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Giggles echoed off the walls of the Compound living room as Peter held the snake in his hands, the reptile slithering up his arm and tickling his ear with its tongue.
Suddenly, a flash of green brightened the room as the snake turned back into Loki, who had a smirk of pleasantry on his face. He was always happy to spend time with the young boy, who was always full of laughter and gladness.
“Do you have a favorite animal you like to turn into?”
Loki thought for a moment. “Well, I typically love the snake, as it is quite entertaining to watch my brother squirm. But, I love the ferret as well.”
“Can I see?” Peter cheered, then quickly took it back, “But—also no pressure, I don’t want you to feel—”
“It is quite alright, Spider-child. Give me a moment, and I will show you.”
The god closed his eyes and felt the magic coursing through his veins, the exhaustion weighing on him heavily. He wasn’t going to tell Peter he was tired, as the boy was so incredibly excited, but he could tell that they were going to have to call it quits soon.
Green flecks of magic surrounded his hands as he gestured to himself, when suddenly a burst of green light flashed around the room, and Loki was ready to be on the floor in a much smaller form.
But something was wrong.
For when he opened his eyes, he was not in the form of a ferret. Instead, he was still himself, and Peter was gone.
Peter was gone.
Loki felt fear clutching his heart as he thought of all the terrible things that could have happened to the boy, different dimensions and monsters galore flickering in his imagination. If anything happened to Peter under his watch, he would never be able to live with himself. He would never admit it, but he loved the boy, and he knew he would do anything to keep him safe.
But suddenly, just as he felt the panic creep up on him, he heard a yip.
Looking down, he was met with the big orbs of a beagle puppy’s eyes, as the creature pawed up at him and rested its paws on his ankles.
There was absolutely no way.
Was it really?
“...Peter…?”
The puppy rubbed its nose against the god’s leg, up and down as it whimpered, plopping its rear half on the floor in front of Loki.
Loki sighed, reaching down to pick Peter up as he held the puppy out in front of him, staring into his eyes.
“Oh Norns, how am I going to tell Stark? He’ll have my head once he finds out.”
The puppy barked, and licked his nose, smiling (if puppies could smile.) He didn’t seem to be worried about anything, despite the fact he was no longer a human and was stuck in a different form for the time being.
Loki was exhausted, and as he set Peter on the floor and concentrated all his magic towards him in hopes of manifesting him into a human again, nothing happened.
“Peter, I’m so sorry but it—it looks like you’re stuck as a canine for a while until I can regain my strength. I hope you can forgive me.”
As if in response, the puppy clumsily leapt up on Loki’s lap and began to lick his face, until Loki was a mess of laughter as he tried to keep Peter away from his face.
.
.
.
The robot chirped as it handed the man the wrench, excited to please his dad. Dum-e had been working round the clock lately, as Mr. Stark had been in the lab tirelessly as of late. Peter hadn’t been around because of school, and he was trying to keep himself busy with Iron Man duties. When his the kid wasn’t around, it was like the light was gone and he was left with overcast clouds.
But it was when Tony heard the sound of the lab door opening that he knew something was wrong. It was like he had his own “spider sense,” but with Peter. His paternal instincts told him something was wrong with his kid.
F.R.I.D.A.Y. chimed in, turning the music down. Tony looked up at the ceiling, slightly irritated, “Fri, where’s my music?”
“I have been told to turn the music down when Peter is around, as per the ‘Sensitive Spidey’ protocol.”
“But Peter isn’t here. Is he?”
F.R.I.D.A.Y. took a moment to respond before she said, “He is, sir. Also, it appears Loki is trying to gain access to the lab. Should I let him in?”
Tony raised a suspicious eyebrow. “Reindeer Games?” Why would Loki be trying to get in here, and with Peter? What was going on?
“Let him in, but let Point Break know where his brother is just in case he tries to pull anything.” When Tony looked up, he saw a very frantic Loki outside the lab door with one hand against the glass and the other holding a…was that a beagle puppy?
