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Post by Loki Laufeyson on Nov 10, 2013 23:01:11 GMT -5
There were few things in the world that Loki loved, which brought him unadulterated bliss and imbued him with the kind of courage that comes only when one is remarkably, naturally talented at something; however, mathematics was one of those things. There were those who would believe that math was dry and rational, that it was meant for the worn and yellowed pages of books no one ever dared check out from the library, but those people could not be more wrong. For Loki, mathematics was magical; it was ever-changing and chaotic, an elegant world of quadratic equations and disappearing limits, of summations and asymptotes, and it was glorious. How good that the world was so ordered and yet so beautifully chaotic? And how much more fitting was it that mathematics was the language of that immense balance?
These were the matters which occupied Loki's mind, and although the beauty of math more or less kept him satisfied, the ugliness of his very chaotic high school existence brought him little more than misery.
Presently, he'd holed himself away in the forgotten mathematics corner of the library. He was crouched on the floor, his green hood pulled up and over his head, and a large Advanced Calculus text book balanced on his knees. Just above his head, there was a big window through which a golden column of light filtered purposefully. Outside, on the grand, green sweeping school fields, Loki's very blond and muscular step-brother was playing football alongside his a few of his most trusted, drooling lackeys. Loki could hear them grunting and swearing and laughing as they shoved and knocked each other about. They were but the beginning of Loki's misery. If it were not enough that the four of them were brutally cruel to him during the school day, filling his every hour with childish taunts and painful pranks; it had also become painfully evident that Loki himself harbored a ridiculous, irritating crush on the school's resident playboy-- Tony Stark. /He/ perhaps was the crux of most of Loki's problems.
What could anyone say about Tony Stark? He was beautiful. Not simply handsome, or good-looking, but a beautiful specimen of man you just couldn't stop looking at. He was bruisingly smart, achingly funny, maddeningly talented, and he /knew/ it. Loki was pathetically in love, and although Thor and his drooling lackeys did not know the object of Loki's affections, they did tease him endlessly about these very evident affections, and were quick to shove him in a locker for them. After all, who /wasn't/ in love with Tony Stark? The entire school kneeled handily at his feet.
Now the two shared not only the same Advanced Calculus class but the same afternoon gym class. These days, Loki found himself a stumbling, stuttering, heart-fluttering fool in Tony's presence, so he eschewed him as best he could, choosing instead to admire the man from afar. Besides, Tony Stark could not possibly see Loki Odinson, not when Loki was so wildly insignificant at the school, so lost in the shadows of giants that he often felt verily faded. He gathered all of his books, slid them into his backpack, and began in the direction of his next class-- Calculus.
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Tony Stark
New Member
I don't like being handed things.
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Post by Tony Stark on Nov 12, 2013 16:17:21 GMT -5
“And so I said – ‘Where’s your I.D.?”
The gaggle of girls around Tony burst into high-pitched giggles, the one on his lap – Kayla? Karrie? – letting her attention fall from his tie to his neck, making it warm with her breath as she laughed. Tony grinned at her, bumping the top of her head with his nose as the giggles died down. “Careful there, that tie cost more than this room took to build.” He said, winking at her and taking the tie gently in his teeth and pulling it back to its position over his chest.
Karla was in the middle of making her eyes open as far as they could go when someone else tore the boy’s attention away from her. “Tony! You’re going to be late.” Pepper’s sharp voice came from behind the group, her title as his girlfriend being the only reason her words were heeded and not simply brushed away like a stubborn piece of lint.
Tony sighed, raising his eyebrows and nudging Karen off his lap before coming to mock attention at Pepper’s side. “I’d swear you were being paid to order me around all day, Pep.” He said easily, buttoning his shirt up to the disappointment of the teenage girls watching, dreamily and rather creepily. Pepper was not amused. “You hounded me all last night about how you write your two’s-“
“The loopy way, or the textbook way? Such a decision.” He grinned, winking at her if just to further her frustration.
It worked. The redhead took his hand, tugging him out of the sunny courtyard and away from the girls. “I don’t care! What I DO care about is you turning in the stupid calculus homework-“ “-Say advanced calculus, it sounds smarter-“ “So I can feel as if I did something worthwhile staying up until three in the morning-“ “-Oh, it was only like, two thirty-“”-debating whether you would rather look casually uninterested, or casually attentive.”
They had entered through glass doors into the cool hallways of the high school at this point, the way nearly void of people- all of their classmates were in class aside from the few stragglers left to grab their books or finish a Spanish quiz. Pepper massaged her temples, as was a reoccurring theme as her boyfriend – more like her job - created headaches faster than one could say “I’m filthy rich, what’s your excuse?”
