A/N: Hi again! It's been so long :( I took a bit of a break from writing, and I'm back and feeling better! But since I haven't had a consistent uploading schedule, I'm going to start doing summaries of the previous chapter so you guys don't forget anything that happens.
PREVIOUSLY:
Loki has an interesting conversation with an old woman at a church. The next day, he attends high school with Peter for the first time and meets MJ. Peter finds out that Loki is smart, like, really freaking smart, and enjoys getting to know his friend more. Loki confronts Flash briefly.
Peter's bare feet dragged on the cold cement ground beneath him. The ripped cuffs of his dirty jeans clung to his heels and offered the smallest amount of protection against the unforgiving street. Chilly September air clung to his exposed arms and face. He sucked it in, trying to clear his blurry mind.
Pain throbbed from the bite on his arm, radiating through his body, which felt very weak. Peter stumbled a bit as he walked, clamping down on the small wound with his other hand. What's happening to me?
He tried desperately to remember what the spider looked like. If he knew what bit him, he could get to a doctor or- no. Peter groaned, realizing he couldn't afford the doctor. His sluggish brain struggled to come up with a different solution; one that didn't involve anyone else.
People suck venom out of bites, right? He stared down at the bite for a second. No. I don't think that would work. His thoughts swirled and he swayed toward the ground. Using the wall to keep himself up, Peter staggered into an alleyway and behind an old, green dumpster. He was too dizzy to be disgusted by the dried bits of food clinging to the metal surface in clumps.
As he lay on the dirty ground, images of May floated into his hazy vision. May, smiling in pride after one of his meets. May, hugging him tightly as they cried for Ben. May, body still and broken on the side of the street, leaking her bright life into the leaf-filled gutter. Tears made tracks through the layer of grime on his aching face. He would never see her again.
It hit him with force just then, more than he had ever felt it before. The grief stole the air from his lungs, physical and emotional pain racking his body. Peter couldn't even lift his arm to stop the furious sobs from escaping his lips.
All he could do was lay there and cry, with no one to hold him and no one to tell him it would be alright. He had no home, no family… he was quite literally alone. All alone.
"Peter!" Mr. Stark's urgent voice pulled him from the nightmare. The man continued with a gentle whisper, "Wake up bud."
Peter curled tightly against Tony, who was now sitting on the edge of his bed. His body shook, loss and old wounds fresh in his memory. He spent a lot of his time shoving these thoughts down, trying to suppress the agony of losing the most precious person to him. But it was all coming out in this wretched moment of vulnerability.
The bright red digits of Peter's alarm clock blinked 2:48 am. Mr. Stark placed an arm around the boy, trying to calm him down.
"Hey, Pete, what's wrong?"
The kid didn't answer for a minute, his breaths labored and fast. He clutched the fabric of Tony's flannel pants tightly, trying to ground himself. They stayed in this position for a few minutes.
Once his breathing had returned to normal, he covered his face with his hands, desperate sobs turning into soft crying.
Finally, Peter asked softly, "You… you won't leave me, right?
Tony's heart sank. So he was dreaming about May. He let out a puff of air from his lungs and gently ruffled the kid's messy curls.
"No. Don't worry... I'll always be here."
Peter made a gargled sound. "I miss May," he said, her name getting caught in his sore throat. "I miss her so much…"
"I know," Tony replied. "I'm so sorry, Peter. I'm so so sorry."
Something about the sincerity of his voice calmed the boy down a bit, but phantom pain where the spider bit him still throbbed. Nothing about this night was good.
Eventually, exhaustion from crying beckoned Peter into a dark and dreamless sleep. Tony rose, trying not to disturb him, and covered the kid in a blanket before exiting the room quietly. He jumped when he saw Loki standing outside the door, flickers of worry in his shining green eyes.
"I didn't know you were here, Glinda," Tony attempted to tease, but his tone was tired.