“What is Loki…?” Mr. Stark put his wrench down and pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head slightly. He knew better than to ask questions at this point in his life.
As the doors opened, Loki rushed in and held the puppy out to Tony.
The man looked at the dog, then at the god and sighed, unimpressed. “Why are you handing me a puppy?”
“It is not—well, he is, but—well, there might have been an accident—”
Mr. Stark’s heart dropped into his throat, lodging itself there and blocking his airway. “What do you mean there was an accident?” He stepped closer, ready to swing if necessary. “What did you do to my kid?” He growled, “Because I swear to God Loki, if you hurt a hair on his head I’ll—”
“No! Norns, no I didn’t hurt the spider child!” Loki shouted, slightly offended that Tony would even suggest such a thing. “He’s just a little…different.”
“Where is he?” Tony asked, panicked.
“He is…right…here.” Loki held out the puppy again, and Tony saw the animal with different eyes. Suddenly, they had the eyes of the one and only Peter Parker, and that obnoxious puppy permanent grin was the smile that brightened up every room he walked into.
“Oh kid, what happened?” He said, taking the wriggling puppy from Loki’s grasp. His tail was wagging wildly as he attempted to lick Mr. Stark’s face. “What happened to him?” He asked gently, now knowing that Peter was around.
Loki sighed, recounting the story, “The spider child and I were together in the living room, messing around with my seiðr, as I transformed into different animals of his liking. I was getting tired and I felt the exhaustion coursing through me, but I foolishly didn’t say anything.” The god took a breath as he continued.
“But when I went to transform into the next animal, I looked up and Peter was gone! It was horrifying, I thought I had sent him to another dimension or another world. But then I heard an adorable sound and I looked down and there was a canine at my feet. I put the pieces together and knew it was the spider child.”
Tony sighed and held Peter up, looking into his eyes as the puppy wagged his tail. “What am I going to do with you, kiddie?” Peter responded by barking, which made Dum-e curious as the robot travelled over, turning his claw around as he looked up at the puppy in his dad’s arms.
The man put the puppy down on the ground for a moment and immediately the beagle went chasing after Dum-e, who playfully batted at him with his mechanical claw.
“Thank you for bringing him to me. How long will he be like this?”
“My seiðr is worn out right now, but it should be back by tomorrow morning. I am afraid he will be stuck like this until tomorrow, though. I’m deeply sorry Stark.”
“It’s alright. We’ll find things to do—” Tony swooped his arm down and grabbed the puppy, holding Peter up and putting him on top of the lab table. “Right? You won’t give me too much trouble, hm Underoos?”
Peter jumped up and put his paws on his mentor’s chest, licking him in the face.
“Gross—!” Mr. Stark said, gently guiding Peter away from his face. “You may be a puppy right now, but that’s weird, I officially ban you from doing that, kid.”
Peter understood and lowered his head in shame, which immediately made Tony feel terrible. He rubbed the puppy’s head to try and cheer him up, and the incident was quickly forgotten.
“Alright, let’s go get you something to eat. You must be hungry—puppies still have a high metabolism, right?”
The young boy (or—dog?) yipped and jumped up on his hind legs.
.
.
.
“Step on it, Hap. I can practically feel the kid’s stomach growling from here.”
As if on cue, Peter whined and pawed at his face, resting his chin on Mr. Stark’s leg in the Audi.
“Do you really think the kid’s going to want to eat dog food? I mean—if I got turned into a dog for a day, I’d rather starve than eat dog kibble.”
(Peter thought to himself that he wished he could speak so he could make a joke about being used to starving, but he knew it would have been in poor taste, anyway.)
The puppy whimpered in response, nodding his head the most he could as he looked up at Mr. Stark. He definitely didn’t want to eat dog food. He had once as a kid and it made him sick.
“Okay so no dog food then. Take us to the grocery store then Hap—I have an idea.”
.
.
.
Once they were back at the Compound, and Tony had finished cooking for Peter, he called the kid over from where he was resting on the couch and put the plate down in front of him.
