Chapter 2
Days turned into weeks as Loki adjusted to his new life in Gotham, assuming the identity of Ikol Head, adopted son of Jason Head, they even moved to a new apartment near a rich Gotham School. With his shapeshifting abilities, Loki found it surprisingly easy to blend in among the humans.
When he first showed his ‘Asgardian’ form, Jason gaped at him, he said something about looking like the white washed version of the ‘demon brat’...he doesn’t know what he meant by that, to be honest and didn’t care enough to ask for further explanations.
As he settled into his new routine, Ikol found himself enrolled in a local school, he felt slightly excited to go somewhere he could learn new things. Jason said he would be helping as Loki soon after a few days of school to see if Ikol felt really comfortable going.
It felt nice to have a guardian who was so thoughtful about what would make him happy. The last person to care enough for him was mother…and she had lied to him, yet she still cared, maybe not loved him, but she was fond of him.
Ikol could tell the man had a soft spot for children, for he grew very attached to him in the last few weeks they spent getting to know each other.
In any case, Ikol’s first day at school was today.
“Did you pack your notebooks?” Jason asked for the tenth time.
“I did” He replies patiently.
“Okay, pen and pencils? Did you get your school lunch box? Do you feel alright? You really don’t need to go if you feel nervous” The man said, word after word, almost fainting from lack of air as he went on.
Ikol rolled his eyes, slightly flushing at all the concern directed towards him. “If anyone here is nervous, it’s you, father”
Jason takes a deep breath to calm down. “Yeah, yeah, you’re right, kid, sorry, just want to make sure you are ready”
"It's merely school, I highly doubt anything remotely extraordinary will occur while I'm absorbing the mundane knowledge of mortals”
Jason fought to suppress a smile, his lips twitching as he struggled to maintain a entureal expression. The kid was worse than Damian when he talks, it reminds him so much of his little brother. Despite his best efforts to appear serious, the corners of his mouth betrayed his amusement as he took in again the appearance of his ‘son’, he looked a lot like Damian, but with much lighter skin and longer hair, the green eyes though, were pretty much the same.
“Okay, remember, don’t call people mortals, alright?” Jason scolded lightly. “We don’t want people thinking you’re an inhuman or a brat with God or superior complex”
“Of course, father”
Jason makes a face at that. “You don’t need to call me father when it’s just the two of us kid”
Ikol shrugs. "You're legally my father, so I suppose I may as well address you by your title," he remarked with a smirk.
The man looked uncertain but also a bit emotional at that. “As long as you’re comfortable with it”
Ikol frowns, is he? He doesn’t know if he could ever see Jason as a father, but he has been a good guardian so far…maybe one day, but right now, he was still bitter towards the last adoptive father he had, still, calling the man father wasn’t uncomfortable.
“I am, now, can we go?”
“Sure little raven” Jason says, ruffling his hair which earned him a hiss.
Yeah, so much like his little brother.
“Okay, let’s go pipsqueak” Jason said, opening the door.
Both of them made their way downstairs to Jason's motorcycle, the man drove them to the school he has applied to Ikol to attend. It was massive,
Jason helped Ikol to climb off the motorcycle, still not accustomed to it.
“Call me if things don’t go well, it’s the first name on your phone, do you remember how to use it?”
Ikol nods, it wasn’t that hard to use a phone.
“Good, when classes are done, call me so I can come and pick you up, kay lil Raven?” The man asks softly.
He rolls his eyes slightly embarrassed at the nickname. “Yes, father, now leave already”
He could see some other parents who came to drop off their kids, looking at them strangely.
“Awww, so eager to get rid of me?” Jason smirked as he suddenly picked Ikol up who let out a yelp when the man spun him around before placing him on the floor again.
Ikol feeling a bit dizzy tries to punch Jason’s leg only to miss it, he flushes slightly as he glares at the man.
“Leave!”
“Alright, alright!” The man laughs as he makes his way back to his motorcycle.
A couple of older women chuckled when they see the grumpy kid mutter his way inside the school, they had said for him to just appear at his assigned classroom that everything else has already been sorted out.
He stops at the entrance of a room where he could hear chatters of other children already inside, the woman who has talked to him and Jason the day he enrolled him into the school sees him at the entrance and smiles rather nervously.
“Good morning everyone! We have a new student today!” The teacher says a bit anxious for some reason. “Come here, kid, present yourself to the class”
He stepped through the doors of his new classroom. "I am Ikol Head, a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Loki declared with a slight incline of his head, his voice carrying an air of aloofness.
The whole class gasps and then goes awkwardly silent. He felt all eyes on him, everyone was looking at him oddly, why? They seemed confused as they looked at him then at this other boy who…oh, he looked a lot like him but with dark skin…okay now he understands Jason’s earlier statement. He can already tell this is going to be annoying.
The students all exchange looks among them, their whispers filling the air like a cacophony of voices. Loki ignored them, keeping his gaze fixed firmly ahead as he made his way to an empty seat at the back of the room.
As he settled into his desk, he couldn't help but notice the boy – the one who looks like him - sitting a couple of seats in front of him – piercing green eyes that seemed to bore into Loki's very soul.
The teacher cleans her throat, getting everyone’s attention back to her. “Be nice everyone! I’ll give you all some time to talk, but keep it at a proper level!”
Oh great, she was going to let those brats bombard him with questions.
For a moment nobody talked, the woman sat on her desk, watching carefully in case she needed to stop the kids from overwhelming him.
The mortal who looks like him stood up, approaching his seat. "Tt, Damian Wayne" The boy introduced himself curtly, his voice laced with a hint of disdain.