"I accompanied Peter home from school this afternoon," the other man responded, eyes still lingering on the door. "My brother and I were just discussing some plans. I heard him… in distress but you were already…" he trailed off with a vague gesture toward Peter's room.
Tony knew that Peter and Loki had become unlikely friends, but he didn't realize, or maybe didn't register, how much they cared about each other. This God of Mischief seemed really concerned.
"Yeah… the kid had a bad dream," Tony said. "FRIDAY woke me up a little while ago."
Loki nodded. "I see." There was a beat of awkwardness. "Well, as long as he's alright."
With a flash, he was gone.
Even with the events of tonight, Tony felt a small smile flash across his lips. It seemed like things for him, and for Peter, were finally starting to look up.
xXx
Ammons sat in his office, tapping his thick fingers on the wooden surface. He had patiently made it through one day of classes without noticing anything strange with the students. Soon, the gym would be filled with the senseless chatter of a new day. He had three more classes to find the little bug. Slowly, the herd of unhappy teenagers filtered through the doors. He watched them standing there for a moment, then left his office to join them.
Mr. Ammons yelled at them to do warm ups, eyes drifting briefly over each student. His gaze halted at a boy he'd never seen before. The kid had shaggy black hair that fell just past his eyes, causing him to brush it back with a hand. His eyes were green and unimpressed, looking with disdain at the others. Peter Parker stood next to him, saying a few indistinct things quickly and nervously.
The new kid met eyes with Ammons. A darkness flashed across his face, too fast for anyone else to notice. The broad-shouldered teacher waved his hand, motioning the student over. Peter tailed uncertainly behind.
"Parker, who's this?" Mr. Ammons' voice was loud, and it echoed, catching the attention of the other students.
"Uh, he's a transfer student. His name is Hjalmar Fredrickson."
Most of the students had already heard of Hjalmar, but the few that hadn't looked up with interest. Curious whispers rippled through the class, too indistinct for Ammons to pick up.
"You may call me Mar," the boy said coldly, keeping steely eye contact. Ammons thought that he sounded British, which was interesting because his name did not sound British.
"Alright new kid, you have two minutes to introduce yourself," he said gruffly.
"Two minutes won't be necessary," Mar replied, turning to face the group of his peers. "I am Hjalmar Fredrickson. My ancestors are Norse, but I was adopted. I will be living with Peter for a few weeks."
"You're Norse?" Blurted a short, round kid standing in the front row. His eyes were alight with excitement. "Do you know Thor?"
Mar smirked very lightly, a corner of his mouth barely lifting in amusement. "You could almost say we're related."
"Ok, enough chit-chat," Ammons barked. "Let's get to work!"
The teacher pondered for a moment as he watched the teenagers run laps. He could, with certainty, rule out the new student. Spider-Man wasn't new to town; he'd been around for a while. However, there was something about Mar that itched at the back of his mind. No, he might not be a masked vigilante swinging around New York City, but he was definitely hiding something.
"Interesting," he muttered to himself, watching the exchange student jog around the track. It was while watching Mar that something rather intriguing happened. Peter Parker, in order to dodge someone who had tripped in front of him, quite literally leaped over the girl, landing gracefully on the shiny wooden floor.
Ammons smiled, the movements familiar to him. "Peter Parker," he whispered. "Peter Parker."
xXx
Peter's brain buzzed with anxiety. He hurried away from the bleachers with Loki, picking at his nails nervously.
"Do you think he saw that? Oh… this isn't good. I didn't mean to jump like that! I didn't think…"
"Peter," Loki said firmly. "Don't panic yet. We have to find an upper hand on him, and to do that, we have to stay calm."
The boy took a few deep breaths, trying to steady his shaking hands. Once again, Loki was reminded that Peter was just a kid. Anger bubbled in his stomach at the man who was doing this to a kid. Specifically, this kid.
