Chapter Text
Chapter One- Loki Odinson- Freshman
He drew the strings of the backpack tighter, looking up at the behemoth that would soon encompass himself. It served no point to change to a private school for high school, but his family had insisted. This would be just like anywhere else...he would either be ignored or harassed by the entire population. He stared at the ground, kept putting one foot in front of the other, praying that no one would notice him. The method worked well, none of the peppy members of the population were approaching him. He could go through the next four years without having anyone pay him any heed just fine. He would be the small, frail, ugly nerdy kid like always, the one that no one acknowledges. Loki smoothed back his hair, as he simultaneously acknowledged that this was fine for avoiding people...but he had no clue where he was going.
"Hey!" Loki jolted his head up as someone spoke and tapped him on the shoulder. He looked up to see two boys a snarky looking besuited boy was taking him in, as if he was figuring out Loki's whole life story (dear God he hoped not, no one ever needed to know that). The other was a friendly looking blonde boy, who grinned openly at him, and was the one who'd addressed him. "You looked lost and shy. I'm John and this is Jim...If you want, I can get you to your room. And y'know, you seemed in need of a friend or two."
He offered his hand out, and Loki slowly reached up and took it, "Thank you very much," he said softly, trying to find his voice, "I'm Loki Odinson."
"Nice to meet you Loki. What room are you looking for?" John, the kinder-looking of the two asked. The other, Jim, was still staring at Loki in that really creepy way.
"I was looking for," Loki glanced down at the schedule in his hand, "Dorm room 1?"
John grinned wider, if that was even possible. "You're in luck, mate. That's my dorm, too. It'll just be us and two other guys. I haven't been back to the dorm since last semester, so I don't know who we're sharing with 'cause they change it up sometimes" John started walking down a hallway to the right, pointing out such landmarks as the cafeteria and the school courtyard (a courtyard, really? How posh was this school?), "Who'd you get, Jim?"
Jim's face wrinkled in obvious displeasure. "The oldest Smith, Middle Novak and Spock."
"What?" Loki asked, confused. "Families go here? But this is a gifted school, right?"
John rounded another corner. "True, but some families have streaks. The Smiths, for example, are all geniuses and there's 3 of them here. 3 Novaks, too. What about you?"
"Me?"
"Yeah. Any siblings?"
Loki was cut off from answering by the appearance of two boys, one with blonde hair and the other with silvery. The older-looking one lagged behind, face twisted in rage. "I'm going to kill you, Rogers!"
"Run!", Rodger's shouted. "I've got the donuts!"
John managed to pull Loki back before Rogers's pursuer barreled him over. "Greg Lestrade and Steve Rodgers. They'll be friends again before lunch."
Loki nodded and followed John down a narrower hallway, with 8 doors, four on each side. They stopped outside the one with a silver metal 1 on it. Jim continued on without a word. Shooting the younger boy a grin, John opened the door, "Home, sweet-"
"JACK!!!!" A scream erupted from a door to the left. A black haired mop popped out. "You did not take up half the sink again."
Jack, a handsome boy even by extreme standards, looked up from his suitcase on one side of the room.
"JJ, darling," he said with mocking affection, "you know I need room for my products." Jack yipped as one of the bottles of said products nearly struck him in the face.
"Fuck you, Harkness!" A small hand flipped Jack off, but Loki still couldn't see the rest of the body.
John gave a small cough to alert the others to their presence.
"Johnny!" Jack smiled, arms open wide, when he caught sight of John.
I crash was heard within the bathroom, and the stick-like figure of another boy appeared. "Watson?"
"Hey guys! So we finally have a fourth roommate; Everyone, this is Loki, he's new here." John told the boys and Loki waved shyly at the strangers he would now be spending more time with than his family.
"Why hell-lo," the one called Jack grinned cockily at him, before smacking his ass, causing Loki to flush red. Oh all that is good in the world, what had he gotten himself into?
"Contrary to your belief, not everyone enjoys your really creepy advances," the boy JJ grumbled from where he slumped against the couch.
"Can't I say hello to anyone?" Jack called from the bathroom sink, where he was setting out yet more products.
"Not like that," John and JJ called out simultaneously, casting Jack a fearful look.
"Sorry for Jack," John told Loki, "He takes getting used to."
"He can be very, well," JJ piped up from the couch,"Jack..."
This was going to be a long year.
JJ gave Loki a sideways look. "Breakfast is at 6. I was going to head down early so I can get some decent grub," he waved a hand lazily towards the bathroom, "He'll be at least another half-hour. Coming?"
Loki nodded, mainly because he didn't want to be here with Jack, who would possibly molest him.
"John?"
"I have to unpack still. I'll see you later."
JJ shrugged and rolled off the couch in a very feline manner. Now that Loki got a good look at him, JJ was shorter than himself with the bluest eyes he had seen. JJ nodded his head in the direction of the door.
"So what brings you to the Fury School for the Gifted and Talented at five forty five in the morning, oh young freshman?"
