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"Mr. Stark, you're overreacting."
Tony scoffed, following him into the kitchen. "Overreacting? Peter, you got a 20 on a test. A take-home test, which you didn't even finish!"
"In my defense, it's my brain's fault." He got an apple and took a bite out of it. "You see, it doesn't produce enough dopamine, so when I try to do something like homework, my brain just conks out 'cause homework is boring, so that equals no dopamine, and my brain is always searching for it."
Tony brought a hand up to the bridge of his nose, sighing as he did so. "You've used this as an excuse a billion times, kid."
"It's not an excuse." He muttered.
"Whatever it is, you still should've put a reminder so you wouldn't forget about your homework. I will program KAREN to ask you every single day what you have to do so she can remind you."
"I'll forget about that too!"
"Then I'll program her to remind you every five minutes."
Peter groaned.
"Oh, don't you groan at me-" Tony's ringtone cut him off mid-sentence, and as he was about to take the call, he stared at Peter. "We're not finished yet."
Peter collapsed onto the couch face-first as Tony walked away, talking into his phone as if he wasn't just scolding the teen.
He hugged the pillow nearest to him and closed his eyes. Maybe he could take a nap. Or maybe he was already asleep, and this was all a dream. He sighed, wishing that was true. Then he wouldn't have to deal with his mentor's reactions. Or May's. God, he was in deep shit.
He heard a light thump on the couch, and as he raised his head to see what it was, he saw a black cat with green eyes. He scrambled away from it, and it looked at Peter, staring into his soul with its green eyes. Neither blinked as if they were having a staring contest. Then a light breeze hit him, causing Peter to blink and lose their little game. The cat meowed in triumph, and it proceeded to turn into the God of Mischief.
Peter stayed, frozen in spot as Loki's form changed.
"I thought I'd told you to finish your homework last week." Their tone was nonchalant.
"That is so cool." Peter whispered, and then he asked, "But aren't black cats bad luck? You've cursed me, Loki!"
Loki ignored his comment. "Spider-"
"Peter. I thought we established this."
Loki rolled his eyes. First-name basis. They didn't know why they kept talking to him. Peter was just a teenager. A human being among millions, yet something drew him in. Maybe it was the fact that he was the only one that wasn't so hostile towards them. He was the only one that made Loki feel like they were worth something, though they didn't dare admit it.
"You're stalling."
"I mean, if you really think about it, it's kinda your fault." When Peter saw Loki's menacing stare, he quickly continued, "You're the one that distracted me, which led me to lose all my motivation to finish my homework."
Loki huffed out a humorless laugh. "Nonsense."
"I mean, you did start talking to me."
"You talked back."
"Only because I like talking to you. Plus, I really didn't want to do my homework."
"You like talking to me?" They asked incredulously.
"Yeah, why wouldn't I? It's really cool hanging out with you, Loki. I mean, you've got really cool powers. You just shapeshifted into a cat! So cool." He gushed. "And I mean, I see the way the others are towards you. I can see that you've changed, but they haven't."
"Is it all pity, then?"
"No, of course not. I really like hanging out with you, Loki. You're the one person I can talk to about not being cis, and that actually understands it. And you've helped me out so much already."
Loki didn't believe the teen. Couldn't. It was still absurd to them, this uncanny friendship or whatever they had with the sixteen-year-old. They were merely acquaintances, having only spoken three times in the past month.
Loki admitted to themselves and nobody else the fact that the TVA changed him. Sylvie. Mobius. And of course, even before that, they began to change, but they didn't dare admit it out in the open.
A few years ago, they would've never batted an eye at the teen. But now? Now Loki craved that friendship, to talk to him and for once be ok with the Avengers. With a bit of mischief here and there, of course. They were the God of Mischief, after all.
And whether this was all because they had been so alone, locked in the Avengers tower for the past two months, the team nearly snarling at them daily, or just wanting to settle down after the craziness that these past few years brought, they didn't know.
But what they did know was that they felt compelled to help Peter after they saw him struggling with his binder that day. After all, they were the same in that aspect. Maybe not exactly the same, but similar.
Loki remembered being seven, begging their mother to teach them how to shapeshift because they wanted to become a girl. Frigga thought it would pass, thinking it was just strange child-like behavior. Until it didn't go away. Thor didn't even bat an eye. He just went with the flow and corrected himself whenever he made a mistake.
"I will always love you as a sibling, Loki. You're still the same person." That's what their brother had said, and Loki still remembers it to this day.
Suddenly Tony came out of nowhere, finished with his phone call. He stopped in his tracks as he saw Loki and Peter sitting on the couch. "Pete, why are you talking to him?" He asked, pointing at Loki, who flinched at the word, 'him.'
