Take a breath.

Hold it for three seconds.

One...

Two...

Three...

Now let it out.

Calm down.

You're Spiderman.

You're a strong, enhanced teenager with spider powers.

You'll be fine, right?

-

A single tear rolled down Peter Parker's cheek as he sat by the ocean, his feet being slashed by mini waves of water. Sand squished between his toes and his jeans got damp with salt.

The sun was setting off on the horizon, making the sky a beautiful array of pinks, oranges, and purples, fading into a navy blue and midnight black.

Today was Peter's seventeenth birthday, and he was spending it alone. After all, the Avengers were out on a mission, Pepper was in Hong Kong, his foster parents were dead, as well as his "aunt" and "uncle."

And his father?

Well, Peter's father was somewhere off in the universe, probably faking his death to escape his brother.

His best friends, you may ask?

Ned had abandoned him two weeks after homecoming night, blaming the enhanced teenager for his grounding.

And his girlfriend, MJ, was off looking at colleges in the state of California.

Peter let out a long sigh as he fell back onto the sand, small grains getting lost in his chestnut locks. He closed his eyes as water spray bathed his features.

Why was life so hard?

Would it be better if he didn't have one...?

"No, don't think like that," Peter murmured to himself, tracing a finger through the wet sand. "Dad wouldn't want that..."

"You're right. I wouldn't," a voice said from beside him. Peter's eyes opened and he shot up, turning to see his dad, the god of Mischief himself there.

"Dad?" he asked, his voice cracking. Loki smiled and opened his arms, allowing the eighteen year old boy to crash into his embrace.

"It's me bud," he whispered, raking a hand through the teen's damp chestnut curls. Peter let out a choked up sob, his body shaking as he hugged his dad who he hadn't seen in five years.

"I-I missed you," he cried as they backed apart. Loki blinked before patting the younger's shoulder.

"I missed you too, kiddo. I can see your roots beginning to darken," he pointed out. Peter smiled sheepishly.

"They've actually taken over my whole head. I just dyed it so the Avengers wouldn't get suspicious," he replied, drawing a finger through the sand.

Loki let out a hearty laugh, covering his mouth with his hand. "Is that so?" he questioned. Peter nodded, grinning, while he wiped away his tears with the collar of his shirt.

"C-Can we go inside? I'm getting kinda cold," Peter asked, eyes drifting back towards the tower. Loki nodded, standing up.

Soon, the two boys were posted up on the couches in the common room, hot chocolate mugs and bowls of buttered popcorn covering the table. All of the Revengers ™ movies were on a playlist as the first one was currently running.

"I miss doing this," Peter mumbled under the amass of blankets that were piled on his body. Loki hummed in agreement.

"You can say that again," he replied. Their relaxing evening was quickly interrupted by a stampede of footsteps, making both of them go into battle stances, Loki's suit forming around him and Peter's web shooters wrapping around his wrists.

They were surprised when tired Avengers dragged themselves through the door, making them falter in their hight alert. Tony looked up and nearly choked at the sight of Loki standing next to "his" kid.

"Hey! Get away from my son you swine!" he shouted, raising a repulsor in the god's direction.

Loki simply chuckled. "You mean my son?" he asked, pointing a finger at Peter. "After all, he does come from my planet."

"Excuse you? He's my kid!" Tony protested, irritated. Loki merely scoffed.

"As if. He has my DNA. Plus, at least I remember his birthday," he retorted. Tony glowered.

"Of course I remember his birthday! It's tomorrow, December twelfth!" he exclaimed. Peter coughed awkwardly.

"U-Um actually Tony, it's today..." he said quietly. A pure look of horror crossed Tony's features as Loki laughed, pointing a finger at the billionaire.

"Stupid motherfucking dickhead."