“Why do you even take this class? It’s not like you need the credit. You could go to any college you set your heart on, even if your grades were half as high as they are now.” They stopped in front of the Advanced Calculus’ classroom, the door just barely open to them. Class appeared to have already started.
“Because it’s a little less boring then pre-calc, or calculus without the advanced. Alright, I take that back, numbers are cool, but not-easy-as-hell numbers are the coolest.” Tony inspected his nails, not bothering to be modest and deny the fact of his college admission chances. “And the only other class this period is creative writing, and I think I’m banned from that one because I take… creative a little too far.” He wiggled his eyebrows, looking up at her from half-lidded eyes.
Before she could sigh again, he was kissing her and reminding her of why she was in a relationship with him in the first place. Sure he was a headache, but he was loaded and smart- and revered by their entire school, which put her on a pedestal. Plus he was a great kisser. When they parted, he gave an impish grin and a mock salute, taking his bag from her and entering the door with a flourish and a “Bye Pep, see you after school.”
Before the professor could turn to notice him, he made a lewd noise in the back of his throat. “Ohh, GOD It’s good to be back in your presence, numbers. How I MISSED you.” He chirped, thumping his bag down in the second row next to some pale boy who’s eyes looked like a thousand freaking green diamonds shining in the sunset what the hell. He wrenched his eyes away from the kid’s to open his books to the page written on the board, shaking himself inwardly and ignoring anything the professor was saying about tardiness.
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Post by Loki Laufeyson on Nov 13, 2013 22:29:38 GMT -5
His entrance into advanced calculus was terribly uneventful. Not a single eye lifted to either appraise or greet him, so Loki was able to slither to the back of the classroom to remain unnoticed.
He briefly entertained the thought of pranking a few, studious girls huddled near the front of the classroom. The girls were speaking in low, hushed tones, gesturing at a thick text book which lay open amongst them. From what Loki could make of it, the girls were having a lively discussion about one of the more difficult functions assigned for homework. It would be too easy, he thought, to sabotage one of their pens to wildly squirt green ink while she wasn't looking-- and wouldn't that be a wonderfully entertaining thing to watch in the middle of class?
Thinking of the inevitable mess that would ensue, Loki was all but convinced to perform such a prank, but before he could, the object of his ridiculous affections did enter the classroom, and Loki shrank away instinctively.
He moved to a seat very near the back, where he could best melt into obscure shadow, but Tony Stark, who always proved perfectly unpredictable, strode to take a seat very near Loki, and not before looking at him, albeit briefly and with not a hint of interest. The lewd noises Stark made upon entering the classroom immediately caught the attention of the gaggle of girls near the front, and they all but flocked to his side. Their eyes followed him and their bodies turned toward him with obvious longing. One girl had twisted her body so sharply in Stark's direction that she seemed ready to tumble from her seat completely.
The teacher, too, seemed both enthralled and irritated by Stark; but it was not often that a student so gifted was also so nonchalant about his timeliness or his homework grade. Because of his clear talent, the teacher often ignored Stark's tardiness, choosing instead to continue teaching without missing a beat, taking up the homework after some time.
The class was again spent on functions of change and growth, an immersive lesson which included tangents and graceful slopes, and despite his aching loneliness, Loki felt pleased and content, like a kitten basking in the sun. If their elegance of each function were not enough, it was one of those days in which Loki was able to freely look upon Tony Stark whenever he pleased, so closely the boy sat to him. What a godly marvel! What a work of chiseled perfection! His dark hair looked like dyed silk, and his eyes were so distantly warm, alight with the same sort of bemused wisdom that Loki recognized in himself. He was caught day-dreaming once, gazing in Tony's general direction after solving a particularly difficult function, when the professor asked:
"Loki. What is the limit of this function?"
He could hear the girls at the front giggle as he was rattled from his reverie.
"So...handsome...-- I-I'm sorry, what?"
Professor Coulson's jaw tightened in annoyance. "The limit of this function. What is it?"
"Oh-- um..." His cheeks burned with chagrin. "The function never approaches the limit. It does not exist."
"Excellent." Satiated, Professor Coulson continued scribbling on the board, but Loki could feel the entire room's eyes upon him. He fiddled with one of his pencils, doodling idly on his paper.
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Tony Stark
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I don't like being handed things.
