Spiderman Oneshots

Loophole (6)

"The only difference is how much we all know about it," Peter mumbled to himself. And wasn't that the greatest truth of them all? Loki had always been Loki, and Louis, and Merlin. Peter had always been Peter, and the Peter Parker nobody remembered, and Spider-Man. All the time they'd spent together - that had been real. The banter, the inside jokes, the times spent working together in silence or being dragged out to parties or fighting crime. Those weren't just figments of his imagination, couldn't have been mere illusions.

The art student had been Loki all along, yes, but Loki had also been the art student. Loki had been the person there for him, from the beginning.

And he was still gone. So Peter paced, and distracted himself with work, and stared at the sky for a rainbow.

"Well, isn't this familiar."

Peter yelped at the unexpected voice, tripping over the sill of the window he'd just been climbing through. He recovered quickly and pulled off his mask, hardly daring to believe his eyes.

"Loki?" He swallowed. "I thought you weren't going to come back."

Loki stood in the corner with something very close to awkwardness. "Did you not want me back?" He wore the face of Thor's brother, but the casual student clothes of Peter's roommate. Well, Peter supposed, he was Peter's roommate no matter how he looked.

"I've been worried about you," Peter admitted. "It's been quiet without you."

"There was an incident in New Asgard," Loki said. "My assistance was urgently required. I came back as quickly as I could." He didn't move from his position by the door, as if afraid Peter would flinch away if he tried to come closer.

Nothing's changed, really.

It had, though.

"Is everyone okay there?"

"They are now. Have you been well during my absence?"

"I've been fine. Had some peace and quiet to work on my project."

"I suppose that's a good thing."

Peter gave a noncommittal shrug. The silence stretched.

"Will you be staying?" He asked finally. 

"If you do not wish me to leave."

"I don't mind," Peter said. He didn't want to be alone. From the look on Loki's face, the god could sense the lie, but not the truth.

"I can pack my belongings and return to New Asgard permanently if that's what you'd prefer," Loki said hollowly.

Peter shook his head. "Stay. Unless you want to go home; be with your family."

"One can have a home in more than one place."

"Do you want to stay?" Peter tried not to sound too hopeful.

"Do you want me to stay?" Loki's tone was the same. They held each other's gaze, at an impasse. 

A shrill ringing from Peter's phone broke the moment and he fumbled to turn off the alarm.

"I have to leave for volunteering," he explained to Loki, then hesitated. "Do you want to come?"

Loki did come, disguised as the Loki Peter had shared a room with for the past months. The other volunteers were delighted by his return and asked where he'd been - Loki told them it had been a family emergency and assured them that everyone was alright; the issue had been resolved.

"Good," one of the volunteers said. "We missed you around here. Can we expect to see you regularly again?"

Loki snuck a glance at Peter, who pretended he had been stacking food crates instead of eavesdropping. "I hope so."