At the back of Silver Trailer Park sat a rather dingy looking old double wide. The siding that hung loose on the right side, the broken gutters lining the roof, a dilapidated old fence around the back yard, and a host of other eye sores commonly seen on abandoned buildings, decried that the home had clearly seen better days. However the neat grass and weed free bushes which grew along the front, proved that someone within had attempted to improve the derelict trailer. Anyone new to Marvel would never have believed that this was the home of the trailer park owner, Laufey Silver, and his three sons.
With Laufey's reputation around town as a swindler and a conniving businessman, one would have expected more from the home. But anyone who knew anything about Laufey, knew that he spent most of his cash on booze and other illicit materials and services. His youngest two sons were often pitied for the awful role model they had in their father, but everyone whispered that his eldest son was a chip off the old block. A kid destined to go down the same road of crime and destitution as his father.
Said eldest son sat on the decrepit front steps of said long neglected and abused trailer, bottle of Jack Daniels in hand, watching the sun creep down behind the trees as his neighbors settled into their usual evening routines. Several of his fellow trailer park residents shot him glares or nervous glances, always so suspicious of the landlord's troublesome son, but none had engaged him. Had he not noticed the few disapproving looks, Loki would have believed himself invisible as usual.
As seven o'clock rolled around, Loki could hear the telltale sounds of his brothers and father settling down to dinner coming from within the old double wide. A dinner he wouldn't be taking part in but would almost certainly be forced to clean up, as per usual. They'd settled into this routine so many years ago he'd long forgotten any other manner of life. Wait outside for his family to finish eating - if he got home from work too early - head in to do his chores, avoid his father like the plague, scrounge about for a can of something in the cabinets, avoid his father, do his homework at the table keeping his head down and remaining silent, and - once his father had passed out in the back room - sink down on the couch to catch a few hours of sleep. Any break in this routine didn't warrant contemplation. Inconsistencies didn't end well.
Tonight would be an intentional break in that routine. An eventuality that made Loki's skin itch with anticipation. While he'd put on a brave face with Thor last night, he could only bury his fear so deep. He'd spent the past twenty four hours or so with little else on his mind.
A loud bang and the sound of silverware being scattered drew his attention to his family inside. The raised voice of his father indicated that Les had delivered his news, which meant Loki's time was up. Sighing heavily he took a swig of Jack before pouring a few drops on his fingers. He quickly ran his alcohol soaked fingers behind his ears and down his neck, ensuring that the smell would be prevalent enough for even his father to pick up on. He tipped the bottle up one more time allowing the liquid to burn its way down his throat, etching courage through his veins. Hopefully. If nothing else, it would certainly take the edge off of whatever the evening would bring.
After depositing the bottle in its usual hiding place in between the two cinder blocks keeping the rails in place, Loki quietly entered the trailer.
The Silver family had traded up from a trashy single trailer to their current double wide when he'd been seven. While the outside exuded the almost decency expected of lower middle class living, it merely masked the monsters that lived inside. Loki had been tasked with sweeping the demons away ever since they'd moved in. A task he'd taken seriously for far too many years. Evidence of his absence last night lingered throughout the living room and what he could see of the kitchen. Empty beer cans littered the end tables and counter, piled on top of half eaten take out containers. The place reeked of old food and beer nauseatingly adding to the typical musty flavor of the air. Nothing too unusual - he'd long since given up the battle for cleanliness in favor of keeping up a tidy appearance that would mask what rotted beneath the surface - but one that never failed to turn his stomach.
"You're too damn old for this kind of shit Les," his father shouted, shifting Loki's attention from one mess to another. "Going out partying instead of studying, you know better than that. I expect you at least to make it out of this hell hole of a town."
"I… I know Dad," came Les's voice, small and timid instead of his usual baritone. "I just screwed up. But it's only a progress report. I can fix it."
A fist slammed into the table, causing Loki to jump. "You're damn right you'll fix it boy. I've raised you better than this."
Loki scoffed internally. The only thing their father had raised them to do was drink an exorbitant amount of alcohol and take out their anger on those less powerful. Any positive traits the three brothers shared, certainly hadn't come from Laufey. Or their mother for that matter.
