"So…" Peter leans back against his desk, his thoughts racing with ideas and the excitement beginning to flow through his veins, "Where do we start? Are we going to need Thor's help? Oh, is he already working on it? Wait are we going to Asgard? This definitely feels like it has something to do with Asgard-"
"Before you start planning a travel itinerary," Loki drones out sarcastically, "I think the first step is getting me back to my room before the guard dogs notice I'm missing."
"Oh, yeah uh that makes sense." Peter nods his head quickly as he watches Loki stand from the bed and head for the door. Peter makes himself stop nodding and straightens up to follow along, "But we're talking about this tomorrow, don't even think about freezing me out."
Loki looks back at him with a smirk, "wouldn't dream of it, Parker." He bids Peter goodnight before making his way down the hall, Peter still standing in the open doorway watching him go.
Peter chews lightly on his thumbnail as he watches Loki disappear behind the corner, his mind still thinking about everything he's overheard, every piece of information he's gotten his hands on. He tried desperately to connect the dots and make a picture, but it's useless. He lets out a defeated sigh and is about to head back into his room, when suddenly a hand sneaks out and holds his door steady, "Not so fast, kid." Peter looks up to find Steve standing there, looking down at him with scrutiny.
"Oh shit." Peter breathes.
Steve raises an eyebrow at the curse but otherwise his face doesn't change much, he continues giving that stony interrogation face that makes Peter's stomach flip, and before he can think better of it, he's spewing word vomit.
"Please don't tell Tony! He'll absolutely kill me, and probably Loki while he's at it, and honestly he just won't understand, he can never know, it'll ruin everything." Steve's face changes from strict to sympathetic, looking a little sad even as he stares down at Peter, who's practically about to get on his knees and beg at this point.
"You know it wouldn't really be that bad, Tony loves you, Peter, he wouldn't care either way." Steve furrows his eyebrows with a look of concern.
Peter however looks at Steve like he's absolutely lost it. "You're kidding right? Tony would absolutely flip; he'd never be okay with this."
Steve rubs a hand over his jaw and looks down the hall contemplating, "Well, sure, he might have some… trouble with Loki, but overall, you know he accepts you, right, Peter?"
"I… Guess so? But "accepting me" and "accepting me working to help a guy he still considers a villain and a threat" are kind of directly opposed."
Now it's Steve's turn to look completely at a loss, "Wait… So, you're not gay…?"
Peter thinks his brain backfires and goes offline as he just stands there, staring stupidly at Captain America. His mouth opens to respond, and promptly shuts when it realizes his brain has nothing for him. He tries a couple of times, grimacing lightly when he finally manages to squeak out a meek reply, "What?"
"Come on, Pete, you gotta know how this looks…" When Peter just looks at him blankly, Steve heaves a sigh and looks up at the ceiling like he's cursing God for putting him in this situation, "It's 4 in the morning, your hair is a mess, and Loki just snuck out of your room like a secret lover."
Peter's eyes go wide, and his cheeks light up with a vibrant blush and he barely gets out a mumbled, "I'm going to bed now." Before he slips back into his bedroom, closing the door firmly behind him, leans against it and wonders why his heart feels like it's taken up residence in his throat.
The sound of stomping feet and rushing people seeps through Peter's room sometime in the late morning, causing Peter's mind to start stirring underneath the fog of sleep. It's not until he realizes FRIDAY is filling his room with words that he can't quite make out that he finally starts to gain consciousness.
Peter lifts his head and squints at the sun starting to stream through his window, runs a hand through his hair and tries to piece together the garbled words he's hearing all around him.
"Peter…time to… been an attack." Peter flings himself from the bed, promptly loosing balance and reaches out to steady himself against the bed post so he doesn't collide into the nearest wall.
"An attack on who? Is everyone okay? Where are they?" Peter spouts questions before they're even fully formed in his head, his brain working overtime as he frantically searches for clothes.
