A Secret for a Secret
Chapter 36: A Secret for a Secret:
Loki was up early as usual. Around seven that morning. He treated himself to a shower and then dressed in a green linen shirt and a pair of simple, but comfy black slacks before he took himself to the kitchen where he set to work on a nice breakfast for all three of them. He made cinamon rolls and Sean came out while they were still cooking in the oven. Lured out by the smell of them.
"Those smell good...you have to give me your recipe." He said through a yawn as he sat down at the table.
Loki chuckled a little as he set to work cutting up vegetables. Onions, tomatos, bell peppers and mushrooms. "You've made them enough with me when you were younger. I would have thought you had it memorized."
Sean shook his head. "I thought so to, but I tried making some a couple weeks ago and they didn't come out right. Didn't taste the same." Sean gave a glance to the closed door his friend still slept behind. "Is...is he okay?"
"Yes. Much better than he was last night, he's just tired. He might need a day or two of rest. And a good breakfast."
As Loki set to work on omlettes, sausage patties, bacon and hashbrowns he asked Sean about how his studies were going. He had decided to go for the double major after all, but it had cost him his job at the movie theatre when he quickly realized it would be to much work. Two majors and a minor and then the bot battles on top of that. Things were going well though. He still didn't mention anything about a possible love interest, but when he poked at the subject Sean had gotten a shy little smile on his face.
"Sean you know you don't have to hide anything from me right?"
Sean nodded as he looked down at the table. "I know. I just...want to give her a little more time before I spring meeting the parents on her."
Loki smiled encouragingly. "But you can still tell me a little about her. Does she go to the same college as you?"
Sean hesitated for only a moment before he nodded. "She's on a sports scholarship. She's amazing at Basketball. She's...older. A year ahead of me, but two of my classes are a little advanced so I have a math class with her."
Loki listened to what Sean was willing to share. "There's nothing wrong with older Sean. As long as it's not to much older and a year difference is fine." He said as he set down a plate in front of him. "Seems like you really like her."
Sean nodded as he reached for the fork that was on the plate and dug in. "We've only been seeing each other for a couple months now, but things have been going good so far."
"That's good." He said as he put together a tray for Peter. He set a plate down along with a small bowl that he filled with some strawberries that he drizzled some chocolate over. He added one of the cinamon rolls and a cup of tea with some milk, honey and sugar. "I'm going to go check on Peter." He said as he slipped on the cuff responsible for upholding his glamour, but he did leave the other cuff off. "May texted me around six and said she would be off at ten. So we'll get him home at eleven. Okay?"
"Okay." Sean called as he flipped through his phone. Getting caught up on the notifications that had come in while he was sleeping.
Loki took himself to the guest room and stepped in before he shut the door quietly behind him and made his way over to the bed. He set the tray down on the nightstand for a moment before he reached out to give Peter's shoulder a gentle shake. "Peter?"
It took a couple minutes to get the young man to rouse, but once he did he snapped awake. Looking around with frantic eyes, before he seemed to realize that he was out of the warehouse. He relaxed again and slowly sat up. "Lyle?" He asked before his spider senses started to tickle just a little bit and he gave Lyle a slightly confused look. "Are you a mutant?" He blurted out before he cringed almost immediately. "I'm sorry that...that's rude. And after..."
"It's alright." Loki said as he reached for the tray and held it out to him. "Breakfast. And I think we should talk, because while you're Aunt and Mr. Stark might be willing to put up with being scared to death by your antics I won't."
Peter looked down guiltily at the mention of his Aunt. He hadn't meant to scare her. Or anyone for that matter. He wasn't supposed to get caught, but then something else dawned on him and he looked back over to Lyle. "How do you know Mr. Stark?"
Loki looked to him. "Because he prayed to me asking for assistance in finding you because he could not." He said as he slipped off his cuff and his glamour fell away. He tucked the cuff in one of his pocket dimensions. "I know you're Spiderman. I found that out when I went to respond to his prayer. So...in return for your secret I offer you mine as well."
Peter just stared. For a good long ten minutes. Then blinked again because maybe some of what they gave him was still lingering. Making him hallucinate. Finally he found his voice again. "But...but you died...Thor told us you did."
Loki nodded. "Yes...the Loki in this universe is irreversibly and undenaibly dead."
Peter's eyes went wide. "You're from a different universe...in the multiverse aren't you?"
Loki nodded. "Yes. I...come from right after the 2012 invasion. There's a lot more that I don't want to get into, but only Stark knows of me and he only just recently found out. Very recently. I don't want the other's to know." Peter opened his mouth, but Loki already knew what he was going to ask. "Especially Thor. I...I was not the one he was fixing things with and...I am not the one he held in his arms. I am not the one he mourned. Not to mention how furious he will be at thinking I tricked him again."
Peter frowned as he reached for his fork to start in on his breakfast as his stomach growled loudly. "I don't think he would be though." He said before he speared one of the sausage patties and bit into it.
Loki shook his head. "He wouldn't give me a chance to explain and it could put my little family in harms way so please do not tell him. I trusted you with this secret because yours was given to me and not by your choice."
Peter frowned. "Alright...still...I really think you should tell him. He really misses you."
"Not me." He said before his look turned a bit stern. "And about this crime fighting business of yours-"
"I'm not stopping."
