Ídem

Everyone hates him. Teachers, students, even the principal hates that kid, there’s just nothing likeable about him.

Tony’s not one to hate people, he likes to give second chances and strongly believes that most people can change. But that kid’s just not it. He’s moody, doesn’t have any respect for authority figures, and has an obsession with pranking people who try to get one up on him.

The most recent victim of Loki’s pranks was Clint. The P.E teacher made Loki run for 45 minutes straight because the kid didn’t want to play basketball, little did he know that the next day a ball would explode in his face after the first bounce, leaving him covered from head to toe with pink glitter.

Tony would be lying if he said that he wasn’t impressed, the kid must’ve been studying physics to make the trick possible and it was just so funny watching Clint come into the teacher’s lounge room sparkling like a Disney Princess for the next two weeks. Tony may have hated the kid a little less after that, he spent at least three days laughing hysterically every time he saw his fellow teacher before subduing to little muffled laughs when the light hit Clint, making him glow pink.

But he was bad anyway. And him being his usual smartass and the fact that Tony had an argument with Pepper on Friday morning led them here. Detention, on a Saturday morning.

Tony knew it wasn't ethical, but nobody seemed opposed to it when he told them so he decided to do it anyway.

He is waiting for the kid in front of the school door, keys in hand while drinking his coffee. He looks at his phone to check the hour, he had told him to be here at 9 am, it was still 8:30 am so he didn’t expect him to be here yet.

But that kid always managed to throw his expectations straight into the garbage. It’s barely 8:40 when he sees him approaching, his clothes black, as always, and his long black hair framing his face. Tony feels the shit-eating grin way before he sees it.

“Good morning, Mr. Stark,” he says, climbing the stairs to stand by his side so he can look down on Tony. Because that was another thing, the kid was a fucking giant, and Tony wasn’t the tallest person around, let’s be honest. So they always ended up like this, Loki looking down at him and Tony having to take a step back so he didn't break his neck looking up. “A nice day to spend inside, instead of outside the school grounds, right?”

“It’s way too early for this shit. This is only my first cup of coffee, so I recommend you to shut your trap, sit on the steps like a good boy and let me finish it before you try and talk to me again, are we clear?” Tony glares up at him and the kid actually has the audacity to smirk down at him, with a mischievous and self-satisfied glint in his eyes, before getting ready to sit down.

“Crystal.” He says, sitting down on the steps like Tony has told him, watching people walk on the other side of the road or looking at his shoes. Silent.

Tony is starting to relax when the kid decides to open his mouth again. Damn him, does he know how to push his buttons.

“You know, I was wondering... you really don’t have anything better to do on a Sunday morning than giving detention to your students?” he looks up at Tony and smirks. “You don’t have someone waiting for you in bed when you wake up?”

Tony closes his eyes and his mouth twists on a snarl, but he decides that counting to ten is way better than committing homicide. When he finishes counting, the teacher opens his eyes and stares down at the little shit sitting on the steps that’s sporting the smuggest smirk he has seen in his entire life.

Tony isn’t a violent person, but oh, the amount of money he would pay to kick him in the face right now...

“Shut up and get up. I don’t want you to talk to me for the rest of the time we have to spend together.” He turns around and opens the door to get inside without waiting for the kid.

Loki is silently walking behind him but Tony can feel that he is pleased with himself for having managed to get a reaction out of him. Tony noticed that getting a reaction was always his main goal. The little attention seeker.

He dropped the coffee cup on a trash can outside the lab and opened the door, getting into the classroom and sitting down behind the teacher’s desk. Loki looks at him with a raised eyebrow, probably waiting for Tony to tell him what to do.

“I want you to clean all the desks and all the utensils.” Tony says before getting comfortable in his chair and looking at him. Loki looks around and shrugs.

“Can I listen to music while I’m doing it?” He asks, leaving his backpack on a nearby stool. Tony frowns.

“I don’t want to listen to your music. I’m sure your music taste is awful. Just like your fashion sense.” Loki turned around to look at him like he was stupid.

“Headphones exist. And I’m sure my music taste is better than yours.” He got his headphones from his backpack and plugged them on his phone, looking down at Tony’s AC/DC shirt for a second. “And just for the record, listening to AC/DC is not the flex you think it is, old man. It doesn’t make you any more interesting.”

Tony is about to argue that but Loki puts his headphones on and gets ready to start working. The kid decides to sit down on the stool next to the one he left his backpack on and starts cleaning the pipettes first. Tony decides to let it go just for this one time and starts grading exams.

Tony keeps looking suspiciously at Loki, expecting him to start complaining or doing things fast to leave as soon as possible, but the kid looks actually pleased to be there. He finishes cleaning all the pipettes and test tubes and grabs the next box on his table to start cleaning the Petri dishes as if he has all the time in the world in his hands.

Before Tony can open his mouth to ask Loki what the fuck was wrong with him, the door opens and Bruce startles at seeing them there. Loki looks up for a second and nods in Bruce's direction in acknowledgment before getting back to his task. Bruce nods back and then looks at Tony, he seems confused, but then, he always looks like he doesn’t understand what’s going on around him so Tony doesn’t worry that much.

“What are you doing here?” Tony asks, dropping the exams he was grading and approaching Bruce. Happy to have an excuse to take a break.

“I could ask you the same question.” Bruce looks at him and grabs a bag from a nearby chair. “I forgot my bag here yesterday, didn’t notice until this morning. And you?”

“Detention.” He simply says, shrugging a little and looking at Loki, who is still cleaning the utensils while slightly moving his head to the beat of the music. “Can we go outside for a moment? I want to talk to you about something.” He grabs the other teacher’s shoulder and gets him out of the lab.

“Has something happened?” Bruce asks and Tony notices that he seems worried.

“There’s something seriously wrong with that kid, I’m telling you,” Tony says without hesitation. “He showed up here twenty fucking minutes early… to a detention! On Sunday! Who even does that?” Tony starts pacing without even noticing, as he always does when he gets nervous.

“Tony-” Bruce tries but Tony continues with his rambling.

“And then he’s there cleaning everything I told him like he has all the time in the world, anyone else would be working as fast as possible to get out of here.” He keeps complaining until Bruce grabs his elbow and looks at him.

