Hey, guys! So, it's been a while since I've updated, I know.
*crickets*
Yikes.
It's a bit hard for me to stay attached to whatever was happening in the plot before, but we generally left off after Natasha 'adopted' Peter! Yay!
So, I'm going to pick it back up here with a new plot (kind of? still picking up where we left off, just new plot things). I hope you like it! I'm gonna stuff it full of all the stuff we all love in fanfics lmao you know, angst, angst...fluff...and angst. We stan.
I'll still include the May stuff though because that's important!
Thank you so, so very much for your patience with me! I am gonna finish this book for whoever still might want to read it, haha.
Okay, enough with my stalling—here we go!
___Peter___
I'd been staying with Nat and the Avengers for about a week now. It was kinda cool, seeing the behind the scenes stuff. Sometimes I forgot that superheroes sleep in on Saturdays too.
Making my way out into the kitchen, I smile softly to myself when I see Nat and Clint messing around at the kitchen table. They're laughing, Nat stealing Clint's bacon every time he turns around. She turns to me and winks, a finger held up to her lips. I smirk.
They're adorable. I know they aren't dating, they're just best friends—but that doesn't make them any less adorable. I wish I could have a girl-friend. Well, not like a girlfriend girlfriend! Like a friend that's a girl. But a best friend. Not that Ned isn't a good best friend! I just mean I wish I could have, like, a girl-best-friend.
How am I socially awkward inside my own head?
"Hey, Pete!" Clint smiles at me from his chair. His hand shoots down to his plate to grab a piece of his bacon, surprised when all he finds is one piece left. His eyes shoot up to Nat, playful anger etched onto his features. "YoU-"
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't look at me." Nat throws her hands up, stopping Clint. She points towards the end of the table as if she were accusing someone else of stealing his bacon. As soon as Clint looks towards the end of the table, Nat slyly snags his last piece of bacon and bounces out of her chair. A smug smile on her face, "And you call yourself an assassin" She snickers and takes a bite of the bacon.
"Hey!" Clint looks back at her. "That was the last piece!"
"Morning." She smirks at me, leaning forward against the kitchen island.
"Good morning!" I smile at her, moving to grab a bowl of cereal from the pantry. Nat goes up to the oven and slides a tray of bacon out of it, setting it down on the stovetop.
"Help yourself." She taps her finger on the tray before walking back to Clint.
"I thouGHT THAT WAS THE LAST PIECE-" Clint shrieks, noticing the extra tray of bacon.
"You thought wrong, Barton." Nat chuckles as she sassily finishes the strip of bacon. I get a hefty bowl of cereal and stack a small plate with bacon. Thank god my healing factor takes care of acne.
(lucky you 🙄)
"You got school today, kid?" Nat asks loosely as she turns to look at me.
"Yeah, I actually have a chem test in second period!" I reply excitedly, mowing down on my breakfast.
"Oh, cool." Clint smiles at me as he goes to wash his plate.
"Yeah." I hum with a smile. "I'm super excited."
"I think you're the only kid I've ever known who's been excited for a chemistry test." Nat chuckles lightly, plopping down on the couch.
"What—Peter is the only kid you've ever known-" Clint interrupts, looking at Nat incredulously.
Her jaw drops, aghast. "Not true!"
My eyes scan over the time on the oven and I quickly realize I'm gonna be late. "GotTA GO-" I shout as I snag my backpack from the chair to my left. "Bye!"
"See you, Pete!" Clint calls, surprised by my sudden movement.
"Stay safe!" Nat shouts out just as the doors close.
___biggie time skip i know lol sorrryyy___
The elevator rides up, while I let my stress from the day drop down. The test went well, but Flash was just being a dick after school. It's nothing I'm not used to, but that doesn't mean it doesn't still bother me.
The elevator doors slide open, revealing a clan of Avengers circled around someone new. "No way is he staying here!" Mr. Stark yells, jabbing a finger at the guy. "This jackass destroyed half my tower!"
"He has to stay somewhere-" Bruce concedes, trying to calm the room.
"Yeah, not here!" Mr. Stark scoffs, running a hand through his hair stressfully.
"I gotta agree with Tony on this one, this guy is nowhere near safe." Clint backs Mr. Stark up, stepping away from the crowd. He makes eye contact with me as I stand there in the elevator.
"I refuse to let this bag of garbage anywhere near Peter." Nat waves him off dismissively.
"HEY, Peter!" Clint says loudly, purposefully trying to alert the room of my presence.
"Peter?" Nat spins around, giving me a clear view of the new guy.
"Peter?" A man's voice bleeds through the commotion of the room, his interesting accent highlighting his voice from the influx of noise. "And who might this 'Peter' be?"
"No one." Mr. Stark sneers, casting the man an annoyed look. He turns to Fury, who I just noticed was in the room. Wow, this must be a big deal if Fury himself came to the tower. "This bag of space-dicks is staying somewhere else, I-"
"There is nowhere else, Stark." Fury sighs, his uniquely cold voice stiffening the atmosphere in the room. "We just need to keep him somewhere until we can find a way to prosecute this son of a bitch."
