The rest of Chemistry passed in relative silence, a silence only broken by Dr. Banner and his assistant, Molly Hooper, explaining things to anyone who couldn't follow.
Loki kept his eyes downcast, not daring to look at Bruce's eyes. They seemed to be burning with some sort of anger, but at the same time Bruce stayed completely in control. It was terrifying and fascinating at once.
After Chemistry they had a break, which Sherlock used to get his phone back from Mr. Rogers. Loki sat on one of the benches, his eyes studying his classmates. Some of them seemed familiar, and it confused him to see them in this younger state.
He walked to the bathrooms, standing in front of one of the mirrors.
It was strange — it seemed as though he himself had truly become younger as well. Not much, but a little, perhaps. His hair was shorter than he remembered, but still just above shoulder-length. And it was definitely his own ice-blue eyes that sparkled back at him in the mirror, not some illusion.
He shook his head as if it would banish the thoughts from his mind, walking back to the benches where Sherlock sat, having reclaimed his phone.
"What class do we have after this?" Loki enquired distantly, and Sherlock glanced up.
"Law-something," he replied, "Lestrade, I believe."
"Lestrade?"
"He's a police officer I know."
"And he teaches the class?"
"Yes."
Sherlock stared at his phone deep in thought, and Loki sank down onto the bench beside him, glancing at the screen.
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Loki studied Sherlock for a moment.
"Allow me to do a deduction. In your own world, you have someone who follows you around and compliments you, and you miss him."
Sherlock didn't answer.
"His name is John Watson," Loki went on, "and he's shorter than you."
Sherlock frowned.
"How did you know that last part?"
Loki smirked.
"Most people are shorter than you, Sherlock."
Sherlock smiled a little, switching the phone off.
Loki swept his gaze over the people around them, a bundle of shouting and running and a lot of phones. High school in a one word — chaos.
"You do actually miss him, don't you?" Loki enquired.
"He was... useful," Sherlock mumbled.
"Oh, he was much more than just that to you," Loki observed, "he kept you alive."
A second smile touched Sherlock's face.
"That's probably true. He did save my life... multiple times."
The screech of the school bell interrupted their conversation there.
"Law-stuff it is," Loki grinned in an attempt to cheer Sherlock up, and the young Holmes sighed.
"Yayyyy... I'm pretty sure Gavin hates me, by the way."
"Gavin?"
"Or was it George? I don't know, I never remember his first name. Lestrade."
Loki swiped the phone out of the detective's hands, and tapped a few buttons at record speed before handing the phone back to Sherlock.
"Greg Lestrade..." Sherlock muttered, "that's him. How did you get that so quickly?"
Loki shrugged.
"I've been on Midgard before. All it took was a couple of a days with a tech-nerd to grasp the basics, and I had more than just a few days available."
"And they just taught you how to hack into someone's Facebook account?"
"No, that I figured out myself. There's basically no security on Midgard, it's ridiculous. But she was extremely willing to teach — I should look her up again sometime. Perhaps she's in this universe too. Maybe she can help us get back."
Sherlock stood up, dusting off his pants and putting the phone into his pocket.
"Third floor," he replied, "we should probably hurry up."
-
After Lestrade's class came another two hours of dull torture in the form of Physics by a certain James Rhodes, which neither Loki nor Sherlock recognized.
But even that came to an end, and then they were free to go home.
Sherlock and Loki walked out of the school with a sigh of relief, glad to return to the mansion which they'd already started to see as home. Loki stuffed all the notes that the two of them had made during Physics into his schoolbag. The scribbles covering the pages were illegible to most, because Loki had automatically reverted to Asgardian runes at some stages. Not that it mattered — it was actually an excellent way to disguise the fact that they weren't actually Physics notes, but theories and equations that could explain their situation in this crazy alternate universe.
Frigga Hudson, driving a bright red car, screeched to a halt in front of them.
"Where's Donovan?" Sherlock frowned.
"She had a date," Frigga shrugged, opening the door, "get in boys, I've left the tap on at home."
They exchanged a grin and climbed into the car, gripping on for dear life as Frigga drove home like a mad bull after a red cape. She made it to the mansion without accidents somehow, but Loki swore to never let his mother touch a car, because it was like 'riding a Sleipnir when he's in a bad mood'.
When they entered the house, they dumped their schoolbags in their room and sat down on the bed.
"Feel like taking another look at those notes?" Loki suggested, but Sherlock shook his head.
"I'd rather do something a little more relaxing."
"Suggestions?"
Sherlock smiled.
"I have a few ideas."
-
Sometime later...
"KNEEL!" Loki ordered, pushing over the king with a flick of his wrist.
Sherlock sighed.
"I think you're taking this whole thing too seriously," he mumbled.
-
Whoa, that was too far. A little bit back in time... Ahhh, here it is.
"Jotunheim or Asgard?" Sherlock enquired, putting the chessboard on the table. Somebody had taken a black marker and written "ASGARD" on the one side of the board, and "JOTUNHEIM" on the other.
"I'll take Asgard," Loki decided, turning the board so that the white chesspieces were on his side.
"You start, then," Sherlock shrugged, and Loki closed his eyes in concentration.
Strategy. This was something he was good at. Right?
-
"I'm winning," Sherlock stated.
"I have all my pawns, and you have one piece besides your king," Loki countered, "where exactly is my disadvantage?"
"You lack convictio— no wait, you don't. Well, I'm a highly functioning sociopath," Sherlock replied.
"I have an army."
"Yeah, and I have a horse," Sherlock replied, holding up the small horse chesspiece.
"Which is relevant how?"
"I don't know, it just sounded dramatic."
"Well then, excuse me while I go destroy Jotunheim."
-
"HOW!?!?" Loki enquired as Sherlock casually captured the sixth pawn.
"I'm a highly bored high functioning sociopath," Sherlock replied, "I do what I want."
"That's my line," Loki growled.
He ran his eyes over the chessboard, before picking up a pawn and moving it to the other side.
"There, now I have a queen. I shall name her Frigga, and..."
He trailed off as Sherlock captured the queen with his horse.
"Sleipnir you traitor," Loki muttered, and Sherlock sighed.
"Loki, you're too predictable."
A triumphant grin lit up Loki's face as he managed to capture Sherlock's horse with his last pawn, but then Sherlock took his pawn with his king. Now the two kings — Asgard and Jotunheim, white and black — stood opposite one another, just out of each other's reach.
"Just give up," Loki suggested, and Sherlock raised an eyebrow.
"Why would I?"
"JUST KNEEEEL!!!"
Loki flicked over Sherlock's king, and Sherlock sighed.
"I think you're taking this whole thing too seriously," he mumbled.
"Nah," Loki replied, putting Sherlock's king back up straight, "I'm just bored out of my mind. Shall we call it a stalemate and quit?"
Sherlock got up, dusting off his coat.
"Sounds like a plan."
"Do you want to take another look at our notes now?" Loki enquired.
Sherlock nodded, tossing all the chesspieces into a box.
"Sure. Anything but chess."