Avengers: The King of Hearts.
Summary: "There's no "I" in "team" … and that's probably for a really good reason." It seems that nothing's been sitting well with the Avengers these days. After a year without Thor since his disastrous fight-n'-flight in London, Rodgers and his new birdman pal out looking for a ghost that may very well just be that, Banner's abrupt disappearance, Barton and Natasha AWOL, and Stark still reeling from S.H.E.I.L.D's unprecedented ("but still totally expected") betrayal, none of them are prepared for what's coming… or for what's already here. HYDRA, in all its dying glory, isn't quite ready to call it quits yet, and they're about to get up close and personal (again) when Cap accidentally brings more than a ghost story home – starting with a very literal "bang" that just might catch everyone's attention. But with the clock still ticking, and with a dark and very personal secret looming over their heads; it's going to take a whole lot more than plain old "teamwork" to save the world this time... in fact, when it's all said and done, they may just turn around and find it had already ended while their backs were turned.
Warning: This story is part of a main three-part series called "The Kings Trilogy," and while it is highly recommended that you go and read those first, it's not absolutely necessary to understand what's happening. You can read all three on Fanfiction or AO3 – whatever floats your boat – under the name "NothingSoSpecial" … or not. Anyway, this story will be Rated "T" for: Violence, language, depression, suicidal thoughts/actions, and references to mental/emotional/physical torture, PTSD, mild sexual themes and alcohol use, and other mature themes. Also: keep in mind that this story takes place one year after "Thor: The Dark World," and "The King of Nothing," during the events of "The King of Everything," and one year before "The King of Kings." It also takes place roughly two years after "Avengers," a year and a half after "Iron Man 3," and six months after "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" … and before of "Age of Ultron," obviously.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers or any supporting characters. Don't ruin my day and think I do.
N._.s._.S
Chapter One: Or Not… I.
"Peace begins with a smile."
– Mother Theresa.
October 19th 2014; Sunday.
Stark Tower, New York City, USA.
R + D: "Candyland," Floor 18 – 1:28:10 P.M.
68 Days, 11 Hours, 32 Minutes, and 50 Seconds until the Black Hunt's Arrival.
"Let's run it through one more time, shall we, J.A.R.V.I.S?"
Of course, sir.
Tony Stark pushed himself away from the large, glass desk littered with half-empty, coffee mugs, crumpled pieces of paper, broken pens, discarded towels, crushed water bottles, and miscellaneous plates of metal everywhere, and stretched; feeling a loud, satisfying crack before standing up and picking up the small data-pad that lay, plugged in, next to the flat-screened monitor on the equally-dirty table a few steps adjacent from where he'd just been sitting; flicking through it while carrying on his conversation with the AI without missing a beat.
"All this information," He mused, aloud, without looking up, "You're sure we have it all, J.A.R.V.I.S?"
Of course, sir.
"Including everything S.H.I.E.L.D. posted online six months ago?"
Yes, The AI assured him, without a split second's hesitation, All additional information from the S.H.I.E.L.D. database leaked in April by former Agent Natasha Romanov has been downloaded, accounted for, updated, and added to our own archive.
"I can't believe I was just sitting on this for years," Stark grumbled for what had to have been the hundredth time that morning, as he threw down his data-pad in disgust and reached for a half-empty cup of lukewarm coffee, downing it before adding, "If the Mandarin, Thor, and Fury hadn't distracted me, I swear I could've stopped this. God, they had a gun to the back of my head and brought a guy back from the dead without me ever realizing it."
Technically, sir, he wasn't dead.
"Ha!" Stark snorted, humorlessly, into his coffee before standing up, plopping the now empty coffee mug back down again as he started for the glass door leading outside and pulling out his cell, "Right. And the guy's still probably responsible for half the world's assassinations. According to Cap, Kennedy and my dad were just the tip of the iceberg… and speaking of which, have we retrieved that file from Fury yet?"
We have.
"Crack it open and send copies to Cap, Wilson, Banner, Rhodey, and my cell."
Already done, sir.
"Good," Stark said, even as he put the cell to his hear, "Just keep digging through everything else, then. If you find anything too juicy to wait, send it to me - and keep copies to everyone else while you're at it."
Yes, sir.
"Get on it without me, then. I've got a meeting in ten, topside," Stark paused with his hand on the door. He turned back, looked over the mess he'd made in the lab during the past few days, and smiled, letting his tone soften, "… And thanks, buddy. Seriously. You've been a real help through all this."
