Archive of Our Own ^beta

A/N: This fics is the first in my series of "song-inspired" fics (fics loosely inspired either by the story told by a song, or by a line or two I particularly liked).  For "Cheap Thrills," I was really touched by the idea of Thor having feelings for Loki, but feeling as if Loki, because of his status, would never show him the time of day.  And Loki just being like, "Pssh, you think that stuff matters to me?  I do what I want."  Ha!  Shout-out to my awesome-sauce beta Sarah for all her great feedback (and for listening to my fic-ranting, in general, haha).  Please let me know your thoughts!! :)

Baby I don't need dollar bills to have fun tonight…

No I ain’t got cash, I ain’t got cash,

But I got you, baby

-Sia

Hovering by the occupied poolside lounge chair, Thor swapped out the wet towel for a dry one, allowing himself one look—probably lingering a little longer than he should have—at the long body of the dark-haired boy he had had a crush on for the last five summers. 

His eyes roved over the slumbering boy’s face, taking in the finely shaped, dark eyebrows, and the dark shades perched on his delicately arched nose.  They traveled down over the slightly-parted, rose-hued lips.  Then further down, over the exposed, still-damp porcelain-pale collar bones, the slender chest, the pink nipples…

Catching himself, Thor swallowed uncomfortably and turned to leave.  But as soon as he did so, he felt a tug at the hem of his shorts and froze in his spot.

“Aren’t you going to say hi to me, Thor?” the apparently very much awake boy asked, his voice as dulcet as Thor remembered.

Stunned, the first thing Thor thought was, “He knows my name?”  The second thing he thought was, “I’m in so much trouble.”  

But there was no denying he had been caught so Thor forced himself to turn around, a mixture of guilt and giddiness rolling through him, and locked eyes with the green ones of Loki Laufeyson.  Loki, who sat there primly, sunglasses pulled down to the bridge of his nose, peering up at Thor over the rims. 

Loki Laufeyson was so pretty.  The prettiest thing Thor had ever seen.  He just wasn’t built like the boys on the island.   Everything about Loki seemed refined.  From the soft, waviness of his hair whenever it was wet.  To the smoothness of his skin, never sunburned, scarred, or calloused.  It was even in the way he formed his lips around his words, careful and purposeful, voice lilting and smooth.  Thor and his friends had much rougher accents.  But that was not much of a surprise.  Loki came from money.  A lot of it.  Like everyone else that could afford membership at the country club Thor spent his summers working at. 

Loki—or his parents, to be more exact—was from the higher echelons of society.  He was the type of person who “summered” at the Green Acres Country Club.  Thor was the kind of person who served there.   Just buying in to the Club cost a quarter of a million dollars.  And that didn’t include the monthly membership fees.  Green Acres was an exclusive club on one of the islands off of New England.  Folks from the mainland often came there to get away from their high rise apartments, and high-stress jobs as COOs or CEOs or CFOs (or a list of other abbreviations Thor didn’t quite know the meaning of).  And they often brought their equally privileged children, who were home from their private—or even boarding—schools for the summer.   But of course they had to vacation in style.  And the Club provided a host of the luxuries they were used to.  The luxuries that came along with being somebodies.  And that also meant that they expected to not have to deal with those that were beneath them. 

So Thor was shocked that someone like Loki Laufeyson even knew his name.

“Uh… Um…M-Mr. Laufeyson.  Sorry. I thought you were asleep?”  Thor stuttered out.

Loki cocked his head to the side and furrowed his brow, like something about what Thor had said had disturbed him.

“Mr. Laufeyson,” Loki asked, sticking his tongue out in distaste.  “Ugh.  I’ve been coming here for the past five years, Thor.  I thought we knew each other better than that.”

Thor blushed.  There he went again; saying his name like that.  Thor didn’t know if he could handle it.   But Thor had to admit, it did feel strange calling Loki “Mister.”  Loki was two years younger than Thor, who still felt very much like a “boy” himself, at 19.  And since Thor had been practically head over heels for Loki since Thor was 14, it felt especially odd to address him as such, since he had seen Loki grow from a chubby faced middle-schooler into a lean, statuesque young adult.  But Thor still understood his place.  And his place was never to address Loki casually.  

“Well… um… we’re not supposed to call the members by their first names,” Thor said, as he averted his eyes.

It was hard to look at Loki like this.  His body was still damp from the pool water, the light catching on the drops and making Loki practically glisten.  And even though he was in a pair of trunks, they were still about thigh-high and, tight, and Thor was fighting hard to keep his eyes above Loki’s collarbones and on his face.  To Thor, Loki was practically naked.   

Loki laughed a bit self-consciously, drawing Thor’s attention back to him, as he sat up straighter and pushed his sunglasses up so they sat on his head like a headband, allowing his dark, shoulder-length hair to frame his face prettily. 

“I mean, yeah, I guess I’m a ‘member,’ but you know my parents pay for all this,” Loki said as he gestured to the pristine surroundings of the Club’s infinity pool and the other guests lounging around it.  “You don’t really have to treat me like that.”

Thor coughed uncomfortably.  He loved that Loki was talking to him—finally actually talking to him one on one, like they were equals—but it made him so nervous he didn’t know what to do.  First and foremost, Thor didn’t want to get fired.  If his boss ever caught him lingering, gawping at one of the guests like a lovesick fool, he was sure he’d get the boot.  And secondly, Thor was terrified he’d say the wrong thing.  He had always watched Loki from afar.  Watched him hang out with the same kids every summer—Tony Stark, Amora Karnilla, Reed Richards, and Stephen Strange, to name a few—and all Thor could do was listen in to their conversations as he went about his duties at the periphery of their awareness. 

He was a presence they rarely ever noticed.  But that’s how he knew how old Loki was. What school he went to.  The things he liked—comic books and PlayStation when he was younger, Instagram and his iPhone, now that he was older.  And the things he hated—being told what to do by his overbearing father, having to be three hours away from the city for boarding school, and onions.  Loki hated onions.

And while, sure, Loki and Thor had said words in passing, as Thor moved from working under the table (when he had been too young to legally be on the books), picking up after the members when they were done with their lunches, to now officially working as a recreation manager during the summers, they had never had a formal “conversation.”  The most Loki had ever said to Thor over the years were “thank you,” and “could I get another Diet Coke.”

Well…Thor might be being a little dramatic. 

He had taken lunch orders from Loki and his friends countless times.  And had even been pressured by Tony Stark into bringing them beers on a few occasions.  Thor would never admit how happy he had been when Loki had turned his nose up at the beer and declined.  He didn’t really like the idea of Loki going off somewhere and getting shit-faced drunk.  But even with all those interactions that Thor remembered in careful detail, because they made butterflies burst in his chest, Loki had never once said his name, or looked at him longer than a fleeting moment. 

Then Thor felt the heavy presence of eyes on him and looked up to see that Loki was looking at him expectantly, and Thor realized Loki wanted some kind of response.  Thor flushed, embarrassed to have been caught reminiscing about his crush.  The crush who was sitting right in front of him.

“I… I don’t know.  I still feel like I should-” Thor began, but then Loki cut him off.

“Do you really do everything you’re told?” he asked as he tilted his head to the side curiously, a look that hit Thor as unbelievably cute.  “If I remember correctly, you definitely served me beers when I was 16.  And 15.” 

Thor flushed, and looked around quickly, hoping no one had overheard Loki’s admission.

“W-well I-!  I mean-” he sputtered.

Loki tilted his head back and let out a genuinely amused giggle.

“Calm down, calm down,” he said, holding his hands up.  “I’m not saying that to narc on you.  I’m just saying you obviously don’t always follow the rules.  So why start doing so now?”

Loki looked up at him from beneath thick, black lashes, green eyes twinkling with mirth.  And Thor knew he had lost.  He squeezed the damp towel in his hands tightly, and prayed for the luck to get through this conversation without making a fool of himself.  This was his one chance.  He had finally gotten a chance to talk to Loki.  Like they were friends.  And he didn’t want to screw it up.

“O-okay,” Thor said finally. 

The smile Loki gave him was enough to make his heart stop.

“So…go ahead,” Loki said.

Thor’s brows furrowed in confusion.

“Go ahead, what?” he asked.

“Go ahead and say my name,” Loki said with a laugh.  “I feel like you’re going to still be thinking ‘Mr. Laufeyson’ until you actually say ‘Loki’ out loud.” 

Thor flushed again, feeling his heart hammer in his chest.  Of course he had said Loki’s name out loud before.  His friends had heard him talk about Loki ad nauseum over the last few years.  But he had never said it to Loki.

Loki stared at him, waiting patiently, those bright green eyes open and playful. 

Thor swallowed, already knowing how red and uncomfortable he must look. 

“Ok… uh… L-Loki,” he said softly.

Loki’s face split into a pleased grin.

“Finally!” he said, happily.  “See, was that so hard?  And now we’ve done away with all the formality.  Now we’re just two regular guys talking, right?”

Thor shrugged and nodded, not feeling at all like Loki was a regular guy, but happy to tell him so if that was what Loki wanted to hear. 

“So, Thor,” Loki said as he smiled and grabbed the neatly folded towel Thor had left for him. “What do you get up to around here?”

“Uh, what do you mean?” Thor asked, trying his hardest not to let his eyes follow the path of the towel Loki was rubbing across his skin as he dried off.

“You know,” Loki said as he tossed the towel down and shrugged a thin, pale shoulder.  “Like the locals.  What do you guys do for fun?”