“Maybe he doesn’t want to be home.” Bruce looks at him and Tony scoffs.

“Yeah sure, because living in the most luxurious house in town has to be a horrible experience, really.” He says without even thinking about it, his voice full of sarcasm. That makes Bruce frown at him.

“Ironic that’s you saying that, isn’t it Tony?” The chemistry teacher says looking straight at his eyes with a raised eyebrow. “Weren’t you the one who got sick of living in a big mansion and ran off?”

That makes him physically and mentally stop and look at Bruce, the phantom of a memory about an unhappy, lonely kid in a big house crossing his mind.

“That was low.” He says after a while, pouting like a child and Bruce smiles a little bit, probably feeling guilty.

“I’m sorry, but you needed to be calmed down.” Bruce grabs a better hold of his bag and looks at him. “Maybe you should try to find out why he is the way that he is before assuming things. He’s a complicated kid, that’s for sure. But you like challenges, don’t you?”

Tony opens his mouth to straight-up refuse but instead, he looks inside the lab at Loki, who is still cleaning things like it’s the most enjoyable thing he can be doing on a Sunday morning. His mind is already fuming with theories and possible explanations for the kid’s weird behavior.

“You know what, Bruce? Maybe I will…”

---

It seemed that the only way he was able to see the kid lately was by giving him detention. Tony had tried to follow him after class at least three times but the kid merged with the lot of students going out of the building and simply vanished.

After a week of no success tracking him, Tony gave him detention with the excuse that arguing with him about what method he was using to calculate a math problem was just plain disrespectful.

It wasn’t, and the kid was right, but he needed an excuse to follow him without the other students getting out of the school.

So there he was, sitting at his table, pretending to grade something and waiting for the last period to finish so Loki would come here.

He didn’t have to wait long because as soon as the bell rang and the students started leaving the building, Loki got into the class and sat down on the first row, just in front of Tony.

“I could say many bad things about you, but you sure as hell are always on time.” Tony conceded and that made Loki smirk a little, clearly pleased with himself and happy to be praised.

“I know.” he said, getting comfortable in his chair and getting a book and a bottle of water from his backpack before starting reading. Tony looks at him for a second and then starts working on a personal project on his laptop. He has been wanting to create his own A.I since before he even got into MIT, so now that he has time he's working on it when he has time.

After half an hour Loki starts talking. “I have the theory that you give me detention because you actually like me.” that makes Tony look at him with a raised eyebrow and Loki smiles one of those shit-eating grins of his.

“Oh, do enlighten me with your theory. I’ll pretend I’m interested while actually not listening to a single word you say.” He tells the kid before looking at his laptop screen again. They both know that’s untrue, Tony’s going to listen to every word that leaves the kid’s mouth and store it in his brain to analyze later.

“I’m your favorite student, you’re just too afraid to say it.” The kid says, closing his book and crossing his arms on his chest. Proceeding to explain why everybody secretly adores him but that they are afraid of saying it because of his reputation.

About halfway through his explanation Tony can't help but smile and look at him.

“You really like the sound of your own voice, don’t you?” He says cutting Loki mid-rambling.

Loki shrugs. “Maybe I do. Does that make me a narcissist?”

“Probably.” Tony tries to hold back a smile but probably doesn’t succeed because Loki smirks back at him. Tony knows that it was the wrong thing to say when he sees that smirk appear on the kid's mouth.

“Then, so are you.” Tony opens his mouth immediately to argue that statement but closes it because as much as he loathes to admit it, the kid was right. Tony loves to talk.

“I don’t like you, kid.” He tells him with his best poker face, but he's actually amused.

“Ídem, Mr. Stark.”

“Oh, look at you, using your big words. I’m impressed.”

They look at each other for a few seconds before they both chuckle, Tony decides to get up then and starts tidying up his desk.

“You can go, I’m tired already.” He looks at Loki who nods, maybe a little bit disappointed, but gathers his things anyway and waits for Tony to close the class behind them. The kid nods at him when they part ways and Tony rushes to his car. Then, when he knows for sure that the kid can’t see him, drops his bag there and starts running to catch up with him.

This was his chance.

After his lungs almost burst because of his lack of exercise (not that he’s ever going to admit that in front of anybody) he sees him walk straight to the edge of town. Just when Tony thinks that he’s going to get into one of the big houses in that part of town, Loki keeps going, leaving town. Tony follows him for 45 minutes on a walk at a careful distance and without making a sound until they reach an abandoned park in the middle of the woods. He hides behind a tree and watches Loki sit on the slide, get the book he was reading during detention out of his bag with some snacks before getting comfortable and start eating.

Tony watches him for a few minutes and decides to go back to the school and get his car to wait by the edge of town for him to leave that park. He didn’t even know of the existence of that place and he’s been living here for about 6 years now. Why would he go there? Yes, it’s kind of nice in a depressing way but… Loki’s house is way nicer.

He’s still working on his personal project on his phone when he sees his silhouette leaving the forest, he ducks a little bit and checks the time. 8 pm.

Did he just spend three hours in that park?

Tony frowns and looks for Loki again, this time he does get inside the biggest house in the zone. Big, new and very expensive looking.

“What are you hiding, kid?” Tony asks himself before driving home, his mind still working at full speed the whole ride home.

---

Tony didn’t want to stay after class today, he had planned a date for him and Pepper. They were going to go to the movies and then have something to eat at his place and hopefully after a few drinks they would be rolling on his bed having sex.

But Clint had to ruin it.

He had asked Tony if he could supervise Loki’s detention for him because his kid sprained his ankle and he needed to be home to help his wife with him.

As if a kid with a sprained ankle was more important than him getting laid.

So yeah, he was mad but accepted anyway, maybe he could finish early and still get to the date on time. Turns out Loki got detention this time because he decided it was a good idea to hide in the library instead of going to P.E class. That kid was going to be the death of him.

When Tony got to the class, Loki was already there with his arms crossed and looking at Tony attentively. Tony didn’t say anything and sat on his desk, he was about to get his laptop out of his bag when Loki opened his mouth.

"Do all teachers follow students after class? Or is this just a Stark thing?” He said as if he was talking about the weather while getting up and grabbing a chair to sit beside Tony’s desk to get a better look at him. He was trying to be intimidating.