Of course, sir. The AI paused, Thank you.
As the door closed and snapped locked, all the lights went out simultaneously.
N._.s._.S
October 19th 2014; Sunday.
Stark Tower, New York City, USA.
"The Loft," Floor 30 – 2:01:19 P.M.
68 Days, 10 Hours, 59 Minutes, and 31 Seconds Until the Black Hunt's Arrival.
"You can't keep blaming Fury for everything, Tony."
"Sure I can," Stark retorted as he sat down on the couch, not even bothering to get off his phone as he planted his feet up on the glass coffee table. Pepper stood primly at the elevator, hands folded across her chest and a single brow raised in clear exasperation as he added, "And until he comes out of his little hidey-hole and gives me the files I know he's still got hidden from me somewhere, his goons aren't seeing a single –"
Stark would have said more, if he hadn't been interrupted by the all-too familiar female, auto-toned voice on the other end of his cell.
I'm sorry, It began, The person you are trying to reach is unavailable…
"Dammit, Banner!"
Pepper's hands moved to her sides and she glared at him as Stark grimaced and sat up.
"I give him an untraceable, almost completely indestructible phone with email, Internet, and a subscription to Times Magazine and swear I'll only call if it's important," He complained in half-amusement, ignoring her completely as he waited for the voicemail tone, "… And he still never answers."
"Tony –"
… Please leave a message after the beep.
"Yo, big mean green! Answer your cell once in a while, will you? Geez!" Tony boomed into the phone after the single-tone beep, standing up and heading out into the balcony, "Anyway, I got some headway on our special project. Plus, I sent some more of S.H.I.E.L.D's – aka HYDRA's – database to you this morning. So if you're anywhere with Internet – and you should be because your phone comes with it, by the way – you really should check it out."
"Well," He let the messaging system run for a few beats before continuing, this time easing his voice a little. "That's it for the news… but I could use an update on you, you know. No one's seen you since London, and we're all getting a little worried. So hook me up, will you? Can't do everything myself."
He let it run a couple seconds more before hanging up.
Stark didn't even have to turn around to know Pepper would be gone by the time he went back in – off to do whatever she did as acting CEO of Stark Industries – so he stayed out on the balcony and simply leaned over the railing, staring up into the blue, cloudless sky, letting his thoughts run through the usual checklist.
First on that list, he knew, somewhere in Brooklyn - less than a mile away from where he stood as a matter of fact - he knew Cap and Sam Wilson were running around trying to track down the Winter Soldier, taking out whatever HYDRA threw their way with a vengeance. He was almost relieved, in some horrible, twisted way. Thanks to those two, Stark didn't have to waste time going after HYDRA himself. He could sit here in New York City and pick up the pieces they'd left with him.
Stark could deal with the President and Congress breathing down his neck, with General "Thunderbolt" Ross calling him up all hours of the night and threatening to shove soldiers through his front door to find – and arrest – him and Banner (who'd been missing for months now), and even Justin Hammer in all his stupid, blundering glory, all in peace.
Peace.
And not to mention, he could deal with not knowing where Natasha, Barton, Fury, or the rest of "S.H.I.E.L.D" was to properly be angry with them, and get blamed for that, too.
Right, Stark smirked, Because that's what this is supposed to be, isn't it?
"Peace."
N._.s._.S
Okay, peeps! Who's seen Age of Ultron yet? Hands up! XD
Yeah, it was TOTALLY epic, well worth the three–year wait. But seeing how it only came out this Friday (and I saw it opening day because I'm cool), I'll leave THAT alone unless someone PMs. In wake of seeing the movie, though, I started looking through all my old Avengers fanfics after I came back, and realized that I never finished this! Whoops! I decided to work on it, and lo and behold, it actually took! Finally, huh? XD
So I hope you're all ready for the last installment of the "Kings" Trilogy. This one will obviously be centering around the 2 years that the Avengers back on Earth spent while Thor and Loki were stuck doing their own thing on Asgard. If you haven't noticed, the timeline at the very beginning of some segments will be very critical to understanding the story fully. Some will start about 11/2 years before, and some will pitch back and forth between all members – except Thor's, obviously. So pay attention and don't get lost!
First off, I'd life to present the winner of the last Question Contest:
TheFGnat
As usual, she will receive the special dedication for this story, and here are the original questions. Her answers (and I have taken the liberty of spell and grammar–checking), have been recorded below.
Question One: How do you think Loki lifted the Curse over Midgard, and brought all the people back, in the end?
