Chapter 10
Walking into the Art classroom he spotted Loki and Wanda were sitting talking like they had been friends for years. He walked up to them and slid the book over to Wanda who looked grateful and smiled "thanks"
He just gave her a small nod and Loki gestured to the seat he had sat in the previous Art lesson and he found he had a decision to make. Go and sit in his seat beside Steve or sit with Loki and Wanda. He sat down. Talking with the pair was uncomplicated and he actually enjoyed it. Plus nothing was stopping Steve from coming over here and then he would no longer have to chose between the pair. Since he always sat with Steve's friends, Steve could sit with his for one class. Because he realised Loki was definitely his friend now or at least a close acquaintance considering how much they had talked in the last two days. So he pulled out the chair and sat down sending Steve a quick text telling him to come sit with him when he got to class. Loki grinned "we were just discussing the lack of dress sense that seems to be plaguing the school"
He just shook his head and mumbled "it's too early for this bullshit"
Wanda chuckled and Loki smirked "hey just because half the time you dress like your part of a biker gang and the other half you look like you've just rolled out of the bed, I know secretly your a fashion connoisseur"
Why did Loki have to be so spot on about how he dressed. Like no one was allowed to be that correct. Although he definitely was no fashion connoisseur. Wanda laughed "I'm sorry, are you telling me the schools bad boy is a stereotypical gay"
No he was absolutely not. He mumbled "no"
Wanda laughed at his clear pain and Loki grinned "don't lie, I saw how well you styled Stephen the other day"
Loki showed Wanda his phone and he presumed there was a photo of Stephen on it because Wanda grinned "oh my god, Barnes chose that outfit, Barnes your a genius, it goes so well together"
Loki smirked "told you, it explains why he always looks so good"
Yeah he wasn't a fashion expert by any means but he didn't mind the compliment. Wanda nodded in agreement and smirked "better not let Nat find out, she'll be dragging you off shopping twenty four seven"
He couldn't lie but that actually didn't sound too bad. Sure shopping was kind of boring because he never had the money to buy anything but he had enjoyed it the other day even without buying anything or trying anything on. Loki smirked "I'm going to inform her"
He just rolled his eyes and opened his Artbook as Wanda stated "maybe I should tell her of your expert fashion abilities"
Loki grinned "I'm not hiding them"
He just laughed as he flipped to his picture of Becca to continue drawing. So far he believed he was doing a pretty good job. The picture was Becca through and through and even though he had aged her to the age she would be now she still looked like her. He was about half way through the sketch and planned to do the watercolour at T'Challas where he could leave it out to dry somewhere, where it would not get ruined or looked at it general. Wanda asked "who is that, they're beautiful"
Clearly he had done a good job if the sketch looked beautiful. He felt like maybe he had done her just a little bit of justice. Because no matter how she looked she was always beautiful. He had a photo of her covered head to toe in mud but will still swear to his last breath that she was just as beautiful as always in it. He ran his finger along the side of the page and smiled as he admitted "my sister"
Becca had been a lot more than just his sister. Becca had been his favourite person in the entire world and he thought about her every day. He missed her more than anything and he knew if given the opportunity he would gladly swap places with her. Wanda smiled at him and Loki grinned "well your definitely doing her justice"
That made him smile. It felt good to know that someone else actually thought it was a good drawing. He smiled "I could never do her justice but I'm trying my best"
Wanda smiled "well your really good, it's an amazing drawing"
He smiled "thanks"
The ringing of the bell interrupted their conversation and it seemed the bell urged Loki and Wanda to open their own books. Loki's painting was complete and he was just adding in a few lines with a pen. Wanda was also pretty much finished her own drawing which was of Pietro and it made him realise how close the twins were. He just went back to sketching as Loki smirked "I think you've made Pietro look better than he does in real life"
As Wanda started laughing and agreeing with Loki he watched Steve walk into the room. He watched him hopeful that Steve would come over and sit down with him. It's not like he was sitting with Tony or anything. Steve had never even interacted with Loki and Wanda used to sit with them at lunch so he imagined there wouldn't really be an issue for him to join them. Clearly however it was because Steve didn't even so much as glance at him and just sat down in his normal seat. Maybe Steve just wanted some alone time. That he could understand.
