^ literally me, sorry for the late update!
also remember that weird blue rock from like a few chapters ago? 👀 just keep that in mind
buckle up. this one's a doozy...
__Peter__
My head feels as though it's floating underwater. Sounds are muffled, it's almost hard to breathe. My eyes feel dry, reminding me of sandpaper as I open them. My eyebrows raise in surprise when I realize I'm staring up at the ceiling of my bedroom.
It's weird, but it feels like my thoughts hurt as I try to remember what had happened the night before. As hard as I wrack my brain, I can't seem to recall on my own. Either that, or it was giving me a headache and I just didn't care enough to keep trying.
Looking down at my sheets, I find the blankets tucked around me, like when May would tuck me in as a kid. I must've slept hard, considering I didn't even turn in my sleep.
I push myself up into a sitting position, finding a sharp pain poking me in the side. I peel away the gauze I find to reveal an already healing billet wound. Memories of last night come flooding through my head.
My first thought was whether everyone was okay after the attack last night. I rush to my feet and somehow manage to not fall over; My legs feel like jello and I hardly have the energy to keep myself upright. A pant of hunger strikes me right in the stomach.
"Nat?" I call out. My voice sounds hoarse, almost dry enough to hurt. I pull the door open and make my way down to the living room. Chattering voices echo down the hall, however they all seem to lack any enthusiasm whatsoever. It almost feels like forced conversation.
My first step into the living room goes completely unnoticed. Even by Nat, apparently. They're all either staring at the floor in deep thought, or staring at the wall in even deeper thought. Wow.
"Who died?" I ask with a playful chuckle.
All heads turn to face me. The tension in the room immediately dissolves as either smiles or relieved looks pass across each of the Avengers' faces. "Peter," Nat stands and walks over to me, her relieved look now replaced with concern. "What in god's name are you doing up?"
"I didn't know what else to do." I chuckle lightheartedly. "But seriously," I clear my throat, "Is everyone okay?"
Bucky pipes up from his secluded place in the chair beside the far window. "Everyone but you."
An anxious silence dawns upon the group. Or maybe it was just me. Who's to say, really?
"Oh..." I trail off. "Well, I'm alright now." I smile at Bucky. He gives me a kind, very forced smile back. "So, um, what happened to Doc Oc?" After a quick scan of the room, I realize Loki is nowhere to be seen. Hm. I'll have to go look for him later.
"Oh," Mr. Stark waves me off as he grabs a fresh cup of coffee from the kitchen. "He's detained. SHIELD's got it handled." That was his 'Tony Stark' way of saying, 'don't worry about it, kid'. Though for some reason, I felt as though that wasn't the last we'd be hearing of the villain.
I nod in response and stand there awkwardly, trying and failing to ignore the constantly piercing pain in my side. "Are you hungry?" Nat asks as she helps me over to the kitchen island. I sit down, feeling relieved as the pressure on my wound releases, even if only by a little bit.
I just nod, too embarrassed to actually say yes. I mean, it's not like she's my mom or anyth-
Hold up-
Scratch that. I smile softly to myself.
"Um, where's Loki?" I ask curiously as Nat starts boiling a pot of water for some spaghetti. Everyone in the room tenses at the name. I've noticed that happens a lot.
"Probably off somewhere trying to destroy the world." Mr. Stark sneers oddly playfully, moving to the elevator to go down to his lab. "If any of you want anything or whatever-" He starts as he turns to look at the group, "Go get it yourself." Mr. Stark turns on his heel and presses a button inside the elevator.
The doors start to shut, however he sticks his foot in the door at the last second, "Except for the kid."
A small smile tugs at the corners of my mouth as all the Avengers turn back to whatever they were doing before, which was generally nothing. My heart feels a little warmer knowing that I'm the exception for Mr. Stark. He's still my boss, I guess, and his opinion means the world to me.
The delicate sound of ceramic on the marble countertop fills the empty silence as Nat sets a plate of spaghetti in front me. How on earth did she boil that water that fast?
Well, this is Tony Stark's home, so it's best not to underestimate it.
"Eat up, kiddo." She scruffs my hair with a soft smile playing on her lips. I smile right back at her and dig into the meal, grateful for something to finally ease my aching hunger. With some food in me, hopefully my healing factor can work quicker to stitch up my wound.
"Nat?" I ask after a while. Nat had gotten her own plate and had sat down to eat with me.
"Yeah, kid?" She looks up from her dish.
"Do you have a family?" She immediately freezes as soon as the words hit her.
