A/N: Merry Christmas! This may only be a short drabble to let you all know that I'm still alive and not a Christmas chapter, you can still consider it my present to you! University was murder for the holidays, and then there's all the present shopping... I had no freetime unless I rejected sleep XD But now I'm on winter break and will be working on stories and fanart as much as I can before the next semester starts! I hope you enjoy this short chapter while I get back into the hang of fanfiction writing and not report papers...

Peter's eyes snapped open, a short scream passing through his lips. His body shot up in bed, his hands gripping at his chest as tears pricked his eyes. It took him more than a moment to calm down, his eyes darting around the room to try and find something to ground himself with but coming up with nothing. He could only wait out the panic that held his body, wait for the nightmare to clear of his mind just enough that he could stop gasping for breath.

Once his heart had settled down enough for him to move properly again, he quickly threw off his covers and left the room. He knew all hope for returning to sleep was lost, even though a quick glance at the clock on his bedside told him he'd only been asleep for three hours. Which wasn't so bad... He's gone through a day with less.

Sneaking down the hall, Peter kept his ears tuned into the sleeping sounds of the other Avengers. The last thing he wanted was to wake them up and have to deal with explaining why he was awake...

He cursed himself for having a nightmare at the Compound, because of course he did. It was a miracle that Mr. Rogers was on another floor or the man probably would have heard his scream... Peter never thought he'd love the fact that his room was on the floor with the Avengers that had normal hearing - even if it meant that he had to deal with Sam's antics occasionally.

Taking many twists and turns down corridors that would have gotten him lost not too long ago, Peter let out a small sigh of relief as he saw the kitchen ahead; he would make himself some hot chocolate and then start doing what was left of his homework. Why did he have to finish the majority of it before he came to the Compound? It wouldn't take him long, then he'd have to find some other way to distract his mind.

Digging through a pantry, Peter frowned slightly. He turned to go through a cabinet as his frown deepened. Someone had used the last of his hot chocolate mix... He needed a warm drink to calm his mind down though, what was he supposed to do? He didn't share Loki or Miss Romanoff's love of tea, and Mr. Stark had banned him from coffee.

Glancing at the coffee machine though, he didn't really see any reason why he shouldn't have any. After all, it's not like he'd be spending time with the others and annoying them, plus he needed to stay awake.

He took a single step towards it before a voice spoke from behind him.

"Do not even think of it, child."

Whirling around, Peter stared with wide eyes as Loki stood in the doorway with his Italian silk pajamas and slightly tousled hair. Peter had to do a double take because he had never seen Loki like this before, the man was always properly dressed whenever he came out of his room in the mornings.

"Loki! What are you doing up? Did you need something in the kitchen too?" Peter gave a nervous chuckle, his hands fidgeting together as he glanced away. The team already viewed him as an emotional baby, he really didn't want Loki to see him that way as well. And while a part of him knew that Loki wouldn't think that, he couldn't help himself for wanting to hold it back. His dream had been so realistic... All of those eyes staring at him... The voices... He shook his head to rid himself of the memory.

"You had a nightmare," He said simply, green eyes bright even in the darkness of the kitchen. Those four words froze Peter where he stood though.

He swallowed thickly as he forced a smile, "What? No! I just finished sleeping, that's the only reason I'm awake. What makes you think I had a nightmare?"

A single eyebrow raised at him, the silence stretching on for a second longer before Peter let out a sigh. "Okay, yeah, I had a nightmare. But don't worry about it! I was just going to get something to drink then go finish my homework. It's not a big deal."

Loki's eyes narrowed a fraction before he turned around and started walking back down the hall. "Come with me."

Peter glanced back at the coffee machine before hurrying to walk next to Loki, "Really, Loki, it's fine. It wasn't even that bad; I'm not a little kid, I can handle a stupid dream."

"You wouldn't have left your room and contemplated making coffee if it truly wasn't that bad. Be glad that I got to you when I did, you should know that starting that machine is a sure way to summon Stark."

Peter nodded to himself, realizing that it was true. Mr. Stark seemingly appeared out of thin air whenever coffee was being made, though he wouldn't force Peter to talk about the dream... They'd probably stay up and build things together. Eyeing Loki, Peter wasn't sure if he would have preferred that to whatever Loki had in mind.

When they stopped outside Loki's bedroom, Peter's eyebrows both raised into his hairline. He never expected Loki to take him back to his room; Peter's room or the roof or something, but not Loki's room.

"I take it you don't want to be in your room, correct?" Loki shot him a glance before opening the door, Peter hesitating for just a second before entering as well.

It was almost the same neat room that Peter had seen before, with the exception of the messy bed. What was normally a perfectly made bed with crisp corners was now rumpled with the covers thrown back, as if Loki had woken up suddenly and didn't waste any time to even bother with an illusion before leaving.

"Get in the bed."

Peter startled at the instruction, wide eyes looking at the man. "What? Loki, I'm fine, really-"

"Peter, you went to bed barely three hours ago. I will not allow you to stay awake on such little sleep, it's not good for your health."