“Um… I dunno.  I guess me and my friends hang out down by the beach when we get off from work?  Everyone here has summer jobs.  If not at the Country Club, then down in town at the shops.  It’s really busy when people from the mainland come to vacation,” Thor explained. 

“Oh?” Loki asked, looking interested.  “And who are your friends?”

“Ah…well, the ones I hang out with the most are Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg, and Sif.  We’ve been friends since kindergarten.  We also hang out sometimes with Steve, Bucky, Nat, and Sam, some other kids we know from high school,” Thor said.   “It’s nothing really glamorous, but we have a good time in the summers.” 

“That sounds really nice actually.  If I have to spend another summer listening to Tony go on and on about the new Audi he got for his birthday, or the rager he threw at his parents’ vacation home in Nice, or the tons of girls he hooked up with while at boarding school, I think I’m going to shoot myself,” Loki said, rolling his eyes dramatically.   

Thor couldn’t help but laugh a little bit at that, and Loki gave him a warm smile back in return.

“I mean, don’t get me wrong, I like my friends, but it gets a little…tedious some times?” Loki said, as if he wasn’t quite sure he had figured out exactly what he was feeling yet.

Thor looked at him curiously.  He had noticed that he hadn’t seen Loki hanging out with his friends as much since the boy had arrived for the summer, about a week ago.  And the more Loki was alone, the more Thor had openly watched him.  That was likely why Thor had been so bold to linger and watch Loki while he was sleeping (well, supposedly sleeping), instead of just switching out his used towel and walking away, like he was supposed to.   And now here they were. Thor was beginning to think it hadn’t been such a foolish decision on his part after all. 

“So, how about you show me what this town is really like.  You know, away from ‘the Club,’” Loki offered, breaking into Thor’s thoughts. 

Thor froze. 

Wait.  What?  Was Loki actually asking him to…?

“Why do you look like I just asked you to rob a bank?” Loki asked, breaking into those peals of laughter Thor was starting to really love. 

“I really don’t think I’m allowed to-” Thor began.

“What?  Hang out with someone outside of the Club, after your shift is done?  I can’t see any issue with that.  Unless you just don’t want to be seen with me or something,” Loki said, brows furrowing again as he became serious.

“N-no!  That’s not it at all, I’m just… I think…Won’t your parents mind?  Won’t you get in trouble?”  Thor asked.

Loki scoffed, looking genuinely amused.

“Parents mind?  My parents bring me here and basically leave me to my own devices for the summer, only really seeing me on Sunday mornings for their boozy brunches.  And I’m 17, Thor.  It’s not like you’d be kidnapping me.  I can go wherever I want.  And I’m saying I want to go with you.  To hang out. And get away from all this fakeness and overindulgence.  Okay?” Loki said simply. 

It didn’t seem like he was leaving Thor much room to argue.

“It won’t be…I mean, it’ll be pretty boring, you know?  We don’t have any of this stuff,” Thor said, self-consciously.

“Did you not hear me?” Loki asked, laughing again.  “All of this ‘stuff’ is what I want to get away from.”

Swallowing nervously, Thor nodded.   He had been beaten.  There was nothing to be done. 

“Ah… okay then?  Um…I get off at 6.  Wanna meet me down by the main gate?” he asked.

Loki grinned, eyes lighting up and Thor felt his heart speed up.

“That sounds perfect,” Loki said. 

When 6:00 came, Thor waited by the main gate of the country club, looking around nervously.  As if worried that maybe this whole thing had been a mean joke on Loki’s part and this would all come to backfire in Thor’s face. 

But then he heard someone whisper and he looked over to one of the pristine hedges lining the white stone gate wall and saw Loki crouching down.  Thor looked at him perplexedly and Loki let out an annoyed huff as he exited the bushes.

“You were…hiding?” Thor asked, confused.

Loki flushed. 

“Well… I don’t know.  You made it sound like us meeting up would get you in a lot of trouble so…you know, I didn’t want to make things hard on you,” Loki admitted.

Thor’s eyebrows rose and he nodded, surprised that Loki would take his comfort into consideration. 

“Uh… thanks,” Thor said.

And then his eyes dropped down to fully take in the sight of Loki in front of him.  The younger boy was wearing a simple black polo shirt with a tell-tale alligator logo on the breast, fitted dark jeans, and boat shoes, his fine ankles peeking out between the cuff of his jeans and his shoes.  Half of his dark hair was pulled into a low ponytail, the rest left to hang loosely around his shoulders, and his shades were perched atop his head, a look Thor was starting to realize Loki was fond of.  The shiny silver watch on his wrist caught Thor’s eyes, and looking at it Thor was sure it must have cost a ton.    

When Thor’s eyes finally made their way back up to Loki’s face, he could tell that Loki hadn’t appreciated his once-over.

“What?” Loki asked defensively, shoulders hunched like a ruffled cat.

“N-nothing,” Thor said, looking away.  “You look nice.”

And rich, he left unspoken. 

Loki seemed unconvinced, but nodded anyway cheeks flushing slightly.  He then took a moment to take in Thor’s surf shop t-shirt, board shorts, and flip flops.

“Am I… you know, like, over-dressed?” Loki asked, worriedly, as he glanced down at his attire.

Thor laughed.

“Well, there’s no ‘dress code,’” Thor assured him.  “Don’t worry.”

“Alright,” Loki said.  “Then let’s get going, before someone really does come and start snooping around.” 

Thor nodded. 

“It’s a bit of a walk, I hope you don’t mind,” Thor said.

Loki made a face but shrugged anyway.  Thor had to hold back his laugh.

“How far?” Loki asked. 

Thor shrugged.

“Um… maybe 20 minutes?  Thirty if you’re a slow walker,” Thor said, smiling at him.  “We’re just going down to the beach, but it’s a ways off the beaten path.  It’s an old abandoned beach house that’s tucked far away from the private parts of the beach owned by the country clubs.  That’s why we have to walk so far.” 

Loki nodded along, trying to pretend like any of that made sense to him, but Thor was starting to be able to tell that when Loki’s left brow furrowed it meant he was feeling a little out of his element.  And Thor just smiled again.  Loki was so cute.  And Thor really couldn’t believe he was going to have an opportunity to spend time with him like this. 

Thor had considered giving his friends a head’s up about Loki joining them tonight.  But he had stopped himself.  He didn’t want to hype this up.  Make it seem like it was something special.  He would get his hopes up too high, imagining that this would go any further than tonight—that there was any real chance Loki would want to do this again, once his curiosity had been appeased.  Besides, he had also known his friends would have likely teased him relentlessly, and Thor was already having a hard enough time getting through the day without having to worry about receiving texts from his friends about Loki’s impending arrival.  Thor didn’t need the extra anxiety.  He just hoped his friends behaved themselves and didn’t embarrass him.

“Shall we then?” Loki asked, tilting his head to give Thor that curious look again, as if he was trying to figure Thor out.

“Sure,” Thor said, stepping in front of him and starting his way down the path.

As they walked, they talked about all sorts of things.  Like how much Loki hated his boarding school, but how relieved he was that he had finally graduated.  And about what they both saw in their futures down the line.  They talked about their parents and their siblings: Loki had two much older brothers, Thor had one younger brother, just entering middle school.  They talked about their pets—Loki had a cat which he bashfully admitted he had named Princess, and Thor had a dog named Buddy.  It started to feel more natural and Thor found himself relaxing. 

In the quiet night, cooler now that the sun had gone down, Thor felt like no one else existed but him and Loki.  And as Thor became more comfortable, losing his self-consciousness, he started to feel like he was regaining some of his confidence.  And confidence was something Thor had never struggled with, as long as it was with anyone other than Loki.  But something about Loki made him feel like a little kid again, uncertain and hesitant. Which made absolutely no sense.  Loki was definitely not intimidating.  

Although they were almost the same height, Loki was slender and pale, with fine, delicate-looking bone structure and lithe muscles, whereas Thor was sturdy and ruddy, his musculature much more pronounced.   And Thor could tell Loki didn’t often exert himself physically, as Loki began to start to sound a little winded as he and Thor climbed a few of the craggy rocks that separated the tree line from the beginning of the beach and Thor had had to grab Loki by the elbow and help him crest them.  Loki had seemed a bit embarrassed for needing the help, and Thor didn’t want to let on how happy it had made him feel to have an excuse to touch Loki, even if it was only the skin of his elbow.  Thor knew he had enough strength that he could have lifted Loki and carried him over those hills if he had wanted to.       

Thor knew that he was actually probably more intimidating to Loki than Loki should have ever been to him.  But even knowing that, Thor couldn’t help the feeling of butterflies in his stomach, and how sweaty his palms got, and how his heart rate had quickened.   He knew it was because of his crush that he was feeling so antsy.  But it wasn’t like he had never had a crush before.  There was just something about Loki that was different from anything he had ever felt for anyone else before. 

Thor tried not to make that too apparent though.  He could see that Loki was having a good time, smiling at him openly and laughing at all his jokes.  Thor knew that Loki was having fun because they were becoming friends.  And Thor wasn’t going to do anything to jeopardize that.  He felt something in his chest squeeze painfully, but forced himself to ignore it.  When he saw the small beach house come into sight, its windows illuminated and the soft sound of music flowing out from within, he was grateful for the distraction.

“There it is,” Thor said as he turned to smile at Loki over his shoulder.  “The secret lair of the Green Acres Warriors.” 

