**Request for shuripanther where Loki discovers a secret Peter has been working hard to keep, and he does something about it. I had this entire thing written, and then my laptop did updates the ONE night I forget to save the draft and it was all lost. Enjoy!**

As soon as the God spotted the teen in the kitchen, dead of night, creeping with a hoody pulled tight around his face, Loki knew something was wrong. He stayed quiet, watching as the teen pulled open the fridge and grabbed a can of soda. There was no tell-tale sound of the pop-tab, or the sound of someone drinking, but Peter had clearly lifted the can to his face, but he hadn't drank it.

Loki hid in the shadows, making sure Peter wouldn't spot him, and followed the teen down the hall back to his room.

Honestly, even with Loki being careful, Peter should have felt his presence.

The teen slowly lowered his hood, and Loki finally got a look at his face. It was mottled blue and purple, his cheek and eye swollen past recognition. So that was why he didn't notice Loki before. Still, his injuries looked severe, and he hadn't been on patrol in two days, so it wasn't from that.

Loki watched as the teen leaned into the cold soda can, then slump into bed. It was time for him to do what he did best.

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When Peter walked into class on Monday, the first thing he noticed was the new student sitting at his table. She was bent over a book, her dark hair creating something of a curtain around her face. Peter only paused for a moment, then hitched his bag up on his shoulder and headed over to the table.

"Hey."

"Hello," the girl said, looking up. Her eyes were green- a deep, dark green. Peter tilted his head a little. Those eyes looked familiar, but Peter couldn't place it.

"I'm Peter. Are you new?"

The girl nodded. "I moved into this class this morning. I am Elli."

Peter and the girl shook hands. Peter sat in his seat, looking around the room uncomfortably. It was always a little awkward to meet someone new, and without MJ or Ned here to help mitigate the silence, Peter wasn't sure what to do. Elli was looking around the room with something like curiosity, but it was darker.

Finally, the bell rang, and Ned, MJ, and the other students filed in. The teacher clapped his hands. Class started.

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Peter, Ned, and MJ had the next class with Elli, too, and they invited her to lunch. She agreed, but when they all sat at one of the folding cafeteria tables, it was clear Elli hadn't brought anything to eat. Peter passed over a bag of chips.

"Here. You can have these if you're hungry. We could even share my-"

Peter tensed a split second before a pair of hands slammed down on the table, startling everyone. Peter looked up with something like stoicism and sighed. "What can we do for you, Flash?"

The bully laughed, then leaned down into Peter's space. "You don't look nearly as torn up as I left you last week, Parker. What, it wasn't enough for you? You thought you'd come get seconds today?"

Peter didn't say anything. Ned was keeping his head down, while MJ had slipped into a book to avoid all the drama. Elli was watching with a gleam in her eyes, like she was waiting for something.

It happened quickly.

Flash moved his weight from his back foot to his front, pulling back one of his arms as he did so. He swung forward, tilting slightly as he did so, and Peter flinched back. Elli was up and out of her seat. There was a blinding light, like someone had turned on industrial flood lights in the cafeteria. Peter blinked suddenly. Flash yelled.

When the light blinding the students faded, it was Flash, on the floor, with Loki, the God of Mischief and Tricks, standing over him.

"You pathetic child," Loki said through clenched teeth. "You are the scum I walk upon, and the only thing that sets Gods apart from mortals. You are everything that makes this world worthless, while Peter is the only thing that makes this world redeemable."

Flash was trembling, his face pale and his eyes wide. "Wh- what?"

Loki leaned down, impossibly intimidating in his robes and crown of horns. "I will repeat myself only to satisfy your ignorance just this one time. Your behavior is a stain on the entirety of the world around you, and Peter redeems it in one breath."

Loki snapped his fingers, and Flash felt his head splitting. The teen raised a hand to his head, only to feel-

"You are a coward. You are a pig."

The thin, skin-like ears of a pig were sprouting from Flash's hair. Loki snapped his fingers again, and the ears disappeared. Instead, there was a tingling through his entire body. Right before his eyes, he was turning a sickly shade of green.

"You are vile, you are gross-"

Flash felt his whole body shift until he saw nothing but shadows and lights.

"-you are a worm."

Flash trembled and writhed, looking for somewhere to hide, but then he was changing again. He opened his own eyes again and gasped in relief when he saw his own body returned. He stared up at Loki with a terrified look, and the God stepped even closer.

"Touch Peter ever again," the God whispered. "And I will leave you to the birds. Am I understood?"

Flash nodded his head jerkily, then ran.

Loki turned to face the three teens still sitting at the table. "Are you all alright?"

Ned and MJ both nodded, their mouths slightly parted in shock, while Peter was simply staring at Loki with indifference. "So you were the new student."

Loki bowed his head to the side. "Yes. And you needed help, but refused to ask."

Peter's cheeks went red. He bounced his leg, then shot up out of his seat and into Loki's arm. The God happily returned the hug. "Thank you," Peter whispered."

"I would do anything for you, dear," Loki whispered back. Then, he was gone in a whirlwind of capes and lights, and Peter was left standing in the cafeteria. He took his seat again and picked up his sandwich.

MJ looked over. "Seems like you handled that well."

Peter shrugged. "Loki does what he wants. The best thing to do is just let him do it."

Ned fainted off his own chair, leaving his lunch half-eaten on the table.