“There. I know that you’re typically a vegetarian, and I’m sorry—but I cannot in good conscience feed a dog only greens. I’m sorry kid—I know, but you’re just going to have to put up with it today. I’m really sorry, but just pretend it’s not you eating it.”
The puppy plopped his rear end on the floor and turned his head away, but it was clear he was debating it. He understood that dogs couldn’t be vegetarian, it was ethically wrong. But he was only going to be a dog for a day, so it couldn’t hurt to not eat anything, right?
But just as he was about to walk away from the plate of cooked ham, the smell reached his sensitive nose and his stomach involuntarily growled. He growled back in response, agitated, but he hesitantly sniffed the ham and began to slowly chew it, cringing internally.
“Good kid. I’m sorry to make you eat that, but it’s for your own health, okay? You need some more protein in your diet anyway, you’ve been getting lightheaded a lot lately, kiddo.” He gently petted Peter on the head and ruffled his fur, then walked over to the couch as he waited for the kid to be finished with his food.
The puppy took a few bites before he was done, and then he walked over to the couch where he jumped up and rested his head on Mr. Stark’s leg.
“What’s that dog doing in here?”
Sam walked into the Compound living room and raised an eyebrow, questioning. Bucky and Steve were shortly behind him.
“It’s Peter.”
“Pete?” Bucky asked. “What on Earth happened, we left for two seconds and now Peter’s a dog?”
Steve chimed in and laughed good-naturedly as Peter jumped off the couch and trotted over to them, “I’ve seen aliens, and I’ve seen gods. I’m not surprised that Peter’s been turned into a dog. I’ve seen crazier things.” He crouched down and began to pet the puppy, when suddenly he looked up at Tony and asked, “How long is he going to be this way?”
Tony patted his lap, signalling for Peter to come back over as he replied, “Until tomorrow
morning. Loki’s magic is apparently all worn out and he’s too tired.” He rolled his eyes, but they softened when Peter wobbled back over and jumped up on the couch next to him again.
“We have to call Nat, she’s going to freak out.” Bucky whispered, smiling over at Peter, who barked.
“No, we don’t need to get anyone else involved.” Tony put a hand on Peter’s back, a protective gesture. “I think he’s already embarrassed enough as it is.”
“But—!”
“No, don’t, just—”
“Don’t what—OH MY GOD A PUPPY!!” Scott ran over and gently grabbed Peter’s big floppy ears, flipping and flopping them all over the place.
“Be gentle!” Tony barked, grabbing the puppy from next to him and putting him in his lap, holding him back with his arms. “It’s Peter, be careful.”
Scott scrunched up his nose, “Peter’s a dog?”
“We were just asking the same thing.” Sam said.
“We have to tell the others! They have to meet puppy Peter, he’s so cute!” Scott said, ruffling the puppy’s fur against Tony’s wishes. The man glared at Scott, who backed up against his own will.
“Who’s so cute?” Bruce said curiously as he walked in, clipboard in hand as he gently pushed his glasses up his nose. “Woah, what’s a dog doing here? Tony, I don’t know if it’s—”
Tony sighed and gestured to the puppy, “It’s Peter. Loki turned him into a puppy but he can’t be turned back till tomorrow morning.”
Bruce’s eyes widened and he blinked, “Oh! Well in that case…” He walked over and sat down next to the puppy, who immediately began to wag his tail. “Hi Pete! How are you? Well, I know you can’t talk, but just know we’re here for you, okay?”
Banner looked up at Tony and searched his expression, “Are you doing okay? I know this has got to be at least a little stressful for you.”
“Tell me about it.” Mr. Stark said, putting his face in his hands, to which Peter nudged his snout on his arm and tried to comfort him, whining. “I don’t know how to take care of a dog, Brucie. Let alone a puppy. His Aunt doesn’t even know yet!”
“She does now.”
“Nat?!” Sam said, “Jesus, you scared the shit out of me.”
The woman smiled, satisfied with her entrance. “I just called her, and she’s on her way. I had to make sure she was aware.”