Maybe I shouldn't have asked...
"Um," She thinks about her answer. "I have parents, and a sister."
I remain silent for another moment, puzzling my next question together piece by piece. "Can I meet them?"
Another dangerously fragile silence. "I don't know, bud." She sets her fork on her plate. "I haven't seen them in god knows how long."
I nod disappointedly. "Could we go see them together?"
I have absolutely no clue as to how, but somehow the tension in the room gets even thicker. Nat seems on edge, about ready to snap. I would almost be afraid, if I didn't trust Nat as much as I did.
Her eyes trail up to meet mine, a storm of anxiety brewing within her features. I could only image what thoughts must be going through her head. "I'm sorry." I interrupt the silence, "I know you don't like to talk about your past, or anything like that—I just, I just want to know more about you. I mean you're, like, my mom now! I wanna know what's important to you..." A hand is rested on my shoulder.
I look up again to find sympathetic emerald green eyes staring back at me. "You're what's important to me, kid." She thinks for another moment, "But lemme think about it, Pete. I don't want you getting hurt."
"Why would I get hurt? They're just your family-"
"No, Pete." She stops me. "They're my mother, father, sister, and that's it." Her fists clench slightly. "Your blood doesn't define your family." Her hand relaxes and brushes through my curly brown hair delicately.
"Are they dangerous?"
She seems to tiptoe around the answer, "Well I definitely wouldn't classify them as trustworthy."
I nod as I look down at my empty bowl. "So you'll think about it?" I ask after a moment.
She chuckles exhaustedly and runs a hand down her face. "Yeah, I'll think about it."
Nat stands and grabs both my bowl and hers to wash them in the sink. "So Ned and MJ are okay, then?" My mind darts back to the gala when we had been messing around trying to guess who could eat the most chocolate covered strawberries without hurling.
"Yeah, I made sure they got out okay. Just spooked." I thank Nat for the meal and for watching out for my best friends. "It's not a problem, Pete. I'm happy to." She gives me one more smile before I remember the movie-marathon I wanted to have with Loki.
"Hey, have you seen Loki?" Nat's smile falters at my question. "I wanted to thank him. And maybe...watch a movie with him?" I form it more like a question for Nat to answer.
"Oh..." Her voice trails off, probably deciding whether or not she'll let it slide. "He's in his room." She finishes with a sigh. That was her way of saying yes.
I nod with a smile and scoot off the chair, thankful when the sharp pain I had experienced before now seemed to be dimming to a dull throb. Meandering my way down the hall, I wonder which door may be Loki's.
Halfway through my search, and I see the door directly beside me swing open to reveal the god of mischief himself. How had he known I was here?
"Peter!" Loki exclaims, a smile spreading across his face instinctually. However, it was hidden as quickly as it had come. He clears his throat, "I'm glad to see that you're alright."
"You too, Loki." I smile at him. "I wanted to thank you for saving my life."
"Oh," He waves me off almost sheepishly, "That was all Banner. I merely took up space."
"Well, thank you." I reply again with a chuckle. "I also came to see if you maybe wanted to have that movie marathon?"
"Oh!" Loki seems taken aback by my question. He ponders it for a moment. "Don't you need rest? You're still wounded."
"Oh, it's healing pretty fast!" I wave him off. Loki hesitates.
"I'm sure it hasn't healed that fast! A bit more rest is what you need, surely." He insists. Odd.
"I'm okay, really." I smile at him.
__Loki__
No, no, no!
He can't be healed already!
I told myself as soon as his injuries were cared to, I'd do it. That promised him at least a week, maybe even two, if we were lucky. Two more weeks for the boy to spend time with his 'family' here.
I must've underestimated the little spider.
Or maybe I overestimated myself...thinking I could spare the little one time until I had to rip him away from his new home.
Maybe I overestimated my ability to even do it. It's not as if I had a choice now. HYDRA's going to tear the child away, whether it be by my careful hand or their iron grip.
It's then that I remember the teenager standing in front of me, waiting for my answer. "Alright, then. Let's get to it." I close my door and follow the child to the empty living room.
I very prominently recall Nat telling me to leave Peter alone, and yet here we are. Funny.
"So, we decided on The Grinch, right?" He asks as he starts digging into the cupboard beneath the TV stacked with different small, rectangular boxes.
"Perhaps?" I question with a small laugh.
"Awesome! We'll watch the Jim Carrey one." Who knew there was more than one version of 'The Grinch' (whatever that even is)?
The movie starts just as Peter settles into the couch beside me.