He just decided to work on his watercolour. Every time he looked over at Steve, Steve was either frowning or looking annoyed. Every time their eyes met he smiled but he just watched as Steve would roll his eyes and turn away. He just decided to stop looking over because it made him slightly upset to see Steve look at him like that. So he just focused on his drawing and listened to Loki and Wanda talk about the gossip in Thor's group.
His phone buzzed and he pulled it out. It had a message from Steve that read 'meet me in the bathroom xx'. He was curious what Steve wanted and he had finished this stage of his drawing and had planned to do the rest at home so he asked the teacher if he could go to the bathroom and they let him unsurprisingly. He leaned against the wall of the bathroom waiting for Steve. Steve entered minutes later and pulled him into a kiss which he was more than happy to reciprocate. When they pulled apart he let his hand linger in Steve's hair. Steve breathlessly whispered "get my friends into that party with us"
He took a step back. Is that all this was. A meet up so Steve could get his friends invited to some party. He shook his head and stated "no, for one I have no plans to show up and if I was going I wouldn't want them there anyways"
Steve looked mad as he questioned "and what do you have to do tomorrow night that's so important you would skip a party"
He shook his head and stated "it's a party, you know I don't do parties"
Steve stated "oh yeah because you are too scared someone's going to find out your secret"
That was exactly the reason. He hated parties. Too many people rubbing up against others. Too much opportunity for someone to find out he was missing an arm. Even so Steve didn't have to be so damn condescending about it. He replied "that's exactly why and you know it, you don't have to be a dick about it"
Steve scoffed "I'm not the one being a dick, you're the one who is refusing to invite my friends to the party"
Of course he was refusing. Steve's friends treated him like shit and he wasn't going to get them invites to a party. Not for anything. He stated "no Steve, I love you but I refuse to invite you're friends to a party, and frankly I'm not even sure you are invited"
Because after all Nebula had never told him he could bring Steve and he was pretty sure she wouldn't be too happy if he showed up. Especially since he had no plans to go himself. Steve glared "so what you're just going to this party by yourself, so you can what, cheat on me"
Steve was acting like a child and he just couldn't understand why. What had he done. He groaned "for fucks sake Steve are you even listening, I'm not going, and why the hell would I cheat, I'm not you"
If he ever regretted a sentence that would be it. Especially when Steve's face just morphed from angry to furious. Steve looked like he was about to swing and he was actually expecting to get hit. And that was fucked up because he should never expect his boyfriend to hit him. When Steve didn't swing he was surprised. Instead Steve glared "so you're going to pretend you weren't cheating on me last night after you left my house"
Of course he hadn't been cheating. He had told Steve who he was going to be with and where. He stated "of course I wasn't cheating but at this point just believe whatever the fuck you want"
Steve bitterly laughed "I'm sorry but you don't actually expect me to believe you were doing your business project at eleven at night"
He replied "actually Steve that exactly what I expect you to believe because we are supposed to trust each other, not accuse each other of cheating"
Steve laughed "that's rich coming from you considering you accused me of cheating"
He had never accused Steve of anything. He had seen it happen. Not much of an accusation when you watched it happen. He stated "I saw you fuck her, did you expect me to not point it out"
Steve shrugged "if you had done what I told you, you would have never seen it happen"
Was Steve actually saying this shit. He glared "if you never cheated I wouldn't have seen it happen either, ever think about that"
Steve rolled his eyes and groaned "why are you so dramatic, I've met three year old girls less dramatic then you"
That stung a lot. He asked "what did you expect me to not care that you cheated"
Steve stated "no I expected you to act like more of a man about it"
He shook his head and replied "whatever Steve, you cheated I found out, neither of us can change that now can we"
Steve glared "no but you can change your goddamn attitude, and your priorities. I should be number one, not below people you've been friends with for two days"
Steve was always number one. That had never changed. He sighed "Steve you are number one, why the hell wouldn't you be"
Sometimes Steve was an idiot. And this was definitely one of those times. Steve sneered "sure doesn't feel that way at the moment. The second you were in Tony's group it's like you forgot I existed"
The only reason he was even in Tony's group was because Steve hadn't wanted him in his. He stated "of course I haven't forgotten about you, pretty sure I'm allowed to have friends, you have friends"
Steve snarled "I thought they were our friends but clearly not"
He rolled his eyes and stated "Steve they all hate me, they spend all day calling me names, in what world was I ever friends with them"
Steve laughed "maybe you just need some thicker skin"