...who was this guy again?
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?! This dillweed completely demolished half of New York City!" Clint waves his arms around passionately.
WAIT—destroyed half the city?!
Fury sighs, "Yes, but the Chitauri were known for mind-controlling innocent agents, so there is no way to accurately prove that Loki was in his right mind when he committed mass genocide." He spits, obviously beyond annoyed.
WAIT—Loki? As in, God-of-Mischief Loki?!
Fury continues, "And according to the bullshit American security system, everyone is 'innocent until proven guilty'." It's clear by his tone that Fury isn't buying into any of Loki's "bullshit". "Now, I know we all know what actually happened." He shoots a furious glare at Loki, "But Rudolph here decided he wanted to play the system."
"This is absolute BULLSHIT." Tony shrieks in Fury's face. "This guy is insane and you know it!"
Nat takes a deep breath, obviously trying to keep her anger contained, "Fury, you know how unsafe it is to just let him roam free-"
Loki rolls his eyes. "I could have very well been controlled by-"
"NO ONE. NO ONE WAS- UGH." Mr. Stark hustles to his kitchen and pours himself a drink, swallowing it in one mouthful. "Yeah, I'm gonna need more alcohol." He pours another.
Loki smirks slyly, "Well, according to your country-"
"I KNOW, OKAY? I KNOW." Mr. Stark shouts at the god.
"Um, I'm sorry, but—what's going on?" I pipe up, scratching the back of my neck self-consciously. All eyes dart back to where I am, reminding everyone in the room that I exist.
Nat approaches me, her arms crossed frustratedly. "Nothing. You're not gonna interact with this guy. Come on, to your room." Nat nods her head to the hallway, trying to block my view of Loki from where we're standing.
"Who is that?" I ask curiously, making eye contact with the man. A mischievous green flashes over his pupils for a moment once he sees my curiosity peak.
"No one you gotta worry about. Now go." Nat insists, her eyebrows raised expectantly.
I cast one last glance at Loki before Nat gently pushes me into the hallway. As soon as I turn away, I run directly into a wall. At least, I thought it was a wall.
My eyes dart upwards, widening when I realize
what—or rather who—I had just bumped into. "Ah, so who is the little one?" Loki smirks as his eyes study my confused face.
"Loki-" Steve curses from the living room, now even more on edge than he had been before. "Get away from the kid."
"Didn't really answer my question." Loki hums, shooting a playful look at Steve. "Keeping secrets, are we, Stevie?"
"Yeah, actually." Nat spits, the ferocity of her glare ready to end his life at a moment's notice.
"From me?" Loki feigns a gasp.
Clint scoffs, a look of disgust etched into his frown, "Always from you."
Bruce pipes in from his quiet corner of the room, "But why does he have to stay here?"
Fury sighs, running a hand over his bald head exhaustedly, "Loki is a threat to anyone and everyone he encounters. Thus, I figured the safest place to keep him was surrounded by 'The World's Mightiest Heroes'." He huffs. "This way, you can keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't destroy half the planet."
"Makes sense." Bucky adds, glaring at Loki from his chair at the dining table. His fingers fiddle with a knife dangerously, the tip poking at his index finger while he twirls it with his opposite hand.
Fury sighs again, making his way for the elevator with his two extra agents in tow. "Just keep an eye on this cosmic asshole." The elevator doors close with a 'swoosh'.
Everyone's left in silence, staring at Loki. Suddenly, a knife flies over my shoulder, aimed directly for the center of Loki's chest. I had anticipated it, using my spidey-sense, but it hadn't told me to move so I stayed put. "Nat!" Steve shrieks, followed by calls from the rest of the Avengers. I squeeze my eyes shut, terrified to watch a man get killed in front of me. However, when I neglect to hear the oddly familiar sound of a stab wound, I peep my eyes open. Surprise splashes across my features when all I see is a blade stuck in the wall.
I spin around, looking for Loki. "What the hell, Nat?!" Steve curses again, waving a hand towards the knife in the wall.
"He was in my way. He moved." She replies simply, then moves to push me into the hallway again. "Off you go, Pete."
"But Nat, I wanna see-" I try my best to turn around to see Loki again. My eyes meet his mischievous ones one last time before I'm led out of sight.
Once we make it to my bedroom door, Nat stops us and places her hands on either side of my shoulders to be sure she has my attention.
"Peter, promise me you won't go near him?" She asks, her eyes boring into mine.
It doesn't seem right blaming all of that destruction on this one guy...Plus, for all we know, he was mind-controlled! Why assume the worst of people when we can assume the best? "I just wanna meet him. He can't be that bad-"
Nat grimaces, worry swirling in her emerald eyes, "He can be, Pete. He really can." Her lips purse and she looks down, obviously uncomfortable. "I don't want you getting hurt because of him." I can tell she doesn't like feeling this emotionally vulnerable.
"I can take care of myself." I insist with a determined smile.
"Not against a Norse god, you can't." Nat scoffs. She takes a deep breath, "Just promise me you'll be careful?"
I process it for a moment. "I promise." I give in. It's a simple promise, nothing I'm not willing to give.
