Bonds (Loki fanfiction)

Chapter 4

As Loki learned about Peter's past from FRIDAY, he became more and more impressed that the kid could smile and laugh at all. Though lately the kid had been sullen and kept to himself more, likely due to the nightmares. Loki was sure that he was not the only person to have noticed. He wasn't entirely sure why he cared so much though; he was a God, why should he care about these pathetic mortals?

A soft knock on the door interrupted his brooding. "What do you want?" he asked irritably, assuming it was Stark.

"Oh, um—I'm s—sorry Mr. Loki, I'll just le—" the mortal child's voice stammered from the other side of the door.

"No, you may enter," the God said, wondering what the boy could want with him. Looking at the time, he realized with a start that it was already late afternoon. The spider-kid shuffled into the well-furnished room that looked like it came straight out of Asgard. The kid looked around, hair ruffled from sleep and mouth hanging slightly open, until his eyes landed on Loki. The God watched him carefully, looking for signs of fear, but saw none. The kid looked down at his feet, rubbing the floor with his toes nervously; he'd never talked to the God openly before. Loki waited, surprisingly patient, for him to speak.

"I—I just wa—wanted to say th—thank you, Mr. Loki," he stuttered, nervous about how the God would react. Loki was dumbfounded. Never, never, in the thousand years of his existence had someone ever given him a sincere and simple thank you; not like this.

Peter wasn't sure what the God was thinking, he just stared at Peter, expressionless. Not knowing what else to do, he murmured, "I—I'm sorry for disturbing you, Mr. Loki," and began to back out of the room.

Suddenly, the God spoke. "You're welcome, Peter." A small grin appeared on the boy's face before he turned and shuffled out, already looking healthier now that he'd had actual sleep. Peter realized that everyone underestimated Loki; they assumed he didn't care, but Peter saw now. The God never cared because no one else gave him the time of day. 

The God of Mischief watched the boy go, feeling a strangely pleasant feeling overcome him, and he couldn't help but smile, just a little bit. For the first time in his whole life, he felt appreciated. And that was all he had ever wanted. No one had ever cared for him, so why in the nine realms should he care about petty feelings like happiness and acceptance? But...he couldn't quite force himself to believe that anymore.

--.--

Late that night, Loki was in the midst of his own nightmares when a soft knock on the door caused him to bolt awake. "Mr. Loki?" someone whispered from the other side of the door. "Can I come in?"

"Enter." Still shaking slightly and sweating, the God used magic to change clothes and appear more presentable as the kid shuffled into the room once more, this time dragging a blanket with him. Loki could see the exhaustion weighing down on him, and he felt...was that sympathy, for the child? Disgusting. Still, he couldn't help but feel sorry for the kid, who just stood in front of him in the awkward silence. Finally, Loki spoke.

"Do you need something?" he asked bluntly, but not harshly.

"I—I was wondering if I could st—stay in here for the night, in case I g—get nightmares again," he stammered, afraid the God would say no or yell at him for bothering him.

"Of course," the God replied, surprising even himself. The boy looked up at him hopefully.

Loki stood and motioned for him to lie in the bed, but the boy's eyes widened and he said "No no no I—you don't have t—I can sleep in the chair or on the floor—"

"No," Loki cut him off. "I wasn't sleeping anyway." Gratefully, the boy crawled into the bed, moving to the far side so that Loki had enough room to lay down if he wanted. The kid was almost instantly asleep, and the God simply sat on the edge of the bed across from him.

No one had trusted him this much in over eight hundred years, not even his own brother. He suddenly felt very protective of this young mortal boy, who had gone through so much loss and still shown him nothing but sincerity and kindness.

A/N

Sorry this chapter ended up pretty long and mostly fluff but I hope you guys liked it, I promise it's about to get more serious from here on out!