The cold edge in Laufey's tone as he continued berating Les sent chills down Loki's spine. Maybe Les had been right to be afraid. Taking a deep breath to settle his shaken nerves and wishing he'd had a few more sips of whiskey to calm him, Loki peered cautiously around the corner and into the kitchen.
His brothers and Laufey sat at the small kitchen table, all three tense. Bindi had his eyes focused on his plate, ignoring everything around him - as usual. Laufey stood leering across the table at his youngest, hands splayed wide to support him and ire focused entirely on Les. Everything about Laufey's posture screamed violence. In direct contrast to Laufey, Les had his eyes focused on the floor and his hands clenched tight in his lap. From this angle, Loki could see a pale Les gripping his jeans in a whitened grip. Pure terror seeped from every fiber of the kid.
The look of complete horror on his younger brother's face gave Loki the needed boost of courage to make his way into the kitchen. He'd certainly been wasted enough times to effectively mask his unfortunate sobriety.
"Funny," Loki said slurring his words, as he stumbled into their view. "I'd always thought you raised us as cannon fodder for your bad moods." Three sets of eyes ranging from wary to hostile trailed Loki as he made his way to the table.
He plopped himself down into Les's lap, back to the wall but far too close to Laufey for his own taste. Then again he didn't have many other options.
"So," he continued with the pretense of ignoring Laufey and focusing on his brother, "are you following in my footsteps little brother? Makes me proud."
Big brown eyes met his, wide with fear, clearly expressing Les's inability to deal with such situations.
"Aren't you supposed to be working, boy?" Laufey asked though his jaw was set in a manner that swore retribution for even considering an answer.
Loki shrugged and grabbed a few green beans off Les's plate. Acting against his normal instincts, he answered his father without any trace of respect. "I left early. Then I heard you lot in here yelling at each other and, since that's usually my territory, I decided to join you."
"Don't-"
"Did you make these Bindi?" He asked interrupting Laufey and taking a small amount of satisfaction at the annoyance which crossed his father's face. Popping another bean in his mouth he shot a crooked smile at his brother. "Delicious as always, brother. It's been a while since I've had anything you cooked."
It had been two Christmases ago, when, the normally impetuous and sullen, Bindi had sat aside a plate specifically for Loki. He'd been so touched he ate every bit, even the burnt edges of Mac and cheese.
"Thanks, Loki," Bindi murmured almost too quietly to hear.
Laufey's nostrils flared at the defiance of another son.
"Sooooo," Loki drawled, putting an arm around Les and ruffling the kid's hair, "are you trying to take up the position of family disappointment, because I'd hate to lose the position this close to graduation."
"You're drunk."
"An astute observation, father. Perhaps I did get a bit of my intelligence from you. I'd always wondered where it came from."
He knew he walked a fine edge of pushing too far and just far enough. But he couldn't quite stop himself from running his mouth. Maybe he'd finally had enough or maybe the few fingers of jack had affected him more than he'd thought. Whatever the reason Loki knew he should tread more carefully.
"Get out of my house, boy." Laufey growled.
Any other night he'd have listened without hesitation. Tonight he needed to push just a touch further.
"But then who would clean up this shit hole?" He mocked. "Certainly not you. Even sober you wouldn't sink to perform such menial chores."
Loki knew he'd overshot his goal before he finished his sentence. Laufey grabbing him by the collar of his T-shirt and lifting him to his feet only confirmed that belief.
"You just never know when to keep your mouth shut do you?" asked Laufey.
It was probably for the best that Laufey shoved him away from the table and into the oven after that, because the words Loki would have allowed to pass his lips might have gotten him killed this time. As it was, his hip slammed into the top of the oven with bruising ferocity. Trying to gain his balance, Loki made the mistake of putting his hand down on the stove top not realizing the eye still burned hot. He let out a sharp gasp and a few expletives as his left hand made contact with the burner, missing his father's next words completely.