When Thor pushed the door open and ushered Loki into the small sitting room, they were met with a raucous scene.  Loud rock music was blasting as Sif and Fandral argued heatedly over the pool table, Sif looking like she was ready to crack Fandral over the head with her cue stick, as Volstagg chugged a beer while Hogun cheered him on.

Cringing at their less than classy display, Thor reached over to turn the music off in the hopes of getting their attention.  

When the four occupants turned in their direction, Thor wasn’t surprised at the shocked expressions that were mirrored on all of his friends’ faces.   What he wasn’t expecting was what was going to come out of one of his friend’s mouth. 

“Whoooa, it’s Prince Loki!” Fandral exclaimed, eyes widening in surprise.

And it was like a record had skipped, as a heavy silence flooded the room.  Thor’s face went white.  Fandral looked like he wanted to kick himself.  Hogun and Volstagg looked away uncomfortably.  And Sif literally smacked her own forehead with her hand. 

But those reactions had little on Loki’s taken aback, insulted expression.

“P-prince Loki?” he asked, turning angry—hurt, even—accusatory eyes on Thor. 

But before Thor could try to do damage control—although he had little idea how he would be able to fix this situation—Fandral was talking again.

“No!  No, no.  It’s not… That wasn’t something Thor made up, trust me!  It’s just what we call you to tease him.  Thor’s obsessed with you.  Believe me.  Like, major crush.  So the ‘Prince Loki’ thing is just our way of ribbing him over his wannabe-boyfriend,” Fandral explained, hurriedly.

“Fandral!!” Thor almost screamed, as he felt his face catch on fire. 

If Fandral thought he was making things better by saying something so ridiculous, Thor strongly believed his friend should get his head checked.  But being angry at Fandral was not going to do anything about the fact that Thor would just have to be content with the 30 brief minutes he had been allowed to spend in Loki’s presence.  Because after this?  The younger boy would never speak to him again.

“Loki, I’m so sorry!  I- Fandral doesn’t know what he’s talking about.  Okay?  W-we don’t talk about you like that or anything.  I swear it!!” Thor said apologetically, swallowing down around the lump in his throat that he was trying to ignore. 

Thor was terrified that Loki would look at him with disgust and disdain.  That he would go storming through the door, never to return again. 

But the look that Loki gave him wasn’t one that Thor was expecting.  Loki averted his eyes for a moment, looking slightly embarrassed but also somewhat amused.   Then he turned those bright green eyes back on Thor. 

“‘Wannabe-boyfriend,’ huh?” he asked, eyebrow raised.

Thor blushed hotter.

“I… Please, just ignore him.  Please.  I mean, if you don’t I’ll literally die of embarrassment,” Thor begged. 

Loki laughed and shrugged his shoulders.

“Okay, then,” he said, with a mischievous smile.  “I guess I’ll pretend that I didn’t hear that.”

“So…So you’ll stay?” Thor asked, voice hopeful. 

Loki rolled his eyes.

“Yes, silly,” Loki said.  “If I planned to leave that would’ve happened far before you even had a chance to explain.” 

Thor grinned.  He was so happy he wanted to hug Loki.  But he told himself to hold back that urge.  Loki already looked like he was unsure about the lot of them.  Thor didn’t want to add “unnecessary touching” to the younger boy’s reasons to be suspicious about him.  Especially now that Loki probably had more than a hunch that Thor had a crush on him.  Thor had to fight a blush.

“Um…so, uh, I guess I should introduce you to everyone, huh?” Thor offered, trying to change the subject.

Loki looked around the room at the four other teens who were staring openly at him, as if he was some kind of animal in a zoo, and he nodded. 

“Ok, well, this guy with the big mouth and empty head is Fandral,” Thor said, as he pointed to his short-haired blond friend. 

Fandral had enough sense to look sheepish as he waved at Loki with a contrite expression.  Thor rolled his eyes as he moved on, knowing that he would give Fandral a piece of his mind when they were alone. 

“This is Sif,” Thor said as he pointed at the dark-haired sole female in the room.

Sif smiled at Loki, but her smile was somewhat guarded, as she always was when meeting new people.  But Thor was impressed as she stepped forward and reached out her hand to shake Loki’s.

“Nice to meet you Loki,” she said warmly.

Loki smiled back as he shook her hand. 

Then Thor introduced Volstagg and Hogun, cringing as Volstagg went up and gave Loki a big hug that caused all the air to come whooshing out of Loki’s lungs.  Hogun was satisfied with giving Loki a smile and a nod once Volstagg had released his hold on him. 

The awkwardness passed quickly, Thor’s friends easily accepting Loki into their fold.  He played pool with them, danced with them, and laughed loudly with them, as if they had all known each other for years, as opposed to minutes.  No one made any comments about where Loki had come from, but it was clear that they already knew a lot about him.  But they didn’t care, and Thor could tell that Loki really enjoyed that. 

Throughout the night, Thor had gone out of his way to not overcrowd Loki; to not monopolize him.  Because this was supposed to be about being “friends,” and Thor didn’t want Loki to think he was making moves on him.  He didn’t want to make Loki uncomfortable.  Especially now that Fandral had opened his big mouth and gotten things off to a weird start.  Thor cringed every time he thought about it.

Instead, Thor was content just to be in Loki’s presence.  To see him smile and look relaxed.   To watch his cheeks flush and his eyes light up when he heard something funny.  Or to watch those dark brows furrow with skepticism when he heard something he thought was ridiculous.  Thor loved to study Loki’s face. 

It had been a face Thor had been watching since he was 14, and had seen Loki for the first time, sitting down by the beach, scooping shells out of the wet sand with a perturbed look on his face.  Thor had been breaking down the beach chairs for the night and had come across the dark haired boy, crouched down and staring intently at the sand in between his fingers.  Thor had approached almost unconsciously, until he found himself standing a little ways behind Loki and the boy had turned around, turning serious, big green eyes on him.

Thor had been caught staring then, too.  Just like Loki had caught him today.  He was sure Loki didn’t remember that though.  It had been 5 years ago.  But that moment was crystallized for Thor.  It was the first time Loki had ever spoken directly to him.

Staring up at him, Loki had said, “The shells here are much prettier than the ones I find at home.” 

Thor had felt his heart thump in his chest.  It had caught him by surprise.  But, for some reason, he was floored by this beautiful, serious boy.   He hadn’t even done anything special.  Just looked at Thor.  But Thor had felt heat pass through his body like a wave.  It had overwhelmed him.  And he hadn’t been able to bring himself to say anything to Loki.  He just stared at him, eyes wide and voice stuck in his throat.  And after a few seconds, the boy had shrugged and went back to sifting through the sand. 

Flushing, and ashamed of himself, Thor had quickly shuffled away, finishing up what he was doing and quickly making his way back up the beach.  Even though he hadn’t talked to the boy, he had looked at him long enough to know that Loki belonged to the country club.  Kids who were under 14 had to wear lanyards stating that they were associated with the Club, so that activity coordinators could keep track of all of them.  Thor had immediately recognized the laminated plastic card hanging around the boy’s neck.  And that meant Loki was someone he wasn’t allowed to talk to. 

But after that first encounter, Thor saw Loki around the Club frequently, and he watched him from afar.  He learned all he could about him, without trying to come off as over-eager.  And he had learned to be satisfied with the distance.  With having to exist at the outskirts.  But now?  Now, he was close enough to Loki to touch.  And it made Thor so happy he wasn’t sure how he was managing to contain himself. 

It was approaching 11 o’clock, when Thor and Loki happened to plop down on the old couch at the same time, sitting side by side and watching on as Fandral and Hogun challenged each other on Rockband, which they had hooked up to the old clunky tube TV in the living room.  There were a few inches between them, but they were close enough to touch if they wanted, and Thor was immediately cognizant of Loki’s proximity.  It made Thor itch to want to reach out and touch him—hold his hand or stroke his hair.  Forcing away the thoughts, Thor swallowed and pretended not to be affected as he focused in on his friends’ antics.  He told himself Loki was sitting next to him just out of convenience.  But when Loki finally spoke to him, his words sent Thor’s stomach into knots. 

“So… your friends all already knew about me, huh?” Loki said softly, as he continued to look straight ahead, cheeks dusted in a light pink blush.  “I wonder why that is.” 

Thor’s body stiffened.  It didn’t seem as if Loki was angry or upset.  He just seemed curious…and a little shy.  While Thor had been beating himself up all night about Fandral’s slip-up, he now began to wonder if Loki really didn’t mind it at all.

“Um…well…I’ve… I’ve, you know, known you for a lot of years,” Thor said, tripping over his words.  

Then he flushed, realizing how inaccurate that statement sounded.  How creepy it probably sounded to someone who he had never talked to extensively before tonight.

“That’s not what I mean!  I meant-! Ah, what I’m trying to say is you’ve been coming to the Club for so many years.  And I’ve been there.  And you’ve been there.  And I’ve noticed you since that first time and I’ve never stopped thinking about you, so…  Wait, no… I mean… I’m making this worse, aren’t I?” Thor asked as he ducked his head, covering his flaming face with his hands.

Loki scooted a little closer, thigh bumping into Thor’s.  Thor had thought it was an accident, but Loki didn’t move it away, and Thor’s hands dropped as he glanced up in surprise.  Loki was still staring forward, seemingly purposefully not making eye contact with Thor, and it looked like his face had reddened exponentially, blushing all the way to his ears.

“I’ve….I’ve noticed you for a long time too,” he whispered.    