Loki had never had a fondness for children; he just thought of them as necessary evils. However, he couldn't entirely hate them… after all, he was a child once, too. Regardless, he didn't pay younger beings much attention until Peter. This was the only teenager he ever interacted with on a regular basis, and Loki had begrudgingly accepted that he grew fond of him over the last few months.
So, while his rage at the gym teacher was a different anger that he had never experienced before, it was not exactly unexpected either.
"Right," Peter muttered. "Stay calm." But he couldn't quite wipe the memory of that bulletin board out of his head. Pictures of his friends, his… family, pinned on some crazy man's hit list. (I wonder if I'll lose them too.) His stomach turned at the thought, grateful that he had someone to share the burden with.
"We have to come up with a plan. I have an idea, but you might not like it," Loki said. His green eyes flashed.
Peter nodded, willing to try anything at this point. "What is it?"
xXx
Tuesday, 8:31am
Peter: mj. i need you to pretend to break up with me.
MJ: what? why?
Peter: there's something going on that i can't tell you about yet. do you trust me?
MJ: ok, i guess. just tell me what i have to do. and you better explain this soon.
Peter: come to the gym and pretend to break up with me. bring ned and tell him to side with you. for this to work, i have to pretend to not like you guys. :( i promise nothing i say is real.
Tuesday, 8:32am
MJ: same goes for me. i won't go easy on you, dweeb. ;)
Peter: :'( rude! but thank you. i'll see you soon.
xXx
Ammons sat at his desk again, watching Peter Parker with a knowing smirk. He had caught the spider. It would be even easier to hold the boy hostage with information now. On cue, his best friend and girlfriend walked up to Parker and the new kid. The girl looked upset and began whispering fiercely, gesturing to Mar.
Peter stepped back, hurt flashing across his features briefly. A look of annoyance took over. This time, Ammons caught a bit of the conversation.
"Really? This again MJ? Come on…" the boy was saying, sounding frustrated. His best friend said something that the teacher didn't hear.
"You too?" Peter looked shocked.
Mar stepped in. "Maybe you two should leave."
"Fine," MJ stated angrily. "We're done, Peter. Don't call me. Come on, Ned." She turned and huffed away, Ned in suit.
"I didn't want to call you anyway!" Peter yelled after them. When they turned the corner, a grin broke out across his face. He grabbed Mar's arm and started walking to the locker room. They rushed past Ammons' office, and he just barely heard the last of their conversation.
"-ks, Hjalmar. I've been trying to drop them for months," he said quickly. "They just haven't-"
And the pair was gone.
Ammons clicked his pen. It looked like he would have to use Peter's family instead; there wasn't a point if the kid didn't even care about them. Problem was, he didn't know anything about Peter's family.
"I'll have to look into that."
xXx
Tony sat at the counter, attempting to focus on the piles of documents he had to sign. He was pretty sure that Pepper was punishing him for staying up too late a few nights ago, which was fair, but this seemed like cruel and unusual punishment.
The elevator dinged and he heard Peter enter, rapidly talking on the phone with someone.
"-am so sorry, again. I promise that I'll tell you everything soon." A pause. "Yeah! I've been meaning to try that place out. How about tomorrow at 7?" He smiled brightly. "Ok!"
He didn't seem to notice Tony until he hung up the phone. "Oh, hi Mr. Stark!"
"Was that MJ? You know, you should invite her over sometime. I gotta meet my kid's girlfriend."
Peter smiled. (His kid. He thinks of me as his kid.) "Alright."
"How was school?"
The boy's smile hesitated for a fraction of a second. It happened so quick that anyone else would have missed it. "Good. I took a math test today, which went well until, like, the last three questions. I swear the teacher never went over that! It was like Spanish or something. Except, not Spanish because I can read Spanish. Well, kind of. I can mostly read Spanish, and that's pretty good since I can barely even speak English. I-"
"Pete," Tony interrupted. "Did something happen?"
Peter always rambled when he was nervous, a little habit that made it easier to read him. Just as he expected, the kid froze. His eyes shifted around the room
"Just… school stuff," he offered.