"Thanks, kid." She scruffs my hair with a lopsided smirk, "Go do your teenager stuff, I'll be out here if you need me." She backs away, still facing me as she makes her way back down the hallway.
I nod and smile back at her, heading into my room to finish my homework.
________________________
"Uncle Ben!" I cry, running up to him. The man with the gun sprints away, fear sprawled across his features. My pants tear at the knee as I land on the asphalt beside my uncle. "Ben, please-"
His mouth sputters with blood, the staining red liquid dripping down the side of his face as he struggles to breathe. "Peter..." He murmurs, his eyes focusing in and out as they finally find my face. "Listen to me, kid..." A small smile tugs at the corners of his mouth, the crimson paint intensifying the horror coursing through me.
"Uncle Ben, please don't go!" I plead, tears gushing down my face, "I can't lose you, I can't-"
My uncle struggles for breath, "You're going to have to, Peter." I release a sob, choking on my emotions. It feels like I'm suffocating. "And it's gonna be okay." He finishes.
"No, I can't-" I scream, my hands shaking uncontrollably.
It's all falling apart.
Crumbling.
"I love you, Pete." He whispers with a breathless gasp.
All I can do is grasp his bloodied shirt, my tears only adding to the puddle slowly accumulating beneath my uncle.
Everything is broken.
I shoot awake, a scream ripping through my throat. My hands haphazardly grasp at the air, searching for Ben. A scream rips through my throat, "Don't go!"
I remember where I am, tugging the sheets up to my face as I search for some form of comfort.
__Loki__
My solemn silence is disturbed by the sound of a muffled scream coming from down the hallway. I raise an eyebrow, curious. Who could be screaming at this hour?
I slither (hsss) out of my assigned room and meander down the hall, leaning into each door to search for the source of the noise. My feet stop once I notice quiet sobs emanating from a specific bedroom. I teleport inside, finding no use in going through the door.
There sits Peter, who I've identified as Nat's protégée, curled up in a small ball. He appears to be crying. Sobbing, to be specific.
I stand there for a moment, watching.
Well, what the hell do you want me to do?! I'm no good with children! Plus, that mother-spider of his would slaughter me if she found out I so much as looked at the little one.
Peter glances up, sniffling. He jumps in surprise once he sees me, then looks surprised with himself. "I-I'm sorry if I woke you up, um...Mr. Loki." He looks down, ashamed.
"Nonsense, I wasn't asleep." I wave him off and carefully sit at the end of his bed. Peter looks surprised by my sudden causality. "Are you, um...alright?" What?! I don't know how to do this!
Peter thinks for a moment, his eyes cast down as he processes the question. The little one looks like an absolute mess of emotions. "I don't know." He buries his face in his knees.
I find myself surprised when a pang of guilt hits me in my emotion-creator; Eh, you call it a heart. Rumor has it the god of mischief has no heart.
My thumbs twiddle together awkwardly. "Do you want to...discuss...about it?" This is new for me, give me a break!
"Nat says I'm not supposed to talk to you." He murmurs, his voice muffled by the blankets.
I sigh, hiding the minute raindrop of pain that hits me. "I know, I know." I wave him off, "Big, bad god-of-mischief is going to taint your young mind with his evilness."
The boy snickers quietly, his eyes lighting up for the smallest of moments.
Did I just made the child...smile?
Oh, Nat is going to be pissed!
I give a smile in return, fixing my sleeves to try to deter the conversation. The child watches me curiously, his eyebrows bunched up. "Did you really destroy New York?" He finally asks, obviously regretting it the moment he realizes what he's said.
"Why does everyone think I'm some mass killer out to demolish their planet?" I raise my palms incredulously, earning another smile from the little one.
Every time I see the child smile because of me...I notice this twinge, this odd feeling in my chest. It makes me want to smile. He seems so innocent. He knows that I very well could have destroyed half of America's most cherished city and ruined thousands of lives, but here he is—smiling at me nonetheless.
It almost makes this that much harder.
"Anyways, I'll, uh, let you head back to sleep." I clear my throat and make my way for the door, suddenly finding the impulse to actually use the Midguaridan entryway this time.
Peter nods, "Thanks, Loki."
A flood of guilt crashes over me. "Goodnight, little one."
I shut the door behind me, continuing on to the rest of the plans I'd had for the night. Quickly teleporting to the roof, I pull out the odd, disposable Midguardian device I'd had casually stowed away in my pocket.
After pressing a code into the small electronic, I hold the device up to my ear, "Yes, I've gained entry." I sigh into the phone, my eyes cast along the skyline of the city I almost had in the palm of my hand.
"And...?" The voice on the other end trails off.
I think back to the child, Peter.
A pang of guilt bleeds into my chest.
I know what I must do now.
...
But is it something I'm now willing to do?
"And I think I've found just the target."
_____________________________
AHHHH finally, holy COW it has taken me FOREVER to get an update out! Thank you so very much for your patience! I hope you guys like the new update, I swear Nat's gonna have more involvement next chapter (:
Now, onto the next one!
-rice crispy treats