Thor didn’t know if he was dreaming.  But if he was, he didn’t want it to end.  He didn’t move his leg, and neither did Loki, and all Thor could concentrate on for the rest of the night was the feeling of Loki’s warm thigh pressed up against his own.

When midnight came, Loki announced that he needed to go home and Thor walked Loki back to the beach house he and his family were staying at for the summer. 

It was only about a 10 minute walk away from the Club.  Loki had protested when Thor had offered to walk him back, once he realized that it would take Thor about 40 minutes to get back to his own house, which was in the opposite direction, down by the town.  But Thor insisted.  Thor knew Loki probably thought he was being chivalrous, but Thor had more self-serving motives.  He didn’t want the night to end, and would have happily taken any opportunity to spend more time with Loki that he could.  It didn’t matter that he had to be up at 7am the next morning.

When they finally reached the sprawling summer cottage, Thor walked Loki up the driveway, noticing the sleek Audi SUV parked there, and stopped at the base of the porch steps.  Thor wasn’t sure he should have been this close to Loki’s house in the first place, but he felt like he was definitely not allowed to climb those stairs.  It felt like a physical barrier, the only thing separating his life and Loki’s, and as soon as Loki set foot on those stairs, their night would be over and Loki would have to return to his world.  A world that didn’t include Thor. 

Thor felt his stomach twist.

“I had a really good time,” Loki said as he placed a hand on the porch bannister and looked at Thor, eyes shining in the moonlight.

Thor felt his heart thumping in his chest.  He wanted to kiss Loki.  Badly.  But he restrained himself.  He didn’t want to scare Loki away.  It was too soon.  Thor had no idea how Loki felt about him at all, and would be the screw up of all screw ups if he tried to lock lips with someone who was totally not interested.  He figured Loki probably understood that Thor had a crush on him, but that didn’t mean that Loki reciprocated it, or even that Loki wasn’t bothered by it. Thor wanted to tell Loki how he really felt, but he was a coward.  He was too afraid that Loki would reject him. 

“I’m glad you had a good time,” Thor said instead.  “So did I.” 

A silence settled over them, and Loki stood there, looking uncertain, like he wanted to ask something but couldn’t find the words.

“I guess… this is good night then?” Thor asked.

Loki’s brows furrowed, and he bit his lip, but he nodded silently.

Thor’s face fell, but he forced a smile.

“I’m really happy you came tonight, Loki,” Thor said.  “It was the best thing that’s happened in a long time.” 

Loki’s brows shot up and Thor could swear he saw Loki’s cheeks darken, but he couldn’t be sure in the dim moonlight.  Still Loki said nothing.  And after smiling one more time, Thor turned on his heel.  As he began to walk, he found himself thinking about how had no idea where they were going to go from here.  He had no way of telling if Loki wanted to hang out with him again or if they would be able to continue their budding friendship.  He had no way of knowing if things would be any different when he went back to the Club tomorrow and saw Loki in the light of day.  Would it be as if none of this had ever happened? 

Thor only got a few feet down the drive before he turned to look over his shoulder and saw Loki still standing there.  And that made up Thor’s mind for him.  He turned back and marched toward Loki.  He saw Loki flinch, eyes widening in surprise, as if he wasn’t sure what Thor was about to do. 

“Loki,” Thor said, steeling himself.  “Do you want to…?  C-can we hang out again?”

Loki’s eyes lit up and his face split into a wide smile.

“Of course,” Loki said laughing.

He sounded relieved, and Thor smiled back, feeling the tightness he hadn’t even been aware of leaving his chest. 

“Then…tomorrow,” Thor said decisively.

Loki blushed, looking surprised, but nodded quickly, as if he didn’t need much time to think about it.

“Y-yeah, that sounds good,” Loki said.

“Great, I’ll pick you up at 6 again?” Thor offered.  “At the Club?”

“It’s a date,” Loki said flippantly, before he turned on his heel and ran up the porch steps.

Thor watched him disappear into the house, stunned.  And once he was sure Loki was gone, he let himself laugh, so happy he felt like his heart would jump out of his chest. 

The walk back to Thor’s house that night was almost an hour but it felt like it flew by, Thor’s mind filled with the memory of sweet laughs, toothy smiles, and bright green eyes. 

When Loki met Thor at the gate the next night, he was wearing a white t-shirt under an open front heather gray cardigan, tight black jeans, and canvas sneakers.  His hair was pulled back into a messy bun on the top of his head. 

Thor looked at him and smiled, and Loki bristled.  As always.

“What?  Am I overdressed again,” Loki said as he pulled at his sweater.  “It got chilly last night, and I have no idea where you plan on taking me today.”

“No.  You just look nice, is all,” Thor said and watched as Loki’s face flushed.  “As always.”

Loki rolled his eyes and looked away as he stuffed his hands in his pocket, but the small smile play at his lips did not go unnoticed by Thor. 

“Okay, so where to?” Loki asked. 

“I thought about taking you down to the boardwalk,” Thor offered.  “Have you ever been?”

“No,” Loki said, voice sounding interested.  “My parents always told me-”

Thor watched as Loki trailed off, eyes widening as if he realized that he shouldn’t say what he was just about to.

Thor knew where Loki had been going with his comment and he shrugged and looked away, pretending like it wasn’t a glaring reminder of who they were; how separate their worlds were.

“Don’t worry, I get it,” Thor said, trying to make his voice casual. “None of the people who come here for the summer really go down to the boardwalk.  It’s mostly just locals.  I understand if that’s not your thing.” 

“Wait, Thor, that’s not what I meant, honestly,” Loki said earnestly.  “I actually really want to go.” 

Thor gave him a skeptical look. 

“Especially because I was never allowed to,” Loki said, giving him a mischievous smile.

“You sure?” Thor asked, still unconvinced.

“Absolutely,” Loki said.  “Now let’s go!” 

Letting out a sigh, Thor grinned. 

“Okay, follow me then,” he said as he began to walk.  “My car’s parked down the hill.” 

Loki’s eyebrows rose, but he was silent as he followed Thor.

Thor had pulled some strings to borrow his dad’s pickup truck that night.  He had wanted to make the trip to the boardwalk a bit easier on Loki.  It was a trip Thor and his friends would usually take by foot, only taking about 20 or 30 minutes or so by walking.  But after hearing how Loki had complained on the walk to the beach last night, Thor knew the younger boy would appreciate the ride.  And Thor was going to go out of his way to make the night perfect for Loki.  He had so many things planned. 

When they reached the old beat up red truck, Thor grabbed the passenger seat and pulled it open for Loki.

Loki snorted.

“Why am I not surprised that you have impeccable manners?  Or are you just trying to impress me, Thor?” Loki asked teasingly.

Thor flushed but played it off.

“I was brought up right.  And I want to make sure I show you a good time.  So I’m going all out tonight, Loki,” he said.

As Thor closed the door and hurried over to the driver’s side, he didn’t see the surprised look on Loki’s face.

If asked, Thor would never admit it, but he had stayed up a good part of the night—and slacked off most of the day at work—trying to put together an evening that would impress Loki.  It was difficult trying to come up with something like that, though.  Thor knew Loki came from money and privilege.  And on top of the fact that Thor had little physical means to do anything fancy, he knew there was likely very little he could show Loki in his small beach town that would be novel or exciting to the much more cultured boy.  But Thor wasn’t going to let that discourage him.  He was going to show Loki the things that he loved and would hope that Loki would love them too.

And the first thing Thor wanted to do was feed Loki.

So he drove into town and straight to his favorite pizza place on the boardwalk.  As he eased the truck into the parking spot he watched Loki looking at the kitschy awning and packed interior with concern. 

“Come on, it’ll be great,” Thor said as he hopped down from the truck. 

Loki seemed skeptical, but he got out of the car as well and followed Thor inside.  As soon as Thor pushed in through the swinging doors, they were inundated with the raucous din of numerous people.  It wasn’t surprising for the start of a Friday night.  The crowd ranged from families with their kids to people clearly out on dates.  There were also a number of people by the front waiting for tables to open up and in the crush Thor could feel Loki press closer to his back, as if trying to avoid the crowd.  Thor grinned.

He stood by the door for a few moments as he scanned the restaurant, and when his eyes landed on who he was looking for he nodded toward a tall, muscled dark-haired boy who was taking orders at one of the tables in the back.  Nodding back at him, the dark-haired boy gestured over to the single empty booth in the far back of the restaurant.  Giving him a thumb’s up, Thor then turned to Loki and ushered him toward the designated table. 

“Oh, so is this like a reservation?” Loki asked with a laugh as he and Thor sat down on the overstuffed red booth seats.  “You really did go all out, huh?”

Thor looked way, feeling bashful.

“Well… I know how it gets here on the weekends so…you know, I wanted to plan ahead to make sure everything was perfect,” Thor admitted.

Loki’s brows furrowed and his cheeks took on a pretty pink color. 

“Um…s-so… the guy who was saving the table?” he asked to change the subject.

“That’s my friend, Bucky,” Thor explained.

“Bucky?” Loki asked curiously.

“Yeah… Well, his name’s really ‘James Buchanan Barnes,’ but that’s a little…stuffy,” Thor said as he laughed.  “He’s been ‘Bucky’ since elementary school.”

Thor watched as Loki glanced behind him, observing the long-haired server in his leather jacket and ripped jeans.

“He doesn’t really come off much like a…‘Bucky,’” Loki said, still sounding unconvinced.

Thor laughed.