Question Two: Why did Loki choose to leave Asgard, and not fully participate in the final battle until the very end? Where did he go, and what did he do? Why? And was he right to stop Thor from killing Lor'Vael? Why/Why not?
Question Three: Why did Thor allow Asgard – and his friends – to think Loki was actually dead? Why did he even agree to lie for his brother in the first place?
Question Four: Why did Axel Hernsson fix Loki's dagger and return it to Thor? And who could have left the three white lilies, the red rose, and the Rubik cube at Loki's "grave?" What did these actions symbolize?
Question Five: Axel Hernsson lied to everyone from the very moment he was introduced in "The King of Everything," from everything about his involvement with Remus Zak'Vael to the Curse he put over Loki, and of course, about the final outcome. Why? Was he justified? Why/why not?
Question Six: The Avengers, especially Banner, treated Loki as one of their own and even mourned him in their own ways after he was "killed." What did Loki do to earn their trust – and forgiveness? What did Loki say that inspired Banner to fight Du and Xu'Vael without the aid of the Hulk?
Question Seven: Do you believe Loki will ever return to Asgard/Midgard again? Why/why not?
BONUS: What was the gold bird, and what was its true purpose? What did it represent?
TheFGnat
1: I think he might've lifted the Curse by Blessing Midgard and its people with the blue dagger. After all, it injured a Vael and so maybe, through blood, holds that Vael power needed to Curse/Bless others. Even if not actually wielded, perhaps possessing it alone would make the difference.
2. I guess Loki was, even after everything, still insecure as to his place in Thor's life. I think that after he "died" he felt that his part was done, that Thor was better equipped in finishing the job. Not only that, but death gives him the freedom to lead his life however he wants it free of any kind of pressure. So I guess he went to tie up loose ends and watch over Thor to ensure all went according to plan. Was he right or wrong to stop him from killing Lor'Vael? I guess so. I think Loki needed him alive to lift the Curse.
3. Well, Thor loves Loki, and if lying to everybody means Loki will be happy and in peace, then however much it'd hurt, he'd do it. Because Loki is his little brother.
4. I guess he fixed it for two reasons: The first would be because of sentimental reasons: because it was Thor's gift to Loki and therefore, secondly, it would tie in with my answer to Question 1: that the dagger was needed to end the Curse. As for the flowers, I think they came from the Warriors Three (the lilies) and Sif (the rose). The number of flowers would match up, even though the thought of Sif giving Loki a rose is kind of weird, because roses are THE flower of romance… and yeah, I doubt SIF FEELS THAT WAY ABOUT HIM. The Rubik cube is no doubt from Jane because she gave it to him when he was hurt (as it in "The King of Nothing?" I think it was very early on and they only just started to be friends). Why would they leave those objects at his grave? As a mark of respect and care. And even though the Warriors Three and Sif hadn't been on the best of terms with Loki in recent years, hey still grew up together. And he and Jane grew to be brother and sister, the Rubik cube representing the start of that bond.
5. I guess he kind of had to lie. This was a test. If Loki had to go through all of it on his own to survive his Curse and save everyone, Axel couldn't tell him. That'd be like cheating on an exam, and not just any exam, but the most important, life–changing test in your entire life. So, yeah, I guess he was justified.
6. Well, first he saved their lives, which helps. Then being mostly calm, unthreatening, honest (kind of) and affectionate towards Thor must have shown them that he was different. Loki, having that little therapy session with Banner, showed the both that things they had things in common, and an understanding of the world that others don't always have, and that they were strong. I guess that's what inspired Banner to fight in his own body. And of course they fought together, had each other's back. That creates a strong bond between people. "Brothers in arms" as they say.
7. I think he'll check up on his family and friends at some point, to make sure they're alright. Perhaps even attend important milestones in their lives (births of children, deaths). But he'd do that discreetly, unseen or in disguise. He is "dead" after all."
BONUS: I think the bird was a physical manifestation of Loki's soul which he could merge with to fly (of Chapter 39: "… and so, spreading golden wings, Loki dived").
Thank you so much for your detailed answers. And while they may not necessarily be "right" or "wrong," I do really appreciate you taking the time, so well done, and thank you again.
N._.s._.S
Anyway, I do love getting all these Reviews and see all this support for my work, and hope to see more.
Regardless, I hope you all enjoy this story. I'm working hard on it, so please look forward to it!
The next Chapter will be posted up as soon as possible!
N._.s._.S