A/N: So I guess I'm sticking with every Tuesday for this fic. Enjoy!
"Loki?" Peter called quietly from the hall a few hours later.
He started, gaze jerking away from the stars visible out of the porthole. It swept over his shadowy and tidy quarters, landing on a door with a broken lock. Loki tried to summon the fire to glare through it, but having to wipe away a few fresh tears quenched any spark he might've found. He sat up, setting his sketchbook down on his nightstand as he started to get up.
"Are we there yet?" Loki asked, cursing his voice's wobble, suddenly realizing he didn't know where "there" was.
"No."
Damn, he sighed to himself, torn between relief and disappointment. "Then go away."
"Loki, I'm coming in whether you like it or not."
Cloaking his reddened eyes and damp cheeks, Loki opened the door with a flick of the wrist. Peter almost fell into the room, grabbing the doorframe at the last second and straightening up, casually leaning on it as if that was exactly what he'd meant to do. A smirk tugged at the corner of Loki's mouth, lending him a little strength to steady his voice.
"Where are we going?"
"We decided on Ascorix," Peter answered, relaxing his stance a little. "It's a haven for groups like the Ravagers, disgusting and lawless and all that. It's an easy place to hide."
"You sound like you know that from experience."
Peter shrugged, stepping inside and quietly shutting the door behind him. "I was a Ravager for a long time. Got into more than a few scrapes."
"Mhm," Loki said vaguely, warily scooting back into the corner, nudging aside his dark green blankets to get more comfortable.
Peter settled on the other end of the bed, hands clasped as he looked out the porthole. "No one would judge you for backing out of this," he finally said. "We've all got our own traumas, our own ghosts to avoid."
"She's a threat, and she needs to be neutralized," Loki answered stiffly.
"So was Ego," Peter countered, "and if they hadn't needed my own Celestial abilities to counter his, those people out there would have let me bail in a heartbeat."
"Beb's a sorcerer. I'm a sorcerer. Therefore, you need me."
"We've held our own against sorcerers before, you know," Peter pointed out, gaze flicking to Loki and away again.
Loki clenched his jaw. "So you don't need me."
"No! No, god, Loki, I didn't mean-" Peter paused, running a hand through his hair. "Look, it's my job to protect the team. And that includes making sure everybody's prepared to fight. If you're gonna spazz out in the field, putting yourself and the others at risk, then you've gotta stay put."
"I won't," Loki stated.
Peter finally looked at him and held the eye contact, stern but not unkind. "Are you sure?"
"I was simply unprepared in the meeting. I won't be next time."
Peter stayed silent for a moment, then stood with a sigh. "All right, buddy, I'm trusting ya here. With our family's lives. Be ready to fight your nightmares for them in six hours."
He left, earning a reproachful "I am Groot!" from the startled teen pressing his ear against the door. Peter's apology and subsequent warning about eavesdropping were muffled by the closing door.
Loki's gaze finally wavered, darting to the sketchbook on his nightstand, opened to a picture of the seven teammates snacking and laughing together in a colorful garden on a sunny day.
-MCU-
As they strode deeper into Ascorix's capital, Loki's lip curled upon realizing Peter had spoken the truth – it was truly disgusting. Smog coated the sky, blocking out sunlight, tall, rickety buildings ascending into its depths. It scraped his throat, stung his eyes, and the city's reek only made him cough and his eyes water more. Trash crunched underfoot, huge six-legged rodents scampering amongst it. Ragged beggars and scowling criminals lined the streets, the largest of which were hardly more than alleyways. Vendors tried to catch their elbows, shoving ridiculously overpriced merchandise into their faces.
"Stick close," Peter had warned as they disembarked, leaving the Milano cloaked in a clearing half a mile outside of the city. Loki had no intention of disobeying that, gripping Groot's shoulder to keep him just ahead and inside of the shield formed by the five eldest Guardians. Rocket walked on Groot's left, just where Loki had to watch his step to avoid squashing his tail. Peter and Gamora led, arms nearly brushing, walking just in front of Groot and Mantis. Drax was on Mantis's other side, doing the same thing for her that Loki was doing for Groot. She looked appreciative, her wide eyes darting around nervously, whereas Groot just looked irritated.