Loki raised an eyebrow, studying the boy with interest. "Ikol Head, as you just heard" he replied in turn, offering a polite nod of acknowledgement.
Damian's eyes narrowed slightly at the mention of Loki's surname, he looked like he wanted to demand answers or punch him…or both.
Loki shrugged nonchalantly, though inwardly he couldn't help but wonder if Damian knew more than he was letting on. But before he could dwell on the matter further, the classroom erupted into a chorus of whispers as the other students took notice of their interaction.
"Are you two related?" One of them piped up, their eyes wide with curiosity.
Loki blinked slowly, what was he supposed to say? Because apparently Jason knew the brat who looks like him, were they brothers or something? But he had a different surname… "No, we're not related" he replied curtly, hoping to put an end to the interrogation.
“But you two look like twins! I mean, aside from the skin color difference…”
“I’ve read cases where twins have different skin color” Another brat says as she fixes her glasses, her eyes shining with curiosity.
Ikol wanted to kill Jason right now, because the man must have known Damian studied in this school and didn’t warn him about it, ugh.
"The last time I checked, I possessed no brother, let alone a twin" Loki remarked with a raised eyebrow, his tone laced with skepticism.
“Holy shit he even talks weirdly like Damian!!”
"I do not talk weirdly!" Damian retorted, his tone sharp and defensive, his green eyes flashing with indignation.
“Alright kids, enough, if you’re going to bother the new student then you have enough energy for a new lesson”
They all groaned, Damian reluctantly went back to his seat, still sending glances over his shoulder towards Ikol.
So this woman was a history teacher, perfect, he listening intensively as she explained about mortal history, everyone looked bored out of their minds but Ikol actually thought it was interesting, he didn’t really need to take notes as he has good memory, but he still wrote some in his notebook so nobody thought he was slacking.
Finally, after a few hours, the bell rang, signaling the end of the class period and a much-needed reprieve from the prying eyes of his classmates. Loki wasted no time in gathering his belongings, eager to escape the suffocating atmosphere of the classroom.
But as he made his way towards the exit, he felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. He turned to find Damian standing before him, his expression unreadable.
"Yes?" Ikol asked, his voice tinged with annoyance.
Damian's eyes narrowed, he looked at his very curious classmates who watched them two tensely, seeing that they had no privacy he motioned for Ikol to follow him. Okay, fine, he will follow if only to get on with this already so he can go eat his heavenly lunch made by Jason in peace.
The boy led him to an empty room from another class where all the students all left already.
As Damian ensured the coast was clear, he seized the opportunity to launch a surprise attack, aiming a swift punch at Ikol's face. However, Ikol's reflexes were lightning-fast as he effortlessly dodged the blow with remarkable speed, leaving Damian momentarily stunned by his opponent's agility.
The ex assassin puts distance between him and the stranger who has his face, sensing danger coming from him, Ikol seems unbothered by the attack as he just tilts his head to the side like a curious cat.
“What was that for?” Ikol asks calmly.
"I want to know who or what you really are" Damian replied, his voice low and threatening.
“I’m Ikol” He shrugs.
That doesn’t seem to be the right answer. “Are you a clone? A shapeshifter? Why did mother allow you to use her surname?” The kid asks, almost raising his voice.
He sighs. "Listen, I haven't the faintest clue who your mother might be, I was adopted just a few weeks past, and my father bears this surname, It's quite possible that our surnames merely bear a resemblance by chance"
Damian seems taken aback by that information, adopted? So he could be a clone! But wait, a man with the same surname as mother’s? “Your father? What is his name?”
Ikol saw no harm in telling him. “Jason Head”
The boy blinks slowly at him, then gapes as he seems to finally load the name in his mind. “Akh?” He whispers confused.
Ikol still had the AllSpeak ability, so his mind translated what the other said immediately, he was right then, Jason and this boy were really brothers.
“Your brother?” He asks.
“...yes” The kid answered softly, oh, it was kind of strange seeing the grumpy kid suddenly so soft.
He sighs, okay, so what is supposed to say now?
“Akhi adopted you…” The kid frowns then glares at him with a protective look. “if you are a clone trying to use him, to manipulate him by using my face–”
"I'll stop you right there, I harbor no intentions of manipulating father, he simply extended me shelter and education, which I deemed advantageous, as for our shared appearance, I have no idea why we look alike. but I assure you, I am no clone, both my biological and adoptive parents abandoned me long ago”
Damian stared at him as if trying to decipher if he was lying or not, after a minute he seemed to relent, relaxing his posture.
“...fine, you better not disappoint nor hurt akhi”
He has to stop himself from rolling his eyes. “Mhm, sure…” They stood there awkwardly in silence before Ikol broke it. “...want to share my lunch? Father did it”
That seems to make the kid perk up, eyes partially sparkling.
“If you are sure” The kid says, trying to contain his excitement.
“I offered, did I not?”
“Hey lil raven, how were things?” Jason asks as he takes off his helmet.
Ikol had just left the school, waiting outside the gates. “Fine…” He then glares at Jason. "I met your brother”
“Ah…” Jason made a face, guilt written all over. “...sorry?”
“Make that sweet dish you made last week and all is forgiven”
“Deal” The man agreed too quickly.
"You should be aware that he has requested I inform you to send him a message detailing your current residence, expressing a desire to pay you a visit, and saying something like: ‘I promise to not tell the others’”" Loki relayed, his tone tinged with a hint of amusement.
“Ugh”
Ugh indeed.