"There were several attacks through New York last night, there were some civilian injuries and two deaths, the Avengers are safe and meeting in the debriefing room, with Loki attending."
Peter freezes at that, Tony is even letting Loki in on the briefing. It must be something related to him then, even then Peter wouldn't be surprised if Tony kicked him out anyway.
Peter finishes dressing, hardly even checking to make sure the clothes were clean, and he's definitely ignoring the wrinkles in his t-shirt as he starts running down the hall and sliding into an elevator without a second thought.
He reaches the debriefing room just as Thor walks up from the other side of the hall, a somber look on his face, hammer at his side, and looking like he hasn't seen a shower in a couple of days.
"Thor!" Peter waves lightly as he tries to catch up to the taller man, hoping to get a minute with him and see what kind of information he can get from him before Tony tells him to keep it under wraps.
Thor, while still looking resigned, does offer a small smile, and the friendly bear hug that he always likes to give. "Ah, Boy of Spiders, it is good to see you, my friend."
"What's going on?" Peter asks, still taking in the bustling scene around them.
Thor looks down at him grimly, his hair short and his face and armour covered in grime like he just came out of one fight and he's ready for another. "It appears Loki has been tracked here, we'd hoped they wouldn't track him, and that if they had, they wouldn't make a move while he was here."
"Well, it seems you've underestimated Loki's ability to really truly piss people off." Tony's voice cuts through the mayhem as he walks up behind Peter, files under an arm, dressed in his usual full attire, fully tailored suit and perfectly quaffed hair. Only Peter thinks he's able to see the cracks in the image, the circles under his eyes, the tense line of his shoulders. Tony is great at masks, the only people who see through it are well versed in reading Stark.
"What happened?" Peter is fairly sure he won't get an answer out of him, he's not positive just how much leniency Tony is willing to give him on this, but Peter's never been one to worry much about the odds.
Tony seems to be debating the same thing as his hard gaze sweeps over Peter before he gives a sigh like he got stuck babysitting on a Friday night and answers, "It seems Loki's troubled history is following him once again, who could've guessed that." His eyes flick to Thor with a raised eyebrow, "The people after him hit several spots in New York, apparently trying to follow his trail and figure out where he is."
"Who is it? Why are they after Loki? Where did they hit? Are they still out there? Can I go take a look a-" Peter's mind starts rolling and he doesn't see an end in sight until Tony lays a hand on his shoulder and Peter glances up to find his dark eyes staring down at him.
"Slow down there, short stack. Why don't you just go help patrol the city, keep an eye on things and we'll handle the murderer in witness protection." Tony gives his shoulder a quick pat as someone calls his name from down the hall, "Don't worry, kid, we go this."
Thor gives him another sympathetic look and a slight wave before following after Tony, leaving Peter once again in the metaphorical dust.
As soon as Peter gets back to his room, he plops down on his desk chair, pulling out his laptop with a sense of resolve. He may not be able to attend the debriefing, but he still has access to most of their files, and he'll be damned if he just sits on the sidelines while people get hurt.
He searches the Tower database for everything about the attacks, pulling up a couple dozen files, from items about the attacks, who was first on site, eyewitness reports, recordings from the dozens of police calls that we're made for the attacks.
Peter tells FRIDAY to let him know when the meeting is over, and cracks his knuckles as he gets ready to dive in.
"Peter, the meeting has concluded." FRIDAY's voice streams through Peter's room, startling him from where he'd tossed himself across an armchair, his laptop balanced precariously in his lap.
He runs a hand over his face, his eyes feeling strained from so much time sitting in front of the screen, "Thanks FRIDAY." He saves a few final files to his computer before getting to his feet and stretching out his tired limbs.
Peter grabs his suit and other things as he takes his leave, his thoughts swirling around the new information he'd gathered. He can't quite help the small clench of his heart as his mind comes back to the same piece. The arcade.
