Oh this would be So. Much. Fun.
He was finally out of his Howard's house –not a moment too soon if you asked him. Not that it really mattered, half the time the old man was either locked up in his office, or bumbling around the world in his fancy schmancy private jet, but being in Howard's house was stiflingallthe time.
Living on campus would be much better for everyone involved: his father, himself, even Jarvis (who wouldn't have to play middle-man as often) -that man deserves a serious raise, or a medal… or both, after all he was the one keeping the Stark estate from imploding.
The downside -because there's always one- is that he had to moveallof his crap by himself. It was a lot. Who needs two whole boxes full of circuit boards and mini power cells? Okay no, bad example, he does need those. But definitely the box full of servo motors could go- no, no, he needs that for his mechanical high-five machine.. okay, butsurelythe bursting box of duct tape can be discarded- fine, never mind, everything is essential.
He did say he wanted the full college experience, though hauling boxes around all day is not what he meant. Was it too late to call the movers? Probably, he'd already spent the last six hours going up and down the building, hogging the elevator, but little by little he managed to bring everything (barely) inside. Not much else though.
At the very least, the dorm was pretty amazing, he could already picture the legendary parties he'd throw here. He'd even clocked the perfect spot for HARRY, the Highly Active Recognition and Regulation Yielder. (Voice activated, obviously. Patent pending)
Honestly, thank God this is the poshest school this side of the globe, no tiny box-sized dorms for anyone, it had a penthouse-y feel to it even. Most likely an unnecessary waste of money and resources, but Howard's paying for it, and he's a lot of things, but nobody could say Howard Stark was cheap.
Least they could do too, apparently roommates are 'mandatory' or whatever. Not even Stark money could get him out of that one. A blessing and a curse type of thing, he didn't come here to be alone again, but having an actual roommate -a stranger, in his space was excessive.
Alas..
Therewasenough space though, high ceilings, a split level (his room was the one upstairs, he called dibs), a balcony even. Tony loved the place. It even had a kitchen! Not that he could cook, but even he knows how to throw a killer sandwich. The best part though, had to be the far wall from the entrance, all metal and glass, modern, sleek. He felt like a king on his tower -being on the top floor and all. (Also he had a perfect view of the spot where all the yoga-girls do yoga, score.)
Tony had passed on the dorm furniture when prompted, gross, hard pass. He already had a pinterest board full of ideas. His bed was chief priority, but already taken care of and ready to be delivered first thing in the morning. He'd thought about getting all the rest of the stuff necessary but in a great show of his self restraint and good will towards his -still unknown- roommate, he decided to ask his opinion on the aesthetics of the had absolutely no taste. Then he'd just do whateverhewants.
Speaking of… Roommate should arrive any minute now, he's both kinda looking forward to it, and not. Mostly he just hopes Roommate is cool; wouldn't do to have a complete tool as a roommate.
And please,oh please, if there is a god, let him be a little bit smart.
Tony'sjustasking for sensible conversation, obviously he's not going to try and talk quantum mechanics with the guy, but it'd be amazing if he'd willingly cracked a book in the past five to ten years.
Rooming with an absolute troll would also be kind of a downer, he's not asking for a prince charming, but maybe someone average? preferably with facial hair so they can bond over it.
Basically someone good looking but not enough to be competition, is that too much to ask?
Well… He's Tony Stark. LiketheTony Stark billionaire extraordinaire, a league of his own, really. So 'competition' is a bit of a stretch, but you get the point.
The woman back at the office hadn't been too charmed by him though -or his last name, she didn't even look awe-struck by his sheer aura. So the info he got from her about his roommate was zero. Zilch. Not a name, or a major, not even the color of his hair! A tough nut to crack, that Gertrude.
He could, he supposes, hack into the school database and get the name himself. Wouldn't be challenging, wouldn't even be hard. He felt bored before he even attempted it. Names weren't his thing anyways, He'll find out when he finds out. Right now he has other things to do, there's still like 64 boxes waiting for him to be unpacked -Harry wasat leastthree of those boxes though, should he count it as one?
Shrugging he opened a box labeled as 'HARRY's parts (not the private ones I promise) and started his new life on campus at last.
Honestly, three unpacked boxes counted as progress, right? Totally.
He didn't have it in him to continue just yet. He did organize everything in a chaotic better way; at least people would be able to come and go without fear of dying under 'HARRY's butt -handle with care!-'
It mightlooklike a mess. But there's a method to his madness. No, Really.
He'd missed breakfast that morning (Jarvis was very upset about it) and by the time he looked up from his box hauling adventure, lunch had come and gone as well. No wonder the demon in his stomach had been asking for a worthy sacrifice for the past hour, it was justso hardto move now that he'd decided to take a break lying down on the floor.
The floor wasn'tcomfycomfy, but it was mostly okay.
They needed a rug asap -and a vacuum cleaner, because he swears he saw a couple of hairballs move just now. He's notscaredof spiders. He's not. But he was seriously considering getting up now, before the wandering hairballs -let thembehairballs- got any closer to him.
It was about time to eat something anyway, he'd seen a bag of cheetos in one of the boxes, he's sure of it; his stomach was sounding more demonic by the second, and he had to call Jarvis later. He wasn't about to tell him he hadn't eaten all day, lest the man shows up in the morning to force some food down his throat.
He had almost managed to round up his remaining willpower (the hairballs had deviated,thank God) when the door suddenly opened and -no, he didn't gasp, he just took air passionately- a really good looking guy made his way inside.
