Peter had doubts. One part of him was enjoying this whole Loki is my mom and Mr Stark is my dad thing way too much to stop, and he knew that Loki was enjoying it too. It connected them somehow – made them closer. And if Peter dug too deep and found out that it all had been just a story (which really could be, should be, Loki was very good telling stories and a lot the bits of the story were probably not possible) then it would... lose some its magic. (The metaphorical one, not the actual real one from Loki and Wanda). And Peter wanted the magic to stay.
But he also wanted to know more. There was still a chance, however small it might be that Loki's story was true, and if it was, then... He could have some more family back, and not just him. Peter wanted to be with Loki, he wanted to tell him that he didn't resent him, or that he didn't think him a monster for doing what he did. Because Loki had a tendency of thinking of himself quite unfavorably, and having to face the child you abandoned probably wasn't helping matters. Peter wanted a privileged spot in Loki's life, and this gave him that chance.
He wanted to learn magic, and deceit and be all around awesome.
On the other hand, there was also the matter of Mr Stark. A part of him didn't want him to know – being a kid you didn't know was actually your kid could mess up the relationship they had, fill it with unpleasant things like guilt and awkwardness. And he didn't want to burden the guy with an unknown child from a one night stand. Imagine the legal implications of being a Stark! The money issues! Nah, not interested. He also didn't want to compete or compare himself with any kids he might have with Miss Potts.... It was complicated.
When he did make a decision, it was mostly because he knew that not knowing would eat him inside, and that he never would stop thinking about it, speculating, wondering. And Loki had already halfway told him which meant that part of him wanted Peter to know. So he decided to take action.
First, he had to know if the trip where his parents had supposedly met had really taken place. According to Loki's story it had been in Seattle, roughly nine months before he was born. And who knew every detail of Mr Stark's comings and goings...?
“Miss Potts?”
“How many times do I have to tell you to call me Pepper?”
“Yeah, sure, don't ask me why but I need some info on a trip of Mr Stark's to Seattle, about eighteen years ago....”
“Sure, I think I remember, but I'll dig up my day planner. We keep them for record and legal purposes, you know.”
Peter smiled but he was really nervous. This could be the end of everything. If there was no trip to Seattle then his whole fantasy family would come undone. He didn't know if he was prepared for that.
“He actually did go, to open a new branch of Stark industries in there. How did you know?”
“Did anything remarkable happen in that trip?”
“I didn't go, sorry, honey. But if memory serves Happy mentioned something shocking happening, but how he couldn't say. But it wasn't company business, so I didn't ask any more, figured it was just Tony being Tony.”
“Ok, thanks, Miss Pepper!”
So the trip existed in its correct time frame. It existed and apparently something shocking had happened, and something told Peter that Happy was not an easy man to shock. Wow. That was kinda... scary. He'd been mentally preparing himself to say goodbye to the notion of being a superhero lovechild, prepared to have his hopes crushed. He didn't if he was prepared for the story to be true. It was... wow. A lot.
Still, it could be simply that Loki had known about the trip (he always seemed to know the weirdest things), that he knew it coincided with his conception and decided to play with it. The best lie is one that is almost true, covered in truthful details. No, he needed more information. Now that he had begun he wouldn't stop.
His next stop was Happy, who was a guy that was very easy to talk to, and Peter was sure that he would get a lot of info from him. He found him, and went straight to the point.
“Sooo.... Seattle, 2000. You and Mr. Stark in a branch opening, and something shocking happened. Could you tell me why?”
“How would you know...? Anyways, I don't know if I can tell you, kid, it's something personal of Tony's and don't think he wants it to be public knowledge. Besides, it's not the type of conversation you have with a teenager.”
“What if I guess right? Then I'll already know, and you won't be divulging anything, just giving confirmation, correcting any wrong information I have. Deal?”
Happy sighed.
“It's kinda important to me.”
“Ok, kid. I can't refuse you with that face and those eyes. What did you hear happened? 'Cos it's not something you would guess...”
“He went home with a man. Flirted with the guy and went to show him something back home, which, well, we know what it means...”
“Yes! The great Tony Stark on the top of his womanizing heyday phase and he couldn't get his eyes off this guy!”
“And the next day he pretended he didn't remember.”
“Exactly! He pretended it didn't happen, which I took as a sign of “I don't want to talk about this”. He could be like that, sometimes. If the topic was uncomfortable, it just never happened. He's better now. Much better.”
EVERYTHING.CHECKED.OUT.
Well, it could still be all a very big coincidence. Better not to leave anything to chance.
“Happy, you remember what this guy looked like, have a photo anywhere?”
“Do I remember the guy that caused my womanizing boss' only witnessed lapse into bisexuality? Hell yeah I remember! I thought he had a crush on Rogers because of that guy, I can never tell anymore. I mean, anyone could be a bisexual and we wouldn't know, maybe even me...”
“Happy?”
“Sorry, yeah, the guy. He was tall, pale, thin. Long black hair, pale eyes... Looked like a weird mix of a mobster and a goth rockstar. A bit like that brother of Thor's, you know?”
“Loki”
“Him, but with more eyeliner. What's your interest in this, anyhow?”
“Genealogy project." That wasn't untrue. "Don't tell Mr Stark, ok?”
“Sure.”
Ok. So the trip had happened and Mr. Stark went there, to Seattle. That was a fact. There were also witnesses that one of the nights he went home with a guy that looked suspiciously like Loki. So, one thing was clear, Tony and Loki had met in Seattle, roughly nine months before he was born and they had most probably spent the night together. But this was not enough, he had only proof for half the story.