Apparently Laufey had asked him a question that he didn't answer quickly enough, because his father grabbed a fistful of Loki's hair to gain his attention. Eyes watering from the pain in his hip and the burn, Loki glared up at his father.
"Are you listening to me, boy."
Unfortunately, his father was right about one thing, he didn't know when to keep his mouth shut.
"Yeah, I just don't give a fuck about what you have to say."
The backhand he received for that comment sent him to the floor.
"This is why you'll be stuck in this "shit hole" for the rest of your pathetic life," Laufey said. "You don't have any respect. I've done my best to teach it to you, but you're just as worthless now as the day you were born. Nothing gets through that hard head of yours. And now you're leading your brothers down that same path. I'm done letting you ruin this family boy."
Rage propelled Loki to his feet even as a fit of fury blinded him. Laufey blamed him for their family problems? Before he knew what he'd done, Loki shoved Laufey back into the table and took a swing at his father. His fist connected with Laufey's shoulder and probably hurt Loki more than the older man. But it was worth it for that single moment.
"You ungrateful piece of shit."
But only that moment.
A few hours later, Loki sat in the smothering darkness curled up with his head resting on his knees. He coaxed himself into counting his breaths and focused on centering himself even as his father's words lashed at him over and over. He could manage this.
Worthless ingrate.
Eight in, eight out.
His father's latest lesson seared with each twitch and left Loki aching all over. Laufey enjoyed leaving marks that would ensure his teachings stuck for several days. Though Loki was almost certain he'd be subjected to another "lesson" tomorrow night as well.
Useless smart ass.
Seven in, seven out.
Loki longed to stretch out and find a more comfortable position in the restrictive place. A feat which would be impossible until morning when he'd be let out with just enough time to run to school.
Should have been rid of you the day you were born.
Six in, six out.
After tossing him into his "room", his father had instructed Bindi and Les to watch Loki on the way to and from school. Which meant Loki would have no chance of showering or breakfast before school tomorrow. It also meant he'd be walking to school. Les might be willing to lie for him and let Loki sneak over to Thor's, but Bindi wouldn't. Laufey's punishment would stand and Loki would be forced to deal with it until the man was either too drunk to remember his rules or in need of money.
Ungrateful runt.
Five in, five out.
Which shouldn't take long since Loki had been told he had thirty minutes after school to make his way back home. He'd be forced to do chores and then be pushed right back into this poor excuse for a closet. But it couldn't last long. Without the extra income from Loki's job, his father's alcohol supply would run dry before the week was out.
Should've been you.
Loki took a shuddering breath and started over from the top.
Ten in, ten out.
The end of the week. He just had to endure until then.
Natasha barely noticed the comments at first, but by lunch on Thursday it would have been impossible for her not to hear them. She had four periods with the guy and even she would be remiss if she hadn't noticed the increase in antagonism towards him. Loki had come to first period Wednesday morning with bags under his eyes and wearing the same clothes he'd worn the day before. It had taken him coming into class the exact same way Thursday morning for her to realize something was wrong.
Being stuck as the new kid in the school, she'd been given the last available desk in pretty much every class, which meant she sat either beside or in front of Loki in all four of the classes they shared. Which meant even Natasha had noticed the overwhelming body odor saturating the air around him. It hadn't been that unpleasant at first, but by Friday morning even she had to admit there was a problem. If the guy was going for "I don't give a shit" vibes, he'd surpassed them.
And while she didn't necessarily understand why he believed he needed to wear the same clothes three days in a row or why he believed he hadn't needed a bath in those days, she had enough humanity not to mention it. Unlike many others in her classes. The disparaging comments had certainly taken a turn for the worse and Loki of course had met them with a few nasty comments of his own at first. But as the week wore on, his comments became fewer and he resorted to laying his head down to ignore them.
Hammer, of course, couldn't go an entire period without either questioning the teacher in ways only he thought clever or subtle about odd smells in the room or making some comment which Loki, for the most part, ignored. Unfortunately, Hammer wasn't alone this time.
The other students had begun pulling their desks as far from Loki as possible without getting in trouble or not so subtly hiding their noses in their shirts if they had to come close. By the end of the week even several of the teachers began unobtrusively giving him wide berth.
