What is this?

Chapter nineteen

A/N: Okay I'm really sorry for this break. It wasn't intentional, but you know work and trips and stuff. I just didn't have the time to write (plus it's super hot for Finlands standards so that's eating my motivation too)

But hey hope you've been liking the story, and hopefully I can make you like it even more~

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A couple of days had passed once again.

"Tony! You excited for the dinner?" Pepper asked way too happily for Tony's taste.

"Excited to engage in some nice conversations with the guests? Sure, why not. Excited to see who my best friend brings with him? Of course, Bruce needs some action. Excited to dine with my lovely boyfriend who understands me and would never cheat on me? Yes please!" Tony explained with grand gestures, then hissed: "Excited to see your rotten soul there? Take a fucking guess."

Pepper gave Tony the wide-eyed 'you did not just say that' face, to which Tony shrugged his shoulders.

Pepper cleared her throat: "You know, I'm trying to be mature and let the past be. I'm trying to be friends with you. But clearly you're too immature for that kind of behaviour."

"No. I'm just mature enough to realize that I don't have to be friends with someone who hurt me", Tony corrected.

"Tony, please. You don't want to ruin the dinner, do you?" Pepper begged.

"And neither do you", Tony stated.

He left Pepper there. Furious, but sad. Pepper wanted Tony back of course. And if she wasn't gonna get Tony, nobody could.

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"The soup-day is here. This time we've been blessed with spinach soup", Clint announced like it was a bick thing.

"Buck, you do realize the signs say only one egg per soup?" Steve pointed out the 5-6 eggs on Bucky's plate.

"Yeah, but they don't really care. Eggs are good protein sources you know", Bucky tutored.

"I also know someone who's not getting tonight", Natasha sat down besides Bucky.

Bucky raised his hand, but Pietro was the one to answer: "Eggs make you gassy. Keep that in mind, will ya Clint dear?"

Now Clint was the one raising his arms, the rest just kinda trying to keep their laugh in. For some reason, Bruce wasn't at the table yet. And neither was Thor. Well, Tony only cared for Bruce in the moment. He tried to scam through the cafeteria to see his bestfriend. And when he found Bruce, the sight baffled him. Loki was definitely flirting with him, Thor was trying to make it stop, and Bruce being Bruce he just kinda awkwardly laughed at everything. But seeing Tony's face, he realized he should join his bestfriend. Thor of course followed, grinning at Loki.

"I'm taking a wild guess, you have something to ask?" Bruce sat down to their table.

"Uh, yes. What the hell was that?" Tony demanded.

A light blush appeared on Bruce's face and he turned away.

"Okay, sorry. You'll tell when you're ready or whatever. However, I do have something to actually ask you", Tony apologized.

Bruce raised his head and Tony continued: "My parents, and the Potts, are having a formal dinner this friday. You in? Of course, since I have Steve, you can bring someone with you."

"Oh, okay, at what time?" Bruce asked.

"At seven, in the evening of course. Oh, and it's not too formal, so your date doesn't have to wear a long dress", Tony remarked.

"Does my date have to be a girl?" Bruce raised his brow and nodded at Steve.

"Uh, of course not. I'm sorry, I just assumed. Of course it doesn't have to be a date-date either, friends are allowed", Tony laughed.

Bruce nodded.

There was a moment of silence before Tony opened his mouth: "So who're you gonna bring?"

"Tony it's been less than a minute after I heard about this, I don't know yet!" Bruce complained.

"Right, sorry. Not that it matters. It's your date, not mine", Tony nervously nodded his head, or more like his whole upper body.

Bruce shook his head and went back to eating.

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"Bruce! Do you need help with the competition now?" Tony hurried to his bestfriend after school.

"Oh, uh, actually Loki has offered to help me with it", Bruce rubbed the back of his neck.

"Oh.. You sure you don't need an extra hand? Or our lab, you know it's amazing", Tony hinted.

"No thanks. I'm going to their house and Thor's gonna be there, so if we need help we have him", Bruce shook his head.

"Oh.." Tony nodded.

"Plus hey, now you have more time to spend with Steve. I promise to call you if I still happen to need your help", Bruce patted his bestfriend's shoulder and left.

"Tony? You alright?" Steve asked.

"My.. My bestfriend doesn't need me anymore!" Tony almost cried to Steve, well he was being a tad bit dramatic about it.

The blond one took him into a hug and hussed: "Of course he needs you. Now he just has other people to help him as well. But you're always gonna be his bestfriend."

Steve was trying to be serious, but had an amused tone in his voice. He knew Tony had a real concern, but the way he was being overdramatic about it made Steve smile.

"Could a trip to get some ice-cream soothe my beloved boyfriend?" Steve hummed.

Tony raised his head to look at Steve and continued in a dramatic tone: "Oh, only if I don't have to pay for it."

Steve laughed as they headed out. Of course Tony would offer to pay for his ice-cream, but Steve would refuse.

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Later that night Tony had gotten out of shower and was laying in his bead, scrolling through his phone. He hadn't really talked with Bruce after school, which was understandable, after all Bruce was at the Odinson's house. Tony was about to text his bestfriend how the tech competition project was going, but Bruce managed to text him first.

"Hey, about the dinner on friday?" -Bruce"

"Yeah? -Tony"

There was a slight pause after that. Tony was getting curious on what Bruce wanted to ask.

"Is it okay if I bring Loki with me? -Bruce?"

Taking into account all the time Bruce had spent with the brothers after last weekend, the question shouldn't have caught Tony off-guard. But it did. Even Thor would've been more understandable, since they had known each other for quite some time now. To be honest Tony didn't know pretty much anything about Loki, other than him being in not so good terms with Thor. So why Loki? And why so quickly? Maybe Tony was overthinking stuff. Maybe Bruce and Loki just wanted to be friends. Or maybe Bruce was a really sneaky one after all and tried to get closer to Thor via Loki? Whatever was going on, it had been way too long since Bruce's text and Tony needed to answer. Though he had already gotten a second text from Bruce.

"It's okay, I don't have to bring him. I can bring Natasha or Clint or something like that -Bruce"

Tony would've been much more at ease if Bruce did bring Natasha or Clint, but not everything was about Tony. At least not fully.

"No, no, it's okay. You can bring Loki :) -Tony"

He sighed as he had sent the text. Maybe this was all him being overprotective over Bruce? Maybe he didn't like the idea of Loki and Bruce having something just 'cause he hadn't confirmed Loki to be good for Bruce. Or again, maybe they really were just friends.