Curiosity Killed the Cat

Chapter 23: Welcome to Asgard

"He killed six people?" Tony blurted as Frigga told her tale from Asgard.

"Indeed. And many more were wounded."

Steve wiped his face with his hand. "That doesn't sound like Thor at all."

Loki nodded in agreement. "Before his banishment, Thor was reckless and impulsive, but he never stooped so low as to directly harm his own people." He waited a few beats before continuing. "I love him, despite the pain he has put me through these past few years. I would rather talk to him myself before forming an opinion about the situation. Is that at all possible?" He looked at his mother.

She nodded. "I don't see a problem with it as long as it is alright with the Avengers. Even though you have been forgiven hundred-fold, legally I can't bring you outside of Midgard without their consent."

Steve nodded to her in response. "Of course he can go with you, but would it be alright if one of us went with him? Just in case."

"Absolutely. Do you have any preference on who-"

"I CAN!" Peter jumped up from his seat, beaming. Then, with a bit of redness to his cheeks and an awkward smile, he added, "if that's okay with everyone?"

Tony laughed and patted the teen on the back. "Have a blast in Asgard, kid."

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Loki gave Peter a handkerchief to wipe the bile off of his mouth with.

"I told you that it is jarring the first time," Loki said, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Peter gagged. "There's a bit of a difference between jarring and nauseating."

Frigga concealed her laughter behind her sleeve when Peter started to lean heavily against his friend on the walk to the palace from the Bifrost.

Loki lightly shook Peter's shoulder and whispered, "Look."

Peter opened his eyes, which immediately widened when he saw the rich landscape before him. The mid-day galactic skies shone down on the sweeping golden city that stood in front of vast mountains that surrounded Asgard like a wall. The terraces of the city shone the different lifestyles of the people of Asgard, getting progressively more ornate as they rose to the Organ-like palace (Loki had told him the name of the palace, but he could not for the life of him remember what it was).

Peter's eyes widened, and stayed as such throughout their walk to the palace. When they reached the doors, two guards pushed them open to reveal the halls of columns along with a currently-empty throne.

"Welcome to the Throne Room of Valaskjalf Peter."

Frigga held her hand out to invite Peter to gaze on the sight before them.

He stood in the middle of the hall slack-jawed, before whispering: "And I thought Mr. Stark's place was gaudy."

Loki laughed, relishing the fond moment, forcing this one to replace the old ones.

Frigga insisted that the two rest for a bit before dealing with the matter at hand, since they had all had a long day. They were not ones to argue and so Loki led Peter to his old rooms. They stood in front of the doors... and stood some more...

"You okay?"

Loki looked down at his friend for a moment before looking back at the ebony doors. "It's been over five years since I have entered my own rooms... it's just so strange." Loki spoke softly as he turned his eyes to the floor. "All of this seems so far away in my memory I... I don't know how to feel about it."

Peter grasped his friend's shoulder without second thought. "I'll be here, and we can go in whenever you are feeling ready. And if any creepers come up behind you, I'll make sure to let them explode so I can have whatever's in your inventory."

Loki laughed and playfully smacked Peter in the arm, who also laughed. "Wow, I feel so loved right now, thanks for the pep talk." Loki said sarcastically, but he had a smile on his face  and that was all that mattered to Peter.

Loki took a deep breath before pushing the doors open to reveal his rooms. After appraising them, Peter looked at Loki with his eyebrows raised. "Dude, your rooms make mine look like a homeless shelter."

The room in of itself had an octagonal shape to it. On the center of the far wall was a queen-sized bed with emerald sheets and a black fur at the foot of it. There was a huge dresser with golden designs going through the dark wood. Next to the dresser stood a few armor stands, one of which had the armor Loki had worn in New York. There was a huge balcony on the right side and there were two doors on the left side in between the dresser and the bed.

"You haven't even seen the bath yet."

Upon inspection, Peter found an extravagant washroom in one, which had a floor-length mirror, a bath which was the size of a large jacuzzi, and various soaps and products which all smelt like crisp fire yet floral at the same time.

The other room was almost as large as the bedroom itself, except it was rectangular in shape. It held a chocolate-colored victorian-style chaise lounge, a round coffee table, a large desk, and a large-backed plush chair. The most impressive part of the room though, was that one entire wall was bookshelves, filled to the brim with books of all shapes and sizes.

"Where did you get all of these books?!"

"I travelled a lot in my youth. I liked to learn  everywhere I went and when I returned I would write it down so I could always remember. Most of them are written by other's but the shelf nearest to my desk is filled with the tales of my adventures. No one besides myself and my mother has ever read them."

Peter looked at Loki, eyebrows raised, eyes wide, lips in a slight pout. Loki huffed a laugh. "Do you honestly think I would tell you that if you didn't have permission to read them?"

Peter brought his fists down in triumph and ran over the the books to begin reading all about his friend.