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Post by Tony Stark on Nov 24, 2013 17:24:31 GMT -5
The lesson in functions and change in growth was refreshing, pleasantly different than the monotony of other classes, spent only half-listening to the information school systems were convinced you should learn. Tony was challenged (Although, not stumped - come now, high school couldn't do that to him, are you insane?), and it was nice to be surrounded by people who, compared to the rest of the school, weren't quite as stupid.
It was relatively uneventful until the green-eyed boy was called on - his name was Loki, and what an odd name that was, maybe he was European or something - and the boy proceeded to not wake up from his daydream, which, apparently, included Tony. He was being stared at with those freakin green eyes of wonder.
So, he did the only thing acceptable in that situation. He winked.
Loki mumbled something before sitting up straight and answering in the most posh accent anyone had ever heard and blushing a bright scarlet, sinking down in his seat like some sort of meerkat. At this point, everyone was staring at him, minus Professor Coulson, who was pretty much just a bag of numbers and what, rocks?
"That's not the only thing that's reached the limit, Jade." The corner of Tony's mouth tilted up as he leaned back, addressing Loki as if he didn't know his name. Jade, the color of his eyes. And sweatshirt. And pencil. Was this guy secretly a plant? "I think your rainbow is shooting a little too high, time to come back down and smell the reality."
He stuck the pointy end of his own pencil into his mouth, putting his hands behind his head and legs upon the desk, every single girl in the classroom laughing like he was an award-winning comedian. (Of course, if he wanted to go that way, he was so hilarious he'd make the competition just up and quit.)[/font]
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Post by Loki Laufeyson on Nov 25, 2013 22:20:46 GMT -5
Although Professor Coulson seemed utterly satisfied with Loki's reply-- he had turned back to the board and begun scribbling in vacant bliss, the rest of the class had shifted their attentions to Loki's blushing figure. The gaggle of girls near the front had turned completely round in their seats to snicker and point; a pocket of self-assured boys near the front chuckled and sneered; and whatever students were left whispered hotly amongst themselves, their eyes darting in Loki's direction.
And this was without mentioning the reaction of the one and only Tony Stark.
The boy had turned his lovely brown eyes upon Loki. After gazing at him for a long, suspended moment (a moment in which Loki felt both the delicious thrill of unmitigated joy and the debilitating shock of absolute horror) Tony winked.
The words which came next from Tony's blessed lips were a cutting, jeering remark. I think your rainbow is shooting a little too high..."
In that moment, Loki felt completely, irreconcilably dismantled.
Inwardly, he began to crumble in upon himself, feeling the weight of sheer embarrassment press in upon him. The many eyes turned upon him were searing; it was if his entire being were being prickled with ten thousand hot needles. He wanted very much for the ceiling to somehow cave in, for vultures to swoop through and tear him to pieces, to pick his bones clean so that he would not have to endure the humiliation even a second longer.
Why did I have to say such a stupid thing? If getting pummeled by my own stepbrother every day after school wasn't enough-- now even Tony Stark is going to think I'm a complete loser. This isn't right-- this isn't fair! Tony is the one man in this entire ridiculous school with the brains to be my equal. I only ever want to be considered his equal, to be seen as a contender in his eyes, for him to admire me-- if only for a moment, for him to smile at me the way he smiles at--
He gritted his teeth, feeing the hot, rising sting of angry tears and a tightness in his throat.
And now-- the chance I had to show my equality--! Before he could stop them, words tumbled from his lips:
"You think my rainbow has reached it's limit? I suppose it's no competition for your swollen ego, which has no limit. Quite frankly, I'm not sure how you got your big head through the classroom door."
Scarlet went creeping over his face again, and his heart froze solidly in his chest. What the hell was he even saying? And to the boy he adored most in the entire school?
Mortified, Loki darted out of the classroom and into the school corridor, his cheeks aflame, his legs weak, his lips trembling, his heart fluttering, and his brain working. He pressed his heavy books to his chest, opened the window at the far west side, and stuck his head out to get great gulps of fresh air. When he closed his eyes, all he could see was Tony's beautiful brown gaze and his charming, heart-stopping wink.
God, why was he so gorgeous?
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Tony Stark
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I don't like being handed things.
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Post by Tony Stark on Nov 26, 2013 18:34:39 GMT -5
As soon as the laughter died down, Tony glanced over to see Loki nearly flat in his seat, bright red and nearly dropping his pencil. The kid looked as if he was about to cry, his lips pressed close together and his eyes bright and wet.
I didn’t mean for him to cry. That’s kind of a girly way to react, god. Tony thought wearily, barely suppressing the urge to roll his eyes at the over-the-top dramatics of the whole situation, before a smooth voice started to reply, the words sharp and precise and cutting into Tony’s eardrums like a knife. “You think my rainbow has reached its limit…?”