Tony has the decency to not drop his laptop and puts it back inside his bag before straightening to better look at the kid, who has the smuggest expression on his face.

Tony frowns and gets defensive at having been caught. “Yes, we do. Especially when students are such little shits that even though they are brilliant they won’t stop getting themselves in detention just because they don’t have the balls to go back home after school and face their daddy.” Tony bites back and he sees the smirk disappear from Loki’s face at once, his mouth turning down in a scowl and his brow furrowing.

He gets up and grabs his bag in a rush, he’s shaking with what Tony recognizes as barely contained rage.

“I’m done here.”

He gets his backpack and practically flies through the door without looking back. Tony gets up and follows him.

"Hey! Stop. You can't go!" He grabs him by the arm and Loki pushes him against the lockers, getting out of his hold. He's practically growling at him and vibrating with anger, his eyes wild. Tony’s eyes widen, he’s never seen him like this.

"You know nothing." He snarls while pointing his finger at his face and Tony notices how bad his hand is shaking. "You know nothing about me! So don't talk about my life like you give a shit!" He's screaming now, his eyes wild and his body shaking. "Just be a good little pet teacher like everybody else and pretend I don't even exist."

"You can't tell me what to do." Tony bites back, surprised about seeing him like this.

Loki’s still shaking a little bit, his breathing a little bit labored and eyes looking around for an escape in case he’s in need of one. That makes Tony frown a little, why is he acting like he’s going to kill him?

“Look, I don't even care about what happens to you, I'm just pushing because I love challenges and you’re a goddamn puzzle." He banters, trying to diffuse the tension between them. “I want to solve it.”

“Solve what?” Loki looks confused now and Tony mentally gives himself a pat on the back for calming him down.

“You. You’re a puzzle and I’m going to solve it.” Tony gets his hands in his pockets and shrugs. “Deal with it.”

Loki scoffs and looks at him, considering for a second, he then shakes his head and turns around.

"Don't you dare follow me or I'm keying your expensive grey Audi." He says without turning around. "And yes, that's a threat."

He goes through the door, leaving Tony standing there, thinking about what just happened and how much he learned about the kid in just a few minutes.

He shakes his head and smiles a little after checking the time. He’s going to make it on time for his date. Maybe today didn’t turn out so bad.

---

After the day Tony likes to call “The day he finally managed to make the little shit that thinks himself a god explode”, Loki is still the same annoying asshole in everybody's class, like nothing has changed. He keeps getting himself into unnecessary detentions and when he doesn’t manage to, he vanishes in the crowd of students after the bell rings.

It’s not after a week from then that Tony notices that something’s not right with Loki.

Steve was actually relieved today because Loki sat at the back of the class and stayed silent the whole time, which was unusual but very much welcome. Natasha said that something similar happened in her class but that it was probably the calm before the storm.

Tony didn’t buy it. The next day while he was teaching his last period he saw that, as his fellow teachers said, Loki was silent and sullen, looking at the book but without paying any attention to it. When the bell rang and everybody left, Tony noticed that Loki had fallen asleep on his desk, with his head on his crossed arms.

He approached him and made a face. The kid looked exhausted, he had dark circles under his eyes and his skin was even paler than usual.

Tony debates between waking him up or letting him sleep but he finally decides to wake him up.

Tony shakes him softly while whispering. “Hey kid, wake up.”

Loki wakes up startled and looks around, his gaze unfocused, he seems confused for a moment and then flinches again when Tony tries to help him straighten up.

Tony gets his hands up “Woah kid, relax, you fell asleep.” Tony explains and Loki looks around confused with glassy eyes, still waking up.

“Ah.” he finally says, as if that explained anything to Tony, and gets up, gathering his things, his eyes closing while doing so.

Tony frowns and hovers around him, ready to catch him if he falls or something. What's wrong with him?

Tony doesn't consider himself an expert on Loki, but there was one thing he knows for sure, and that is that the kid always tries his best to look collected and in control. This is entirely the opposite, he looks wrecked and like he's going to turn into a puddle on the floor if he tries to complete even the most simple task.

“Did you sleep at all last night? You look… bad.” Tony asks, looking at him and Loki shoots him a dark look, that seems even more dark because of the circles under his eyes. Tony hadn’t noticed how those green eyes could scream murder if he wanted to. Until now.

“None of your business.” He snaps and grabs his backpack, stumbling out of the door and leaving Tony frowning and looking at the door very concerned.

Bruce appears at the classroom door and they both go to the teacher’s room. Tony was still thinking about Loki while preparing his coffee that he didn’t notice the cup overflowing until Steve grabbed his mug and stopped the coffee machine. Tony snapped back to real life, turning to face a very concerned-looking Steve.

“Tony? What are you doing?” He was cleaning the mess he made and everybody was looking at him now. He liked the attention, don’t misunderstand, but he didn’t like it after he fucked up at something.

He scratches the back of his head and decides to tell them anyway.

“Loki fell asleep in my class today,” he explains, looking at them. “It seems like he hasn’t slept in a lifetime and he’s jumpy and snaps at everything I say.”

Everyone looks at him and they are either confused or indifferent.

That makes Tony sigh. “In case you can’t use that head of yours the right way, that is not normal, and it's even less normal coming from a kid who’s always trying his best to look collected and perfect, at least physically. I don’t know if you noticed but the kid has an obsession with controlling everything, how he looks, what he has to do to achieve a certain goal or even controlling every aspect of the situations he’s in. This is not normal and I’m fucking worried right now. Think what you want about me, I don’t give a fuck, there’s something really wrong with him and if you don’t see it you’re just as blind as a fucking mole on a sunny day.” He took a breath after finishing his outburst and grabbed his coffee mug filled to the brim, taking a big gulp off it.

“I investigated a bit, talked with some people in town.” Natasha starts talking after a few minutes of silence. “Turns out his brother’s back from college for spring break.”

“That’s supposed to mean something to us?” Steve asks then, confused.

“They don’t have the best relationship.” She looks at all of them. “And by that, I mean that they hate each other. Well, more like Loki hates him and Thor just makes puppy eyes at him while still being an asshole. Or at least that’s the popular consensus of the neighbors.”

“I see the weird name thing runs in the family.” Clint mumbles but Tony starts talking over him.

