It was natural for Thor to be worried about Loki when he didn't return to school three days later. The blonde had his chin propped on his hand, and he moodily stared at the board, which declared that it was Friday... And he hadn't seen the raven haired teen since Tuesday! Other than Loki's part of the group project, it was complete, and now he and Jane were just waiting for Loki's return. Jane's brown eyes looked up at Thor when he rearranged everything on his desk for the fourth time in a half hour.
"Geez, Thor," Jane sighed, a slight hint of a grin playing on her lips, "you are so worried about Loki, it's almost as if you Like him or something." She tilted her head, watching the blonde. Not fully registering her words, stormy blue eyes looked up towards the clock on the wall, a thoughtful gleam shining in them. He puzzled over her sentence, and then looked back at her. Jane raised an eyebrow, moving to mirror his position by resting her chin in her palm. "Well?"
"I do like Loki, well, at least what I know of him," Thor stated, thinking that the girl meant that he wanted to be friends, "I didn't get to talk to him much, but he seems so lonely... Like he needs a friend..." Thor trailed off, his eyes drifting back up towards the clock. Not even a minute had passed since he had last looked. He glared at it as if it had personally insulted him, but his attention went back to Jane when she just chuckled lightly, shaking her head.
"Not like a friend, Thor, I meant that you Liked him, capital L, and that he's a romantic interest for you. The way you're sighing every moment that he's gone, the way that you're always asking about him, it all screams that you're interested in him, and not in the platonic way. You're gay, and you have some sort of adorable man crush on a boy that you've barely known for two days." The girl said, brushing her hair out of her face while Thor stared at her, struck speechless.
"W-what?" The blonde stuttered, his eyes darting away from hers. Jane reached out to take his hand, but he pulled away, his expression going from calm to something the girl couldn't read. "I don't know what you're talking about," Thor denied, rubbing his hands together in a harsh manner. The brunette frowned, wondering if she had been incorrect, but the way Thor was acting made it seem as if...
"Are you not out?" She then asked, drawing a conclusion based off of his behavior. It made sense, if Thor wasn't out, then of course he would be acting this way. Jane frowned, her expression sympathetic. "I'm sorry, I mean, if you're not out. I won't tell anyone, okay?" Stormy blue eyes darted back up, and Thor just chuckled, and the tone in it made the hair on her arms raise. It sounded dead, emotionless.
"Oh, I was out back at home, in California." Thor dryly told the girl, who was eyeing him with a hint of worry beginning to show through her sympathy. "Everyone was okay with it, but then again, I was the top dog there, and people in Cali are just generally more accepting. And my father is okay with it, even if sometimes it makes him uncomfortable. And my mom was completely accepting..." He trailed off, his expression hardening to keep the tears at bay. Jane reached out to take his hand once again, and this time, he let her.
"Thor," Jane began, and he glanced up at her, "if you're okay with being gay, then why deny what I said and then say you don't know what I'm talking about?" She then asked. "Look, I won't judge you, I promise. But really, it's really obvious that you really like Loki, or, well... You at least think he's cute or something." The girl tilted her head, trying to figure out what was going on in Thor's head.
The breath left Thor's lungs in a heavy sigh, and he glanced warily at Jane, not sure how genuine she was being. Through the week, she had been very reliable, and Thor decided that he could take that leap and trust the girl. "I do think that he's cute, well, handsome. I have a feeling that he would claw my eyes out of he heard me call him cute," both chuckled lightly, "but you're right, I've only known him for about two days... It's stupid to think that I like him when I don't really know him. I mean, there is a difference between thinking that someone is attractive and liking them."
"Are you talking about Jane?" A new voice interrupted. "Because she is rather attractive, and I wouldn't be surprised if you ended up liking her." Tony Stark was leaning backwards in his chair, his face upside down due to the way in which he was leaning, watching them with a smirk on his lips. "You two would make a cute couple, a pretty powerful one too."
Jane blushed, turning away from the playboy, shaking her head a bit. Thor just stared at Tony, and then returned the brunette's smirk with a wink. "She is quite cute, maybe something will grow between us..." He trailed off, giving Jane a kind smile, which she returned with a small grin. Tony's golden brown eyes looked between them, and seeming content with how they were acting, sat up straight in his chair and began talking to Bruce and Steve.
"Is this going to be a thing?" Jane asked, starting to lightly chuckle. Thor grinned at her, liking that she was so relaxed and willing to go along with this strange plan. "If so, that would be perfect. You could pursue Loki without anyone even knowing until you guys are ready, and I don't have to worry about all these other guys putting their slimy hands on me." He looked at where their hands were still linked, and then brought hers up to his lips and lightly kissed it.
"Then Jane, my dear, how would you feel about being my pretend girlfriend?" He asked, wondering if she would even go for it. It was slightly selfish, and he knew that, but it was something that would benefit the both of them. Jane's brown eyes crinkled as she smiled, and a she gave him a small nod.