So much for blending in, he thought as he walked with his new roommate across the courtyard in the warm September air. "My previous schools were remarkably dull and I figured if my idiot not-brother could squeeze his way in here, then it wouldn't be a problem."
"Family problems?" JJ inquired. If only he knew.
Loki merely grumbled in reply.
"I've struck a nerve, haven't I..."
The grumbling continued and he looked down at his beat-up shoes.
"So, I'm going to put this non-verbal business down as you being tired, but I do think we can be friends, Lokes, if you're interested. And then John is the nicest guy in existence, and even Jack isn't so bad once I beat him up for you a couple times. Sit with us at breakfast, okay? I can introduce you to the Winchesters later, too. They're pretty cool. No social outcast for you, good sir! Not here!"
Loki looked sideways at his roommate. "Why do you care?"
JJ looked taken aback, "What? Can't a guy be friendly?"
"That, is not being friendly."
I'll let you in on a secret, Lokes," JJ leaned over to him as they walked into the cafeteria. John waved from across the large, glass room. "My gift is friendship. Johnny boy!"
"Hey guys...." John's voice wandered off as he maneuvered his head around JJ.
Loki and JJ followed his sight to two boys talking in hushed tones. One, the one John was staring at, was obscenely tall with curly black hair. Not bad looking, Loki noted.
The other boy drew his attention more. He had an intelligent look, and Loki was drawn to his chocolate colored eyes. He barely registered JJ sighing, " Five minutes back and he's already staring at Holmes."
"Who is that?"
"Sherlock Holmes and Tony Stark. Certifiable geniuses, and assholes."
"Sorry," John smiled shyly. "What have you got first hour?"
"Gym," he said, and the other boys groaned.
"Well, at least we'll suffer together," JJ sarcastically complained.
~~~~
"WHAT KIND OF FRESH HELL IS THIS!" Loki shouted as he dived to the side to avoid being impaled by the purple foam ball that almost made contact with his face. The teachers had set up this weird, twisted baseball/kickball/dodgeball game, all of which Loki had always been inadequate at. The rules had all swirled around in his head along with his utter hatred for gym class, and so he was merely doing his best to not fall victim to impalement or concussion or unconsciousness.
"You get used to it," JJ cackled as he dipped gracefully to the side to avoid a ball that had been kicked by that Holmes boy Johnny had been gazing at earlier. He was struck out by a one of the two girls in their gym class, a small spritely thing with petite features and dark, curly hair. She played this game fierce. Holmes looked pleased, as if he had expected the outcome, and slouched against the wall with a chemistry textbook.
"WOO MAXY!! KICK SOME ASS!" JJ whooped at the girl in joy.
But Loki wasn't focused on that. He was too busy staring at the next up, Tony Stark. He had repeated the name in his head a depressing number of times. So this is what having a crush on a non-fictional man felt. And on his first day at a new school no less. He was putting this above not being violently injured in gym. How strange...
"Heads up, Lokes!" He narrowly avoided the squishy ball that Stark had launched. What was Tony doing to him?
I thought we agreed to not do this whole romance thing, he thought to himself. And thus he was in a trance for the rest of class.
~~~~
JJ walked him to Mythology, thank god. The school had so many hallways Loki felt loke he was walking in a labyrinth. JJ idly talked about his next class (Journalism, as he needed an extra credit). He waved to another classmate, walking towards them, "Deanie!!! Yoohooo!"
Deanie looked towards hem and flinched. "How many times JJ, its Dean. Not Deanie, or Dean Bean, or anything but Dean."
"Oh come off it, grumpy pants. I need you to take this," he motioned his head towards Loki, "to class with you. Mythology, right?"
"Yeah, with Bishop. Why me?"
"Journalism. Gotta get my gossip on, Winchester," JJ waved between Loki and Dean, "Odinson, Winchester. Winchester, Odinson. Gotta run loves! See you for Lunch, eh?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Shove off, Harrison," Dean pushed JJ down the hallway and then directed his attention to the freshman he was left with. "Loki, was it?"
"Um...Yeah..." Strangers were not his forte, and this one was tall and overwhelming. He looked as if he was someone who, though albeit more interesting, would associate with...
"Wait, Odinson? That sounds familiar. Do you have a brother or something."
"He is NOT my brother."
"Geez man, chill, okay? I didn't know."
"Apologies. It's just not a good situation when it's revealed to you that you are nothing more than the aftermath of an embarrassing love affair of distant relatives and were only taken in out of pity, suddenly having every sign of sibling favoritism make perfect sense."
"Dead mother and recluse father, nice to meet you," he grinned, offering a hand, which Loki shook, finding himself being unable to resist the elder boy.
A small kid came whizzing past them, looking determined. He was adorned in tight purple pants and a dark band t-shirt, seemingly indifferent to his predicament. "Already late on the first day, mini-Novak?" Dean hollered
"Hells yeah! Blame that moose of a brother of yours. I know he's the one that hid my breakfast ice cream."
"No, that was probably a good samaritan working towards EVERYONE'S SANITY!"
"DONT MAKE ME SMITE YOU, DEAN-O...OH WAIT YOU'VE GOT A KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR."