“So you think that Loki’s like this because his brother is living with them for a while?” Tony asks, still thinking while scratching his goatee. It could be but seemed unlikely that it was just that. Loki could just leave the house until dawn as he already did to avoid his father. Something was not adding up.

“I don’t know, I'm just telling you what I know,” Nat said and took a sip of her own coffee. After some minutes of tense silence, they fell easily into other topics, spending the evening together.

Tony contributed but couldn’t shake the feeling off that something else was worrying the kid. And he was determined to get to the bottom of the problem.

---

Tony really tries to reach Loki for the rest of the week but he’s clearly avoiding everybody and certainly not getting any better.

Tony secretly wants to snap at him that he’s trying to help but he just knows that doing that would send the kid running and would make him even more hard to pin down than before. So he decides to keep an eye on him but to stop trying to talk to him. It seems to work because on Thursday Loki comes barging in after Tony’s last period.

Tony watches him pick a chair and sit by his desk over the edge of his coffee mug, Tony himself still sitting down. Loki seems uncertain for a split second but then he drops a fucking bomb that makes Tony choke on his fucking coffee.

"My mother died six years ago today."

Loki stays silent through Tony’s coughing fit and waits for the teacher to collect himself before starting to speak again.

"My dad hates me because she died in a car accident while driving to get me from my piano class." He doesn't even blink while explaining this and Tony doesn’t know if he’s impressed or terrified of that. "We avoid each other because if we don't things get bad, that's why I avoid going home as long as I can."

Loki sits back on his chair, trying to seem unaffected by this but Tony can see through his charade easily.

"Not that I don't appreciate you opening up but... why now? And why me?" Tony looks at him trying to get into his head.

Loki thinks for a while and then he looks around, Tony can feel he's not comfortable about what he's going to say. He’s probably looking for a way out, just like the day he screamed at me.

"Well, I don't have any friends so you seemed like a good option by the time I decided to sit here." He avoids Tony's eyes and looks around or through the window. Tony thinks about what to say when Loki shakes his head with a grimace and gets up. "A stupid decision really. I don't know why I did it." He gets up and grabs his backpack. “I apologize, this was clearly a bad idea.”

Tony manages to get his head out of his ass and gets up too, blocking his path, Loki is taller than him and he averts his eyes, trying to not look Tony in the eye. Easy feat when he’s a fucking giant.

"Come with me," Tony says before collecting his things and getting out of the classroom. Loki walks by his side with his hands in his pockets but doesn't say anything until they stop by Tony's car. "Get in, c'mon."

"Is this your attempt at kidnapping me?" Loki looks at him through the roof of the car with his hand on the passenger's door handle.

Tony snorts and gets a finger up. "One, why would I want to kidnap you?” He gets another finger up. “And Two, in broad daylight? Do you think I’m stupid? I have a master plan in my head if I ever need to kidnap someone and let me tell you, kid, this is not it.” He opens the door and gets in. Loki does the same, a little unsure but he gets his seatbelt on and lets his backpack fall between his feet.

Tony starts driving and the kid looks through the window. Neither of them says anything for the first few minutes, but Tony hates silence so he breaks first.

"Do you like waffles?" Tony asks while driving into the town’s main street.

"I beg your pardon?" He hears Loki's surprised answer and he can't help but bark a laugh.

"Oh, I’m sorry, sometimes I forget you’re British. Let me try again." Tony clears his throat and asks the question again with his best British accent, which as anybody could expect is deplorable.

"Hilarious." Loki deadpans and Tony feels how the kid looks at his face for a second and then through the window again. "Yes I do."

"Nice, because I want some waffles and we're getting some." He parks the car in front of a waffle shop in the main street and he urges Loki to get out of the car.

Loki grabs his backpack before they go into the shop and after looking around they decide to sit by the window. Loki grabs the menu and reads it while Tony looks at him and out of the window alternatively. Tony looks at him with a raised eyebrow but Loki averts his eyes and looks at the menu options again.

When a young man, not older than twenty-four, with an apron approaches and asks for their order Tony talks first.

"Two classic waffles for me with extra special syrup, please." The boy nods and writes it down before looking at Loki.

"And what about you?" He smiles a little at him and Loki gets a little nervous, looking at the menu again as if he hadn’t practically memorized it by how many times he’d read it already.

"Umm... one waffle… with chocolate syrup, please." Tony hides a smile by pretending to scratch his goatee upon seeing Loki so nervous.

The boy nods and writes it down, he leaves after telling him he would be back shortly with their orders. Loki looks at Tony and rolls his eyes, his ears are still a little red.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" He frowns and Tony can't help but smile upon seeing him irritated.

"Just thinking." His smile widens. "So... you think he’s cute, huh?"

Loki scoffs with his cheeks getting a little colored and looks through the window mumbling something that was probably not a compliment under his breath.

The boy comes back with his orders and drinks and they start eating without a word. Tony is just finishing his first waffle when Loki clears his throat, making him look at the kid. He looks conflicted and very unsure.

"Why did you take me here?" He asks and Tony can see in his eyes that he's been holding that question for a while.

Tony washes down the waffle with a sip of water and looks at him.

"Waffles are nice. When I'm down I always come here or go get the greasiest cheeseburger I can find." Tony cuts his waffle while still talking. "You looked sad and I thought 'why not? Let's give this a shot'. And also it was way too early for a cheeseburger so waffles were a better option."

He continues eating his waffle and looks at Loki, who's toying around his plate with the last bites of his food. He seems lost in thought.

"Did it work?" Tony asks. That seems to get the kid out of his head and he looks Tony in the eye for a second before nodding.

"Yes." He says in the most vulnerable tone Tony has heard coming from him. Loki clears his throat and takes the last bite of his waffle. "Don't let it get to your head though. I still think you're an asshole."

Tony barks a laugh at that. "I wasn't expecting anything else coming from you, Kylo Ren." That makes Loki smile a little bit.

"You had to pick the character of the worst Star Wars movie didn't you?" He raised an eyebrow and Tony smiled again.

"Oh, I have other nickname ideas..."

"Please don't," Loki deadpans but his expression is relaxed and he seems at ease. "I have a knife and I know how to use it."

"Oh no, what will I do against a broody teenager with a butter knife?"