“Okay, well, yes, he did go through kind of a grunge phase in high school and kind of…stuck with it, but he’s really not as hard edge as he looks.  He’s a sweetheart,” Thor said with a big grin.

“I’ll take your word for it?” Loki said as he shrugged.

Thor shook his head and laughed again before pushing a large laminated menu in Loki’s direction.

“This is my favorite pizza place on the whole island,” Thor started.

“How many pizza places are there here exactly?” Loki asked matter-of-factly.

Thor’s brows furrowed.

“Well…only four, but still,” he protested.

Loki laughed, looking genuinely amused by Thor’s put-out expression.

“Okay, okay, go on,” he said holding up his hands.    

“It’s the best one, I swear.  You can look at the menu, but I can pretty much guarantee that if you let me pick you won’t be disappointed,” Thor said.

Loki’s nose scrunched up at the sound of that.

“Trust me, okay?” Thor offered.

Loki sighed and rolled his eyes, conceding.

“Anything you can’t eat?” Thor asked, to make sure.

Loki shrugged.

“No allergies, but I really hate onions,” he said as he stuck his tongue out.

Thor had to hold back his urge to grin at that.  Instead, he raised his hand to wave Bucky over.  Once the dark-eyed brunette caught sight of him he smiled and nodded at Thor before tucking his notepad into his back pocket and striding over. 

“Thor,” Bucky said, giving Thor a grin as he slapped him on the shoulder.  “You haven’t been coming in much this summer; you had me thinking you were trying to kick carbs again or something.  And then all of a sudden you text me begging me to save you a table.   I was still on the fence about whether I should be doing you any favors, man.” 

Thor rolled his eyes. 

“If we’re counting favors, I think we’ll both be old and gray before you’re even close to done paying me back for the ones I’ve done you,” Thor said.

“Well, I can’t deny that,” Bucky said as he winked and slapped his shoulder again.

Then he turned his attention on to Loki and Thor watched as Loki sat up straight, as if on alert.   

“And this is…?” Bucky asked as he looked at Loki curiously, like he couldn’t quite figure him out. 

“Loki Laufeyson,” Loki said before Thor could say anything, stretching his hand out to Bucky for a handshake. 

“Wow,” Bucky said as he let out a surprised laugh.  “So formal.  Just pound it, bro.”

And then Bucky proceeded to curl Loki’s outstretched hand into a fist and gave it a light tap with his own.  Loki frowned, brows furrowing.  But Bucky just grinned as he turned back to Thor.

“So, is he some long lost cousin or something?” Bucky asked.

Thor flushed as he glanced at Loki and then looked away, trying not to be too obvious.

“N-no.  Uh-he’s a friend?  We’re just-” he stuttered out.

As Thor watched the realization dawn on Bucky’s face, Thor’s face became even redder.

“Okay,” Bucky said as he held up his hands and tried not to smile too widely.  “What can I get you two?”

Relieved that Bucky was going to take pity on him and not embarrass him in front of Loki, Thor quickly proceeded to order.

“Can we have a Big Pete?” Thor asked.  “No onions.”

“Good choice,” Bucky said with a grin.

“What d’you want to drink, slim?” Bucky asked as he turned to Loki.

Thor watched Loki’s dark brows furrow again and wondered if he’d have to kick Bucky under the table at some point.

“A diet Coke with lemon,” Loki said snippily, as if challenging Bucky to make a comment.  

“Sure thing,” Bucky said, smiling as he scribbled it down.  “And you, Thor?”    

“Regular Coke, no ice,” Thor said.

“Be out in 15,” Bucky said before he winked at them and turned from the table.

“That guy…” Loki started.

“He likes to joke around,” Thor said.  “He’s a year older than most of us and likes to pretend like he’s everybody’s—sometimes annoying—big brother.  But it’s all harmless.  He just likes to tease.” 

Loki rolled his eyes.

“Big brothers, ugh,” he said on a sigh.

Thor laughed. 

“I feel like I’d like to meet your older brothers,” he said.  “I wonder how similar they are to you.”

Loki rolled his eyes again but this time there was more humor behind it.

“They’re way older.  Fifteen and thirteen years older, to be exact.  My mom was kind of going through an empty nest phase when she decided to have me.  Now my brothers are out of the house and grown, and my parents still have to bring me with them on vacation,” Loki said with a huff.

“But oh well,” he continued.  “At least there’s less pressure to be something amazing since I have two brothers ahead of me who my parents can schlep all their dreams and aspirations on to.”

Thor blinked.

“Do you feel like your parents don’t have dreams for you?” he asked.    

Loki rolled his eyes again.

“It’s fine really. I’m allowed to major in art history when I start college in the Fall, while Hel was forced to go into finance and Byleistr into corporate law,” Loki said, making a face.  “By the time it came to me, I think my dad had lost most of his overbearing steam.  Now he’s old and all he wants to do is spend his time on golf courses and drinking mimosas with my mom.” 

“Whoa,” Thor said, almost whistling.  “Those careers seem pretty intense.  I’m just majoring in business management at the local college, since I want to help take over my dad’s shop in a few years.  I think it’s really cool that you like art.”  

Loki grinned. 

“I don’t even know if I “like art,” to be honest.  It just seemed the most contrary major I could pick compared to what my dad and brothers do,” Loki said conspiratorially.

Thor laughed.

“Oh, so you’re a little rebel then, huh?” he asked.

Loki looked at him, green eyes sparkling mischievously, before he winked and said, “You bet.”

Thor flushed, embarrassed about how quickly his body reacted to Loki’s playful flirtation.  

“Well, we’ll see about that,” Thor said cryptically. 

Before Loki could ask any further questions, Bucky was back at the table placing the drinks down in front of them.

“So, kid, I’m guessing you’re from the mainland,” Bucky asked as he dropped a few straws down for them.

“Bucky, why are you oh-so-nosy today?  Don’t you have, like, work to do?” Thor hissed.

“Not really,” Bucky said with a laugh. “I asked to stay later on my shift so I could make sure this table was saved for you.”

Thor flushed, and proceeded to take a sip of his soda so he wouldn’t have to acknowledge Bucky’s statement.  

“I’ve only got about a half an hour left, and then I’m going to be meeting Sam and Nat down at the pier.  Steve was supposed to meet us there too, but I just found out that someone has him waiting around tonight as well,” Bucky said cryptically.

Thor coughed, spluttering into his drink and Loki looked at him curiously.

Bucky laughed, clearly taking a lot of enjoyment out of Thor’s discomfort. 

“So, mainland, right?” Bucky continued as he turned back to Loki.

“Is it that obvious?” Loki asked, frowning.

“I mean… well everyone from here knows everyone else; we’ve all been here since we were babies.  So since I don’t know you, it’s likely you’re one of the tourists who’re visiting.  But that’s just what most people come here for anyway.  It’d be more surprising if you told me you up and moved here at…what’re you?” Bucky asked as he squinted at Loki.  “Like 16?”

Loki flushed and glared at him.

“I’m 17, thank you very much.  Practically 18,” he said.

Bucky gave him a skeptical look.

“Yeah?  Like when?” he asked.

“November,” Loki admitted.

Bucky laughed.

“Alright, kid.  I don’t fault you.  I remember I couldn’t wait to turn 18 either.  I’ll let you have that since you’ve got less than 6 months left.  I guess you’re closer to 18 than 17 in any case,” Bucky said as he patted him on the shoulder.

Thor could tell that Loki was bristling.

“Bucky!  Can you get out of here??” he asked, giving the older boy a pointed look. 

“Alright, alright,” Bucky said holding his hands up.  “Guess I’ll be checking on that pie now!”

“Ignore him,” Thor said once Bucky was out of sight.

Loki laughed and rolled his eyes.

“Don’t worry, he’s nothing compared to Tony, so I can handle him fine,” Loki said.

And mention of Loki’s other friends immediately made Thor think about how Loki would compare his evening so far to what he’d likely be doing with the teenage equivalent of the who’s who of America on a Friday night.  Thor was sure Loki was probably bored.  And Thor started to realize that taking Loki to a local pizza joint, to be bombarded with questions by his friends, may not have been what Loki had had in mind when he had agreed to go out with him again.  Even though Thor had brought Loki to someplace he really loved, he started to feel silly thinking that this could ever be something Loki could possibly find enjoyable. 

“Do you… you know, miss your friends?  Are you having a good time?” Thor asked, somewhat self-consciously. 

“I’m hanging out with you, so of course I’m having a good time,” Loki said, giving Thor a confused look. 

“Well… but, it’s a Friday night, and this is the most exciting thing I can offer you,” Thor said as he looked down at his hands.  “I’m sure you’re used to going out on yachts, and fancy dinners, and champagne.  And this is just…”

Thor trailed off, feeling his face burn.  This had all been such a mistake.  What had he been thinking?  There was no way a night out with him could in any way impress Loki. 

A long sigh from Loki caused Thor to look up. 

“Thor. Listen to me.  I didn’t think I’d have to spell this out for you, but here goes: if all that stuff mattered to me, wouldn’t I be with the country club kids instead of here?  With you?” Loki asked him seriously.  “Do you think I would have gone to all the trouble of practically forcing you to hang out with me if it wasn’t what I wanted?” 

Thor blinked at Loki in surprise, unsure what to say.  The longer he stared at the dark-haired boy, the more Loki’s face reddened, but Loki didn’t look away.  Thor felt his heart hammering in his chest.  Was Loki really trying to tell him what he thought he was?  Swallowing nervously, Thor placed his hand on the table, inching it slowly toward where Loki’s was splayed on the other side.  He watched Loki’s eyes drop down to his hand on the table, and even though Loki could see what he was doing, he made no attempt to move his hand away.  Thor felt his heart thumping as hand inched slowly across the table. 