Loki frowned. "Peter you shouldn't be taking on things like that in this city. It's dangerous and think about your aunt. How much she worries about you Peter. She was in tears last night when she called me."
"I can't stop. I know you don't approve, but there are people out there that don't get help for stupid reasons. They need me and...I need it."
Loki sighed as he his face softened a little. "You're very smart Peter. You're flying through your college courses. Focus on your schoolwork. Apply yourself to your field and strive to be the best in your field and don't lose sight of your morality."
Peter was quiet for a couple minutes as he ate. Thinking that over before he shook his head. "That's still going to take so long. This is what I can do now."
Loki looked down to him for a long moment. Hands crossed casually over his chest and his right finger tapping his left arm as he thought. "You only do this twice a week. You don't go after major threats, such as leaders of notorious gangs of thugs and brutes." He said with a pointed look. "You do not got out past eleven to do this on any night. Also you are to always text me exactly where you will be when you are either patrolling or investigating something as well as where you are going. I won't give you any argument about where you are going. You can't tell May because I'm assuming she doesn't know about any of this. You don't want to tell Stark because you know he'll most likely try and stop you from going there if he deems to dangerous. Fine. Tell me. At the very least. So that if you go missing again I have a starting point. I taught my boys the very same thing. I just want to be able to find you. There will be plenty of time for scoldings once you're safe. Is that understood?"
Peter was quiet throughout Loki's lecture as he laid down his conditions. They had him frowning almost immediately. Only two nights a week? Then again...some extra sleep might be nice. "Three nights a week. And I get to stay out til midnight."
Loki considered that before he held out a hand to him. Strands of faint gold and green swirling around his hand. "A magic binding contract to hold both of us to our word."
Peter's eyes went wide as he stared in slight awe. "That's so cool. I mean Thor's weather magic is pretty cool to, but this is fascinating." He said as he reached out a hand to shake. Once their hands connected the wisps settled into a rune patterned bracelet that went all the way around both theirs wrists in faint green and gold glimmer, subtle, but noticeable in the right lighting if one looked close enough.
"If you break the contract I will know as both bands will disappear." Loki said as his Seidr died down once more. "I just care you about you. So does your Aunt and Mr. Stark, the rest of the team, your friends. Remember that next time, before you get reckless."
"I will." He said quietly as he set down the fork in favor of taking a sip of the still warm tea. "I...I was scared this time. I had never had my senses blocked like that before. It was...it was like someone had cut off one of my limbs. I felt so blind."
Loki held up a hand as the memories of his magic being bound more forcefully by others. "You don't to explain how it feels. It is not to different I imagine from having my Seidr bound. Being able to feel it, but not being able to access it." He said before he looked to the door. "There's some dishes that need to be done before we take you home to your Aunt. Sean might want to come in and talk to you. He was worried about you."
Peter smiled at the thought of his friend. "Yeah! That's fine! I have actually have an idea on how to an fix issue with some of the coding we've been having for our bot."
Loki chuckled and shook his head. "Very well. I will send him in." He moved to the door before he paused by it and looked back to Peter. "Please don't mention anything about Thor or the invasion to Sean. He doesn't know about any of it. I am just their father. Sean knows I have magic, but he thinks I'm just a mutant. There was hardly anything connecting me to the invasion so Mobius and I decided it best they just not know." He said before he stepped out of the room. "Sean?"
Sean looked over from where he was rinsing off his plate and nearly dropped the plate in shock. "Lo-Lyly your-"
Loki raised his hands. "It's alright. I told him. I feel I can trust him." He assured.
Sean still stared for a moment before he swallowed down his worries and nodded. "What...what did you need?"
"Peter's still eating his breakfast. I'm going to do the dishes before we take Peter home, but he said he would be up for your company. Said something about a coding issue and how to solve it." Sean was in the room in seconds and the door clicked shut behind him.
Loki smiled just a little before he heard his phone ringing on the coffee table. He called it to him and saw that it was Mobius so he answered and leaned back against the counter as he pressed it to his ear.
"Good morning Mobius. I'm so sorry this all happened so quickly. I miss you."
"I miss you too, but it's okay sweetheart. How did it go? Anyone hassle you?"
"No. While I was out looking for him last night I spotted the Captain and some companion with him at a distance, but they didn't even see me and I was still disguised then. So everything is okay. I did tell Peter though."
"What? Lokes why?"
"Because I was made privvy to a very interesting little secret of his own. Why did you not warn me that he was the Spiderling?"
"The...oh Spiderman." Mobius sighed. "Because I didn't think it would be an issue your glamour is perfect and so is your cover so I never thought he might actually recognize you. And I didn't want you to panic because I was worried you might not let Sean be friends with him."
Loki sighed. "Well...I cannot say that I might not have done that, but I am actually not as put off by it as I thought I would be. He's kept his secret this long so obviously he can keep a secret."
"Honey, he's probably the worst at keeping secrets. Both of his friends found out early into knowing him who he was."
Loki froze. Panic gripped him for just a moment then he took a deep breath. "Well he was younger then. I'm sure as he has gotten older he has gotten better at hiding it. I'm sure it will be fine."
Mobius sighed. "I hope so. Hey. I love you Loki I have to go. Get back to it."
Loki smiled. "I love you dear Mobius. I will return to you soon. Go sell your handsome little moustache off." He said before he hung up.