Of Numbers and Strange Friendships

Chapter 4

Loki smirked and watched with interest as Stark got reamed by the tiny slip of a woman. Stark couldn't even get a word in edgewise while Aunt May yelled. Stark had made the mistake of letting her get started, now she was just building up steam to keep on her ranting. It took every ounce of self-control Loki had to keep from laughing aloud at the absurdity of this tiny powerless Midgardian woman frightening Shellhead into lack of speech.

But Peter looked frightened.

Not of his Aunt, not really, but of the phrase she spoke: "I never should have let him take this internship! It ends now-"

Peter's eyes went wide and he looked absolutely horrified as he paled. He gave Loki a desperate look. He didn't want to lose his fake internship. The kid wanted to be an Avenger when he was old enough. He wanted to work with the team and wanted to do good. If he lost his fake internship, then he wouldn't be able to do that.

Loki didn't like seeing the child sad or scared.

And Peter looked devastated.

So Loki stood from his place on the couch, setting his book aside as he rose gracefully. His princely court mask fell into place as he glided over to the angry woman. He noted that Peter looked relieved, sure that Loki would fix this, and it touched Loki's heart that the felt that way. So Loki would fix it. He stood in front of Aunt May, between her and Stark and offered her an elegant court bow.

That stopped her tirade in its tracks.

Loki knew how to play this game. And it pleased him to do it, it was an entertaining game. While she was stunned, he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles, which made her blush at his seemingly chaotic flattering behavior. However, flattering ladies and convincing others to do what he wanted were among his best honed skills. He wasn't called silver tongue for nothing. "My most sincere apologies, Lady Parker, but I fear there has been some sort of misunderstanding," Loki said as he dropped Aunt May's hand. She looked up at him confused and flustered. He wasn't nearly as crazy and evil as he'd been portrayed, or so it appeared.

"Misunderstanding? You tried to take over New York!" she protested loudly. She wasn't giving up that easily. That was alright. Loki liked a bit of a challenge.

Loki inclined his head and looked repentant and guilty, which stopped May again. She'd been expecting him to argue. "I will not deny that I led the attack. However, my actions were not of my own volition. It is quite the long tale and I will not bore you with the details save for this: my mind was controlled by another. The Avengers freed me of that control and now I work helping them. Yes, I have been spending time in the company of your nephew. He is a bright, studious, young man and asked for help with his studies-"

"Yes, Aunt May! I told you, Mr. Loki has been helping me with my homework. I told you Mr. Stark won't let me do any work for the internship until my homework is done and Mr. Loki knows everything! He's a scholar where he comes from, he's like a thousand years old, and has been studying all that time!" Peter jumped in to help.

May whirled at glared at Peter. "Peter! It's not nice to call someone a thousand years old!" she told him firmly. Peter's loose tongue occasionally got him in trouble it seemed.

He flushed and looked at his shoes. "But Aunt May..." he started, but faltered under her glare.

Loki chuckled, drawing the attention back to himself. He didn't want the kid in trouble, besides, he was right. "Actually, I am a thousand fifty as of my last nameday. It was an honest mistake on Young Peter's part," he added with a smile for Peter, a reassuring smile that everything would be alright.

"So if you were doing homework why were you out of the tower with him?" May circled back, but seemed slightly placated. Loki wasn't anything like what she expected. He was kind, polite, and interested in helping a young mind? Maybe the reports had been wrong. Plus the Avengers wouldn't vouch for him if he was truly evil.

"Young Peter was hungry after his classes. You know how growing boys are," Loki added with a shrug and a knowing smile. Of course they both knew how growing boys were bottomless pits. "He wished to go out to his favorite sandwich shop. I thought it best to accompany the young man and make sure there was no trouble. I have heard how dangerous the city can be..." he added with a kind smile.

"Well if that's all it is..." May sounded placated. Loki wasn't what she expected. If he really was just helping the team and helping Peter with his homework... "Then I guess your internship can continue. Provided your classwork doesn't suffer," she added the last part to Peter who nodded enthusiastically.

"It won't, Aunt May!" he reassured her quickly. She turned her attention back to Loki and Stark. Loki saw Peter's sigh of relief.

Some of the rest of the team had come in as well and Stark quickly and loudly collaborated that Loki had been helping Peter with his homework. They all jumped in to agree, especially since the friendship between Peter and Loki was good for both of them. Especially Loki's homicidal tendencies.

Loki bowed over May's hand again before she left. "It was a pleasure to meet you Lady Parker. You need not fear. Your nephew is safe in our care," he told her warmly with all of the elegance he could muster from his court training. She blushed in reply and murmured something and Loki strode back to his couch while she addressed Stark about something.

Peter bounced over and actually hugged Loki before he could resume his seat. Loki stiffened, unsure what to do with the teen hugging him, while the entire team stared at the sight of the very flushed god being hugged by the teen. The tried to hide their looks of concern at the teen's safety so Aunt May didn't see it. Loki carefully, very tentatively, wrapped an arm around the kid and clapped his back. That's how this worked, right? "Thank you so much, Mr. Loki!" he said brightly, but softly enough that May wouldn't hear them. "I don't know what I'd do if Aunt May wouldn't let me keep my internship!"

Loki reassured the teen it was no trouble and soon he and his aunt left the tower while Loki spent a long time pondering the interaction and more importantly, the hug from the kid. That was the part he couldn't understand. Manipulating May had been easy with his princely court manners. Plus it had been fun.

But the kid?

The kid had hugged him.

He'd appreciated Loki's help enough to hug him.

He'd trusted Loki to fix the situation and save him.

Loki had of course come through for the kid. He found he actually liked the kid and his company, even his enthusiasm. Even if he was Stark's brat.

And maybe the hug wasn't so bad after all...

Maybe