Gods, the kid looks so innocent. He is innocent. He doesn't deserve to be mixed up in all of this.
HYDRA needs that stone—the one Stark has locked away in his lab. They need the stone and they need leverage. Unfortunately, that's where Peter comes in.
After finishing the Grinch, Peter proceeded to play 'Finding Nemo'. He originally wanted to watch 'Finding Dory' until he realized I had yet to see 'Finding Nemo'. The boy looked as if he was going to explode once he found out.
Halfway through, I found the little one falling asleep on my shoulder. The small smile on his relaxed face has me questioning everything. Can I still do this?
My focus feels blurred, befouled by the emotions swirling around in my chest.
Come on, Loki. Remind yourself why you need to do it.
Thor. Our father. My kingdom.
My freedom.
It's the one liberty I do not own.
I must do this.
Careful not to wake the child, I scoot out from under him and make my way for the door.
I teleport to the roof of the tower and quickly pull out the device I had been given by HYDRA to contact them. After attempting, and failing miserably, to not hesitate, I hit the small, white button and hold the technology up to my ear. Hydra had been awaiting my call for the past few days, they'd been growing impatient with me.
I just couldn't find the gull to hurt the little one just yet.
No, stop—
Don't think, Loki. Just do.
Well, that makes me sound like a soldier, rather than the leader I used to think I deserved to be.
A man picks up on the other end of the line, "Apex."
The word was code—an activation word, to be specific. I simply had to reply with my confirmation term. Four more syllables and Peter's fate would be sealed.
The longer I hesitate, the harder this will be.
It was now or never.
"Olympia."
With that one response, the line is cut and I knew there was truly no going back. HYDRA would be here within minutes. All I can do now is go get the kid.
I teleport back into the hallway and start my way for the living room door. On my way there, I find myself bumping into Nat. "Pardon me." I avert eye contact from the assassin.
"Hey," She stops me. I turn to look at her, "Can we talk?"
The clock is ticking and she wants to talk now? "Um, alright." I concede and give her my full attention.
She takes a deep breath. "As much as I hate to do it, I wanted to thank you for helping save Peter." The spy seems to struggle for words. Either that or she's struggling to find the courage to use them. "I still don't trust you, and I never will, but I know the kid does." Her eyes meet mine. "So I need you to know something."
I nod subtly as a chill runs up my spine from her tone of voice.
Her face goes stone-cold. All previous emotion, however little there was, has vanished from her features. "I know I can't stop Peter from believing in you, the kid is too good for his own sake. But I know what you did. The world knows what you did." She sneers in my face. "And you can't hide from that. Whatever you're planning, whoever I know you're working with—leave Peter out of it. Leave Peter out of it or so help me god—" Her fists clench aggressively at her sides. She takes a deep, seething breath, "That kid has hope in the world. He sees the good in people that neither of us ever had the chance to." Her posture changes, tenses—
"And the day you take that away from him, is the day I'll finally kill you myself."
Her light footsteps echo down the hall as I stare at the spot the Russian spy had stood just moments ago.
In almost a daze, I make my way back into the living room to find Peter still asleep on the couch. I sit down again, my mind clouded in a haze of emotions.
Did I just get Peter killed?
I'm snapped out of my thoughts when I find Peter clinging to my arm yet again. "Thank you, Loki." He murmurs in his half-dazed state.
Don't thank me, I don't deserve it, little one. I only hum in confusion. "For what?" My heart melts when Peter nuzzles his face into my sleeve.
"For not being what everyone said you were."
My heart shatters.
What the hell have I done?
Peter pulls himself to his feet, rubbing at his eyes exhaustedly. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom really quick." He drags his feet out of the room.
Commit, Loki.
There is no 'going back'.
__Peter__
After washing my hands, I check the wound on my side to find it almost completely healed now. Awesome, that means Nat'll let me go to Ned's house tomorrow!
My enhanced hearing picks up on a shout from somewhere within the immediate area. After that, I hear hundreds of footsteps clatter along the carpet.
"Uh..." I trail off as I let my shirt back down. I pull open my bathroom door and sneak into the hall. I keep my eyes peeled for anyone or anything fishy.
I hustle to make it to the living room, where I realize most of the noise is coming from. My jaw hits the floor when my eyes catch sight of each of the Avengers battling men and women clad in black with weird, small octopus symbols attached to their shoulders.
Somehow, one by one, the attackers manage to detain each of the Avengers; Dr. Banner was nowhere to be found, Mr. Stark's suit seemed to be losing power somehow, and the rest were being held down by numerous agents. I was seemingly stuck in my spot, frozen by a detrimental fear.