He puts his hand on his heart with a dramatic sigh and Loki smiles, showing his teeth for the first time. A sincere and relaxed smile. Tony notices he has dimples and says as much.

"You know you have dimples? That's just adorable. The boy you have a crush on probably likes them, you should smile at him next time you see him.”

"I despise you." Loki deadpans with the most blank expression Tony has seen on anyone’s face.

Tony hasn't laughed that hard in years.

---

Tony’s actually happy, and he hasn’t been this happy in a very long time.

Things with Pepper were going great, she had just moved with him a week ago and it was amazing coming home from work to find her reading some stupid romance novel or checking some documents on his couch.

Also, things with Loki were going great too. The kid stopped his annoying and disrespectful behaviour a little while ago and spent some days after his last period doing homework with Tony while the teacher graded exams. Everyone was glad about that and the teachers started being more at ease around the kid.

But what broke Tony’s heart was how Loki reacted to praise, his eyes would go wide and hopeful for a second before he schooled his expression and nodded in thanks. Every time he saw the kid’s eyes light up, he felt his heart break a little for the little overachiever that didn’t receive enough praise.

But everything was fine, it was like finally everything in his life was starting to fit together like a nice puzzle, Tony was on a fucking cloud of happiness.

Until that happened.

Tony had just finished his shower and went to the kitchen to start dinner while Pepper dried her hair in the bathroom upstairs when there was a knock on the door.

That confused the teacher because they weren’t expecting anyone. Making his way out of the kitchen, he opens the door to find Loki staring at him, crying and with flushed cheeks like he had been running.

Tony panics, obviously, but before he can even start panicking correctly Loki starts crying again with hard sobs that violently shake his whole body and the sight breaks Tony’s heart.

“What happened? Are you hurt?” Tony tries with a soft voice, hands hovering over the kid but without actually touching him. When Loki shakes his head, he grabs the kid by the elbow and gets him inside. “Then, what happened?”

After closing the door and turning to look at him again, now with the bright lights of the house, he notices his puffy green eyes and his tear-soaked cheeks, he’s also trembling pretty bad and Tony’s about to offer him something to keep him warm when he hears the kid start talking in between sobs.

“I’m tired…” he hiccups and hugs himself, seeming incredibly small for someone as tall as him. “I just-” he takes a shaky breath in, trying to calm himself but Tony doesn’t think it’s working at all.

“C’mon sit down, you look like you’re going to fall to the ground.” Tony talks gently while pulling Loki softly until they sit down on Tony’s couch. The teacher has to stop the kid from scratching at his arms in a nervous gesture. “Tell me what happened.”

Loki takes a breath in and hugs himself a little tighter. “My dad and I had a fight.'' He's starting to shake again, Tony notices and gets anxious because he doesn't know what he’s supposed to do in situations like this. “I told him that he was a bad father. That he favored Thor and that he didn’t care about me.”

Tony sighs softly, taking a hold of the kid’s hand but decides to stay silent, to let Loki keep on explaining what his asshole of a father said to him. Loki’s still crying, silent tears rolling down his cheeks, but he is starting to get angry now.

“He told me that it was because I was a disappointment, that I wasn’t good enough and that-'' Tony's heart practically falls to his feet upon hearing the broken sob come from Loki’s lips. “That I wasn't even his son, that he only fed and gave me somewhere to sleep because my mother loved me and he didn’t want to kick me out. But that if he could he would.” he angrily dries his tears with his shaking hands, his face twisting in an ugly snarl. “I hate him.” He looks at Tony, his eyes blazing with hatred. “I told him as much and he then said that he didn’t care about my opinion, that he didn’t care about me and that he couldn’t wait for me to be of age so he could get me out of his sight. Me. The runt my mother found abandoned during their vacation in Norway and that she wasn’t able to leave there to die...” Loki closes his eyes like it physically pained him to say the next words. “Like I was supposed to.”

Tony’s eyes open, he’s astonished. How can someone say this to a child? To their child nonetheless, one who was clearly struggling with social interactions and that didn’t have anybody else. A kid who’s clearly in need of help and praise and love. Tony just couldn’t believe how someone could be so fucking evil.

But before Tony can open his mouth Loki speaks again, sounding defeated, his usually bright green eyes now sad and dull. Resigned.

“I’m just so tired… I’m exhausted from trying my best and then…” he sighs and Tony wraps his arms around him without a second thought, letting him cry on his shoulder while softly stroking his dark locks. The kid keeps talking. “I’m tired of being lonely and… and not having someone care about what happens to me. I could die tomorrow and nobody would give a fuck.” His sobs get harder and he starts shaking again. “I miss my mama so much.”

Tony’s heart breaks and he sighs, hugging him tighter against him. Loki grabs fistfuls of Tony’s shirt and hides his face on the teacher’s shoulder, trying to muffle the sound of his crying, but he’s still shaking, trying to keep a hold of himself.

“Shh… It’s okay. I got you, kid.”

That seems to be the thing Loki needs to hear because he breaks down so hard that Tony has to grab him harder so they don’t fall backward on the couch. His sobs are absolutely heartbreaking and he’s even coughing sometimes when his throat hurts from crying.

Tony’s starting to panic again because if he continues to cry like this he’s going to start hyperventilating and the last thing he needs to deal with right now is a panic attack.

“Hey Loki, look at me kid.” he grabs his head softly and Loki looks at him with tear stained cheeks and red eyes. The kid’s still crying but he’s biting his lower lip hard so he doesn’t make any sound “Okay, I need you to breathe with me now, okay? Because you’re very agitated and I don’t want you to pass out or something. Okay?”

Loki nods and they start breathing together until the teen calms down, now looking exhausted and like he wanted nothing more than to crawl in a hole underground and don’t come out from it ever again.

“I’m sorry.” The kid actually apologizes like it was his fault or something. Tony’s looking at him like he’s grown a second head. Is he really apologizing for crying? Oh, Tony wanted to kill Odin. Straight up kill him next time they crossed paths. No hellos and shit just a knife on his fucking chest. “This is embarrassing. I’ll go back home.”

He’s starting to get up when Tony grabs his arm. “Ah ah. No. You’re staying, come with me, you look dead on your feet.”

He takes Loki’s hand and they make their way up the stairs until they reach the spare room. It's really nothing fancy, just a simple room with a bed, a dresser, and a bathroom.

