Disclaimer: Naruto characters belong to Kishimoto-sensei and all things Marvel to their rightful creators.
Title: Mumford & Sons – After The Storm

A/N: So I want to use this space mostly for later chapters of GoyH, but because there will be a huge time gap between this and the rest of the planned alts (we have to reach a proper plot point for them) I decided to post this drabble now and let it float the void alone for now :3

Chapter 4 alternative

*Wherein Madara decided to help Loki stop Thanos and realized he needed Kyuubi on board with this, too*

"Listen up, Furball," Madara materialised inside Kyuubi's mental landscape with a quick spin of Mangekyō, in a Tsukuyomi for once not meant to torture or control. The Fox was not pleased, to put it lightly.

All he could do, though, was to hiss and growl, because in the Tsukuyomi world, Madara was the one to set the rules. And so Kyuubi had been re-familiarized with the rubber ball, thanks to Loki's absolutely brilliant idea.

"I'll let you loose if you won't try to eat me. Not that you could, but…" Madara showed his teeth in a sharp expression of utter gloat. Kyuubi couldn't really do much, with his paws and tails also immobilized by heavy bars, so he just narrowed his eyes in response and growled louder, but didn't actually move otherwise. Madara simply altered the illusion to let him free, then.

What he didn't expect, though, was for the Fox to actually attack him immediately upon freeing. Before he could even react, he was cut in half by the massive jaws and swallowed by a mental manifestation of a very pleased Kyuubi.

It shouldn't be able to happen! But what Madara didn't know, was that even though he had a control over the Tsukuyomi world, his own consciousness was transferred into his victim mental landscape and dying there would make his real body a living, breathing vegetable.

And so it did.

What he also didn't know was that unable to dismiss the technique, Kyuubi would be stuck in a single moment forever, as his perception of time was altered and twisted beyond his control.

o0o

Loki had no idea what exactly happened when Madara looked at the Fox with his spinning, glowing eyes, but one moment he was smiling triumphantly and the next his boneless body fell off the branch, straight into the valley below them. Kyuubi on the other hand seemed frozen on one expression, sharp features stiff and angry, merged into a scary mask.

He tried to touch the demon like before, but all the responsive abilities seemed to have left the beast and Loki felt disappointed. Betrayed almost, as his new allies were supposed to be that one, that one and only case when he was the one coming on top.

Well, it seemed like Fate never stopped to hate him.

Loki sighed, rubbing his eyes suddenly strangely tired and turned around to find his way back into the little heroes pit.

"Plan A it is again, then."

Smile that cracked his lips was more bitter than anything else.

Cross-posted on AO3