Upside-Down

Chapter 13

Loki arrives at the school a few minutes before it actually starts, feeling exhausted and hoping to find Peter among the countless midgardian children flooding into the building. The boy had a peculiar aura, one Loki could spot from a mile away.

Loki remembers when he'd watched Peter throw a boy against the wall and give him a nosebleed. He had been glad the boy got what had been coming to him. He'd been saying horrible things to Peter. After a few moments lost in thought, staring absent mindedly at the Midgardians, he perks up. Peter was coming, mixed with two less friendly auras.

Loki almost retches up a hair ball. Two of the Avengers. Which ones he couldn't tell, but they definitely had the aura of the "Earth's Greatest Heroes." Neither of them were Thor. He'd spent to much time with his brother and new his aura too well.

Wait. Was that them? In that car? Loki gets up, tail swishing halfheartedly as his body protested. It was them. It was Peter! He thinks for a moment, then decides not to appear before him yet. He didn't know what the boy would do. Peter couldn't bring him into school.

Instead, Loki decides to lie in the bushes, silently following Peter with his eyes.

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Peter whirls around at the sound of his name.

"Oh my gosh! Ned!" he exclaims, "Hey, I missed you!"

"Peter?" MJ says from behind Ned, "Where the crap have you been?"

"I'm so sorry guys, it was really last minute, I was going to text you, but then I lost my phone," he started rambling, hoping this would convince them of the truth.

"Peter!" MJ yells, "What was last minute? Where were you?"
He sighs heavily. "I was in LA." He fidgets with his sleeves, "With Mr. Stark."

A few minutes later, he's still trying to explain. MJ doesn't look like she thinks he's telling the truth. Ned seems star struck, and Peter seems late for class.

"I'm sorry it happened over the weekend, I was really busy talking to Mr. Stark, and I totally forgot to text you guys-"

"Or anyone," MJ interjects.

"But as soon as the plane landed I lost my phone in the airport, or outside of it." He says, pretending to think, "we never really figured that out."

"But you got to hang out with Tony Stark? Did you meet any of the Avengers?"

"Um, I met Captain America, but everyone else was pretty busy. Oh, and Dr. Banner."

"What's in your pocket if not a phone?" MJ glares at him.

"It is a phone," Peter pulls it out, "brand new, top of the line, Stark Phone he gave me to replace the old one."

"I still think he got kidnapped by the CIA and they want to make you one of them," MJ mutters quietly, Peter wonders if he'd be able to hear it without his enhanced abilities.

"Captain America!" Ned practically sings as they start making their way into their first class. "Do you think you can introduce us?" He motions to him and MJ.

"Maybe." Peter doesn't know how that will work out. MJ ducks into her classroom as the first bell rings, and after saying goodbye Peter and Ned rush to their class.

"Hey," Ned asks, "Does Mr. Stark know about the thing?"

"What thing? Oh, yeah."

"Really? Are you like, his sidekick?"

"Uhhh, you could say that. He got me a new suit and everything. I'll have to show you." They sit down in the back of the class just as the late bell rings.

MJ's tray clatters next to Peter's. "Peter," she says, in a voice that sounded like it was in interrogation mode, "Ned said that he went to your apartment and the landlord said that you didn't live there anymore."

Peter takes a deep breath. The entire day had been embarrassing. The teacher in every class calling him out for his internship and welcoming him back. Flash had been staring at him like he couldn't believe it, and though that would normally be fun, Peter didn't appreciate the attention. He wasn't sure what to tell them... except for maybe the truth. Could he talk about May today?

"Guys..." he sighs. "Aunt May died."

Ned looks shocked and sad. "Peter... I'm so sorry... is that why you beat up Flash that one day? Is that why they left you with therapy and not expulsion?"

MJ just looks like she doesn't know how to react to that. She doesn't think Peter would lie about something so serious.

"I few days later I got kicked out of our apartment and went to live in a shelter. I applied for as many jobs and internships as a I could, and after a week Mr. Stark responded, he wanted me to come work right away, and said we would go to LA to work in one of his labs there for a little while. He seemed to know about my situation and offered me a room at StarkTower."

There is a moment of silence, then Ned exploded, "Why didn't you tell me? You could've come and lived at my house!"

"I didn't want to be a bother."

MJ hesitates, then asks, "are you being completely honest, Peter?"

Peter tries to look annoyed that she doesn't believe him. In truth he's just begging she will. "If you don't believe me, Mr. Stark is going to pick me up this afternoon."

"Tony Stark?" Ned whispers.

"Yup." Peter fiddles with his school lunch.

"I can't wait to meet him," MJ takes a decisive bite out of her sandwich.

Throughout the next few classes Peter just hopes that Steve had known what he was talking about. He thought about texting his hero, but he kept changing his mind before pressing the send button.

Half way through seventh period he got a text.

Hey Kid. I'm gonna pick you up today.

A moments pause, then:

Where do you want me to meet you?"

At the back of the school, Peter's fingers glide over the keyboard, Next to the track. Send. Hesitate, Thank you Mr. Stark, send.

Got it. See you in thirty minutes. Pay attention in class.

Thumbs up.

Peter shoves his phone into his pocket and tries to pay attention to the teacher, but as she rambles on he catches a glint of green out the window. Then a flash of gold.

"Fish?" he mutters under his breath.

As soon as the bell rings Peter rushes out the door to find the cat, but he almost runs into MJ, and he backs away. "Sorry," he says, face red.

"Its fine," she says dismissively, then she says, "unless you where trying to get away from me so you don't have to tell us you lied to our faces.

"No," he says, offended, "He's gonna pick me up in the back field."

"Then lets go," Ned says, walking up to them.

As they leave the school building, Peter wonders about the glint of gold and green.

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Okay, I know that wasn't exactly normal format, but I couldn't make the entire chapter from Loki's perspective. I'm not sure if something like this will happen again, so just bear with me.

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you're having a good day!
Comments and votes are always appreciated.

:D