Loki doesn’t let go of Tony’s hand until he notices that they’ve stopped. Tony tries to hide his smile at that but he isn’t successful.

“I really don’t want to intrude.” He’s looking around while digging his thumb into his opposite hand’s palm before he looks at Tony for assurance.

“You don’t intrude. Clean your face a little and try to get some sleep, I really don’t mind.” Tony softly puts a hand on his shoulder, looking the kid in the eyes and smiles a little in what he hopes is a reassuring gesture. “For what is worth… I kinda know how you feel. My dad was an asshole to me too but here I am, and I think I turned out pretty well, did I not?”

Loki opens his mouth to answer but Tony cuts him off.

“Careful of what you say I’m still your teacher.” he jokes, winking at the kid. That seems to diffuse the tension a little bit.

He smiles and Loki flashes him one of his rare timid smiles, looking down at his feet. Oh, how Tony loves those smiles. They make him look so young...

“Yeah, you’re pretty cool.” He looks at Tony for a second before turning around, blushing a little bit and trying unsuccessfully to hide it. “I’m going to wash my face first.”

Loki blushing? Positively the cutest thing Tony’s seen in his entire life.

“Of course, if you need something, my room is just down the hall.” Tony explains while smiling reassuringly at the kid before grabbing the door handle to close the door behind him.

“Tony?”

Tony startles at hearing his first name coming from the kid’s mouth and looks at Loki, who’s looking unsure and kind of scared like he thinks he’s done something that he isn’t supposed to and is expecting some kind of retaliation for it.

“Thank you, for taking care of me.” he says before running to get in the bathroom before Tony has a chance to talk again. Closing the door in a rush behind him.

Tony doesn’t need to hide his smile when the kid is gone.

“You don’t have to thank me for that, kid.” he closes the door, his expression turning sad. “You shouldn't have to…”

---

Tony has barely slept a minute, and Pepper is not much better, after Tony told her everything that happened… to say that she was worried is an understatement.

Pepper is making pancakes while Tony tells her about his ongoing project with the A.I when they hear the soft footsteps coming down from the second floor. They both turn around at the same time to see Loki, still in yesterday’s clothes, come into view from the stairs.

He looks at Tony and then at Pepper and his eyes get wide, he stops dead in his tracks, almost tripping but he collects himself and looks at them like he’s on a tennis match and they’re passing the ball to each other. Tony smiles, amused at the kid’s reaction. He didn’t tell him that he had a girlfriend, but in his defense, the kid didn’t ask about it. He decides to start talking before Loki decides to run out of the house or something.

"Ah, there you are. Did you sleep well?" Tony asks and gets up, he needs a refill before trying to start a conversation. Loki looks at him and nods, then looks at Pepper.

"I didn't know there was someone else here, I apologize, I'll leave now." he says nervously and goes to the couch to get his backpack. He’s running away, Tony thinks and starts panicking a little. It must’ve shown in his face because Loki stops before trying to grab his bag, now looking unsure.

"What? No, no, you're staying for breakfast. Pepper made some amazing pancakes, you have to try them." Tony says getting close and gently grabbing the kid’s hand to get him to the kitchen but both of them stay where they are, Loki looks around, still unsure.

"I really don't want to intrude..." he says looking down at Tony. The teacher hears Pepper giggle and both of them turn to look at her.

"I'm sorry." She apologizes, hiding his smile gently behind his hand, but doesn't stop smiling. "it's just... how old are you, Loki?"

"I'm seventeen, ma'am." He answers without hesitation and Pepper's smile gets wider, Tony rolls his eyes.

"C'mon, say it."

"You're shorter than a seventeen-year-old, Tony." She turns around, still laughing, and starts serving the pancakes. Tony sighs and looks at Loki, not expecting him to be fighting a smile, his shoulders trembling with suppressed laughter.

"I hate you both." He declares without bite and with a smile and grabs Loki's arm, sitting him down on one of the aisle's chairs. Pepper gets plates and looks at Loki.

"Do you like coffee, Loki?" she asks sweetly and Loki shakes his head.

"No, I don't. I like tea better." he looks at her and Tony can see how he's digging his thumb in his opposite palm in a nervous gesture again. "But you don't need to make tea for me. Really." He adds quickly when he sees Pepper start the kettle.

"Nonsense," Pepper says and turns around searching for the tea bags. "I think a chamomile is a good option, you still seem a little nervous from yesterday... is that alright with you?" She looks at him over his shoulder and Loki nods.

"Yes, It's alright. Thank you, ma'am."

"Oh, call me Pepper, sweetheart." She smiles and Loki nods and then averts his eyes getting as red as a tomato.

Tony smiles at the teen's awkwardness and they have breakfast while Tony talks to Pepper about the preparations they're making for graduation day in two weeks, giving Loki some time to eat without having to worry himself with following the conversation.

"Have you decided what you want to do after graduating, Loki?" Pepper asks, trying to get him to talk a little bit.

Loki looks up, startled from the sudden question, and takes a sip of his tea.

"I was thinking about going to college." he looks at both of them and then at Pepper again. "English Literature."

"Oh, that's very nice. Do you like to read?"

Tony stopped listening right when the conversation turned to be about which are the best books and mutual recommendations. He smiled softly, noticing how Loki's general demeanor was way less defensive, more open, and that he was even smiling a little when Pepper recognized some of his favorite books. He was getting excited and Tony sadly realized that it was the first time that he saw him like that.

He didn't look like the brash and broody teen that sat on the back of the class and made biting comments at the teachers every chance he got. He just seemed like a boy his age talking about something he liked to a person who was kind enough to listen to him.

Tony suppressed a sad sigh when he thought about if this was actually the first time in a very long time that someone actually listened to him talk about something important to him.

And, fuck, wasn't that just heartbreaking?

“Tony? Are you here?”

He snapped out of his head, getting back to his body to see that both Loki and Pepper were looking at him with worried expressions.

“Yeah sorry, I just zoned out a bit.” He smiled reassuringly at Loki, who seemed anxious. The kid, seeing that he was okay, relaxed again.

“I was telling Miss P-” he stops himself. “Pepper.” he looks at the woman who smiles warmly at him and nods. “That I need to go back home now, I have things to do and even if you say that I’m not intruding I really feel like I'm abusing your hospitality.” he gets up. “You’ve done more than enough for me…” he says, looking at his feet for a second.

