The God of Mischief on Midgard

Seven

 Peter's phone buzzes as he, Ned, and Loki exit the school. Ned places his hand on Peter's shoulder and guides him as Peter checks his message.

Ant-Man: can you babysit Cassue this afternoon? Hank just called with a mission for Hope and i

Peter: Yeah, sure

Peter: I don't have plans today

Ant-Man: Awesome thx

Peter: You're welcome

Peter slips his phone into his back pocket. Ned releases him once Peter's attention is back on where he is walking. Peter may be an amazing hero, but he is one of the most unobservant and clumsy people Ned has ever met. The last time Ned didn't keep an eye on Peter while he was walking and texting, Flash almost ran him over - on purpose!

"Hey, Loki?" Peter asks. Loki looks over his shoulder at Peter. "You don't have plans for this afternoon, do you?"

Loki shakes his head. "I do not. I assumed we would do our usual routine of watching movies."

"Scott Lang," Peter lowers his voice; plenty of students are milling around the school's front yard, "Ant-Man needs me to babysit his daughter today. I told him I would before I remembered that you might have plans. We can still watch movies if you want."

"Who is Ant-Man?" Loki asks.

"My bad! I totally forgot that you haven't met him yet. He's really cool. He controls ants. And he can become a giant. He hit me like really hard once. It was awesome!"

"Huh?" Loki asks, all eloquence gone after Peter's garbled explanation.

"Never mind," Peter says, waving his hand. "You'll meet him today."

"How are we getting home?" Loki asks. He scans the street. No Avengers are decked out in civilian clothes, waiting to pick them up.

"Natasha was supposed to pick us up, but she and Clint got called away on a SHIELD mission. Dad texted me that we'll have to wait for someone else to get us."

"That is not happening," Loki says. He grabs Peter's hand and teleports them to the Tower, leaving Ned alone on the sidewalk.

They appear in the common room of Avengers' Tower in a swirl of green magic. Loki walks off casually while Peter collapses to the floor.

"I really hate that," he moans. "It's like a real-life portkey." He lays on the floor for a few minutes before picking himself up, swaying on his feet. His legs shake as he stumbles toward the glass coffee table. He bends over, hands splayed on the clear surface and breathes deeply.

Loki hops onto the kitchen counter that divides the living area from the kitchen. His shoulders shake with suppressed mirth as he tries to hide his laughter. "Having trouble?"

Peter glares at him. "I hate you."

Once Peter regains his balance, he and Loki go to their room to change. Although Peter is more comfortable with being shirtless in front of Loki after he came out as trans, Loki turns his back to give Peter privacy. After changing into soft sweatpants and loose T-shirts, they head to the common floor to wait for Scott. He didn't give Peter a time he would drop Cassie off, but it should be soon.

They fall onto two different couches and laze about. Loki never expected Midgardian school to be so grueling. The work itself wasn't difficult, but dealing with people for eight hours straight was maddening. Less than two hours in and he was ready to break his agreement with Thor and the other Avengers and murder every living soul - sans Peter - within a six-mile radius.