Well.
No one had ever reacted to his taunts quite like THAT before.
His brain short-circuited, and he just stared at him as Loki turned an even darker shade of crimson, looking as if he had just been caught robbing a bank. Now the boy was absolutely trembling, and before anyone could say anything, he was gathering up his books and running as fast as he could out the door and away from the class.
Tony’s eyes followed him out the door, but he couldn’t stop thinking about the way his joke was handled. Some people had tried to throw his quips back, to no avail. He was tired of spluttered, messy comebacks and half-assed retorts, but Loki had simply snapped right back at him, the jab clever and on just the right side of insulting, not pissy.
His furrowed his eyebrows and pursed his lips, nodding as if he appreciated the comeback. The class took that as a moving point and turned to look back at the teacher who, for some reason, was still talking as if nothing was happening.
Tony couldn’t pay attention for the rest of class.
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The next class was gym, and what an interesting class it was.
Aside from the girls trying to peek into the locker room, everything always smelled weird, an odd mix of B.O and deodorant that certainly did not match. Tony sniffed weirdly, wrinkling his nose and lightly punching Peter Parker in the shoulder, the skinny freshman turning to look at him and grinning widely.
“Oh, hey Ton-“
“Hey, You, Pete – that’s my locker, I’m pretty sure. Actually, I’m positive.”
Peter smiled sweetly, standing up straight as his duffel bag hung off his elbow, spilling over with what was probably spandex. The kid was obsessed with red spandex. “I don’t see your name on it.” He said, probably thinking he was a clever little shit, but Tony just smirked, using the same sweet tone in reply.
“Mmmhm, see, here’s the thing – YOU might not see my name on it, but I can’t imagine how you could have missed it. It’s just, so many girls have seen my name on it, at least, I assume so. They moan and scream it every time they press against it. I suppose they’re just exhilarated to be in the boy’s dressing room, but…”
Peter blushed down to his toes, letting out a shuddery laugh of disgust and slight awe. He then promptly picked up his spandex and trotted away to eat small bugs or something.
“You only did that once, and it was in the shower.” A soft voice next to him reminded, revealing himself quickly to be Tony’s best friend, Bruce Banner.
Tony laughed, opening the locker and immediately taking off his shirt, his muscles rippling as they met the cool air. “You were listening to me when I told you that one time! I knew it! Jealous~?”
Bruce just stared at him, unimpressed. “You only told me like seven times.”
“And now you’re staring. Please, contain yourself.”
His friend just sniffed, used to Tony’s behavior. “How was calculus?” He asked calmly, taking off his own shirt modestly and fitting his gym shirt over it immediately, as opposed to Tony who liked to walk around with missing articles of clothing.
Tony shrugged, taking down his pants and shuffling around the bottom of his locker for gym shoes. “Weird. There was this one European plant that forgot how to function when I winked at him. He was probably homeschooled and not used to gay.”
Bruce sighed. “Don’t tell me you insulted him over that, that’s just about the most insecure thing I’ve ever heard, coming from someone who flirts with anything with a pulse.”
“You wound me.”
“The truth hurts.”
“Speaking of truth, I have number paper.” Tony chirped, picking up a sheet of homework and tapping it with one finger. “Hell knows why I’m suddenly responsible to do this kind of thing, but I’m supposed to give this to him, ‘cuz he ran out of class like roadrunner on crack.”
Scanning the room for the dark-haired boy, Tony finally spotted him in the corner, hidden away from everyone and slipping in to an extremely large pair of shorts. Dang, you didn’t even have any ass to appreciate in those, how sad. Guess he’s just have to creep the hell out of Nat and Steve later. He needed his daily dose of dat ass.
Going off topic.
“Hey, mien schticky friend!” He called, trotting over to him and waving the papers lightly in his direction. “Usually when one wants to pass a class, they don’t randomly leave in the middle. No need to give me money for this life-saving advice.
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Post by Loki Laufeyson on Nov 27, 2013 21:12:33 GMT -5
Though Loki's better instincts urged him to avoid class for the rest of the day, to find some warm corner of the library to hide in until it was time to slink home, a smaller and more courageous part of himself forbid him to do such a thing.
If I go home now, I'll never be able to show my face around Tony Stark again. If I go home, my brother will never allow me to forget this horrendous moment-- when I ran out of class like a bat out of hell because Tony Stark, Tony Stark, looked at me. No. I'll stay and see him again, and this time I'll prove to him that I can be his equal.