Now he needed something that proved he was actually the product of that night. I mean, surely if he was half alien he would have noticed something by now? Although Loki had spent most of his much longer life thinking he was a species he wasn't, so... I voice inside him told him that his spider powers were him noticing that he was half alien.
Now he needed to know, it was absolutely urgent for him to know that the other half of the story was also true, or if ti was all bogus, and Loki had used his one night stand as inspiration for some fiction. Besides, if there had been witnesses for the first part, surely there would be for the second.
But how could he look for them? Peter didn't know what name Loki had used while he was a woman, or where she'd lived... Even if he knew, Loki had probably erased the memories and evidence with his magic, like he had with Mr. Stark's. He'd been lucky to find a casual witness like Happy that wasn't part of the main players in the story.
Otherwise... no evidence, no tracks, no leads. He looked on the internet and found a couple of photos of Mr Stark in Seattle, but no sign of Loki. Of course, they met in a bar, not the kind of place where you'd take a corporate photographer. And back then everybody didn't have camera phones, they were lucky if their cell phone had color.
What could he do now? How to advance?
….What would Jessica Fletcher do? (So he had watched a season or seven of Murder, she wrote. It was a captivating show, ok?). Well, normally in her show somebody would appear, seemingly unconnected but in some way giving a key piece of information. And just then, startling Peter, Aunt May came through the door. Well, if it worked for Jessica Fletcher, maybe it would work for him too.
“Aunt May, do you remember when I was born?”
“Awww, feeling nostalgic, hum? I'll get the photo albums!”
There were a lot of baby pictures, and a lot of happy happy Parkers.
Peter's thoughts went mostly two places: one was how much he missed his parents and the other was what a really ugly baby he had been.
But nothing was there that would help his investigations, no traces of tragedy, no sign that would tell him the baby had been replaced. Sure, it was days old babies and he wasn't an expert of newborn faces, but still. He'd been hoping for a sign, something...There was no sign of Loki's story in those pictures, or in May's anecdotes. Maybe it was the end of the road. Maybe he would never know, with so much magic covering the tracks, the evidence.
Maybe it had all been a story.
And then....
There was a bunch of pictures in a small pocket in the back of one the albums, more candid, less rehearsed.
“I think they are from a disposable camera your father had.” May said. “Ohh, I haven't seen these in a million years!”
More baby pictures, some visits to the hospital and then.... Peter nearly dropped the pictures. His hands were shaking.
“Who is she?”
In the picture, next to a smiling Mrs Parker with her child, there was another woman with a baby boy. You couldn't see her face too well, just long black braids and bangs. Peter's mom seemed to be very happy to be posing with this woman, who was taller, much taller.
“Oh my god! I haven't thought of this girl in like twenty years! She was in the same hospital, had her baby some short hours after your mom. But she was completely alone, the poor darling and she was... it was difficult for her, she had a really hard time. Loved the baby a lot, but didn't think she could be a good mum. She hadn't brought any baby clothes, so we gave her boy some of yours. How did I forget about her for so long?”
“What...what happened with her? Do you remember her name, where she lived?” Peter's voice was shaking now.
“No... I don't even remember saying goodbye.... Which is odd, because your mum really became fond of her. She even talked about letting her and her boy stay with us if they didn't have a place to stay, help her a bit... She was foreign, Scandinavian, I think. Lori, Lotte? Something like that. Gah, why can't I remember!”
Peter took the photo with him, trying to process everything.
He thought of his mum trying to kind of adopt Loki in the hospital and his eyes teared up. They were both incredible, both his mums. Then he thought of this Loki, the one in the picture, deciding to give up her child so that he could have a better future and that way relieving the grief of a good couple... This girl in a hospital gown looking at... well at him, from behind some black bangs, that was his mom too.
It was.... wow. Incredible.
He looked at the picture for hours straight, memorised every detail. The story was true.
The story was true.
All true.
Loki was his mum.
–
Loki was surprised by a Spider presence on a windowsill. Odd. Peter didn't normally visit at this time of the night.
“Shouldn't you be in bed by now?”
There was something different about him... He looked like he'd been crying.
“Did something happen?”
“I found this.” The boy said, and gave Loki the picture.
“The story was true, wasn't it?” Peter said, with a trembling voice.
Loki looked p, a million thoughts in his head. He wanted to apologise for being such an abhorrent mother, wanted to apologise for not being brave enough to tell him upfront, for not having been there when he should have, for...
“I am sorry...”
“No, ok? No more regret. This.... is a good thing, it is, no need for apologies. You did the right thing giving me away. And I am so glad that you told me, even in your weird roundabout way. And I... I'm glad to know. Thank you for telling me.”
Loki smiled a sad smile. This child always knew how to make things better. Must have inherited it from his Parker side, for neither he nor Stark were known for their optimism.
“Did you know the whole time? When you met me, did you know I was....?”
“Of course I knew, Peter. I often asked Heimdall about you, even if your Midgardian achievements didn't make much sense to me. I thought of visiting but... I was so afraid that you would think me a monster, that you would reject me...”
Peter embraced Loki, while muttering a heartfelt “Never.” They stayed like that for a while, embracing, for all the times they couldn't. There were tears and a lot of deep sighs and trembling lips.
There was only one loose end.
“What are we going to do about Mr.Stark?”
Ah, that is a tale for another time.