He was pretty sure he already had thick skin. Steve's friends were just homophobic assholes. He replied "no, they need to learn how to be nice"
Steve glared "it's always everyone else that has to change, never you"
Before he could even let that comment sink in the door opened and Korg, a junior who was friends with Loki's brother Thor walked in. Korg looked between the two and stated "shit sorry am I interrupting something"
Steve shook his head and glared "no I'm done with this conversation anyways, I'll see you in class Buck"
He had been done with the conversation before it even started. He was just glad that Steve was walking away and he didn't have to continue fighting it took way too much energy. He must have zoned out completely because there was a tap on his shoulder and immediately his eyes flicked up to Korg's face. Korg questioned "are you alright man"
He just gave a nod and Korg asked "you sure, you've been staring off for a while now"
He just nodded "I'm fine"
Turning to leave he saw Korg look at him like he didn't believe him for a second. Korg stated "alright then if your sure"
He stated "I am"
With that he left the bathroom and just headed back to class. When he reached his classroom he took a deep breath and made sure he didn't look like he was having an internal crisis and then he twisted the handle and stepped inside. Steve didn't so much as glance up from his sketch. He just walked back to his seat beside Loki. Loki and Wanda looked curious and as soon as he sat down Loki asked "you alright"
He was definitely not alright. But he nodded "I'm fine"
Loki didn't look like he believed him but he just ignored it. Wanda just smiled at him and plunged into a story about something her and Pietro had once done. He could find the energy to listen and just focused on attempting to ignore the fact he had just had a fight with his boyfriend the words 'it's always everyone else that has to change never you' ringing through his mind over and over again. When had he made someone change who they were for him. Had he made Steve change something about himself. He was almost positive he didn't. He liked Steve for who he was. Maybe he had made someone else change.
The bell rang and he packed up and walked out of the room with Wanda and Loki. All he could think about was his stupid fight with Steve.. They made it Loki's locker and Wanda walked the short distance to hers. He just put his head into the locker beside Loki's in an attempt to let him forget about everything. He just handed his Artbook to Loki and stated "I can't be bothered going to my locker"
Loki nodded and grabbed the book and placed it in his locker with his own a worried expression on his face. He just went back to facing the locker and pushing his head against it. He heard footsteps that stopped behind him and a voice which was easily recognisable as Thor's stated "friend of Loki do you mind moving so I can open my locker"
Just like every time he had heard Thor speak before today he sounded like he had just stepped out of a Shakespeare play. Which didn't seem to really fit especially since he was on the football team and was probably the strongest of them all. He just moved off the locker and onto the one next to it resting his head against that one instead. Thor asked "brother are you coming home tonight or shall I spend the night at Korg's"
With the mention of Korg's name it made him wonder what the other boy had heard. He doubted it was much but they might have been talking louder than he though. Loki stated "I'm staying at Stephen's again, although if you need me too I could just come home"
Thor clapped Loki on the back and stated "no spend the night at Stephen's I do not mind"
Loki grinned "well see you later"
Thor nodded "of course brother, friend of Loki's are you alright"
He shook his head because he honestly really wasn't and stated "not even close, do you have any sugar"
He figured sugar wouldn't do much to help his situation but it might give him the energy to get through the rest of this day. Thor held out a packet of unopened red frogs and he couldn't believe his luck. Thor stated "they're yours if you want them"
He had to admit that Thor looked a bit worried and he wondered if it was because he thought he was a bad influence on Loki. Then again Loki was looking at him like he was worried so maybe he just sensed his brothers worry. Maybe Korg had told Thor what had happened. But that would mean Korg heard them and he didn't even want to entertain that idea. He happily accepted the offered packet and grinned "you are a god, thank you"
Thor looked unsure of himself as he replied "your welcome"
Loki stated "if you need me I'm just a text away"
He wondered why Thor would need Loki or why Thor didn't want to go home if Loki wasn't going to be there. From experience he could guess that maybe their home life wasn't so great. He hoped he was wrong. He gave a slight wave to Thor as Loki and him walked away. Wanda was kissing Vision by her locker so they decided to leave without her. When they made it to Tony's group Loki sat down beside Tony leaving a gap between them which he assumed Loki was going to make Stephen sit in when he arrived. Loki just gestured for him to sit beside him and so he did. Once he was sitting he opened the packet of frogs and was extremely glad for them. He really owed Thor. As he ripped the head off one with his teeth he held the packet out for Loki who just shook his head.