"My health is fine!"

"Not for much longer."

Peter gave him a half hearted glare, matching Loki's crossed arms as he turned away. As much as he admired Loki, he couldn't stand how level headed the man was in this moment. He wished he would raise his voice, sound exasperated, something that wouldn't make Peter feel like he was being irrational!

Though there was a part of his mind that knew he was irrational, Peter thought it would be best to smother that part deep down.

He was more than ready to jump over Loki to escape when the man let out a sigh and sat down on his bed. "So stubborn... You don't listen to reason a lot, even when it's for yourself."

"Hey-"

"Thor was the same way when we were younger. I didn't help, of course; I probably even made it worse."

Peter raised an eyebrow, caught off guard by the sudden revelation. His stance shifted slightly, his head tilting as he hesitated only for a second before asking, "What do you mean...?"

A devilish smirk pulled at Loki's lips as he nodded his head to the bed, "Get in and I'll tell you."

Scowl back full force, Peter relented and climbed into the bed. He noted that it was much softer than his bed, probably because Loki picked it out himself. But sitting with his arms crossed and an exaggerated sigh, Peter would not reveal how comfortable he was. "What do you mean you made it worse?"

He received a small chuckle as Loki looked across the room, his eyes seeing into a time that was far away. "Would you believe me if I told you Thor was not born a naturally good fighter? It took many, many years of training for him to win his first battle that wasn't rigged - almost getting us killed in the process."

"What happened?" Deciding to get invested, Peter laid back in the bed and settled in. He always did love hearing Loki's stories, especially if it was about his childhood.

"Thor had made his training into a show, a sport almost. Father obviously wasn't happy about it and had the guards let Thor win every time for appearances sake. We were much closer back then... And I chose to inflate his ego rather than tell him that the guards were holding back. Which backfired on us both." He chuckled slightly and shook his head, "Lady Sif was the one that gave Thor this rather rude awakening, which fueled Thor to go to father. He wanted to go questing, but because the guards were always holding back in his training, Thor wasn't a very skilled fighter. Father denied his request, restricting him to Asgard alone.

"Thor, being as headstrong and stubborn as you when upset, came up with the brilliant plan to sneak off to another world to complete a quest that many young heroes partake in, forcing me and our friends along with him." Loki smiled, holding his hand in front of him as a green light danced from his fingers and taking the shape of a rather large sword. "He wanted to go after the Sword of Surtur, a mythical weapon that was lost in the ice of Jotunheim. If the Frost Giants had found us, it would break the peace treaty between our races... as well as ending our lives."

"Were you scared? It was your first time leaving Asgard for a mission, right?"

Loki let out a small chuckle, a smirk playing on his lips. "There were moments; like when we got into a bar fight with a giant wolf, or found by the Jotun sentries, even the Valkyries..."

"Wait- Hold up, you got into a bar fight with a wolf?" Peter's eyes were wide, leaning in subconsciously. "How is that even possible?"

"I didn't like him so I froze his drink in his mug, then unfroze it when he held it over his head. He wasn't very happy about that..." Loki shook his head with a smirk. "We were all so young back then, untrained in how to fight and struggling against even a Great Wolf. I hid behind Thor when I saw his anger, but he knew it was me and attacked. That was the first time Thor and I had fought side by side."

"What was it like?"

Hearing the awe in Peter's voice, Loki looked over at him with slightly narrowed eyes. "Close your eyes." A laugh escaped him as he saw the boy's guard instantly go up. "I merely wish to show you, it will be much easier than recalling the event with words."

Watching as he reluctantly let his eyes fall shut, Loki's hand opened as a green light danced across his palm and into the air. It circled a few times above them before dipping down to Peter's head, lighting his face in a green glow. The boy drew in a sharp breath as images filled his head, Loki's memories of his childhood playing behind Peter's closed eyes.

He smirked as he saw Peter's body stiffen before relaxing, his breathing evening out not long after. Loki sighed as he watched, Peter must have been tired to fall asleep so fast - even with the aid of his magic. It made him wonder what sort of nightmare could have shaken him up so much... Normally Peter would start some new project, but he seemed to not be able to stay in his room this time. Loki didn't miss the way Peter's skin was paler than normal, even in the dim light of the kitchen. Nor did he miss the cold sweat and near panic in his eyes.

It was no secret that Peter had been through too much for a human his age, but to be that rattled by a dream... Loki didn't like it.

Watching as Peter drifted deeper into sleep while chasing after adolescent versions of Loki and Thor, the trickster made a silent vow to stop anymore nightmares from plaguing this boy.

A/N: The ending is a little rushed, I'm so sorry about that! I wanted to get a new chapter out soon to let you all know that this story is still on going and that I haven't given up on it yet, despite what some comments are saying. I was originally planning to show what Peter was dreaming about, but realized that I wouldn't have been able to finish the story in time for Christmas. So the next chapter will be Peter's dream adventures!

If you would like to see the accompanying fanart for this chapter, go check out my Instagram, karmi_draws!