Peter chews his lip subconsciously as he remembers that night with Loki, the way they played, and the way Loki even seemed to shine with something more than just mischief. 1 dead, 3 injured.
They must have some sort of tracking skills, maybe it's just for Loki specifically, or maybe they're just incredibly good hunters. They got ahold of their trail somehow because they attacked the arcade, the same one Peter had dragged Loki to. It couldn't have been a coincidence; Peter doesn't believe it for a second.
And none of the other heroes are even going to realize, no one knows about their escapade through the arcade center, and for all Peter knows, Loki may have been to all the places they hit. Peter had found him at a bar after all, it's possible he'd hit up a few places looking for trouble. How close were they from tracking Loki, really? We're they on his tail the whole time? Or did they only get once place right, only catching his trail at the arcade? There were too many questions and not nearly enough information for Peter's liking. Luckily enough, he was coming up on someone who could at least provide a few answers.
Peter finds himself slipping through the halls easily, not many people are out at the moment, and it isn't long before he finds himself outside Loki's doors.
Peter walks right up to the same average door that everyone's room has, but it feels different. Peter hasn't quite sought Loki out like this, and he hesitates just a moment, his fist raised to the door and frozen in the air for just a moment before he takes a deep breath and knocks.
It's just a moment before Loki casually opens the door, giving Peter a slow sweep of his gaze before his lilting voice echoes through the hall, "You're certainly not the [FOOD? FILES? GUARDS?] I was expecting."
Peter's brow scrunches slightly in confusion, "Uh yeah, sorry I just thought-" Peter stumbles over his words as he watches Loki lean against the door frame, his gaze sharp, watching him like he's stalking prey, Peter clears his throat and tries again, "Um, that is, Mr. Loki, sir, we have business to attend to."
Somehow this just seems to make Loki look even more amused, "Oh, do we now?"
"Yes, now there's been an attack on the city, they're not just searching anymore, they've found you, and now people are getting hurt, my city-" Peter cuts off before he spirals too far down that train of thought, "We have work to do."
"Evidently, it doesn't look like I'm going to get rid of you so, welcome to my humble accommodations" Loki's whole body exudes sarcasm as he steps aside, sweeping out his arm to welcome Peter into his room.
Peter wastes no time in following suit and immediately starts pacing in the middle of the living room, ranting before he's even taken in the room. "I know someone's chasing you, someone not from Earth obviously, and they wrecked some of the city looking for you, but I guess they don't suspect that you're staying with us of all people? So, we have that to our advantage, but-"
"Parker." Loki's voice sounds from just to his left, catching Peter by surprise, the use of his last name causing a chill to race down his spine as he turns to look at the God of mischief. He's standing on the other side of the couch in a button up dark green shirt, sleeves rolled up to expose his forearms, crossed loosely in front of him, "You're going to wear a hole in my floor if you keep that up, I really don't want to explain that to Tony."
Peter glances down at his unmoving legs, a light flush creeping up his cheeks, and for some reason, all Peter can hear for a second is Steve's voice in his head, "it's 4 in the morning, your hair is a mess, and Loki just snuck out of your room…" Peter swallows hard as he makes himself stay still and hopes to every God in the universe that his thoughts aren't as obvious as they feel.
"I don't need a rundown of the facts, I already had the debriefing, and Odin knows Tony loves to hear himself talk."
"Right," Peter starts moving his hands as he collects his thoughts. "So, you know the places they hit, right?"
Loki just nods at him, his face not giving anything away for what he's really thinking.
"They hit the arcade." The room seems too silent, the air feeling thick as Peter's voice drifts quietly through it.
"So they did, someone must have heard all the regaling tales about Earth and their rudimentary games."
"The other places they hit. Have you been to any of them?"
"No, I haven't exactly had a lot of free time for tourist activities."
"Did you tell the others that you'd been there?"
"Do you think I'd still be here if Stark knew I'd slipped out for a stroll?"