He was okay with that. The more for him this way. He just continued to eat them. He just watched Steve's group across the hall despite knowing he probably shouldn't. Steve was there and didn't so much as glance at him once. Quentin was there a smirk planted firmly on his face as he talked to Sharon and Steve. Walker and Lemar were both just looking at him in disgust which really was just the normal. Sharon just looked proud and that's what pissed him off. She was the literal devil incarnate and no one seemed to notice or care. What did she have to look proud about.
He just continued to stare at them as he ate the frogs watching every little move the group made. And he didn't miss the kiss Sharon gave Steve on the cheek. Granted she also kissed Quentin's but it still pissed him off. Steve was his boyfriend and he didn't appreciate girls kissing him. Especially Sharon. She had already slept with his boyfriend multiple times and he wouldn't put it past her to want to do it again. From the corner of his eye he noticed Thor's group and his mind somehow found it's way to worrying about his and Loki's home life. He hoped that no one there was abusing them and wondered if he had it all wrong. Hoped he had it all wrong.
He was too busy staring across the hall deep in his own thoughts that he didn't realise everyone else in Tony's group had got there. Well everyone except Sam. But that changed when Natasha announced "it's a bit concerning watching him rip off their heads like that"
He looked up to see everyone staring at him but didn't bother to respond and just ate another one. She was clearly talking about him and the way he was eating the frogs. But he couldn't find the energy to care. Loki gave him a smile and stated "I'm beginning to wish I had stopped Thor from giving them to him, I don't think I'm going to be able to forget this anytime soon"
Bruce who had his arms wrapped around Natasha looked surprised and stated "Thor gave them to him"
Loki just nodded in response and Natasha whispered something in Bruce's ear that was clearly not meant for anyone but him to hear. He noticed Stephen had indeed claimed the spot between Loki and Tony and Stephen and Tony were currently whispering to each other. He wondered if Stephen knew about Loki's home life. He probably did. So he didn't have to worry right. Stephen would surely protect his friend. That however didn't really ease his worry and he wondered if he should talk to Loki about it. Loki likely wouldn't want to talk about it if something was going on. Clint asked "do you think Thor would give me some"
Without missing a beat Loki replied "unlikely"
Clint groaned "unfair"
He just decided to be nice and give Clint a frog by pegging it at his head. Clint caught it after it bounced off his head and quickly ate it. Clint grinned "true friendship"
He just let out a laugh as he returned to eating the frogs. Which meant continuing to rip the heads off the frogs as he ate them. He met Steve's eyes across the cafeteria and instantly wished he hadn't. Steve looked annoyed with him and he just went back to thinking about their fight. At some point he zoned back out because he zoned back in when Sam announced "the poor fucking frogs"
He looked up and laughed as Sam sat down beside him and stole the packet of the few remaining frogs. He groaned as he watched Sam eat one and just shove the packet into his pocket. Natasha stated "he's been doing that all break"
He didn't bother attempting to get them back. Sam wasn't likely to hand them over without a fight anyway. Clint added "yeah we pointed it out but as you can see he's still doing it"
He huffed out a laugh as Sam stated "and no one thought to take them away"
Some of them shook their heads and Tony joked "well it's better the frogs head then one of ours"
Sam laughed and he grinned a little. But he really just wanted the frogs back. They weren't really helping to distract him but at least he could channel his annoyance through them in a way. He questioned "can I have my frogs back"
Sam raised an eyebrow and asked "are you going to stop eating them like a psychopath"
That's how he had always eaten frogs and it wasn't even like he was doing it on purpose it was all subconscious. He replied "probably not"
Sam chuckled as he shook his head and grinned "no then"
There might not have been all that many left but that didn't mean he wasn't going to complain about the sudden loss of the frogs. He groaned "this isn't fair"
Sam patted his hand and laughed "you'll get over it"
Loki stated "bit disappointed as unnerving as it was, it was also my entertainment for this break"
He shrugged "do you think your brother has any more"