Loki watched as the tips of Dean's ears turned a brilliant glowing red.
"I already told you it's not like that, you little prankster, would you knock it off."
The boy merely winked in return before turning into his classroom.
After the initial silence, Loki found his voice, "Well he's..."
"Odd? Welcome to this school, you get used to it."
"So what was he talking about, if you don't mind my asking."
"Nothing important," he responded gruffly, "He thinks that his brother Castiel and I are involved in some secret love affair. That's just how Gabriel's mind works."
"Are you?"
"Oh gosh no...he's just my friend. You'll meet him this hour, he'll be the one in the trench-coat looking uncomfortable."
~~~~~
Of course in a mythology class, having a name in direct relation to Norse Myth doesn't quite dictate blending in, especially since he was more like the legend than he cared to reveal at the moment. But he did let everyone have a good-natured laugh about it. He was used to it. His pseudo-family were all mythologically named, so it was in his nature to play along and subconsciously plot revenge. Thankfully, he was saved by the looming presence, Castiel. He was easily identified by Dean's description as he had spent the first half of class looking like he wasn't sure he was in the right place. Castiel was an anglo-Christian angel name. Maybe not quite as bad as "Loki" but at least there was shield that was much more blunt in his awkwardness. Mr. Bishop seemed quite into his lesson, not even noticing or at least not caring, when seats were changed around so that Dean was by Cas and the boy he'd introduced as his brother, Sam. Though he did take casual notes, Loki was left mainly to observe the trio. There was something there that they weren't realizing and he couldn't quite put his finger on it
~~~~
Dean walked with Loki to their next class, Government with Mr. Holmes, elder brother of Tony's friends and John's crush. Dean explained that Sherlock only took the class because of John and to make fun of his brother. He also explained that Balthazar Novak was one of the worst roommates, heightened only by his persistence that Dean and Cas were together.
"He's insane, honestly. All of his brothers are I have no idea how-"
"BROTHER!!!"
Loki froze as his not-brother tripped over chairs to reach him.
"Thor, you great oaf, how many times do I have to tell you......"
"I DID NOT KNOW YOU WERE IN THIS CLASS AS WELL. I SEE YOU HAVE MET DEAN FROM PRECALCULUS." Thor enveloped the skinny boy with arms as thick as the shool-issued mattresses.
"Thor, you imbicile, put me down!"
"Mr. Odinson, if you would please return your brother to the ground, I would like to begin my class." Loki turned red as Mr. Holmes addressed Thor. With a puppy-that-has-been-kicked look to rival that of an actual puppy, Thor released Loki and sat in a chair next to a blonde with features similar to John's and....... oh gods no.
Loki rushed to a seat on the other side of John, across the room from Thor and. He barely recognized Sherlock from earlier on John's other side regarding him with an appreciative look.
How could it have gotten so bad as this? Not only did he have to deal with him in gym, but now Tony Stark was in his Government class as well?
"Mr. Odinson."
Loki looked up. "I'm sorry, could you repeat the question?"
Mr. Holmes (ginger and on the heavier side, Loki noticed) rolled his eyes and asked, "What form of government works best?"
"One headed by a single ruler."
"Interesting. Explain."
All eyes were on Loki as he held the instructors eye contact. "Historically speaking, the human race craves subjugation. It's the only reason government exists, to rule."
"So you propose a dictatorship?"
"No, sir. Just a single ruler."
"A monarchy then."
"No, just a ruler, an immortal ruler."
"Interesting. Would you like to refute, Mr. Stark?"
"As always, I am quite pleased to accept an argument," Tony grinned,"I think if you put one person in charge, their mind would inevitably crazed with the power and they would stop thinking over the people they're rule. Everyone would become a pawn to the leader's devices. One with enough drive to conquer a planet would have wanted power for a long time. And what does that suggest? That whoever it is has no control over themselves. Once they gain power over people it wouldn't be easily refuted, and they would end up making poor choices that would lead to destruction and downfall."
"It would be better than leaving people to make their own choices. At least with one direct goal in sight, not everyone would be so caught up in the politics and trying to get exactly what they want. One person would have one thing they were working towards and could move forward as a collective to improve the situation. There is no way to know that it'll be solely bad choices. Maybe they're just sick of all the hidden agendas, the lies, the deciet... Maybe they want no one to have to be shadowed from the truth? Maybe they realize that by showing everyone the honest reality of everything, a lot less hearts will be broken as hard when not everything is as it should be," Loki could feel his facade slipping.
"Hey, kid, ever think that maybe some people need the lies? That their whole foundation is held together by the fact that they think maybe they're contributing to the world instead of just letting all the choices go to the head of some egomaniac!" Stark was near-screaming back.
He couldn't control himself anymore. His emotions were on the table, he had just humiliated himself in front of everyone in the class (likely it would spread to the rest of the school if this was like any other school), and he couldn't deal with those words after this summer.
"Not the best choice of words," he could hear the dark-haired younger Holmes saying.
Loki barreled out of the classroom.