"Hey, you!" Tony called out, as he followed the mysterious, raven-haired boy out the school gate.

The boy spun around, a perfect black eyebrow arched. "Yes, Stark?" He replied. He had a pile of homework to do, and he'd rather finish it before his brother or father disrupted his focus.

Tony caught up to him, brown curls blowing in the light breeze, his chocolate eyes bright. "You doing anything tonight, Lo'?"

Loki rolled his eyes. "Don't call me that, please. And no, I'm not doing anything, though I don't know why my extra-curricular activities concern you."

"Could you sound any more British?" Tony snorted.

It was true, though. Loki and his brother, Thor, the latter who was in his final year of school, had transferred from London at the beginning of the year to New York, though why, Tony had no idea.

Loki glared at him. "Are we finished here? I have bigger priorities right now."

"You're useless at picking up a hint." Tony sighed. Loki just looked confused. "You know, when someone's trying to ask you out, that kind of thing."

"What, you're asking me out?" Loki asked incredulously.

"Well, no. But I'm asking you to do something with me. As friends. You know what those are right?" Tony joked.

Loki ignored his remark. "What do you have in mind?"

"Party at mine, eight-thirty?" Tony asked, knowing Loki would say yes.

"Who else is going?"

"Ah, you know. The usual crowd. Steve, Clint, Nat, Peggy, Bruce and Bucky. Along with a bunch of others, maybe your brother as well."

Loki's eyes narrowed at the mention of Thor. "I'll consider it. See you then, Stark." He replied, turning around and walking away.

"It's Tony, by the way." Tony shouted after him.

Loki could hear the laughter coming from the living room as soon as he walked into his house. Sighing, and hoping that the people wouldn't notice he was home, he walked upstairs to his room, tip toeing up the stairs as to not be heard.

The same sight, the only exception being Tuesdays, when Thor had football practices, greeted Loki almost everyday. Thor and his friends, Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg, Sif and the only tolerable one, Jane came over to "study" and annoy the hell out of him, whether it was intentional or not. The best he could hope for was to be left alone, and attempt to ignore the bellowing laughter from directly below him.

Their parents were away, but that by no means encouraged Thor and his merry band of friends. They were like this no matter who was there; arrogant and irritating.

To his surprise, Loki was left alone for the majority of the evening, allowing him to get ready for the party in peace. He wasn't invited to many parties, so he was thoroughly surprised when Tony of all people invited him. They were friends, though, both bonding over a similarity in intelligence and wit, but Tony was too popular for them to spend much time together, only the odd Chess game here and there.

Finally ready, in jeans and a tight sort-of singlet, Loki made his way downstairs, hoping that his exit would be unnoticed.

It wasn't.

"Loki!" Thor's booming voice called out, as Loki attempted to open the front door silently.

Turning around with a sigh, and stalking into the living room, Loki raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Thor?"

Six pairs of eyes stared back at him. "Are you going somewhere?" Thor asked, still smiling from a joke Fandral had told.

"Yes, that is generally what people intend to do when they leave a house, brother." Loki rolled his eyes.

Thor frowned. "Where are you going, then?"

"A friend's."

Sif scoffed. "As if you have friends. Where are you really going, the library?" The others laughed.

Loki's just smirked. "I would've thought you'd been invited. Obviously not."

"Invited to what?" Sif asked, her eyes narrowed.

"Tony Stark's party, of course. Where else?"

"You've been invited to Tony's?" She asked incredulously.

"Yup." He nodded, a smug smile on his face.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever. You can go run off to your imaginary party now, silvertongue."

Loki scowled at the nickname and flounced out of the room and out of the, ignoring Thor's questions about details.