryyyyyy, it was exam time and I'm just so lazy. So sorry about that long-ass wait again! But thank you because I now have over 100 follows on this story :D