But then Bucky was coming back with the pizza, and Thor and Loki both quickly yanked their hands back before their fingers could even touch.  They both watched on with red faces as Bucky  placed down a huge 18” monster pie covered in pepperoni, sausage, meatballs, mushrooms, peppers, olives, tomatoes, fresh basil, and a double helping of mozzarella.  Thor watched as Loki’s eyes widened almost comically at the size of it, and Thor couldn’t help the small chuckle he let out.

“Here she is, our famous Big Pete!” Bucky said proudly as he presented the massive pie.  “I hope you guys enjoy it!  Unfortunately, I won’t be around to hear you sing its praises, since I’m heading out now, but Molly’s going to take over for you guys for the rest of the night.  She’ll take good care of you.”

“Thanks,” Thor and Loki said at the same time, and they both laughed at their synchronization. 

Bucky chuckled as well and before he left he grabbed Thor by the shoulder and leaned down to whisper in his ear.

“Don’t worry about the tab, I covered it.  My little treat.  Have a nice date,” he said teasingly, eyebrows waggling suggestively.

Thor felt his face heat up and was able to get a quick punch at Bucky’s shoulder before the older boy ducked away.

“Thor, who is this for?” Loki exclaimed, drawing Thor’s attention back to him. “This is an insanely huge pizza.  There’s just two of us!”

“Trust me, it’s so good you’re gonna want to finish it,” Thor assured him, grinning.

“I mean, it does look amazing,” Loki said as he looked at it appreciatively.  “But I highly doubt there is any scenario in which I’ll be able to make much of a dent in this thing.”

“Don’t underestimate yourself.  Dig in first and then tell me you won’t be able to finish it,” Thor challenged. 

Loki rolled his eyes, clearly amused, and nodded his agreement.  They each grabbed a plate and served themselves a slice of the hot pie.  Thor picked up his slice and as he brought it to his lips he saw Loki grab the utensils that were wrapped neatly in a napkin in front of him.

“What’re you doing?” Thor asked, feigning horror.

Loki looked confused as he held up the fork and knife in his hands.

“Getting ready to eat. What?” he asked.

“Pizza?  With a fork and knife?  No, Loki. Just no,” Thor said as he reached over and plucked the utensils out of Loki’s hands.  “We eat pizza with our bare hands.” 

Loki laughed.

“Ugh.  My mother would have a fit if she saw me eating with my hands,” Loki said.  “But, well, I am a “rebel” after all.”

“That you are,” Thor said as he raised his glass and motioned for Loki to toast him.

They clinked the plastic cups together and smiled, big silly grins at each other.  And Thor suddenly felt as if this had been the right choice.  He had seen Loki smile more in one day than he had in an entire summer. 

“Bon appétit,” Thor said.

They then each raised their slices and brought them up to their mouths. As soon as Loki bit into his slice, Thor could tell he loved it, as his eyes slid closed and Loki let out a long moan that was so sensuous it should have been illegal.  Thor’s face flushed as he looked away from the sight.  And that was just how he sounded while eating pizza?    

“Oh my god.  This is amazing.  How is this so amazing?” Loki asked as he took a few more bites, and spoke excitedly around his food, all manners seemingly going out the window.

Thor grinned, so pleased with himself for being able to make Loki happy. 

“I have to admit you were right, and that’s not something I do lightly, sir,” Loki said, grinning at him.

Thor found himself grinning back, looking at Loki’s rosy cheeks and sparkling eyes.  Even sitting there with orange pizza grease on his chin, Thor still thought Loki was the most beautiful person he had ever seen.   And even though he had been nervous and unsure of himself all along the way, Thor was insanely happy that he hadn’t allowed Loki to slip through his fingers. 

Dinner flew by, leaving Thor feeling like he and Loki had been friends for years, instead of more like just 24 hours.  They left the restaurant around 8:00, pleasantly full, and piled into Thor’s pickup.

As Loki pulled the seatbelt over his chest and patted at his nonexistent stomach, he laughed.

“I really can’t believe I ate that much,” he whined, but there was a laugh in his voice.

“I told you, didn’t I?” Thor said with a wink. 

Loki had made a pretty sizable dent in the pie, but Thor had still ended up being the one who ate the majority of it.   

“Well, I’m not going to deny it was the best thing I’ve eaten since I came here, but there’s no way I’m going to let you continue to take me to places like that.  Next time, we’re getting salads. Or sushi,” Loki suggested.

Thor had to fight to hide how pleased it made him to hear that Loki was already thinking about a ‘next time.’ 

“Y-yeah,” Thor hurried to say when he noticed Loki was looking at him expectantly.  “Whatever you want.  There’re some really great seafood places around here.” 

Loki gave him a deadpan look.

“But not seafood that’s covered in butter or cream though, okay?” he said, giving Thor a pointed look.   

Thor laughed and rolled his eyes as he started the car. 

“I don’t eat junk all the time.  When I was in high school I played every sport imaginable.  I eat pretty healthy and work out all the time,” Thor said with a shrug.  “I may no longer be an ‘athlete,’ but that’s a lifestyle that’s pretty hard to kick.” 

When he glanced over to Loki, he caught Loki looking at the bulge of his bicep as his arm rested on the steering wheel.  When he noticed Thor’s eyes on him, Loki quickly looked away, looking decidedly guilty, and Thor couldn’t help the smug smile that turned up the corners of his lips.  But instead of acknowledging it, he simply slung his arm over the back of Loki’s seat, twisting to see behind the car as he backed the pickup truck out.   And if he flexed his arm a little more than he needed to as he was doing so, he’d never admit to it. 

“So, where are we going?” Loki asked after they had been driving for a few minutes. 

Thor watched him looking out the window, staring at the dark shapes that passed by.  They had driven out of the main downtown area and were now making their way up steep, tree-lined roads.

“It’s a surprise,” Thor said cryptically.

“Uh… well there’s nothing really down this way, so I can’t imagine what kind of surprise that’d be…” Loki said, as he glanced back at Thor.  “It looks kinda creepy.” 

Thor thought about it as they drove down the winding, dark road.  The place was pretty deserted—they hadn’t passed another car in quite a while—but that was because the area hadn’t quite opened up yet for the summer.  But Thor knew this place like the back of his hand.  It didn’t seem creepy at all to him. 

“Well, surprises are supposed to be surprising.  Where do you think I’m taking you?” Thor asked curiously, wondering if Loki would be able to figure it out before they got there.

“Um… it kind of feels like this is someplace you’d take me to murder me…?  So please at least tell me that you’re not planning to do that,” Loki asked, jokingly, but Thor could still hear a bit of apprehension in his voice.

Thor let out a surprised snort.

“I’m definitely not going to murder you, Loki!” he said as he glanced over to younger boy. 

“Well, that’s a relief,” Loki said, crossing his arms over his chest and letting out a dramatic sigh.  “I would really have to second guess my instincts about people if that had happened.” 

Thor laughed.  They drove in mostly silence the rest of the way and when Thor finally crested the last hill, he smiled widely, already feeling the excitement inside of him start to bubble up.  He couldn’t wait to share this with Loki.  Thor pulled the car up to a set of heavy metal gates and threw it into park.  Without the lights on inside, all one could really see was a number of large, towering shapes in the background. 

“Feels very murdery,” Loki pointed out, frowning at the large clunky silhouettes.

Choosing not to acknowledge Loki’s comment, Thor honked his horn twice and Loki watched on, surprised, as the heavy metal gates rolled back.   As they opened up, the pickup’s headlights illuminated a tall, short-haired blond in a baseball shirt and jeans who waved at them. 

“That’s my friend, Steve,” was all Thor said before he killed the engine and threw the door open. 

Thor knew Loki was likely confused, but he was pleased to see the dark-haired boy hop out of the truck and follow him, no questions asked.

“You’re late,” was the first thing Steve said once Thor walked up to him. 

Even though the shorter blond seemed slightly perturbed, he still threw an arm around Thor’s shoulder and brought him in for a hug.

“Sorry about that,” Thor said sheepishly.  “We kind of ran over time for dinner.” 

“Yeah, Bucky told me when he called.  From Sam’s dad’s boat.  Where I should be right now,” Steve said, giving Thor another look.

Thor rubbed the back of his head, and then grabbed Loki by the wrist, pulling him forward. 

“This is Loki,” Thor said as he held Loki in front of him.  “And we both want to say thank you for doing this.”

Thor could tell that Loki seemed really confused, but, apparently a creature of habit (and good manners), Loki immediately stuck his hand out in greeting to Steve.  Thor could see Loki tense for a moment, as if seeming unsure if this was the appropriate hand gesture, but Steve reached out and gave Loki’s hand a firm shake, and Loki looked relieved.

“Nice to meet you, Loki,” Steve said grinning at him.

Then Steve stepped back behind the gate, before saying, “Well, here we go.”  

There was a loud ‘click,’ and then a whirring sound.  And then, like a Christmas tree, all the lights turned on, illuminating a whimsical amusement park, with small coasters, bumper cars, and even a merry-go-round. 

“Whoa!” Loki gasped as his eyes jumped from attraction to attraction.

“Steve’s dad owns the amusement park,” Thor whispered to Loki excitedly.  “The season hasn’t started yet, but I got Steve to open it up just for us tonight.  Are you surprised?”