He strutted in as though he owned the place. "Hello" said the stranger with a subtle smile after he spotted Tony on the floor, nice enough, so probably not a burglar. Eh, 60-40 maybe.
Tony raised his hand in an awkward wave "Hey there" he said. "Don't mind me, just a regular case of death by manual labor" he laughed, finally mustering some strength to sit "I'm Tony, by the way. Tony Stark. Are you Roommate?
The guy snorted and nodded.
Ok, burglar scale now 90-10, good. And hey! He seems cool. Not a single troll-ish feature in sight, kind of tall yeah, but he didn't know many trolls who had blonde hair and blue eyes -well, that is to say, he doesn't knowanykind of troll. But also, facial hair!
They wouldsobond over that.
Roommate laughed and nodded, his shoulders sagging a little "Tell me about it" he groaned "been doing free manual labor all day myself. Anyway I'm Fandral Gildryn, nice to meet you Tony" he said with a charming smile.
Tony filed the name away in his mental Rolodex. 'Fandral' wasn't a very common name, along with the slight accent, and the not-instant recognition of his name, ithadto mean he'd gotten a foreign chick magnet for a roommate. Awesome.
Tony paused "uh.. What do you mean 'manual labor'?" he asked confused, his arms spreading as if to show Roommate -Fandral, that every single box inside this place was his. "Are you seeing things? Don't listen to the voices in your head telling you to kill me, they don't know me yet" he grinned. Half joking and half not, because you never really know.
"There are no voices telling me to kill you" Fandral laughed as he removed his coat, resting it on one of Tony's boxes before rolling his sleeves up a couple of times.
Ok? The guy isbuilt, and for what?
"Well, not yet" Tony shrugged "give it some time"
He opened his arms again, more deliberately this time, with a lot more flair "Welcome to our casa, I will be your guide" Tony pointed to a door to his right "that's your room, I got here first. Mine's upstairs" he shrugged in a what-can-you-do kind of way. Fandral only smiled and nodded.
"So…" Tony continued after a pause "really, what did you mean by manual labor?" he asked point blank, he really did have to know if Fandral needed some kind of medication, or if he was just a lying liar.
Fandral closed the door to the room he'd been checking out and looked at Tony "Oh, I was helping my girlfriend move. Said she wanted 'the full American college experience' or something, so we did our share of manual labor as well. She's a few buildings that way" he sliced the air with a hand pointing straight forward.
Tony turned to look out of the window like he'd spot the exact building he was talking about. A girlfriend, huh? No competition after all then. "Nice" he grunted.
Fandral walked closer to the window "This isreallynice" he smiled "Though I think the girls have a better view" he commented, he watched the bustle of people downstairs moving about quietly, his arms loosely . His biceps were almost the size of Tony's head.
"Not likely," Tony said with a snort, walking closer to Fandral, "I've done extensive research on this, and I can tell with a great deal of certainty that this is the best spot for Yoga-Girl Watching" he said with a proud grin.
"Classes haven't started yet, how would you even know that?" Fandral fully turned towards Tony, his back to the window, watching him in a peculiar way, Tony was sure the emotion in Fandral's face was awe. Had to be. "...at what time did you say this visual can be achieved?" he asked in a low voice, a mischievous grin firmly in place.
He saw the change on Fandral's face first. The blond's eyes lifted towards the door coming alive like someone had lit up a torch inside him. His grin softened from mischievous to tender, his shoulders easing slightly. He looked utterly captivated by whatever stood behind Tony.
And that was all the warning he got before a sudden voice interrupted them. He'd had no time to show off his mad investigative skills. Bummer.
"Do be careful, Gullhjarta, I'd hate for you to say something you can't take back" the voice said.
It was a smoky voice, velvet-soft and confident. Commanding. The type of voice that didn't need to be loud to be heard.
Tony turned before he realized he was moving. This time heactuallydidn't gasp, but only because his brain short-circuited for a second when he saw her.
Fandral was smiling, Tony wasn't looking at him but he knew, he could almostfeelthe smile, Tony would smile like that too if he had her undivided attention.
"Oh? I remember you saying there was nothing wrong with looking, Minliv?" Fandral teased her. He and the woman seemed to be in their own little pocket of space where only they existed. Tony was a little offended, but mostly too dazed to do much else than stare.
He wondered how Fandral managed to take his eyes off this girl he was clearly so familiar with, Tony didn't feel capable at this very moment. Tony's usual snark felt like sand in his mouth, it tasted like the static that suddenly invaded his brain, salty and hot, but left a bitingly cold sensation after every breath.
The woman gave a slight shrug, her hair falling from where it had been tucked behind her ear with the movement "I would never say such a thing" the rhythm and cadence of her words felt measured, her voice carried a quiet power that made Tony instinctively lean in.
Her eyes turned towards him. And Tony swears the floor wobbled for a second. Definitely the floor -couldn't have been his legs.
"Hello" She said, a slight barely-there smile on her lips. "My name is Loki"
At the same time Fandral turned to look at Tony again, a little surprised, like he'd just remembered he was even there. Rude. (But he gets it) "Tony, this is my girlfriend, Loki" Tony heard him say, but his eyes remained on her.
'Who is this woman?' Tony's brain kept blaring the alarm inside his head..
Ah, ofcourseshe was, Tony thought. Crap.