As soon as Steve had left the kitchen, Peter had thought about following to eavesdrop on the convo, but he decided it was pointless. Knowing them it's just going to get heated and full of tension and honestly overhearing those arguments was always super awkward.
So instead, he headed for the main room, figured he'd attempt to distract himself with some video games maybe, anything to get his mind off of the fact that God of Mischief would be in this very building any time now. Thor was supposed to be bringing him by sometime today, though there hadn't been a set upon time.
Just the thought caused his stomach to jolt and his heart to beat faster. He would meet Loki, one way or another, he wasn't going to miss this chance. He could deal with a pissed off Tony afterwards.
Just as Peter rounded a corner, he finally made out noises coming from the main room, another couple hallways away, but his hearing was better than most, and he could easily pick up the sound of bickering. Peter's brow furrowed as he listened in, only catching the cascading of voices. A man's, deep and rich, sounding melodic. It wasn't a voice Peter recognized, and he was immediately on guard. The Tower might have top security, but in their line of work, you can never be too careful. Peter crept forward, straining to listen to the voices, and as he got closer, he finally heard the other man speak.
"Brother, behave yourself." Peter recognized Thor's voice instantly, and he felt like his heart had stopped. Thor was here, talking to his brother. Peter was frozen to his spot, unsure how to process the situation, his stomach full of butterflies, or was it spiders?
"Alright, I'm going to go see what is keeping the others, stay here, and don't touch anything! I had to twist Tony's arm to get him to allow you to stay, he will gladly kick you out for breaking any of his stuff." Thor's loud voice filled the room, and without even realizing it, Peter had snuck farther down the hall.
A shiver went down Peter's spine then, his hair standing on end, and he scrambled up the wall as soon as he recognized his spidey sense. He held himself on the ceiling as he watched Thor march past him in the other direction.
Peter heard the voice from inside the room mumble to themself, this time he was close enough to make out the words, "As if I'm interested in any of Stark's toys." The accent was different than anything Peter was used to, a bit similar to Thor's, but their voices were so different. Thor was loud and boisterous, but this one was sharper, controlled.
Peter's heart raced at the thought that this was the one and only Loki, the man who tore up New York. The man who tried to rule Asgard under the disguise of his father. The man who tried to kill Thor and the rest of the avengers multiple times.
He was also the man who tried to stop Thanos, no matter the risk it posed to himself. The man who offered up the tesseract to save his brother. The man who came back to help save a home that had never welcomed him.
Peter's resolve grew, and he decided this was the perfect opportunity. Steve and Tony were probably still busy bickering and Thor couldn't find his way through the Tower if he had a GPS.
Peter crept over the door and onto the ceiling in the main room, finally catching sight of Loki. He looked just like the photos Peter had seen, covered in tight black leathers with highlights of green, a long cloak hanging onto his thin frame. The only difference Peter could make was that his black hair seemed longer these days, and a good bit curlier.
Peter couldn't breathe, he wasn't sure if he was afraid of alerting the god to his presence, or if he was just that astonished to finally be laying eyes on the man. He watched as Loki made his way around the room, slowly circling and studying everything, from the statues and plants, to the few pictures on the walls. He had his hands clasped behind his back and his movements seemed relaxed, somewhat bored even.
Peter was in awe, just watching the man was enough to make him elated. And then Loki moved closer and closer, his inspection bringing him to the other side of the room, and Peter froze, now terrified that he was going to be caught by the man.
Loki stopped to pick something up and examine it, and he turned in his spot with the item in his hands, walking to stand just underneath where Peter was hanging onto the ceiling. He still seemed relaxed and unaware of Peter all together. Peter finally calmed himself down and planned to back out of the room, and maybe walk in and introduce himself like a normal person, but as soon as he moved a step backward, his world was spinning, there was a hand gripping the front of his shirt, and the next thing he knew he was slammed onto the floor, left blinking up at a sardonic expression framed by black hair, and eyes that studied him intensely.
"You can't be one of the Vidar, but maybe someone they hired? You're rather tiny for them to think you're a match for a God, aren't you?" Loki shifted so that he was pinning Peter down, his legs straddling either side of him, and as he leaned over him, he was suddenly pressing a small dagger against Peter's throat. Words stuck in Peter's throat, his mind seemed to be buffering as he just stared into those bright green eyes, feeling the bite of metal at his throat, "No matter, you were obviously sent after me-"
The words finally clicked in Peter's head, and he stumbled over himself in an attempt to explain himself, "No, wait that's not- I mean, I'm not-", Peter stopped and visibly tried to reign his thoughts in, "I should probably introduce myself, ah I'm Peter. I'm actually a huge fan!" When Loki only narrowed his eyes in response, Peter hastened to add, "No, seriously! Like, oh that time you turned into a snake and stabbed Thor, that sounded hilarious! Oh, it reminds me of this joke I played once on my friend Ned, I think you'd like him…" Peter trailed off as he noticed the look on Loki's face, full of disdain. Peter swallowed hard as he glanced down, realizing what a compromising position he was in, a bit of nervousness winding its way through his excitement, and the fact that Loki was still just staring at him, studying him carefully, something unidentifiable in his eyes.