Loki shrugged "I never know what he has"
He started getting up till Sam shouted "Bucky sit the fuck back down, I refuse to let you go and try to get more frogs"
With Sam's shout he felt like he had just gained the attention of the entire cafeteria. Despite the attention he shrugged "that's okay I'll just try to get some other sort of lollies"
Sam rolled his eyes and mumbled "do you have no shame"
Sam wasn't wrong. He would do shit and embarrass himself any day for lollies so he nodded "pretty much"
Sam just began staring at him and he stared right back. He really wanted those damn frogs back. Bruce stated "are you two having a staring contest"
He glanced over at Bruce and beside him Sam smirked and just pulled him back down into his seat. He groaned but stayed seated anyways. Natasha laughed "Bruce babe, you got to leave them too it, I was invested, I wanted to see who would win"
He watched as Bruce looked sheepish and pin a strand of Natasha's hair behind her ear. Natasha gave him a quick peck in response. Tony mumbled "not at the table guys, you want to eat each other please do it out of my view"
Natasha smirked "cover your eyes"
The comment was followed by Natasha leaning in and kissing Bruce again. Bruce just flushed a deep red. Tony groaned "I wish I never had to witness it"
Natasha and Bruce finally pulled apart and Loki stated "oh no innocent little Tony Stark has been compromised"
He stifled a laugh at that and a spoon was thrown at Loki. Stephen was grinning at his friend and he just wanted to know where the hell the spoons came from. He wanted to ask somebody but he also didn't want to look like a fool especially since Loki and Stephen had worked it out for themselves. Maybe Sam had worked it out and could tell him. At this point he just wanted answers. Sam nudged him and asked "you alright man
He wasn't going to tell Sam about the shit going on inside his head right now. Especially not in front of everybody else. He nodded "I'm fine"
Sam replied "you know when you say that you are rarely fine"
He just figured he might as well talk to Sam about it later so he mumbled "I'll tell you later alright"
Sam nodded and replied "you better"
He nodded and found himself back to watching Steve. Steve looked happy talking with Sharon and Quentin and he wondered if they were continue their fight the next time they spoke or just act like nothing had happened. He wasn't exactly sure what he would rather. Sam nudged his shoulder and laughed "earth to the Bucky"
He didn't realise he had zoned out again and immediately tore his eyes away from Steve and his group to look at Sam. Sam stated "stop staring at your boyfriend, he ain't going to disappear if you stop looking"
He decided to forget about everything for a while and indulge in conversation. So he teased "sorry Sammy your just jealous you don't have anyone to stare at"
Sam seemed glad that he was being teased and grinned "bullshit I got Rhodey"
Sam blew Rhodey a kiss and Pepper groaned "Wilson quit trying to steal my boyfriend, I've already got to share with Tony I don't want to share with you to"
Clint wiggled his eyebrows and smirked "I think Tony's moved on"
Tony just looked at Clint horrified and threw a spoon at him. Seriously he needed to know what was with the spoons. Clint just burst out laughing and Vision grinned "you know what for once in your life Barton I think you are right"
Stephen just looked confused at everything and Tony looked like he was about to die of embarrassment. Seriously those two just needed to work out they liked each other. Clint smirked "thank you"
Deciding he wanted to make Tony's pain worse he questioned "so Tony when are you going to ask them out, they wont wait around forever you know"
Tony looked at him horrified and glared "shut up Barnes, go back to brooding"
He gave Tony a sly grin. It really was funny to watch him get flustered and try to avoid Stephen's eye. Stephen however just looked a bit heartbroken that Tony clearly had an interest in someone. Yeah they definitely needed to just confess to each other. He smirked "oh but this is fun"
Clearly the entire table was enjoying this, if their grins were anything to go by. Tony groaned and Wanda smirked "what about you Stephen you got your eye on someone"
It was Tony's turn to look worried as Stephen looked embarrassed and mumbled "no"
No one believed him and it would be a lie to say that Tony didn't look a little a little disappointed. Loki grinned "don't lie Stephen, I know you have your eye on someone"
Stephen looked even more embarrassed and glared "go die Odinson"
