My Best Friend's the God of Mischief // Peter x Loki

fear the fall and where we'll land

There was something wrong with the God of Mischief whom he rescued. Peter took the matter into his own hands.

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At first, Thor thought it was a sleep paralysis demon; the thing hanging upside down from the ceiling of his room. Its face hidden in the shadow above Thor only a few inches away. Thor, in the haze of waking and sleep, held very still. It was the voice that gave it away. Thor remembered that voice anywhere. "Mister Thor," it said. "Are you awake?"

"Jesus Christ, Peter!" Thor yelled. He kicked the blanket and bolted upright into sitting posture, in the process of Thor doing so, Peter landed on his bed and was now sitting cross legged on the sheet, facing Thor. Only little spaces between them.

By Odin's beard, Thor thought, the Spider-Child does not know what a personal space is.

"I think we need to talk," Peter said.

"It is three in the morning," Thor pointed out. He didn't like... this; that the kid managed to sneak into his room, hanging upside down above his bed like it were the most normal thing for him to do. If he were an enemy, if Peter were an enemy, Thor would have gotten murdered in his sleep by now. Thor didn't find the thought so pleasant, which explained why he was getting real grumpy. How could Loki put up with him?

Peter glanced at the digital clock on Thor's nightstand. "Actually, it's 2:50,"

"What do you want, Peter?" Thor took a deep, long breath, trying to cool himself down so he wouldn't physically throw the kid out the door, or the window.

"I told you. We need to talk,"

"About what?" What's so important that it can't wait until tomorrow?

"Mister Loki."

Okay, maybe it is important. Thor looked at Peter, studying him. He ought to ask what was wrong with Loki. Though the easier way to put it would be 'what wasn't wrong with Loki' so he kept silent and waited for Peter to go on.

"I think there's something wrong with Mister Loki," Peter said.

Thor almost bursted out laughing. "Kind of you to notice," he ended up chuckling, and tried to keep the chuckle a normal chuckle and not to let it grow into a hysterical laughter.

But Peter didn't chuckle or even smile. Peter's face was stern and serious. So Thor thought maybe the level of wrongness was higher than the normal kind of wrongness that was part of Loki. (Maybe Loki died or something?)
Thor subsided his chuckle with a fake cough.

"I don't think Mister Loki has been sleeping," Peter blurted out.

That's new, Thor thought. New and... interesting. Not good, of course, but interesting. Of all the issues Loki had, it seemed there was a new one added to the list.

"He's gone pale. His hands are always shaking and he's, I don't know, distracted? I'm not usually able to sneak up on him."

Thor's expression had gone unreadable as he listened closely, carefully. Now that Peter pointed it out, it occurred to Thor he also noticed the same thing during the last few days. Thor just thought it was nothing, that maybe Loki was only a bit tired and that it would pass. But maybe Peter was right and there was something more. "You think it's because he doesn't sleep?"

"I mean it's logical an explanation enough. What else would it be? Pale, shaky hands, jumpy. I was like that too, during finals when we had to study 24/7 and didn't get sleep," Peter paused, then he added, "I know what insomnia does to people,"