"School stuff?" Tony raised an eyebrow. "Care to elaborate?"
"Uh. No?" Peter was still refusing to meet his eyes. His fingers fidgeted with the gray cuff of his jacket sleeve.
"Listen, kiddo. You don't gotta tell me everything… but if it's something bad, maybe I can help?"
This was incredibly awkward, but at this point, Tony didn't care. He wanted to know what was wrong… He really did want to help, especially after the nightmare the kid had.
Peter looked around the room like there was someone else there. "I can't- you-," he struggled to form a sentence. "N-nothing's wrong."
Tony also looked around, wondering what the kid was worried about. After a few seconds of strained silence, he decided to let it go. If it was something important, Peter would tell him. Probably. And even if he didn't, that was ok too. Probably.
"Alright. Does Thai sound good for dinner?"
Peter nodded, relief flooding into his bones. He exchanged a few more words with Mr. Stark before running off to his room (my room. I don't know if I'll get used to that). The late afternoon sun shone through his window, casting squares of winter light on his wall and floor. He looked around, taking it all in again.
It was weird. He went from living on a rooftop, shivering and hungry, to having his own bathroom and balcony. Peter couldn't help but be wary that all of it would be yanked away from him like a rug from under his feet. Nothing in his life had been very permanent before… So why was it changing? Why was the universe finally deciding to send him some luck? (That's not true. The universe also decided to send me a crazy teacher who wants to kill my friends.)
He placed his backpack next to the desk and flopped onto the bed. The soft covers wrinkled beneath him so that when he stood up to go the bathroom, a Peter-shaped mark was left. Once he had washed his hands and face, Peter sat down at his desk and pulled out his phone. He opened the group chat with Ned and MJ.
Tuesday, 4:38pm
Peter: thanks for today guys. and im sorry again.
Ned: you gonna explain why we did that?
MJ: yeah ?
Peter: i cant tell you all of it yet.
MJ: so what can you tell us?
Tuesday, 4:39pm
Peter: it has to do with mr stark.
Peter: and itll keep you safe.
Ned: safe from what?
MJ: what does that mean?
Tuesday, 4:40 pm
Peter: the less you know, the better. im sorry.
Ned: fine. as long as we can still hang out.
Peter: yeah! we just have to be careful.
Ned: of course ;)
MJ: right. :)
Peter clicked off his phone and set it face-down on the desk. He was thankful that the StarkPhone Tony had given him had tighter security than the Pentagon. (I'm pretty sure that no one can hack into these things.)
Sighing, he ran a hand through his curls. (This is so stressful. How can I keep everyone safe?)
"At least I have Loki."
xXx
"Stark." Loki stood stiffly in the doorway of the lab, folding his arms. "Thor… needs you briefly."
Tony looked up from his recent project, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. "For what?"
The other man blinked pointedly and Tony had the odd feeling that Loki was trying to tell him something. "It's about the last mission in the North. We must go to his location; it will be faster my way."
His steps were few and far in between; before Tony could even open his mouth to protest, there was a flash of green and the world tilted. When everything stopped spinning, they appeared to be in a small apartment.
"We could have just taken the bus, Glinda," Tony grumbled, still feeling slightly sick.
Loki rolled his eyes. "The sickness will pass. This is more pressing."
It was then that he noticed Thor wasn't around. "Didn't you say this was about the mission?"
"I did. It's not. I need…" The god sighed, looking annoyed. "I need a favor."
Tony smirked. "Oh?"
He received a glare in return. "It's about Peter. He… might be in danger."
A/N: thanks for reading! I hope to get a better upload schedule. :)
REVIEWS:
Shannon K: Me too! But maybe I just love Loki :)
Poohbear123: Thank you! Sorry I'm so slow.
DarylDixon'sLover: Thank you so much!
Beachgirl25: Haha totally! Thank you for your review, I love it when people enjoy my writing!
See you next time (hopefully soon!)
-katilange