“Damn right I am,” Loki said, breathlessly, eyes still staring ahead. 

If the only thing Thor had received that night was that awe-struck look, he would have considered the night a success.

“I’m giving you guys two hours,” Steve said, as he stood by the main ticket booth, and looked at them with a soft smile.  “So go crazy.” 

“Go ahead,” Thor said as he held his hand out in front of him.  “You can pick anything you want.  The night is yours, Loki.”

Loki turned to Thor and grinned, green eyes shining with glee.  He then grabbed Thor’s hand and dragged him in the direction of the teacups. 

They rode bumper cars until their heads were pounding and coasters until they were afraid they’d puke.  Steve had been kind enough to turn on the cotton candy machine for them, and they tried a ton of different flavors (which, in retrospect, might have contributed to the urge to puke).  They competitively played all the games, like ring toss and water-gun racing, even though they couldn’t take any of the prizes.  But at the last game, where Thor had to knock down weighted targets with bean bags—and had miraculously knocked them all down—Steve had caved and told them they could pick one of the prizes in the back.   Thor let Loki pick, and Loki picked a cat he said reminded him of “Princess.” 

It was nearing 10:00 when Steve came up to them, announcing that they only had 15 minute left and that they should pick the last thing they wanted to do before he would have to shut the place back down.

Thor turned to Loki, ready to suggest they try another one of the coasters again—‘Death Valley’ and ‘the Runaway Train’ had been particularly terrifying—but Loki beat him to it as he pointed out an attraction across from them that they hadn’t tried yet that night.

When he saw that Loki was pointing at “Rose River,” the park’s play on “the Tunnel of Love” ride, his face heated.  Although the outside of the ride was decorated in stylized hearts, roses, clouds and cheeky-looking cupids toting bows and arrows, Thor wasn’t fully sure if Loki knew exactly what it was.  But when he looked at Loki he could swear Loki looked a little red as well.

“Um…you sure?  That’s-” Thor began to explain, but Loki cut him off.

“We haven’t tried it yet.  And I want to try all the rides before we go, okay?” Loki said snippily.

Thor kept his mouth shut and just nodded.  He didn’t think it’d be worth it to mention that there were a number of rides they hadn’t tried that night, mostly because Loki had denounced them as being “too childish” or “too dumb.”  Thor wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. 

“O-okay,” Thor said, smiling.  Loki looked up at him, and this time Thor was sure there was a blush on those pale cheeks. 

Thor glanced over at Steve, who seemed a little uncomfortable, like he was sharing in some type of moment he shouldn’t be privy to.

“Um… just, ah, give me a second.  I’ve got to turn some of the ride elements on.  I wasn’t expecting—ah, well, just give me a few minutes,” Steve hastily said before he turned on his heel and rushed over to the ride.

They watched him disappear into the back.   They stood side by side, not sure what to say; not wanting to acknowledge that they were decidedly blurring things from “friends” to something else.  Then they heard the music for the ride turn on, a kitschy instrumental piece full of harps and chimes, and they both blushed.

Loki was the first to laugh.

“Well, I mean, I’ve never been in one of these before.  It’ll at least be fun to check it out, right?” he said as he elbowed Thor in the side.

“Yeah,” Thor said, laughing back. 

Steve came back out at that moment and gave them a thumb’s up.

“Okay, just go in through here,” Steve said as he motioned to the entranceway illuminated by a smiling neon cupid, whose glowing yellow arrow was pointing down to the trellised archway, complete with a red carpet leading into the attraction.

Loki rolled his eyes, letting out a huff of laughter, before he grabbed Thor by the wrist and dragged him inside. 

Thor had been on Rose River once before.  With Sif.  Back when he was in middle school, and he hadn’t quite figured out that he felt differently about girls than he did boys.   They had practically been pressured by their friends; Sif and Thor were best friends, and they were a boy and a girl, so of course that must mean they liked each other.  Sif hadn’t been interested in Thor; Thor hadn’t been interested in Sif.  And, so while they had ridden it, they spent the whole time laughing at the silly sights and making fun of the other couples on the river with them. 

Back then it had been a joke.  He had felt nothing more than annoyance and frustration with his friends for forcing him to go on the ride, and humor and relief after Sif had been just as not into it as he was. 

But, now, sitting in the gently rocking boat next to Loki, Thor felt butterflies in his stomach.  Now he understood why people always made such a fuss about this. 

Loki seemed to be quite mesmerized by the sights, eyes wide as he took them in.  Rose River was a play on the age-old “tunnel of love,” but it was also somewhat modeled after the infamous “It’s a Small World” ride.  There were whimsical scenes of animatronic landscapes, with figures engaging in sweet little stories.  They moved through different seasons and different geographies.  And the entirety of the tunnel was illuminated by soft, twinkling lights, making it look like the stars were above them.

As Loki remarked about how beautiful the ride was, Thor found himself looking at Loki far more than he looked at any of the imagery around them.  He was aware of how soft Loki’s hair looked, how smooth his skin, how pink his lips.  And he had to often force himself to look away, and focus on something else so he wouldn’t make a fool of himself. 

Right now, he was staring down at his hands.  And digging his nails into his thighs.  Because all he could think of was how badly he wanted to grab Loki and kiss him silly.  It should be a crime to be as attractive as Loki was.  As smart.  As funny.  He was all Thor could want and more.  And he was sitting right next to him, so close all Thor had to do was lean an inch to his right and they would be touching.  And yet, he had to deny himself that.  It was torture.   

“Thor,” Loki breathed out, grabbing Thor’s attention.

Thor turned to look at him, wondering what sight Loki was seeing that caused his voice to have such a sound of wonder.  But instead of seeing Loki’s face turned toward the riverbanks, Loki was looking at him.  Eyes wide and lips parted, eyebrows furrowed with a hint of hesitance.   He looked vulnerable.

“Loki…?” Thor began.

“Kiss me,” Loki said hurriedly.

Thor flushed.

“Loki, what-” he began, caught by surprise.

But then Loki’s face reddened and he frowned in annoyance, scooting closer to Thor, knees bumping into his.

“Don’t make me say it again, you idiot.  Come on.  K-kiss me,” Loki said, as he closed his eyes and tilted his head up.

Heart practically leaping in his chest, Thor didn’t have to be told twice. 

Leaning forward, he cupped the back of Loki’s head, allowing his fingers to entwine in the silky, dark locks, before he pulled Loki toward him. 

And then their lips were touching.  Even though it was chaste and gentle, it sent a jolt through Thor, like his lips had touched a live wire.  Loki’s lips were so soft and warm, pliant under Thor’s.  Kissing him was better than Thor could ever have imagined, and he couldn’t stop himself as he kissed Loki harder.  

Loki let out a soft gasp that then melted into a moan.  He gripped the front of Thor’s shirt, as he kissed him back, just as passionately, as if he thought it was some kind of competition.  Thor smiled against Loki’s lips, before teasingly letting his tongue slip out to lick against Loki’s.  That received a startled sound from Loki, but he didn’t shy away.  Instead, he tentatively licked back, lips parting and warm mouth nipping and sucking at Thor’s lips.  Breathing hard, they continued to kiss, pouring all the pent up feelings they had both, unbeknownst to the other, been harboring for the past few years. 

Thor willed himself to keep his hands where they were, gently cradling Loki’s head, as heat flooded his body.  His skin tingled; his heart felt like it was going to burst.  He wanted all of Loki, everything he could possibly give.  He wanted him so much it was overwhelming.

Shuddering, Thor forced himself to calm down, content in just basking in this moment.  This giant leap of a step.  This admission of want, and affection, and shared desire. And that Loki had been the one to instigate it.  Loki, who, while sometimes snarky and over-confident, was also clearly quite self-conscious in other areas.  Loki, who boldly asked for a kiss, even though his eyes were wide, and scared, his shoulders trembling.  And Thor was so grateful.  It was like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.  It was confirmation.  It was a beacon of hope.  And, for Thor, a kiss was more than enough for right now. 

So they kissed.  Lazily, then hungrily, passionately and then playfully, smiling against each other’s mouths all the while.  Eyes closed, the music drowned out, and it was like they were lost in their own world.  The only thing that existed for Thor was Loki, and for Loki, Thor. 

So lost in their world, they weren’t expecting the exasperated sound that rudely cut into their perfect world like a record had skipped a beat. 

“Whoa.  Come on guys!” Steve called out once their boat came through the end of the ride, turning away.

Thor and Loki flushed as they jumped away from each other, as if caught red-handed.  Well, they had been caught red-handed, and red-faced.

“You guys clearly had a good time,” Steve said with a knowing smirk, as he watched both boys strategically avert their eyes.

Laughing, he reached down and helped Thor and Loki climb out of the rocking boat. 

“But, unfortunately, you guys are going to have to continue that good time elsewhere, okay?” Steve said.

Thor laughed bashfully.

“Thanks for doing this for us, Steve.  It was so awesome.  We really appreciate it,” Thor said.

“Y-yeah, thanks,” Loki chimed in as he smiled shyly at Steve.

Steve walked them back to the gates and after a chorus of more farewells, Loki and Thor found themselves standing side by side next to Thor’s truck, in complete silence.   

Thor was feeling somewhat bashful, and he was sure Loki was feeling the same.  They stood next to each other, looking out into the moonlit landscape, and the nervous energy that was buzzing between them was almost palpable.  It was clear that neither one of them wanted to be the first to call the night quits.  And they hadn’t talked about what had transpired in the tunnel either.  But Thor wasn’t quite sure how to broach the topic of extending his time with Loki.  He didn’t exactly have anything else planned…   

Then Loki cleared his throat and Thor almost jumped out of his skin, so surprised by the sudden sound cutting through the thick silence.