"Of course," she said, "I would be honored to have you as my fake boyfriend. Just make sure that you don't let all those other guys hang all over me." She grinned, and Thor mimicked the gesture. He was glad that it was Jane, because the girl seemed rather nice, and now that he had secured himself a girlfriend, he could get to know Loki without everyone breathing down his neck, wondering why he was interested in the raven haired male.
When school was over, Thor reached into his bag and fished out Loki's cell phone number. Jane looked over at him, said goodbye to her friends, and ran over. "Hey," she said, and he gave her a sheepish smile, returning her greeting. "You going to see what's up with your boy?" Jane asked, a smile on her full lips. Thor blushed when she referred to Loki as 'your boy', but then gave a short nod. "We could go visit him," the brunette suggested, "I know where he lives."
"Let me just text him to make sure that its okay for us to visit," Thor told the girl, pulling out his phone. He quickly typed in the raven haired male's number. But when he went to send a message, he was unsure what to write. Jane chuckled, grabbed his phone, and swiftly typed something before hitting send. Then the brunette calmly handed him back his cell, before winking. "Dear God, what did you send him?" He went to his Sent box.
Thor (3:52 pm): Hey Loki, how is your part of the project coming? Is it alright for Jane and I swing by to finalize everything?
Barely a minute passed before there was a reply from the other male. Jane laughed at the blush that covered Thor's face as he opened the new text.
Loki (3:53 pm): Sure. Just be here before 5.
Thor (3:53 pm): Okay. We'll be there in a few minutes. See you soon.
"Lets go," Thor said, reaching out to grab Jane's hand. "Wait, did you drive here, or get a ride?" He asked. "I mean, if you have a car, I could follow you, but if not, I drive, and stuff... Yeah." He rubbed the back of his head with his free hand. Her brown eyes sparkled with laughter, and Thor could see her fighting back a giggle. He pretended to pout, but he enjoyed the way they interacted.
They ended up taking Thor's car, and arrived at Loki's house a few minutes later. Jane had given him instructions, rolling her eyes when Thor would make her repeat them again so he was sure that he had the right road or turn. Before they went up to the door, Thor schooled his expression into a calm one, even though inside, he was buzzing with excitement to see the attractive green eyed male.
The calm expression was shattered when he saw the state that Loki was in. He had dark bruises around his eyes, the origin being around his seemingly broken nose, and from the skin that Thor could see, he could count eight more bruises. And when Loki moved aside to let them in, the blonde could see a stiffness in his movements, which led him to believe that there were even more bruises that he couldn't see.
"What the hell happened?" Thor demanded, and stormy blue eyes darkened as his anger became apparent. He would hunt down whoever dared to do this to the green eyed male and hang them up by their insides. Loki made a gesture, as if saying that the question wasn't important, and turned to go inside, but Thor reached out and grabbed his shoulder. "Loki, tell me."
"Just some assholes who think that I'm gay, like half of this forsaken town," Loki snapped, his eyes narrowed. "It's not a big deal, it happens all the time, and I know how to defend myself. They just surprised me this time. Are you happy now?" He asked snidely. Thor was taken aback by the venom in the raven haired male's voice and the confession that people attacked him because they thought he was gay.
"Are you?" Jane asked. "Are you gay, I mean?" And at that point, Thor could have kissed her. This was his big question, and she saved him the need to figure it out. Loki stilled, his eyes becoming wary. Green eyes darted back and forth between Jane and Thor. The blonde decided that maybe if he were to step up, say that he was, Loki would feel comfortable admitting it, if he was too. Thor opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Loki finally spoke.
"No, I'm not. I am the priest's son, and being homosexual is incorrect. It is a sin, and I don't know why anyone would think that I was. It's," his voice cracked a little, "disgusting." He said coldly, and turned and limped farther into the house. Thor's expression went blank, but Jane could see the hurt in his blue eyes, and she rested a comforting hand on his arm.
They followed Loki in after a moment, and when they reached the kitchen, his part of the project was shoved in their faces. "Here," was all the raven haired male said, his green eyes darting over to the clock before looking back at the duo. "There is my part. Now, I have to get ready for work. I'll see you both on Monday."
"You can't work in your condition!" Thor protested, his eyes widening. "You can barely move! Not to mention that you have raccoon eyes due to the bruising from your nose!" Loki's eyes narrowed, and Thor felt the need to shrink back, but he refused. He would not let himself let Loki go to work right now. Not when he was still injured.
"You can't control me," Loki said calmly, but no one pretended that his tone wasn't cold and harsh, "I have to go to work. I can't miss any more days. Now get out of my house," the green eyed male said quietly. Thor tensed, ready to protest again when he felt Jane put a hand on his arm. He looked down at her, and she shook her head. He frowned, but had a gut feeling that if Jane was telling him to back down, he should.
"Fine," Thor finally said grudgingly, "but I'm going with you. I refuse to let some homophobic assholes hurt you again. Especially since you aren't gay." He crossed his arms, hoping that he made himself clear. Green eyes flared open in shock, and Loki's jaw dropped. But Thor set his jaw, and it was clear that he wasn't going to accept no for an answer.