Though Loki was not sure when and where this phenomenon was would happen. He was convinced that he and Tony were much alike in terms of intellect-- he never failed to marvel when Stark spoke up in science or math; he was always good for a clever quip or a blisteringly sharp observation, and it was beneath these conditions that Loki found himself falling irrevocably in love with Stark in the first place. Not to mention there was something more in the boy's brown eyes, a distant kinship, a feeling that Loki could not yet place. There was something else that linked them together, but what?
Yet, despite the ways in which he and Stark were alike, they were simultaneously worlds apart. Stark was loved. Stark was loved and adored and seen by the entire school. Loki was less than despised. He was completely ignored at best and laughed at at worst. He passed through the school corridors like a flimsy bit of cellophane-- invisible, fragile, forgettable.
Perhaps his crowning moments occurred when he was in Thor's presence. His brother, alongside his cronies three, never failed to notice Loki in all the wrong ways. They would be in gym class today; there was no doubt about that. No matter. Thor would be there, but so would Tony Stark. Loki had to redeem himself somehow.
Gathering his books to him, Loki threaded his way through the throng of students to wriggle into gym class. However, just before the large oakwood doors that led to the boy's locker room, Thor, flanked on either side by Volstagg, Hogun, and Fandral, blocked his way.
"Hi there, little bro!" said Thor, ruffling Loki's hair so it stuck ridiculously on all ends. Loki smoothed it down, nearly dropping all his books in his hurry. Thor caught Loki's chin in one hand. "I was just wondering where you had gotten to. We didn't get to meet up for our daily, brotherly chat at my locker, so I--"
"For the last time, I hate our 'brotherly chats,' Thor. They always end up with me shoved in your locker or the janitor's broom closet." He wrenched away from Thor. Volstagg and Hogun laughed rumblingly.
"I thought you enjoyed your time in the closet? The whole school knows that."
"You and I both, big brother," Loki retorted, his lips twisting wickedly. Thor considered this a while, scratching his blond stubbled chin with his thick fingers, then chortling after several seconds.
"Wait, Lokes. What's on the schedule for gym today again?"
"It's... dodgeball."
It was Thor's turn to smile.
"Right. See you on the court, little bro." He turned to enter the boy's locker room, and his lackeys followed suit, laughing and snorting the whole while.
The boys locker room was a fair swamp of interesting sights and smells; among the straining biceps and grunting, chatting males, there hung the musky scent of developing man, a pungently sweet aroma that Loki had grown to almost like. He trotted past Peter Parker, who was shoving a pair of oddly moldy socks into his gym bag, past Thor and his pals, who were slapping each other with wet towels-- completely nude-- and past Scott Summers, who stepped out of a steamy shower with nothing on but his curious red sunglasses. In a forgotten corner of the locker room, Loki changed into his scarlet and silver gym shorts, which were so large on him that they slipped off his hips with ease -- (they were one of Thor's many hand me downs) -- and a deep crimson shirt with a lightening bolt on it.
I look ridiculous. Completely and utterly ridiculous. If mom would only allow me to do my own shopping I--
His train of thought was utterly derailed when Tony Stark came to stand in front of him. His entire world felt frozen in place for several seconds. He looked up at the boy, suspended in a web of absolute adoration for what seemed like hours, his lips opening and closing, his knees growing wobbly with emotion, his stomach churning, heart throbbing wildly with affection.
"Oh..." he mumbled ineffectively, reaching for the homework and stuffing it in his bag. His cheeks were aflame. "Th-Thank you." he cleared his throat. "I'msorryforwhatIsaid. Earlier. About you having a big head. I mean-- you do. You do have a big head. Actually, I suppose I meant it, and I suppose you deserved it a little, but I'm--" he considered this, tilting his head to one side. "Wait. No. I'm not sorry at all. But thank you for the homework. I don't like being behind."
Somewhere from behind a row of lockers, Thor and his friends emitted a loud, vulgar, suggestive noise.
"Ooooooooooo, Toooooony, I think the twerp likes being behind more than you think. Hahahahahahaha!"
Loki grunted, then sighed.
"Always with the gay jokes--" He sniffed. "But at least I don't have to find my mother's love in a box of doughnuts. Right, Volstagg?"
Volstagg rounded the corner with a twinkie in one hand, his big belly hanging over his blue and yellow gym shorts, and a honeybun in the other hand. His lips were glazed with sugar.
"Whaaaa?"
"Nothing," said Loki, still smiling and returning his gaze to Tony's own deep, brown, charming eyes. Inwardly, he crumbled with adoration. "Thanks again. I don't normally run out of class like that. It's just... Professor Coulson's lectures are so exhilarating..."
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