Natasha considered herself a rather patient person, when she'd had enough the envelope had really been pushed. Her patience ran its course by fourth period on Friday afternoon.
Mrs. Borson had left them with a substitute and several pages of research questions that would prepare them for some upcoming project on the Constitution. Which should have meant a period of individually working quietly. Something that Natasha valued and had been looking forward to after Hammer's increased cajoling for the day. Hammer, it seemed, missed the memo of sitting quietly.
He spent the early portion of the period attempting to goad Loki with the same quiet insults he'd been using all week - originality apparently wasn't the guy's forte. When it became clear that Loki wouldn't be rising to his words - he'd stuck in a pair of headphones and ducked his head into his lap top - Hammer decided to take things further.
Unfortunately for Hammer, his decision to spray some cheap imitation of fancy cologne in Loki's general direction was the final straw for Natasha. As soon as the foul smell encapsulated both her and Loki, she snapped.
"Are you freaking kidding me," she said loud enough to gain the attention of the entire room.
Hammer's eyes widened slightly before his face smoothed into its normal smarmy lines. "Problem, Natasha?"
"Yes, I have a problem you jerk wad! Who just randomly sprays that kind of crap in a classroom. Now we all have to suffer."
"We were already suffering," he returned, slowly losing a bit of his confidence. "We've been suffering all week."
Natasha saw red. "So you decide to make the situation worse by spraying whatever crap you use on yourself? No one thinks that's better Hammer. As a matter of fact I think I'd rather smell chicken manure."
Hammer's face turned an ugly shade of red as the rest of the class burst into laughter.
"Do we have a problem?" The substitute finally decided to intervene.
"Yeah, Hammer's attempting biological warfare on everyone," Natasha quipped, to more laughter. "Can we open a window so the rest of us don't suffocate, please?"
The substitute acquiesced under the agreement that they'd get back to work. However as soon as his back had turned, Hammer leaned over to her desk.
"Look here new kid," he hissed. "I don't know if you've realized this or not-"
Natasha couldn't care less. "I don't know if you've realized this, but I'm trying to get my work done. So lean back over to your side of the room and shut up."
"You-"
"I'm done."
With that she took a page out of Loki's book and put in a pair of headphones to block out the stupidity of one Justin Hammer. The quick glance behind her that she chanced while pulling said headphones from her bag allowed her to share a quick look with shocked and slightly flushed Loki. Natasha was still angry at him for his comments in the library last week, but the heartbreaking disbelief that shadowed the other boy's face for the split second their eyes connected, made her think maybe she should give him another chance.
Traffic in the student parking lot slowly eased as the eager students fled from Marvel high to enjoy their hard earned weekend. Natasha sat on the tailgate of Thor's massive truck beside Clint and Jane Foster while Thor leaned against the side. The four had agreed to meet up after school and carpool to get some food before the game that evening. They also had plans of heading back to Thor's afterwards to hang out.
Natasha tried to play it cool around the others, but she had been so excited the invite to hang out with Thor and his friends had been extended to her. She'd never been even close to popular at her other schools. If she was honest with herself, she'd never really had more than a handful of friends. Marvel had surprised her in that regard. The people here, so accustomed to their small town lives, had welcomed her as a novelty. Something new, exciting, and worth getting to know.
It had taken her seventeen years, but she'd finally found somewhere that she could belong. With that strain of thought, she couldn't remain angry at her father's decision to send her here. And considering that her mother really did seem to have it together this time, Natasha found herself unexpectedly optimistic about this year.
"So what are we waiting on?" Clint asked, finally reaching his peak of boredom after five minutes of idle chatter. Natasha was secretly impressed he'd lasted that long.
"I'm giving Loki a lift," Thor replied with a sheepish smile.
Clint groaned and flopped onto his back in the bed of the truck. "Thoooooor! If you'd warned me about this I would have driven myself to the diner."
"Which is probably why he didn't tell you," Natasha pointed out.
