Another Chance

Bet

Clint was the first to react to what had just happened right in front of their eyes. He snorted and shook his head, giving Natasha another look.

"Really, the brother of the year, huh" he commented sarcastically before leaving following in the footsteps of the youngest of the Odinsons.

Thor puffed out his chest.

"Hey, no one messes with my brother," he growled, offended.

"He was talking about you," Natasha said tartly, crossing her arms under her chest and spreading her legs a little wider.

Thor looked at her in confusion, momentarily abandoning the idea of going after Clint.

"Huh?"

Natasha suppressed an exasperated sigh and pursed her lips.

"Do you really not realize that you just insulted your brother in front of two practically strangers?"

Thor laughed, dismissing the idea.

"That? Of course not. At home we always joked with Loki about it. It doesn't bother him, he assured," satisfied with himself.

Natasha raised an eyebrow.

"And how many times have you seen him laugh at that "joke"?"

Thor kept smiling for a couple of seconds, and his expression started to turn thoughtful. After a while the young man had a frown and his arms were also crossed.

"I... I can't remember him ever laughing at that."

"Yeah. I am not an expert in filial relations, but I would advise you to think about how many of your jokes have not made your brother laugh. And stop insulting him in public. Or in private, by the way," she murmured. "Come, we have a tour to finish and classes are about to start."

Loki had already reached the buildings that housed the various classrooms of the school when Clin dared to catch up with him. He had caught up with him a long time ago, but he had chosen to stay away and allow the dark-haired man a while to calm down.

"That building over there houses the gym, the pool and an ice skating rink. SHIELD is proud of its ice hockey team, the Avengers."

Loki snorted, the first sound he had made since Clint had caught up with him.

"Do you have something to say?" Clint asked, a little defensively.

"Me? Nothing." Loki assured with the tone of someone who thinks the opposite. "Can I ask what they avenge?"

Clint snorted again. It was not the first time that they made the joke about the name of the team.

"You're going to have to ask Fury, who's the one who created it."

Loki was dying to see Fury again. Almost as much as seeing Odin again.

"Well, these are the classroom buildings. Come, I'll take you to the secretary so they can give you the schedule and the rest. And I'll walk you to the first class."

"I can manage on my own," Loki growled without looking at him.

"Yeah," Clint agreed and took a second before speaking again. "Listen, I don't know how things were before I got here. But..."

Loki stopped abruptly. They were only a few steps from the entrance to the central building, but they were alone. It was too early yet for most of the students to make their way there.

"But what? Will you offer to be friends with poor, poor Loki?" he spat, and looked at him with all the superiority that the height gave him. "Do not make me laugh. I've seen how you and the redhead look at me, as if I were a ticking time bomb. Let's save ourselves the awkwardness. You've done your job, and now you can go back and tell Fury that I'm antisocial, a psychopath, and a social danger."

Clint gasped for words for a second.

"I wasn't going to... I'm not going around making friends for charity," he muttered, frustrated. "I was going to say that things can be different here. You don't have to be in anyone's shadow, including your brother."

Loki winced, and the anger didn't replace the pain in his eyes fast enough.

"Yeah, of course. Do you want to bet?"

He didn't wait for an answer, turning toward the door. He had already pushed aside the glass and aluminum panels when Clint answered.

"Well, look, yes. I bet that in less than a month you already have at least a couple of friends here," Clint assured. "Excluding me and Natasha."

Loki stopped and looked over his shoulder at him.

"What do you bet, Barton?"

Clint shrugged, looking sideways before looking back at Loki.

"If I win, you're going to come with me to student council work, training, and help me study for two weeks." He gestured. "And you?"

"If I win, you'll have my back when Natasha and Fury, or someone else, finds some shitty reason to kick me out," he demanded, turning to face him, and clasped her hands behind his back.

Clint frowned. Loki smiled bitterly. That was when the young man was going to back down.

"Are you going to do something to get kicked out?" he asked suspiciously.

"Why I would do it? I am the one who has come here of my own free will."

"True," conceded the Archer. "Okay. If you're truly incapable of being liked by anyone in all of SHIELD, I'll have your back, as long as it's a situation you didn't provoke on purpose."

"And will you believe me when I tell you I didn't do it?"

Clint hesitated another second, and finally nodded.

"Yes. As you say, you are here because you want to."

And because if his brother was like that, he couldn't even imagine what his house should be like. But Clint didn't say any of that.

Loki was a little surprised, but he didn't get carried away by the words. He was saying that at the time, but it would be seen if he stayed true to his word.

"And you're not going to tell anyone about the bet. Not even Natasha." He gestured with his chin at the redhead, who was approaching with Thor.

Loki refused to look at his brother and quickly returned his gaze to Clint, who had turned slightly to look at his friend.

"I don't like to hide things from her, but it's okay. I won't say anything to anyone," he assured.

Loki looked for any sign of lies in the man. Without the magic and powers that gave him being the God of Lies it was more a matter of reading the proper physical signs than the certainty of the presence of a lie. But even so, he could not notice any sign of dishonesty in the young man.

"Okay. Goodbye Barton. Thank you for your service," he scoffed before turning around and going into the building.

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What do you think? Who will win the bet? Hmm...