The one man wearing green out of the entire army of black clothing stood at the front of the room, obviously amused by 'Finding Dory' still paused on the television. "The child must be around, then." His thick German accent smears through the air. The man is tossing a familiar glowing, blue rock in his hand.
I recall the memory:
(from chapter 10, in case you're wondering)
My eye catches sight of that small rock Mr. Stark had been tinkering with the other day. "Friday, what is this?" I ask curiously as I play with the rock in my hands.
"Even Mr. Stark doesn't know. The only known information Mr. Stark has collected on the alien object is that it was shot into orbit approximately 3 weeks ago. Sir has been rigorously trying to split the unknown object open to study it's contents, but has yet to even put a crack in it. Mr. Stark suspects it will take a force of around 8 tons to splice the material." Friday explains.
"Woah. 8 tons." I hum quietly, tossing the rock over in my palm.
"I recommend you put the rock down, Peter." Friday advises, her voice wary, "Mr. Stark suspects the amount of Gamma radiation contained within the object to be around 500 rads."
"Why does he have it sitting around then?" I ask, dropping it immediately. Yikes. Maybe don't throw the radioactive rock, Peter?
"I've wondered that myself..." Friday sighs defeatedly. "But all radioactive activity is enclosed within the hard outer shell. The glowing, blue material inside has yet to be identified."
A small gasp escapes my lips as I remember how dangerous the substance had been. That was the last time I'd payed any mind to the rock.
Unfortunately, my small bout of noise had caught the attention of the army green German official. His eyes light up menacingly when they meet mine and I feel fearful adrenaline run up my spine.
"Kid, run!" Clint shouts out, struggling under the weight of three different agents pinning his limbs down.
I take off down the hall, my fight or flight instincts apparently choosing flight at the moment. There were way too many for me to take down, especially by myself.
My head rams into someone's chest, leaving me dazed as I feel my butt hit the floor with a loud thump. Real elegant, Peter. Real elegant.
My eyes dart up to find familiar jade green eyes staring down at me. They almost remind me of Nat's.
"Loki!" I gasp in relief as I pull myself to my feet. "Loki, please, you have to help them—"
But his eyes have changed.
They've changed into something I hoped to never have to see again.
They've gone cold.
"Loki?" My voice betrays me, sounding as weak and as broken as ever. Suddenly, his hand snaps down and clasps around my throat.
I struggle for breath as I claw at his crushing grasp. In a split second, I find us back in the living room.
It's exactly as I'd left it—hopeless. Everyone is pinned down, the agents in black seem to be at the advantage. "Peter!" Nat screams. Her eyes widen at what she'd just done. It almost seemed against her will, an instinct to call my name.
And she immediately regretted it.
Nat had just affirmed HYDRA's leverage.
Loki drops me to the ground and I gasp for breath. I still find it difficult, it feels like my windpipe was almost crushed. His hand then grabs me by the collar of my shirt, as if I were a puppy.
I'm such an idiot. Nat was right—everyone was right.
I should have listened.
I should have ran from hope while I had the chance.
Why didn't I ever learn?
First with May, now with Loki.
I just keep on believing in people and all they do is hurt me. All they do is hurt the ones I love.
So why did I ever think this monster was any different?
"I'm happy to see that you've found the boy." The German official smirks as he watches me gasp for air like a fish. Or reverse fish? Focus, Peter!
Loki doesn't respond. His eyes only gaze over the Avengers as they're detained on the ground. "Loki, I trusted you!" I scream up at him from my place on the floor. "I trusted you and you lied to me!" My voice is hoarse from both screaming and having the life choked out of me. "You're just the monster everyone said you were. There's nothing good in you, there never was, was there?!" I shout at him. Sobs wrack my body as tears pour down my reddening cheeks, "I thought you were different than what everyone said, I thought you were good!"
An aching silence dawns upon the room.
"Then next time," Loki's chilling voice resonates through the empty air. His hand reaches down and clasps the back of my neck, "Think a little harder."
"NO!" I scream as my wide eyes meet Nat's one last time. I barely have time to register what's happening before the ignorant black of unconsciousness sweeps away my panicked mind.
_____
yikes...
so i got bored waiting around for inspiration to make fillers before i got to the actual plot, so i just decided to jump to the actual plot lmfAOOO
stay tuned, next chapter will be everyone's reaction! i'm so excited! eek!
(3,782 words!)
-maruchan instant noodles