"Guys," Peter called to grab their attention, jerking his head towards an empty alcove between two apartment buildings. They piled into it, Loki and Drax quickly steering Groot and Mantis to the back.
"Look, much as I hate to do this," Peter started in a murmur, watching the street, "we've gotta split up. This place is huge."
"Agreed," Rocket said, baring his teeth at a nosey passerby. She skittered along as the other Guardians nodded their own agreement. "I've got an idea of who to go to."
"Same here. All right, Rocket, you go with Drax and Groot. Gamora, Mantis, Loki, you're with me. We meet back at the ship in an hour, before it gets dark. Well, darker. Sound good?"
"Yes," Drax said, gesturing Rocket and Groot ahead of them. Then he followed, looming protectively over their tiniest teammates.
"I may know a guy," Peter whispered, glancing up and down the street. "Still owes me a favor or two from my Ravager days. He's this way, I think."
He struck out, Gamora on his tail, one hand never far from her dagger. Mantis followed, and Loki rested a light hand on her back, glaring down anyone who looked at her like a piece of meat for sale. She smiled up at him, then wavered, appearing to remember his earlier hostility.
"I didn't mean to hurt you earlier," he murmured.
Her smile strengthened again. "I understand. Most do not like to be touched in such a state. But you seemed- I believed-"
"Hey, Mantis, can I speak with Loki?" Gamora requested, dropping back a little.
"Of course," Mantis said, hurrying to catch up to Peter.
Without preamble, Gamora asked, "Are you scared of me?"
"What?" Loki exclaimed, looking down at her incredulously. "No-"
"I saw your face, back in the dining room when I touched you," she overrode his attempt at a denial. "It was the same as it was when I still worked for Thanos."
"Gamora, I was having a flashback-induced panic attack-"
"It's not just that," she interrupted, rushing, as if she'd been working up the nerve to say this for a while. "If I'm in the room, you stand where you can see me. You're always closer to the exit. You flinch when I surprise you-"
"I flinch when anyone surprises me-"
"Don't brush this off!" she snapped. She stopped abruptly, catching his elbow again to make him stop with her. After a breath, during which she lost her frustration but not her urgency, she went on, "Maybe it's not even conscious, but I just- I need to know, Loki. Are you scared of me?"
He opened his mouth, ready to deny it, but nothing came out. She was gentle and loving, he knew that, ready to take care of her small, odd, highly dysfunctional family however she could. But it was so easy, too easy, to look at her familiar features, those distinctive facial markings and bicolored hair, and remember the tail end of a couple hundred torture sessions, remember the haze of pain and fear as she often literally dragged him back to the cramped cell designed specifically to weaken him both physically and mentally.
"I…"
"Hey! Loki, Gam, get up here!"
Loki snapped his mouth shut, obediently jogging back to Peter's side. Gamora passed him, giving him a wounded look that told him exactly how she had interpreted his silence. She wrapped one arm around Mantis and guided her forward, Loki's heart sinking with every movement.
"What did you do?" Peter whispered.
Loki just ducked his head and kept walking in silence.
Finally, in a less crowded part of the city, Peter stopped in front of a store. Unlike most of the drab buildings, it had been painted bright red, though the paint was chipping away, revealing the old grey stone beneath. Colorful statues of various animals lined the sills of the windows on either side of the black door. A neon sign labeled the store Fort Knaux.
"Is he human?" Loki asked, recognizing the pun for what it was.
"Hell no, I gave him the idea," Peter replied, glancing up at the sign as if noticing it for the first time. "Good catch, though. For an Asgardian."
Loki pursed his lips, then followed the other three into the shop. Outside, it had seemed larger than most they had passed, but it was so crowded with assorted merchandise that it felt pathetically tiny. They were forced into single file, Loki's hips bumping tables on both sides. A horrendous mix of odors, emanating from candles and perfume samples and who knew what else, assaulted his nose, almost making him want to go back outside. The array of colors beneath near-blinding overhead lights was no better, forcing him into a squint. But at least it was quiet.