 “Can we…I mean, I don’t have to go back right away,” Loki said as he kicked at the ground sheepishly.  “Can we go somewhere we can be alone?”

Thor’s eyebrows rose as he tried to decipher the intent of Loki’s words.  And when Loki realized what he had said, he stiffened and flushed.

“Wait, I mean to talk.  Just to talk,” he said, embarrassed, averting his eyes. “Just talking, okay?  For now.” 

Thor flushed as well.  His thoughts hadn’t exactly gone there, but now that Loki had put the thoughts in his head, Thor had to force his mind not to follow the natural path.  His words had flooded Thor’s mind with reminders of how good the kiss had been—how good exploring so much more with Loki would be—and Thor couldn’t meet Loki’s eyes. 

Clearing his throat, he shoved his hands into his back pockets and looked off down the dark road.

“Um… I know a good place.  It’s a little secluded spot on the beach that I go to when I need to be alone.  It feels like I’m the only person in the world that knows it exists.  You, uh, wanna go?” Thor asked.

He felt Loki step closer to him, shoulder bumping into his.  He felt the warmth of Loki’s hand as his fingers entwined with his.

“Yeah, I’d like that, Thor.  It sounds nice.  I want to go to your secret place.  Just me and you,” Loki whispered as he leaned his head against Thor’s shoulder, squeezing his hand. 

Thor’s “secret place” was a stretch of pebbly beach, secluded behind a large, craggy rock.  To the unknowing eye, it would appear the beach ended there, as beyond the rock there stretched a daunting range of cliffs.  But when Thor had been in middle school he climbed to the top of the rock and had found a small alcove of beach tucked between it and the cliffs.  It was like he had discovered his own private world. 

And now he was sharing that with Loki.

As they settled down on the sand, Thor watched as Loki shivered, clearly feeling the effect of the drop in temperature as the night had progressed, and, without thinking too much about it, Thor grabbed Loki around the shoulders and pulled him into his arms, settling Loki in between his legs, Loki’s back pressed snugly against Thor’s chest.  He held his arms loosely around Loki for a moment, noticing that Loki had stiffened at the first touch, but as Loki relaxed, Thor let out an audible sigh and tightened his arms around Loki’s chest. 

“You…seemed cold,” Thor mumbled, lips pressing against Loki’s temple.

“Oh, is that so?  And you think you’ll make me warmer?  I’m wearing a sweater, you’re just wearing a t-shirt,” Loki said, quite snarkily, even as he was snuggling himself in even closer.

“Well, I run hot,” Thor said, with a laugh.  “I’m sure I’ll be sufficient to keep you warm.”

Loki laughed, and Thor watched as Loki leaned his head against Thor’s shoulder, tilting his head to the side and looking at Thor out of the corner of his eye.

A beat passed between them, Loki’s cheeks reddening and eyelids lowering, before they were both inching forward, lips finding the other’s in another breath-stealing kiss. 

When they finally pulled away, Loki let out an amused sounding huff.  Then a groan, as he raised his hands and covered his face. 

“Okay.  So, what’re we doing exactly?” Loki asked, from behind his hands.

Arms tightening around Loki’s shoulders, Thor frowned.

“What do you mean?” he asked, confused.

“Well, like, we’ve been kissing.  And…I dunno, for me that, you know, means- Well, you know, I wouldn’t just kiss someone if I wasn’t- Ugh!  I’m trying to say what do I mean to you?  What do you think of me?” Loki asked, as he frowned up at Thor, as if annoyed that he’d even had to ask. 

Thor’s lips spread into a huge grin before he turned Loki towards his chest and enveloped him in a tight hug.

“I like you.  Of course I like you. I’ve always liked you.  From the first moment I met you,” Thor said, words confident and unashamed.

When he pulled back to look at Loki, the younger boy was gaping at him, red-faced and caught off guard.

“R-Really?” Loki asked hesitantly. 

“Yeah.  All my friends knew about you, remember?  Which practically means I’ve been talking about you for a long time.  I think that’s proof enough,” Thor said, feeling a little embarrassment come over himself again at admitting this.

Loki chuckled, relaxing against Thor’s arms, as if he was relieved.  

“So…are you saying you want to be my boyfriend or something?” he asked somewhat sarcastically, eyes sparkling mischievously as he gave Thor an impish smirk.

Even though Thor knew Loki was purposefully trying to make light of it, Thor felt no hesitance when he opened his mouth and said, “Yes.  Absolutely.  If you’ll have me.”

Loki looked at him wide-eyed.  Speechless.

“I mean…I know I know it sounds a little crazy.  It’s only the beginning of the summer, and maybe it’s too soon to say all of that but…but, it’s what I know I want.  I know you probably still need to figure it out, and I’m more than willing to just go slow and see where this goes.  I don’t want you to feel pressured.  I just want you to know I’m serious,” Thor said, all in one big breath.

Loki narrowed his eyes, looking at Thor suspiciously.  It was not the reaction Thor had been expecting. 

“There’s no way you could know that, Thor,” Loki said, voice taking on an icy edge.  “You’ve barely ‘known’ me for a day.  So what if we had some fun hanging out with your friends, or had a good time talking.  You like me after just that?  You don’t know if you’d still like me when I’m in a nasty mood and I’m purposefully being a jerk.  Or if I’m feeling whiny and needy, and bug you until you want to pull your hair out.  You don’t know any of that.  So don’t say something you can’t deliver on.”

Thor looked at Loki, brows furrowed as he tried to figure out what had changed.  Why did Loki suddenly become so closed off?  Did he really believe it was that unfathomable that Thor would still like him once he saw the ‘real’ him.  Did he really think Thor didn’t know who that was? 

“Well…but I do know you.  I’ve been watching you for five years, Loki. I’ve seen you when you’re being purposefully mean.  Or when you’ve had a bad day, and all you want is someone to ask you what’s wrong, even though you’ll pretend like they’re annoying you when they ask.  I’ve seen you on good days, when you laugh so hard after pulling a prank on someone that actual tears come to your eyes,” Thor said.  “And I still love every part of you.  Not despite any of it, but because of it.” 

Loki blushed and looked away.

“God, that makes you sound like a stalker,” he said, but Thor could tell there was no real bite to Loki’s words.   

In fact, it seemed Loki was pleased.  So pleased he didn’t know what to do with himself, cheeks red and smile threatening to reveal itself.  He was like a little ball of nervous energy.  So Thor wasn’t exactly surprised when Loki ducked his head, tucking it under Thor’s chin and pressed his face into Thor’s neck, practically hiding from him.

“I…I think I’d like to try this out,” Loki said, voice muffled as he spoke, lips pressing against Thor’s skin.  “I don’t really know how to do this ‘dating’ thing, so I can’t make any promises I’ll be any good at it, though.”

Thor brought a hand up and rubbed Loki’s head soothingly.

“That’s okay.  There’s no expectations, Loki.  I’m just happy I get the chance to spend time with you.  We’ll figure it out together.  Baby steps,” Thor said.  “We have plenty of time.”   

“Plenty of time, hmm?  We have the summer.  You know I don’t live here, right?  What’re you gonna do when it’s time for me to leave?  Do you just want this to be some kind of summer fling?” Loki asked, pulling back and looking up at Thor’s face, expression unreadable.

Thor tensed.

“No!  Of course not.  I mean, I know it’s going to be hard.  You live like… 3 or 4 hours away,” Thor said with a heavy sigh. “But none of that matters.  I’d… I’d come visit you whenever I have a break from work.  It might be a little pricey, but… I’ll save up all my tips.  We’ll make it work.” 

Thor looked at Loki seriously, hoping he hadn’t scared the younger boy away, talking about plans for the months ahead when they hadn’t even really established whether they were an “item” for the length of the summer yet.  But then Loki’s stone-faced expression cracked and he let out a giggle, lips curving up to expose his pearly white teeth.  Thor stared at him, confused.  Was Loki making fun of him?  Was Thor’s plan really that ridiculous?

Thor frowned, and Loki, seeing his displeasure, gave him a sympathetic look and tried to wipe the smile off his face. 

“Those are some grand plans, Thor,” Loki said.  “I’m glad you’ve put some thought into it.  But don’t you think a good question would be to ask me what my plans are for college next year?” 

 “Huh?”  Thor asked, looking down at him.

“You haven’t asked me where I’m going to college yet,” Loki said, green eyes wide and playful.

Thor bit his lip, not sure if Loki was telling him this to make things better or worse.

“Okay…?” Thor said hesitantly.  “So… where are you going to college?”

“In the city…” Loki said, lips quirking up with the hint of a smile.

Thor blinked in surprise.  And then his eyebrows rose, as it dawned on him what Loki was saying.

“The city…as in…?” Thor asked, hopeful.

“As in…only a 30 minute ferry ride away from the island,” Loki told him, face splitting into a huge grin. 

And when he heard that, Thor couldn’t help how hard he hugged Loki, hearing the soft ‘oomph’ from the younger boy as he practically squeezed the air out of him.  But it seemed like Loki didn’t mind.  He only laughed and encouraged Thor to squeeze harder.

A/N:  That’s all she wrote!! This is probably the cutest thing I’ve ever written, but I had fun doing it!! I would love to know your thoughts! :3.

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