Of Numbers and Strange Friendships

Chapter 32

"You have never been to a ball?" Loki asked Peter incredulously after classes one day.

Peter huffed and looked uncomfortable. "No, I never went to a school dance. This is the first one in high school and before that, I had a girl's body and..." he'd been too uncomfortable in his skin to go to something like a dance. Not when the students all bullied him, especially not for being trans.

So this was Peter's first school dance.

Wanda's too. She'd been a hydra experiment during the years when she would've possibly attended a school dance. Or school. It was an adjustment to the poor teen just to be in school with normal humans. And she was doing so admirably at it. She'd made friends and was keeping up with the classwork.

Loki inclined his head. "Wanda asked me to teach her how to dance. She is so very excited for the ball," he told Peter with a smirk. Peter blushed.

Peter had followed Loki's advice and Wanda had agreed to go to the dance with him. It hadn't taken much convincing and she'd been excited to go with someone. She'd even been convinced that Peter was interested in asking her for her and not as a second choice. Peter was beyond grateful for Loki spoon feeding him what he needed to say. Loki's silver tongue was extremely useful when it was being used to help people.

There were people in the world who still didn't like or trust Loki, who didn't understand his chaotic nature, or pranks and mischief. But there were those, like Peter and Wanda, who knew how to work with Loki's nature, who praised him for his skills and abilities. He enjoyed being a part of their everyday lives. They grounded him in reality and he didn't have to focus on being a prince, a war criminal, the master magician.

He could just be... himself.

And that was something he cherished beyond anything else.

"Wait?!? Wanda asked you to teach her to dance??? I don't know how to dance! I don't think any teenager knows how to dance!" he complained, loudly.

Loki chuckled. "Well, you shall have to learn before we go to Asgard. There are balls nearly every evening and there will be one in your honor when you arrive," Loki informed Peter, who turned deathly white at the news.

"That sounds way more complicated than a school dance, which I already don't know how to dance at!" Peter whined.

Loki smirked. "Then I shall just have to teach you," he replied and Peter knew that he'd fallen right into Loki's trap in his web of words. He'd now have to learn court dances.

Fuck.

"Fine, but this is one of the favors I owe you," Peter replied, but gave Loki his lopsided grin. He wasn't upset with the god, not at all. Sometimes it was fun just to banter with him.

"You will be a natural, Arachnid. You have the athleticism, not as a tank like my idiot brother," Peter had taught Loki about MMOs and the pair had hacked Jarvis one night to play WoW, Fortnight, FFXIV, and any other online game they were interested in on the giant screens in the server room.

Tony had been livid since Jarvis was distracted watching the games to actually help him fly around the city.

Loki and Peter had sworn to never do it again while Tony increased the security on Jarvis.

They had both lied through their teeth and had hacked Jarvis again the very next week. Jarvis was no match for Loki's intelligence, especially when paired with Peter's intelligence too. It took them half the time to hack in the second time.

"But your skills are in speed and..." Loki paused looking for a word. "Gymnastic ability for lack of a better explanation. That will make you a graceful dancer. Come, let's get started," he said with a smirk and led the teen down to the training room he and Wanda had been using for dance lessons. It was also the one they usually used for magic lessons. Stark had basically given up the room to Loki to do with as he pleased, since it was Loki's teaching that was helping Wanda learn to use and control her powers.

"First, we will start with the waltz, not a complicated dance, really," Loki started, stepped out onto the middle of the training room. He waved to a stereo in the corner "The lady takes her place slightly to the left of the leading gentleman. Six basic steps, that is all. However, it is said that the true test of a perfect waltz is for it to be so swift, so delicate, and so smooth, that a candle-flame will not be extinguished in the hand of the lead dancer. That is the skill I expect that you will be able to achieve. Now, the steps go like this..."

Peter looked wary as he watched Loki's smooth performance, but he stood next to the god and copied the moves. They went through them a couple more times. "How am I supposed to learn how to lead without a partner?" Peter whined.

Loki smirked and turned to take the position of the lady. "I will be your partner," he said. Peter wasn't getting out of this that easily.

Peter looked up at him. "But you're a foot taller than me!" he whined as if this were an unreasonable expectation.

Loki huffed and rolled his eyes. "Very well," he replied. His form shimmered until he was a teenage Lady Loki, roughly Peter's height. "Better?" she asked.

Peter resigned himself and the real work began. Loki was insistent that Peter wouldn't be embarrassed at the balls on Asgard and was just using the Midgardian dance as an excuse to make sure Peter knew the court dances.

So they practiced every day until the Midgardian dance. Loki expected perfection and was pleased with Peter's progress. Finally, the afternoon before the dance, something came to Peter. "You said there's a ball on Asgard?"

Lady Loki inclined her head. Peter was still more comfortable dancing with a female, though Loki had promised that on Asgard there was no shame with two males dancing together. Even two brothers. He and Thor showed off all the time. "Will I have to pack my suit?" Peter asked too innocently. He knew. He knew the answer. He just didn't want to hear the answer.

Loki giggled. "Of course not. I have already had court clothes made for you. I sent your measurements and Wanda's to Mother so she could have appropriate clothes made for you and the witchling," she explained as if that were obvious. Loki and Frigga would of course be good hosts to their guests and make sure they were attired appropriately. They were also giving the teens rooms in the family wing for their visit, which was unusual, but the Midgardians were guests of the royal family and it was better that they be close.

The words Peter used would have had Steve going "Language!" after the very first one.

Loki just laughed and laughed at Peter's misfortune.