Tony made sure Peter was okay, then stood up and walked over to Natasha. “Romanoff, she’s going to kill me. I haven’t—”
“No, she wasn’t upset. She was actually excited to see him. She was just worried about how long he was going to stay this way, but once she found out it was only temporary she was fine.” Natasha smiled as she walked over to Peter. “Now have you played with him at all, he’s probably bored out of his mind. Aren’t you just adorable?”
The puppy rubbed his head against her hand, silently begging her for pets. She happily obliged.
“I also called Clint because he HAS to see this. He’s going to be stoked.”
Tony melted into the couch and begged whatever higher being above that this would be over soon.
For the next few hours, they put on a movie as all the avengers (excluding Thor, who was busy with a certain Jane Foster) got the chance to play with puppy Peter, throwing him balls and playing with him until the puppy was so tired he fell asleep on the couch, cuddled up next to his dad his mentor.
“Y’know, I never really thought about it, but a puppy is really the perfect animal that Loki could have turned him into.” Clint chimed in, scratching Peter behind the ear as the puppy kicked in his sleep, soft puppy snores escaping him.
“Very true.” Bruce said. “Peter is extremely strong and capable, but he’s also so kind and pure. I don’t think he could terribly hurt someone if he wanted to.”
“I don’t know.” Nat added. “I think you guys are underestimating him. I’ve seen him go at it during training.”
“Same here.” Steve agreed. “He’s even stronger than me sometimes, and that’s saying something.”
“Way to be humble, man.” Sam said, teasing.
“I’m not saying he isn’t strong,” Bruce clarified. “I’m just saying that he’s the best of us, y’know?” He smiled softly. “I really think he’s going to be the best of us. I do.”
Tony looked at sleeping Peter fondly and smiled, ruffling his fur as the puppy dreamed and wagged his tail in his sleep.
“Me too, Brucie Bear. Me too.”
.
.
.
Loki put the puppy down on the ground and focused all his energy into his fingertips, until he saw green tendrils coming from his palms and he gestured them towards Peter.
“Is he going to be okay?” Mr. Stark asked, ready to jump in if necessary.
“He will be just fine.” Loki assured him. “He might feel uncomfortable for a moment, but even that’s unlikely to happen.
“Just be careful please, Reindeer Games.” He hid his anxiousness behind a faux wall of nonchalant, but he was worried. What if something went wrong? The lingering feeling in his mind that told him Loki couldn’t be trusted made him worry that something would go wrong.
Gently, Loki reached down and touched Peter’s forehead as he closed his eyes. Tony covered his eyes with his hands, too scared to look, but carefully peeked through his fingers. He had a gauntlet ready just in case he had to fight (to fight what? He didn’t know, but he knew it made him feel better, alright?)
A giant green flash of light erupted across the Compound living room and suddenly when everyone opened their eyes again, a young boy was standing in the middle of the living room instead of a puppy. Peter looked so happy as he observed his arms and felt his face, realizing he wasn’t a dog anymore.
“I’m me again!” He cried. “Aw man, it was kind of fun to be a dog for a little bit, but then I missed doing things like being in the lab and building legos. Thanks Mr. Loki!” He said, rushing over to give the god a hug, who received the hug confused but delighted by it all the same. He gently patted Peter on the back as he welcomed him back.
“Um excuse me, do I not get a hug?” Tony said, tilting his head, glaring at Peter playfully. The young boy immediately ran over and hugged his mentor, thanking him for taking care of him and for everything he did.
“I’m so sorry I scared you Mr. Stark!” He said, frowning, “I had no idea what was happening until I was a dog and by then I couldn’t say anything. I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright. I’m just glad you’re okay bambino.” He cupped Peter’s face and took the first deep breath he had in days now that his kid was alright.
Peter grinned deviously, “Now that you’ve taken care of a puppy…CAN WE GET A—”
“No.”
“But Mr. Stark! Think of how cool it would be for the team to have a puppy!”
“We already have one,” he said, ruffling Peter’s hair. “It’s you, silly.”
“Mr. Stark!”