Peter noticed and stood in between them, shoving away Tony's accusing finger. "Mr. Stark, it's fine. We've talked before." He immediately realized what he'd said, eyes bulging out, struggling to fix his mistake. "Wait, I didn't-"
"You've talked before? Do you realize who he is? Why were talking to-"
"I do realize, ok? It's fine. Loki was just . . . helping me with stuff."
It wasn't a total lie.
"What kind of stuff?" Tony questioned, eyes locked on Loki's. "I'm the one who's supposed to help you with stuff!"
"With things that you don't understand."
Tony returned his gaze to Peter. "Try me."
Peter groaned. 'You're impossible."
Tony called out to him as he stomped off to his room. "Pete-"
"Stark, I suggest you leave the boy alone," Loki told him.
"Oh, so you're friends now, huh?" He huffed. "Don't act as if you care about him, about any of us. You're just gonna betray us like you already have dozens of times. It's your signature move, isn't it?"
Loki sighed, though they knew Stark figuring it out was bound to happen.
"I know you deem me a trickster, and I won't deny it, but I would never hurt that boy. Or any of you, for that matter."
"Why would I even believe you?"
"You're right. Maybe you shouldn't. Perhaps I'm just earning the Spider's trust just to hurt him. And in the process hurt you as well." Loki spat. "I'll poison his drink while he's not looking, or I'll stab him in the back with my good knife. That's what you all think of me, don't you?"
Tony stayed silent.
"I assure you that I will not kill any of you, and I have no ill intent towards your son." They added the last part just to jab at him.
Tony ignored how Loki called Peter his son. "You have one chance, and if you blow it, you'll be staying a billion miles away, got it?"
Plus, Thor would give him hell if he kicked Loki out, and if they did something, it would give him a reason to do so.
Loki nodded. "Got it."
Tony turned away, sighing and muttering under his breath, "I really hope I don't regret this."
Before Tony could get away from the living room, Loki decided it was now or never. "Oh, and it's they."
This made him turn around. "Huh?"
"Earlier when you called me 'he' and 'him,' I use they/them pronouns. At least for now."
Tony stared at Loki. "This some kind of a trick, Reindeer Games?"
"No, I'm genderfluid. Sometimes I will change forms, so don't call security on me. And always ask for my pronouns."
Tony eyed them suspiciously. "Ok."
It was later in the day when Tony knocked on Peter's door. There came no response. He knocked once more, leaning against the door frame.
"Pete? Can you open the door for me?"
No response.
Tony sighed, turning his back on the door and sliding to the ground as he was sure it was going to take long for the stubborn teen to open the door.
"Kid, please. May just called me, told me you won't answer her." When still no response came, Tony continued. "She's worried. She found out you failed that test. And I'm worried too, bud."
That's when Tony collapsed to the ground as Peter finally opened up.
"You don't have to worry. I'll try to do better next time."
"That's not exactly all I had in mind when I said I was worried." He said, getting up from the ground.
"I know Loki has betrayed us and shit, but . . ." He tried to gather his thoughts, "I know you're always here for me and stuff, but sometimes it's not that simple. Sometimes there are other people who understand you better."
Tony huffed out a laugh. "What, so you're saying Loki understands you better?"
"That's not- yeah, in some ways. Look, I don't expect you to understand."
"Because you're not talking to me, kid. I mean, how am I supposed to help you if you don't talk to me?"
"I just . . . It's not that simple."
"Well, whatever it is, can you please talk to me? Maybe not today if you don't want to, but someday." He said. "And I'm sorry about Loki. No written rule tells you you can't hang out with him. Or them."
"They told you?" Peter's heart accelerated in an instant as he felt a lump in his throat. "Did they tell you anything else?"
"No, like what?"
This was his chance. Come on, Peter.
"Um. . ."
It's just Mr. Stark.
"Nothing." He shook his head, instantly regretting it. "What else did you tell them?"
He paused for a beat and then nonchalantly said, "I just warned them."
Peter snorted. "You mean threatened."
"No, I warned them. There's a difference."
"With you, there is no difference." Peter quipped, trying to calm his heartbeat.
"Look, I don't trust them, Pete, but I trust you and your judgment. And if I tell you not to hang out with them, I might lose you. But then again, if I'm right about Loki, I might lose you too. I don't want to lose you again."
"You won't lose me. They're really trying."
He scoffed. "I find that hard to believe."
"Well, I believe it. Isn't that enough?"
Through a watery chuckle, he sniffed. "You've always been such a good kid. Such a good heart. Just please stay safe, yeah?"
Peter nodded. "I will."
"And you can always tell me anything. I'm here for you. Always."
"I know."
He just wasn't ready yet.