“No worries, kid.” Tone also gets up and softly pats him in the back. “You’re always welcome here, you know that, right? Whatever you need, the door is always open for you.”

Loki’s eyes get a little glassy and he nods with a tight smile, trying not to cry.

“Thanks, I really appreciate it.” after he’s got his bag and his shoes back on they get him to the door and say their goodbyes. After Loki’s disappeared from their sight Tony turns around to talk to Pepper but she hugs him.

“He doesn’t deserve it.” Her voice is tight with emotion. “He’s such a good boy… I can’t understand how someone could mistreat him. It breaks my heart…”

Tony hugs her back and softly strokes her back. “Ídem, Pepper. Ídem.”

---

Everyone’s running up and down with the graduation preparations, well, everyone except Tony, who’s currently hiding in a class so he doesn’t have to help and can work on his personal project instead.

“What are you doing?” a voice says behind him and he startles, almost falling off his chair.

Loki’s smiling at him when Tony turns around in his chair to face his (secretly) favorite student, the same who’s currently sporting one of his signature self-satisfied smirks.

“How the fuck did you get in here? The door’s locked.” Tony frowns at him and Loki simply shrugs.

“You do know there are Youtube tutorials on how to pick a lock, right?” he says as if it's the most ordinary thing ever. Tony looks at him with his mouth hanging open before getting a hold of himself and standing.

“You scare the shit out of me sometimes. I’m not even lying.” He starts gathering his things and notices Loki looking at his project on his still-open laptop.

“What is this?” He’s frowning while looking at endless lines of code.

“Ah, this is going to be my A.I.” After Tony says that, Loki looks at him with wide eyes. Tony feels a rush of pride at having managed to impress the kid.

“You’re creating an A.I?” He asks, clearly amazed, his eyes sparkling with curiosity and the need for knowledge. “Can I look?” He looks at him with those very wide and very hopeful eyes that Tony finds himself incapable of saying no to him.

And being incapable of saying 'no' to the kid was starting to become a common thing these last few days. But maybe Tony didn’t mind it that much... or at all.

“Yeah, sure. But I’m going home, you wanna come?” He closes his laptop and eyes the kid, who nods fervently. “Pepper’s going to get home by 7 pm, just letting you know so you don’t get startled, okay?”

Loki nodded. “I actually was looking for you because she told me that she would like to read ‘The Iliad’ but didn’t have a copy so I’ve been looking around my house and I found one for her.” He rummaged inside his bag and got a book out. “I’ve already read it twice or thrice so I wanted to give it to her.”

Tony looks at him and a soft smile appears on his face. “That’s so thoughtful of you, Loki. I’m sure she’s going to love it.” He pats the kid’s shoulder softly and Loki beams after hearing that. “Why don’t you give it to her yourself when she comes back from work? It’ll definitely lift her mood.”

Loki smiles a shily and puts the book back on his backpack. “I’d like that.”

“Let's go then.” Tony turned around and smiled to himself feeling Loki walk by his side. He was really growing attached to the kid but it somehow didn’t feel like a bad thing. It was just so natural, being nice to him and seeing how appreciating him made the kid beam with barely contained joy.

They spent the rest of the day in Tony’s office, where he had his good computer, going through the code and having snacks. Loki was picking up the basics pretty fast and seemed excited to learn more, he was even taking notes occasionally.

Tony was not working much in the code today because helping the kid understand how coding worked was now his number one priority. Pepper found them both looking at the screen and chatting incessantly one over the other about the code of the A.I when he got home.

“Well, well. I see you’ve finally got him interested in your little personal project.” Pepper says from the door with a smile, startling both of them.

“Hey, you talk to him about your books. I can borrow him sometimes to talk about coding, you don’t get him only for yourself.” Tony actually pouts and Loki smiles at him, amused at his antics. “Besides, I’m clearly his favorite, right Loki?” Tony smiles at the kid, who hides a smile and gets up.

“I’m not answering that.” He smiles while looking for the book in his bag and then going to Pepper and giving it to her. “I had a copy in my mother’s library and you told me you wanted to read it so... “ He smiles, looking a little unsure. “This way you don’t have to spend money buying a new one.”

“Oh, Loki, this is so nice of you…” she eyes the book for a while and Tony sees how the tension in Loki’s body practically evaporates when Pepper reaches for him and gives him a very sweet hug.

He seems shocked at first but then he melts into the hug, hugging Pepper back by her waist and closing his eyes. Pepper looks at Tony with a sad smile and after caressing Loki’s hair for a second they part.

“I’m glad you liked it.” Loki says, practically vibrating with happiness.

“I do, it was so thoughtful of you. Thank you, sweetheart.” She smiled at him again and Loki smiled back.

A bit after that he went home. That night while Tony worked on the code of his project and Pepper read her book, they were both thinking about Loki.

---

Finally, graduation day arrived.

Tony was dreading it and looking forward to it at the same time. Looking forward to it because it meant that he would finally be free from this school year and on vacation, but dreading it because it was probably one of the last times that he was going to see Loki before he left for college.

That was not good, because he got used to the kid going in and out of his house as he pleased, watching movies with him sometimes, seeing him talk with Pepper about books, and teaching him how to code so he could start doing his own little personal projects.

He was going to miss him so fucking much. But the kid needed to go to college and he couldn’t stop it, he was a genius and Tony knew that he was going to excel at whatever he ended up doing.

“Tony?” He hears Bruce calling him and snaps out of his mind to look at his best friend, who’s currently looking at him with a worried expression. “You were spacing out again, are you okay?”

“Yes, don’t worry Bruce. I’m just tired and in need of a very long and relaxing holiday.” He smiled at his friend and Bruce nodded but didn’t seem very convinced.

The students started getting in the gym-turned-graduation room just as they were finishing the last touches on the decoration. Tony looked around and saw Loki sitting in the chair with his name on it, they locked gazes and Tony smiled at him with a thumbs up, receiving a smile and an exasperated but fond shake of his head in response.

“You really like that kid, don’t you?” Tony turns around to see Natasha looking at him fondly.

“He’s cool, I guess.” Tony shrugs and Natasha looks at him for a little longer before speaking.