At the back was a desk as cluttered as the store, sporting displays of candies and useless baubles. A young, bored Xandarian boy with a rainbow mohawk and studs all over his pink leather leaned on the desk, barely glancing up from his phone as they entered.
"Hiya, kid," Peter greeted cheerfully. "Where's ole Knauxo?"
"I ain't tellin' ya nothin' unless ya buy," he deadpanned.
Peter crossed his arms. "Kid. Didn't he tell you about me? Star-Lord?"
"Nope."
"Well, that's just offensive," Peter muttered. Gamora patted his shoulder. "Look, just go back there and tell him Quilly's here."
"Buy somethin'."
"Kid-"
Loki grabbed the nearest thing, which turned out to be a little plush bilgesnipe. "Peter, catch," he warned, tossing him the toy.
Peter eyed it. "Seriously?"
"Just buy it."
He shrugged. "How much for this little dude?"
The kid squinted at it. "A hundred units."
"A hundred-" Peter spluttered. "That's highway robbery!"
"What is a highway?" Mantis asked.
"Just pay the kid, Peter," Loki sighed. "I'll pay you back."
"You sure? I mean, you could probably get something better-"
"Peter."
"All right, all right," Peter acquiesced, digging into his knapsack and plopping payment down onto the desk. "I will count that change, kid, so don't try anything."
"Don't try anything," the kid mocked under his breath, digging through the register and sliding some units back to Peter. "I'll be back," he said, disappearing rapidly into the back room.
Peter turned, tossed the toy back to Loki. "Let's hope that was worth it."
Loki shrugged, tucking it into a pocket inside his trench coat. "Val will like it."
The kid reappeared, resuming his original position. "The four of ya can go back."
"Good riddance," Peter muttered, leading them through the door.
The lights were mostly off in the new room, except right above them, but thank the gods there was room to spread out. Loki moved to the edge of the light, blinking rapidly to adjust to the sudden darkness, squinting into it to try to make out more than vague shelves.
A man materialized from it suddenly, startling Loki. Peter was right – no way was he human. His skin was sallow yellow with dirty green stripes, his black hair straggly, half his teeth either gold or missing. He wore a nice suit though, the suit of a proper businessman, which Loki highly doubted he actually was. He grinned at Peter, but it looked more like a snarl.
"Quilly!" he exclaimed, going in for an elaborate handshake that Peter returned smoothly. "Long time, no see kiddo."
"Good to see you too, Knauxo," Peter greeted, smiling. "But this ain't a social call."
"Never is," Knaux sighed, glancing furtively behind him. Loki narrowed his eyes at the shopkeeper, noticing Gamora shifting between Knaux and Mantis. They exchanged a glance. Gamora reached out, resting her hand over Peter's in what could be seen as a lover's touch, but Loki had seen them use as a subtle warning many times before.
Peter squeezed her hand briefly before letting go, pulling out the tablet with the escapees' pictures on it. "I've gotta be quick, unfortunately. Have you seen any of these women?"
"I have," Knaux answered. "Just a couple minutes ago, in fact."
"Sweet. I don't suppose you could tell us where-"
He didn't look at the pictures, Loki realized. He looked back into the shadows. Was that movement? No. Maybe. Wait- that was definitely-
"Everybody down!" he shouted, throwing up a hand to form a shield.
And suddenly Beb was in front of him, a snarl twisting her scarred face. She grabbed him by the throat, her heat searing him through the fur, her clawtips digging into his flesh. Loki forgot about the others, forgot even to fight, seeing only the terrifying rage in her blood red eye. Panic surged through him, but the phantom feeling of chains long gone locked him in place.
"I've been waiting a long time for this," she hissed.
She slammed her other palm into his forehead. Red magic flared from her hand, blinding Loki to everything else.
Then the world went black.