Clint rummaged about the messy back of the truck until he found an empty bottle to toss at her head. Which Natasha dodged with ease, because while he might be a star pitcher and number one in the state at archery, his aim lacked in the midst of his moping.
"He's not tagging along is he?" Clint practically begged.
Thor's jaw twitched at his friend's antics, but his voice remained as friendly as ever. "No, I'm just dropping him off at home since it's on the way."
Jane's brows came together in confusion. "It's in the complete opposite direction."
"Thank you, Jane," said Thor through gritted teeth.
Seeing Clint's upcoming protest, Natasha intervened reciting a thankful look from Thor. "Where is he?"
"He was doing his reps during seventh, so I guess he's just taking a bit longer to get dressed."
Clint huffed. "If the dude would just get over himself and change in the open it wouldn't take so freaking long."
Loki appeared at the door of the field house before Thor could respond.
"'Bout time," Clint mumbled.
Clint and Jane hopped off the tailgate and walked around the truck, completely oblivious to the way Thor's face fell and the telling slouch of Loki's posture. A closer look at the approaching teen yielded a strange realization. His hair had been slicked back and his clothing clung unnaturally to his body. And while that did offer Natasha the chance to appreciate his physique, it seemed rather odd.
The don't ask look Loki shot Thor went completely ignored when the former made it to the latter's side.
"You're soaking wet," Thor said breaking the silence.
"What an astute observation Thor, I hadn't noticed," Loki snapped.
"I just… why are you wet?"
The two stared each other down in a battle of wills Natasha refused interrupt by jumping down off the tailgate.
Sighing heavily Loki stuffed his hands into his pants pockets self consciously, admitting defeat. "Some of the football team thought I could use a bath and decided to lend me a helping hand."
Natasha ignored Clint's quiet snort from the side of the truck and, after seeing the pure fury on his face, prayed that Thor hadn't heard it.
Thor's hands clenched into fists as he took a very assertive step towards the field house. "Hammer?" He asked though everyone already knew the answer.
"It doesn't matter," answered Loki.
That wasn't good enough for Thor. "It does matter. If that prick-"
"Leave it Thor," Loki protested stepping in front of the larger boy. "It's over and you'll only make things worse."
"Worse than holding you in the showers?"
"Yes."
The simplicity of his answer combined with the undertone of fear and certainly that edged Loki's voice seemed to finally snap Thor out of his rage.
"Loki-" Thor began only to be cut off by the guy in question.
"Look, I'm already behind and can't afford to be any later. Are you driving me or do I need to start walking?"
Thor let out a long breath and rubbed his hands across his face in defeat. "Get in."
Loki obliged without another word. Jane, Natasha, and Clint unanimously decided to give up shotgun in favor of sitting together in the back seat.
"He did need a bath," Clint whispered to her, as Natasha slid her seatbelt on.
She elbowed him in the ribs instead of answering, praying once again that Thor hadn't heard her cousin. Since the blonde's attention seemed solely focused on Loki, it appeared that luck covered them once again.
"You coming tonight?" Thor asked once Loki had settled into the front seat.
"Probably not." Loki hesitated, shooting his eyes to the back seat nervously, before continuing. "I'm still grounded."
"Oh." A knowing look passed between the two. "How's Les?"
"Miserable excuse for a kid," Loki sighed, running a hand through his soaking hair. "But his birthday is coming up this weekend so I think I'm going to talk him into sneaking out at some point and introducing him to some real fun."
"Great example you're setting there Loki," Clint snorted with as little hostility as he could manage.
Green eyes flashed in the rearview. "We all do our parts Barton. Some of us take in our wayward cousins, others introduce their little brothers to the bar scene of Marvel County."
"Not all heroes wear capes," Natasha quipped.
A laugh startled its way out of Loki. "Too true, Natasha. Some of us just do the best we can."
A far more companionable silence settled over the teens once Thor cranked the radio. It took less than five minutes to drop Loki off at the trailer park, so not even Clint could complain too much when they made it to the diner in record time. As they sat around eating and talking, it occured to Natasha that he'd used her name for the first time. Maybe she'd give that second shot idea a real chance.