Loki grinned at his friends pain and he just wondered how long it was before the two saw it and realised they were being stupid and just get together. Tony clearly wanting to get out of the awkward conversation as he got up and stated "see you guys in class I got to ah, grab some stuff from my locker"
Tony began to walk off and Loki whispered something in Stephens ear and none of them missed the look Stephen watched Tony with. Loki called "wait up Stark, Stephen's been wanting me to go with him to his locker all break, since yours are pretty much next to each other go with him"
Stephen looked like he was about to die inside but let Loki push him up. Tony smiled at Stephen and he didn't miss the thumbs up that Pepper and Rhodey sent Tony's way. Stephen just glared at Loki until he turned to Tony and his glare turned into a small smile. Once they were out of the cafeteria Natasha grinned "Loki you little devil"
Loki looked proud of himself and smirked "what can I say, I'm sick of listening to Stephen go on and on about him"
Pepper laughed "if I have to sit through another, he's so gorgeous rant I might actually kill myself"
Everyone laughed and Rhodey chuckled "they're both just as clueless as each other"
Wanda grinned "it's a match made in heaven"
They all agreed with her. Once they both got their heads out of their asses they'd make a great couple. He was distracted from the conversation by Steve and Sharon walking out of the cafeteria. From what he could see Sharon was likely flirting. He just tore his eyes away and went back to paying attention to his group. Wanda teased "me and Vision are clearly the power couple of this school"
Natasha scoffed "yeah you wish, open your eyes Maximoff you aren't even close"
He was going to say it was him and Steve but just couldn't bring himself to. It didn't even sound right in his own head. Vision smirked "No we are definitely the top, no one can compare"
Loki stood up and laughed "my money is on Romanov, but that might just be because she would murder anyone who says otherwise, I'll see you in class Barnes"
He gave a nod and Natasha smirked "damn right"
Pietro stood up and stated "let me join you Loki, and sorry sis, but I've got to go with anyone whose not you"
Wanda groaned "this is betrayal"
He didn't pay much thought to Loki going off with Pietro despite the fact neither had a class together. There lockers were close enough together for it to make sense. Plus Clint didn't seem to be questioning it. Pietro smirked "you'll get over it"
With that Pietro and Loki walked out of the cafeteria. Natasha smiled "see clearly the power couple we intimidate everyone, even Loki"
Rhodey smiled "not sure if it's both of you, sorry Bruce but I think it's just Nat being the scary one"
Bruce chuckled "yeah none taken, Nat is clearly the terrifying one"
Vision held his hand and smiled "to being the approachable one in the relationship"
Bruce high fived him and Natasha and Wanda smirked at each other clearly proud to scare the living shit out of most people. Pepper chuckled "not sure how any of you think you are the top couple it's clearly me and Rhodey"
Sam chuckled "you guys do realise none of you are even close to the top couple which would obviously be Mr. Coulson and Ms. Hill"
Pepper stated "they aren't even together"
Sam smirked "yeah but they should be"
He rolled his eyes. Every time they saw the pair together Sam would have to point out how good of a couple they would be. He just tended to agree but never out loud to Sam. No way was he going to give him that satisfaction. Clint smiled "finally someone who see's what I do"
Natasha groaned "your both so wrong"
Bruce smiled "nah I can see where your coming from"
Natasha stated "Bruce your not supposed to agree with them"
Bruce pecked her cheek and smiled "sorry but they're right"
Natasha just smiled and shrugged. Vision chuckled "as enlightening as this conversation is I'm going to head to class, I recommend you do the same"
Wanda got up and they both headed off. Everyone else started getting up and Natasha and Bruce walked off arms around each other as Pepper and Rhodey walked with them. Sam just threw an arm around both his and Clint's shoulders and stated "you know I feel a bit left out being single"
Technically Tony and Stephen were both single too but he understood what Sam was saying since the two were practically a couple already and were obviously going to end up as one. Clint smirked "you could always date Loki"
Sam chuckled "I'd rather not get murdered in my sleep"
He could definitely see Loki stabbing someone, even if stabbing his partner would probably not happen. Clint laughed "could be fun"
Sam shook his head and stated "no thank you"
They all chuckled as they walked out of the cafeteria and towards their lockers.