But then Loki surprised him. The raven's lips tilted up into a mischievous smirk, and he shrugged. "If that's what you must do, then fine. But people are going to start thinking that you are a homo, and you're following me around like a lovesick puppy." And at this, Thor gave Loki a snarky grin.
"Well, unlike you, Mr. Preacher's Son, I am gay, and I'm damn proud of it." Thor straightened his back, looking down at the raven through narrowed eyes. "And I'm sorry that you think that it's a sin and disgusting. But I won't change, and if these guys are going to give you a huge issue about being homosexual, we'll just have to change their tone by giving them a real gay boy to try to push around."
"But aren't you two dating?" He asked, gesturing between Jane and Thor. The two looked at each other and then nodded, and Loki's eyes narrowed. "Then how are you out and proud if she's acting as your beard?" Jane gently patted Thor's arm, somehow knowing that this whole situation was putting him in a bad mood. She also noticed the small reaction from Loki at Thor's confession, and how his cheeks tinted pink just a little bit.
"I made the deal with him to get those slime balls off of my back. He'll pretend to be my boyfriend so that I don't have to worry about fending off unwanted attention." She said, her eyes leveling on Loki's. "It's really for my benefit, and he's just kind enough to do so." Loki looked between them again, an unreadable expression in his silvery green eyes. The brunette internally connected the dots, his demeanor confirming her suspicions. He was so far in the closet, but that was probably due to the fact that he was harassed for it, even after denying it repeatedly, and due to his father being the preacher of the town.
"Fine," he said, a strange bitter tone slipping from his throat. "Seems likes its doomed to fail, but to each their own. I won't preach at you for yours 'sins'." At this, Thor's stormy blue eyes lit up, glad that Loki had given in. The raven rolled his eyes, a smirk falling upon his lips again. "You're like a puppy. I can't believe that you would be a Sixth Form student with the way you act."
"Well, I'm supposed to be a senior, you know, American schools and stuff. I guess my father wanted me to have all twelve years of schooling... Or something like that. I'm still confused as to the whole 'Sixth Form' schooling thing." And he did look hopelessly lost. Jane and Loki just shared a look, her eyes sparkling with amusement, and his with a mischievousness gleam. Thor rubbed the back of his head, a small frown on his lips.
"It's time for me to head off to work... Come on, you puppy." Loki said, grabbed his coat, and slowly made his way outside of the door. "Jane, are you coming too?" He asked, and when he looked back, she shrugged, as if saying, "why not?" So they all piled into Thor's car. "Better not embarrass me at work," Loki warned when they arrived at the small coffee house and cafe. "I'd hate to have to kick you out. Especially when you're going to be my own personal 'body guard'." He put quotes around the words, and then made his way inside.
Thor took Jane's hand, and followed the handsome raven into the small building. "Here goes nothing... I won't let him get hurt again." He whispered to Jane, and she squeezed his hand lightly, silently agreeing. The two settled into a booth where they could easily see the silvery green eyed male, and made it look like they were out on a study date.
About an hour into their studying, there was a disturbance at the counter. Thor glanced over, seeing that two guys were being obnoxious, and Loki's expression was a forced pleasant smile. Green eyes met blue, and a small shake of his head was the only thing that had Thor staying in his seat. One of the guys looked back, having noticed the small nod, a sneer on his lips.
"'Ey, Loki, is that your boyfriend? Pretty buff to be a fag," Thor's eyes narrowed as the one guy spoke loud enough to cause a disturbance in the entire cafe.
"He's not my boyfriend. As I've told you before, I'm not a homo. In fact, he couldn't be my boyfriend because his girlfriend is sitting right across from him." Loki gestured towards Jane, who was frowning at the men. The two guys looked between each other, and then looked back towards Loki. "Then why is he eyeing you like he's ready to jump up and defend your honor?"
"Because I'm his friend," Thor's deep voice boomed, and stood, drawing himself to his full height. He stalked forward towards the two men, who were staring at him. "Please leave, you two are creating a disturbance." He growled, and the guys put their heads down and left. He turned to Loki, his expression softening. A flicker of something crossed Loki's face, and the. He gave Thor a small smile, and whispered a small thank you before going back to work.
With a small smile of his own, Thor returned to the table. Jane just laughed under her breath. It was so adorable and kind of hot to see Thor get protective over Loki. Intelligent brown eyes looked between the two once more, and she wondered just exactly how their strange relationship would work out. Jane looked back towards Thor, and wondered how he would handle his obviously growing feelings for Loki when in his mind, Loki was straight. Then she wondered just how long it would take Loki to admit his own feelings.
And she couldn't wait to see just how everything would play out.
Author's Note: Hey, third chapter is finally here! Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy the story. Fourth chapter is already about halfway done, so keep an eye out for an update!
Also, if you notice that I slipped and put senior year rather than Sixth Form whenever I'm writing, feel free to correct me, haha. I'm not used to writing that yet.
~Frost