“I would never have thought you were the dad type.” Natasha smiles, seeing Tony’s eyes go wide. Before he can open his mouth to refute that statement the woman puts a hand over his mouth. “It's not a bad thing, you really helped him. He seems happier now. You did well, Tony.”

When she gets his hand from over his mouth, Tony’s still looking at her, completely dumbfounded.

“I- Do you-” he stutters but quickly gets a hold of himself. Natasha looks at him like he’s the funniest joke she’s heard in a while. “Do you think he sees me as a father figure?” He asks, a little bit shaken.

Natasha shakes her head. “No, I don’t think he sees you as a father figure.” She stays silent for a few seconds before speaking again. “I know it.” She smiles a little bit.” You just have to see how you both interact with each other and how he’s always seeking your approval or wanting to do things with you to notice it. It’s very obvious that the kid has taken you as a referent to fill the place of his father.”

Tony didn’t know how to react to that statement. He really liked the kid, but he was really not a good influence, was he? He could lock himself up in his studio and don’t talk to anyone for days, he had a temper and an obvious problem with alcohol…

Or he did.

Tony can’t even remember when was the last time he got drunk. He was always putting it aside when the kid was home, and also he left the door of his studio open because the kid would sometimes drop by to ask questions. And…

“Oh my god.” Tony whispers, more to himself than for anyone else. “I really took the father figure role without even thinking about it, didn’t I?”

Natasha smiles and pats him softly on the shoulder. “Yes you did.” She looks around before grabbing him by his elbow. “Let’s go, this is going to start any minute now.”

He sits down with the other teachers but he just can’t stop thinking about what Natasha said. It had just felt so… easy, to spend time with the kid, to care for him. He hadn’t felt any type of obligation to spend time with him. Pepper also adored when he dropped by and they talked about the books they were reading that week, she had also taken a like for tea because of Loki.

The ceremony passes quickly and after all the students have their diploma they scramble around the gym. Tony’s talking to Bruce about a new science magazine when he feels someone touch his shoulder. He turns around to see Loki looking at him with his brow furrowed.

“Are you okay?”

The kid doesn't let his shoulder go and Tony just spits it out.

“Do you see me as a father figure, Loki?” He asks softly, the last thing he wants is to send the kid running away and disappearing to college without saying goodbye. Bruce silently gets off the scene and goes back to the other teachers, giving them privacy.

Loki’s eyes widen and he opens his mouth but closes it again. His brow furrows again and Tony can practically see his brain fuming and smoke coming out of his ears.

“I- Is it bad that I do?” He says in a small voice and Tony’s worries disappear almost instantly. “I mean if it makes you uncomfortable… I never told anybody, I just kept it to myself. I didn’t think you’d notice.” The kid rushes to explain himself. “You’re nice to me, and you take care of me, and…”

Tony smiles at him and takes his arm to get him close and give him a hug. “Of course I don’t mind, you’re a nice kid, Loki.”

The young man physically melts into the hug, hugging back tightly and murmuring his thanks. When Tony opens his eyes he sees his colleagues smiling at the scene and he gives them the middle finger.

When they finally get apart, Loki looks around trying to hide his glassy eyes, he clears his throat and looks at Tony. “I’m going home now. Odin says we’re leaving in the next few days. I’ll be staying with my mother’s sister, she lives near the college I’ll be attending. So I need to get my things packed and ready.”

Tony nods, his heart breaking a little bit. “Okay, no problem, kid.” He ruffles his hair and smiles upon seeing the annoyance at the gesture reflected in Loki’s face. “Just make sure you drop by my house before parting, Pepper would like to say goodbye.”

Loki looks like that last sentence physically pains him but he nods. “Of, course, yeah, I’ll do that. I wouldn’t want to go before saying goodbye.”

They stand there for a while and Loki sighs and hugs Tony again, briefly but without so much feeling in it that Tony feels like crying just because of it.

“I’ll go now.” He says hurriedly and after Tony’s nod he scrambles out of the gym.

Tony hasn’t noticed he’s been standing in the same place, looking at the door Loki left through until Steve touches his shoulder and asks him if he’s okay.

And for the first time in a very long time, Tony’s answer is ‘no’.

---

A car stopped in front of Tony’s house, which prompted Tony to take a deep breath and open the door to see Loki climbing the steps of the porch. The kid was wearing a green sweatshirt, black pants, and some kind of combat boots.

“Hey.” The kid says and they both stand awkwardly in front of each other, Loki softly scratches his head, a bit anxious. “So… I’m leaving now.” He points back with his thumb at the car without turning around and Tony nods.

“Yeah, I see that.” He says, looking at the kid, taking him in. “C’mon give me a hug.” He opens his arms and Loki practically slams into him, hugging him hard. “I’m going to miss you so fucking much, kid.”

“I’m going to miss you too… dad.” He tightens his hold on Tony as if the older man was going to run away after that.

Tony hugs him tighter for a second before parting and kissing Loki’s forehead. “Take this.” He gives him a piece of paper with his phone number scribbled on it. “Call often, okay? Whatever you need, I’m here.”

Loki nods, trying to get the tears to stop falling from his eyes. “I will.”

After saying his goodbyes to Pepper too, and crying a little more, he hugs them both one last time and gives them a shaky smile.

“Thanks for everything. I’ll miss you both so much.” he sniffs, looking at them at the bottom of the porch stairs.

“Ídem, kid.” Tony takes Pepper's hand for support and nods. “Take care of yourself, okay?”

“Yes, dad.” He smiles amused, but his glassy eyes and tear stained cheeks show how sad he actually is.

When he turns around and gets in the car, Tony watches the car disappear from view and feels as if a part of himself just drove away. He sighs and looks at Pepper, who’s also looking wrecked and sad.

“He’s going to call, right?”

Tony nods, trying to reassure her. “I’m sure he’s going to try his best to keep in touch.”

Pepper takes a deep breath and then lets out a soft but resigned chuckle. “So this is how parents feel when they send their kid off to college? Now I feel bad for teasing my mom when she cried when I left.”

Tony scoffs and they both get in the house. “We’re absolutely not having kids. I’m not going through this shit again, Pep.”

The door closes behind them, muffling Pepper’s soft chuckles and teasing comments.