Of Numbers and Strange Friendships

Chapter 17

Loki refused to turn the goat back into a man right away. He would have had Peter asked him to, but Peter was determined that the man deserved to stay a goat for awhile, to teach him a lesson for hurting Aunt May. The team begged Peter to change his mind, begged him to be reasonable and let this man go back to his life. Peter was unmovable. He was usually so good and moral, but that went out the window when someone he loved as much as he loved his beloved Aunt was hurt. So the man remained an ugly stupid goat, in a pen right outside the tower.

And there he would remain until Peter asked Loki to lift the spell.

The team was taking bets on how long that would take.

*

Loki had somehow earned himself an open invitation to dinner at the Parker's. He hadn't quite understood how that had happened, but Aunt May adored him even more after Loki had given Peter the body he should have been born with. Loki could do no wrong in Aunt May's eyes after that. Granted, she didn't know about the goat. She was just glad that guy had decided to quit.

She didn't see the smirks Loki and Peter exchanged when her back was turned.

Loki was over for dinner nearly once a week now and he loved the feeling of home and family at the Parker's simple dinner table. The meals weren't fancy, weren't formal, but they were more meaningful for it. Loki often found himself stirring pots or setting the table and usually magically cleaning the dishes. Aunt May would just put something in his hands when he arrived and expected him to work. Just like any of Peter's friends who came over for dinner.

She'd adopted him as one of her own.

While they were eating dinner, a raven appeared in front of Loki in a shimmer of gold magic. Loki lit up in delight as the raven perched on his fist. He then gave Aunt May an apologetic look. "My apologies. I know it is rude to receive, and more rude to answer, messages at the dinner table..." Loki hated seeming less than perfectly polite, especially in front of Aunt May. He seemed to care what she thought of him.

"Is that Hugin or Munin?" Peter asked as Loki removed the note attached to the bird's leg. Aunt May was just staring in awe at a bird appearing at her dinner table. During dinner.

"This is Munin," Loki told his friend. To Aunt May he added. "It is a message from home, from my mother, to be precise," he explained. "The ravens are the most reliable way to get messages across the realms," Aunt May nodded and looked sympathetic. She knew that while Loki looked older, he and Peter were roughly the same age lifespan-wise.

"You best answer your mother, especially if she worked so hard to send you a message all the way from Asgard," Aunt May reassured Loki.

Loki sighed in relief that he wasn't being incredibly rude and unrolled the letter while Munin hopped up onto his shoulder. "Thank you, Aunt May," he replied politely. All of Peter's friends called May 'Aunt May' and Loki was no exception. He had balked at first and insisted on calling her 'Lady Parker' for ages until he'd been told in no uncertain terms that he was to address her as all of Peter's friends did. So he'd reluctantly agreed. And found he liked being able to call her 'aunt' as well.

Loki lit up in absolute delight when he read the message and wrote and quick response before the raven disappeared in a shimmer of Loki's green magic. "What'd she say?" Peter asked, noting Loki's expression.

"Peter! It's rude to ask about private letters," Aunt May scolded.

Loki chuckled. "It's no bother, Aunt May, and I did read the letter at the dinner table, which is even more rude. My mother wished to inform me that she is coming to Midgard to visit for a few days," he told them with open excitement and happiness. Loki adored his mother more than anything in the nine realms. Though his brothers, adopted officially or not, were a close second. It was rare to see Loki so open and happy and took Aunt May especially off guard.

"That's awesome!" Peter said brightly. He knew how much Loki adored his mother. And how much of a Mama's boy he was, though he would neversay that to Loki's face. "When's she coming?"

"Next week and will stay with us at the tower for a few days. I guess I shall have to clear that with Stark, though Thor should be able to help with that. And I shall have to come up with suitable activities..."

Peter lit up at that, this was his area of expertise. "You could take her to the zoo, you liked seeing all the Midgardian animals. There's museums, and of course that cafe you love," he added that last with a smirk.

Aunt May spoke up then: "I would like to meet your mother. Do you think she would be up to having brunch or something while she's here? She would also be welcome for dinner if that would be easier, or something she'd be interested in,"

"Brunch?" Loki directed the question to Peter as he was unfamiliar with the word.

"Morning tea often served with food, such as pancakes. Can also include lunch food," Peter supplied quickly. He knew well of Loki's love of sweets and even more of Loki's ridiculous love of pancakes.

Loki nodded his thanks to Peter and turned his attention to Aunt May. "I am sure she will wish to meet you as well." Loki didn't have many friends, even back on Asgard and Frigga would be ecstatic to meet his friend and his friend's aunt who had taken Loki in as one of her own, as Aunt May did with any of Peter's friends, and as Frigga did with almost any youngling who came into her life. She had adopted all of Thor's idiot friends as her own and was always sad that Loki had so few friends of his own. She would love to see proof otherwise. "I will set something up for the four of us," he added at Aunt May's expectant look.

She nodded. "Let me know," she told Loki kindly. He inclined his head politely in reply. "Pete, after dinner, can you and Loki look over the microwave? It's acting up again,"

"Yes, Aunt May," Peter replied immediately. He knew that Loki would just fix whatever was broken in the apartment by magic, but the two would pretend to fix it to spare Aunt May's pride.

After dinner, Loki magicked the dishes clean and away where they belonged, the leftovers put away in containers in the fridge. Aunt May was still hesitant about magic, but she greatly approved of that particular spell. Loki and Peter got to work 'fixing' the microwave with Aunt May standing nearby. Peter would distract her in a minute so Loki could magic the microwave fixed. "Did you find out if you can get off for the field trip?" Peter asked his aunt plaintively, drawing her attention from the microwave. With a shimmer of green magic it was repaired better than ever.

"Which field trip?" Loki asked curiously as he turned back to the pair.

"An overnight camping trip the whole grade is going on!" Peter replied excitedly. "But they don't have enough grownups to chaperone, so they're talking about cancelling it unless they can get more,"

Aunt May shook her head. "I'm sorry, Pete, we're really busy right now. I just can't take the time off..." she told him gently, but Loki could see how much it hurt her to tell him no.

Loki pondered that for a moment. "How many more chaperones are required?" he asked Peter.

"At least one so they don't cancel the trip. One of the chaperones dropped out at the last minute and they're having trouble finding a replacement," he explained.

Loki hesitated a moment, but Peter looked so disappointed. "I could accompany you on the camping trip," he finally said. Peter just stared at him in shock. "I am over a thousand years old, the school cannot claim I am not an adult. Also, I am an Avenger now..." he reminded the teen with an eyeroll. The school also couldn't argue too hard that he was a bad guy when he was an Avenger and would have the entire team vouching for him. Aunt May wanted to argue that they'd never let Loki chaperone a school field trip, but her arguments were overruled with Loki's logic. When Captain America, Tony Stark, and Thor would be vouching for Loki's capacity to babysit a few teenage midgardians, and was an Avenger himself, the school would be steamrolled into agreeing.

"You'd do that?!?!" Peter asked excitedly.

Loki rolled his eyes again. "I would not offer were I unwilling," he repeated as he often did. "I have gone on centuries of camping trips with my brother. This should be no different, though I expect there will be fewer bilgesnipe," he teased Peter.

Peter lit up in delight and launched himself into Loki's arms for a hug. "Thank you, Loki! I'll take care of all the details, I promise!"

Loki chuckled and hugged the teen back. "It is no trouble, little brother," he told Peter warmly.