But Loki seemed to realize something, because the suspicion slowly drained from his face, leaving only a touch of distrust. He lifted the blade away from Peter's face and it disappeared in a flash of green. He glanced down at where he had Peter pinned to the ground, raising up so that he was holding himself up over Peter, no longer holding him down. His jaw clenched and he opened his mouth to say something, but he was cut off by the sound of pounding feet, both of them jerking their gazes up at the door Peter had come through and watched Tony round the corner.
Tony was upside down from Peter's vantage point, but the anger was still evident, rolling off of him in waves as he stopped in his tracks, glaring them down. Peter felt his face go hot as he could only imagine how they looked, him lying there with Loki sprawled on top of him. Steve wasn't far behind, soon following Tony until he crashed into him, taking note of the two men, and then Thor was right behind them.
Peter felt Loki tense on top of him, but he didn't move as he stared them down, like prey who had spotted their hunter and waited for the first move.
"What in the hell are you doing?" As soon as the words left Tony's mouth, Loki sprung up off of Peter, holding his hands up in surrender, but still smirking like he's wanted to be caught. Tony marched over to him and grabbed him by the front of his shirt, slamming him into the nearest wall.
Loki didn't fight as he was thrown, he just gave Tony a snide look as he replied in a slightly strained voice, "Wasn't it obvious?" Tony pulled him back a foot and slammed him into the wall again with a grunt.
Peter jumped to his feet at that, embarrassment and anxiety ricocheting inside of him. "Tony, stop! He didn't do anything!" He tried to be heard over the chaos, Steve trying to calm Tony down, Thor berating Loki, but it seemed impossible.
"Do you see what I mean, do you see why I wanted you kept away from him?" Tony held onto the front of Loki's clothes, gripping him tight, ignoring all of those around him. Loki held himself tall, meeting Tony directly in the eye. Tony turned his glare to Steve in turn, letting his words sink into the both of them. "This is the man you think should be Peter's new bff? Really?" The disgust in his voice made Peter flinch, though logically he knew it was because Loki had appeared to be attacking him, and he supposed he had been, but for some reason he felt a small bundle of shame burn in the pit of his stomach.
Loki's keen gaze flicked over to Peter for a brief second before returning his attention back to Tony, "Ah, they grow up so fast, don't they?"
"Loki, for once in your life, shut up!", Thor's voice boomed in the room, causing Loki to grin in a way that reminded Peter of who he was, the God of Mischief. He held his arms out in a half hearted shrug.
Peter seized the opportunity of the now quieter room, coming closer to Tony and speaking in a anxious voice, "Tony, please, it was my fault, I was- er, he caught me spying on him, and he seemed to think someone sent me after him? He let up as soon as I explained."
Tony was still furious, he glanced at Peter for a moment, the two of them locking gazes, Peter willing him to see the earnestness in his face. After what felt like hours, Tony wrenched his hands away from Loki, who stumbled to catch his balance.
Peter let out a small breath, relief flooding his body as Tony stepped away, running a hand over his face, "I told you to stay away from him, he's been here two seconds and you're rushing into altercations with him? Do you deliberately try to do the exact opposite of what I ask, or is it just luck?"
Peter took the sarcasm as a good sign, even if it was laced with anger, and he couldn't help the small smile as he quipped back, "I'd say it's more of a talent really."
"While this has been entertaining, I'd appreciate it if you could point me in the direction of my accommodations." Loki's voice cut through the room, dripping with sarcasm, and it seemed to cause Tony's blood pressure to skyrocket once again.
"Yeah, I'll get right on those accommodations, right after you go to-"
"Stark. We agreed to help them, let's try to be civil in the meantime?" Steve's voice cut Tony off, and Thor walked to his brother, clapping a hand on his shoulder, which made Loki roll his eyes slightly.
"Wait, but what was that earlier, about someone being sent after you? Are you guys in trouble?" Peter was still dying to just sit and talk to Loki, learn everything about him, starting with why they were here. Loki met Peter's gaze, his face unreadable as he studied the younger man.
Tony put a hand on Peter's shoulder and answered him, "Don't worry about it kid, we're taking care of it. Steve, will you show them to their rooms?"
Steve nodded, a look of concern still on his face, but he started to lead them away. Thor smiled in his good natured way and started to follow, Loki hesitated only a moment, eyeing Peter briefly before beginning to follow.
Peter watched as Loki walked past him, still in awe of the man, looking every bit as legendary as Peter had expected him to. He didn't want this to end and he frantically thought of something to say to him before he's left, unsure of when he'd get to see him next.
"It was great meeting you Mr. God of Mischief, er Loki sir. I uh yeah, thanks for not attacking me?" Peter cringed at his own awkwardness, running a hand through his unruly hair.
Loki gave him a quick glance over his shoulder, only giving him a brief "Hmm." In response as he left the room.
Peter and Tony stood there in awkward silence for a moment, before Tony finally spoke up, "Kid, I hope you realize you're grounded until you're like 30, and that's just for being a real pain in the ass."
Peter grinned as he responded, "You better watch your language or Steve is gonna ground you."
Tony scoffed and shook his head in response, "Parker, you got lucky this time, okay? But trust me when I say it's for your own good that you stay away from Loki. You're playing with fire here."
Peter shrugged, turning serious for a moment, "I think I can take care of myself, and even if I do get into trouble, I think it's time you trust me to be able to get myself out of it." He said with a small reassuring smile.
"There's stuff going on here that you don't know about, Peter. I mean, it's stuff even Thor and Loki can't handle. Trust me, this is the best way. Just steer clear of Loki." And with that, Tony left the room.