Peter finally looks away from Loki's intense green eyes, his own gaze casts around the room. Finally taking in the bland scenery. It looks the same as most all of the rooms, a regular guest room. It doesn't even look touched, not like someone's been staying here at all.
"Okay, so what's the plan?"
Loki arches an eyebrow at him, "And who says I have a plan?"
"You always have a plan." Peter shoots back instantly.
Loki regards him with a heavy stare, a gleam in his eye that looks almost like appreciation, but it's replaced with his usual look of smug amusement before Peter can really read into it. "And what makes you think I'll include you in on the plan?"
"You know if I don't I'll just follow you around until you do, so really there's just no use trying to hide it, and anyhow, like I said, you need me for this."
"Okay, Parker," Loki walks around the couch and drapes himself across the armchair off to the side, lounging across it like it's his own personal throne, "Wow me with your special Midgardian knowledge."
"Ah-" Peter stumbles at this, watching Loki study him with those bright calculating eyes, the languid way he's spread out in front of him, Peter swallows hard, "No."
Loki raises his eyebrows in slight surprise, and Peter can't even enjoy catching him off guard before his mouth is rushing to spill out his thoughts almost as quickly as they come.
"No offense, but I know you Loki, I grew up listening to stories about you, and not even the highly exaggerated myths, but from Thor himself. And, granted, they're probably not entirely reliable, but enough to know how you operate at least. I'm not giving you any information without assurance that I will be included in the plan. I'm not letting you cut me out of this, I'm helping you whether you want it or not."
"Well, how could I refuse in the face of such insistence."
Peter sighs, "Why does it feel like we're playing chess or something."
Loki's eyes glitter with a look of satisfaction, "As all the best negotiations should."
Peter just looks at him doubtfully, "You give me information first, I want to know who you're running from, why you're running. If I know who we're meant to be fighting, I'll know how to handle them, I can do research and figure out the best moves."
"And what makes you think you can figure it out where the others have failed? You think you can come up with a plan that your precious Iron Man, or your Captain America, even Thor hasn't been able to conceive?" Loki has stood now, stalking closer to Peter has his voice picks up in volume, "The best plan according to them is hide and wait for them to go away." Loki says in a disparaging tone, waving an arm as if to encompass the entire situation. "None of you are equipped to handle this, none of you have seen this kind of power, faced this kind of enemy. I shouldn't be here, I shouldn't be hiding, I should-" He breaks off, his face closing over his heated expression, as if he realized just how much he was giving away as he let his words carry off with him.
Peter stands still, watching Loki as his face changed from his usual mask and twisted to show pain, anger, regret, so much in so little time, Peter wasn't sure what to do with it.
When the awkward silence becomes a bit too much for Peter, he can't help but twitch as he rubs the back of his neck and he tries to clear his throat in a strong manner, but he's worried it sounds more like he's choking.
"Look, I don't know if I'll have any better of a plan, I don't know if I can actually do anything for you, if I can really help at all. But I have to do something, so I'm going to search the sites that were hit, I'm going to go on regular patrols and try to find the people who are hurting my own. I won't sit here and hide, I'm going to fight back, whether you join me or not. So, maybe my plan won't be to your liking either, but if you go with me, at least you'll be doing something."
Loki studies Peter for a moment, his eyes clear and calculating as they seem to weigh his choices. Peter tries not to let his heart get lost in his throat as he waits for a response, he wants desperately to do this with Loki, but he won't be stopping either way, even if he goes at this alone, he knows he won't stop until it's finished.
"Well, I can't say I'm pleased at having the Avengers mascot as my only backup, but times are tough I suppose." Loki finally says in his melodic voice.
Peter can't help the small smile and the way his heart starts speeding in excitement, and he has to work to keep his whooping of joy on the inside, but he can't help but let the one word of triumph let loose, "Yes! You won't be disappointed; I know the city like the back of my hand!"
Loki looks unconvinced, "I hope you're right; we're going to need as much of an advantage as possible if we're going to accomplish anything."