A/N: Thanks for all your kind reviews; they really warm my heart! :) And to ThatOneGuest: I'm so glad you like it! I was tempted to write a scene earlier where Peter imagines what MJ would do if she met Loki, but then I decided it would definitely be more fun to have them actually meet. So, yeah, you guessed what the epilogue will be!
I spent a solid hour bugging my sister about this chapter before she finally told me to 'just post it already, I want to go clean my room'. So, here it is! I am playing with the Infinity War timeline a smidge (if you hadn't noticed already, it's gonna be super obvious soon), but I couldn't stretch it too much, and Peter really, really, wanted to know that Mr. Stark was okay. I can't say no to those brown eyes, man.
"Better put on your suit," Loki said, as he guided the Commodore into the dusty atmosphere of the mad Titan's home planet.
Peter, who had been crouched on the co-pilot's seat, eager eyes open wide, shoved the last of the nutrient bar Loki had given him into his mouth, and scrambled off to pull on his Spider-suit. He was back in the seat only a moment later, legs hastily pulled up, and tugging up the arms. Loki felt a smile trying to creep up on his lips.
"Do you think Mr. Stark will be there, too?"
"It's possible," was all Loki said, descending to sweep over the ruins of the capital city, searching for lifeforms below.
He knew that Strange was more than capable of taking down Maw, so Stark was also probably still alive, but Loki didn't deal in false hopes. Better to always plan for the worst than to be disappointed.
He picked up some blips on the scanner, and smoothly swung the ship around towards them, coming in low to land.
"He's there! He's alive!" Peter cried, standing and leaning across the control panel to get a closer look.
Indeed, it was Stark. Loki also spotted Strange, sitting apart from the others, with a weary expression. He didn't know who the other three were, but if Strange and Stark were tolerating them, they were most likely allies. A Midgardian, by appearances, and a larger humanoid with tribal tattoos, and kneeling by Stark was a... Mantidae? Now that was intriguing. Those empaths were very rarely seen off of their home world.
Loki landed the Commodore gently. The little Spider was running around the walls in excitement, waiting for him to open the door.
"It'll be okay for me to breathe out there, right? Like, the air's okay, right?" Peter asked from the ceiling. "Oh, but Mr. Stark and those other people are out there and they're fine, so that's, right, nevermind."
Loki had opened one of the side doors while the little Spider talked, and waited for him to pause. He could hear Stark, outside, asking Strange if he'd seen friendly people on this ship in all the possible futures. Loki supposed that depended on Stark's definition of friendly.
"After you, little Spider," he said to Peter, with a sweep of his arm. The boy dove out of the door before he'd finished speaking. Loki shook his head before he followed, absently wondering when he'd started to use 'little Spider' as an endearment rather than a pejorative.
"Kid! Peter, how did you get here?" Stark was exclaiming. Until he saw Loki. Then he pushed Peter back and aimed a repulsor at him. "You! What the hell were you doing with my kid?"
"No!" Peter started to protest. "Mr. Stark, he was helping! He's, uh, he's really nice now?"
The Mantidae had backed away, and Loki could see that she had been applying something to Stark's injuries. Whatever had hit the Ironman had struck with enough force to break through the layers of metal. It looked unpleasant, and the man was clearly in a large amount of pain.
He had more important things to attend to than explaining himself to Stark, however, and ignored his protests.
"Dr. Strange," he said, turning to acknowledge the man he had wanted to find.
"Loki," Dr. Strange said, heavily. "It's so good to see you."
"What! What? Strange, you know him?"
"He's here to help, Tony." The tension between Strange and Stark was palpable. Loki cleared his throat.
"Thanos was here, was he not?"
"Yeah, and then Supreme Mugwump over here decided to just hand over the Time Stone," Stark accused, but his anger seemed a little halfhearted.
"It was the only way," Strange said, meeting Loki's gaze evenly.
Loki had met the sorcerer before, purposely sought him out on Midgard, because he knew the man protected the Time Stone. Loki did not bestow his trust easily, but Strange was one of those to whom he had, and he knew the man would only have done exactly what needed to be done.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Peter glancing between them, and he smiled inwardly. The little Spider knew there was more than they were saying aloud. Stark did not seem to give him enough credit, even though he was apparently some kind of mentor to the little Spider.
"He has Power and Reality, too," the man that looked to be of Midgard said roughly, interrupting Loki's thoughts, "and… the Soul Stone."
That was disappointing, but to be expected. That Stone had always been beyond him. Loki knew the price that came with acquiring the Soul Stone. He knew who it would have demanded of him, and it had not been a price he was willing to pay.
Loki turned to the three people whom he did not know.
"I am Loki, of Asgard," he introduced himself.
"Oh, uh, Starlord," said the Midgardian, holstering his blaster. "And this is Drax, and Mantis, we're the Guardians of the Galaxy. Or, half of them, anyway."
Loki highly suspected the man had made that name up for himself, but he acknowledged them with a nod.
"That's so cool," Peter said, looking thrilled. "I'm Spiderman. What do you guys do?"
"Kick names, take ass," said Mantis.
"Yeah, that's right," muttered Drax.
Stark looked like the mangling of that phrase might strangle him, and Peter appeared to be mildly confused. Loki took advantage of the odd silence.
"Mantis," he said, crossing one hand over his chest, and extending the other palm up, "it is an honor to meet one of your kind."
He could feel the others staring at him. Did they not know the proper way to greet Mantodeans? Offering a hand to a Mantodean was a sign of respect; that you were friendly, and did not wish to hide anything. Mantis hesitantly touched her fingertips to his, and Loki realized that she might not have known, either.
Whatever knowledge of her customs she may or may not have aside, she definitely had cultivated her empathic abilities to a high degree. Her probe of his mind was a gentle caress, and she had hardly maintained contact for more than a second before she took her hand back with a soft, 'oh'.
The other Guardians and Stark raised their weapons, but Mantis laughed, and they relaxed again.
"You must be very ugly, too, if you think I am beautiful," she giggled.
"If you are ugly, then I am a hideous and loathsome beast," Loki said, a bit incredulous that she could think such a thing of herself. He noticed the one called Starlord face-palming behind her.
"Oh my god, is he flirting? I think I might be sick," Stark's voice interrupted. Loki sighed.
"Your brother," Mantis whispered, "he mourns you."
"He usually does," Loki smiled wryly. "Wait-Thor? When did you see him?"
"That guy was your brother?" Starlord exclaimed. "You guys look nothing alike."
"Yes," Drax said gravely. "He is a beautiful man." Loki could only raise his eyebrow at that.
"Do you know where he was going?"
"Oh, yeah, he took the other Guardians. Went to get a weapon, or something," Starlord said.
His brother was alive. This was good. Loki felt something relax inside that he hadn't realized was tense. He'd been confident that Thor would survive, but it was good to hear news of him.
Thor had probably gone to Nidavellir. The dwarves would make him a new hammer-they'd always liked Thor-and then he'd go to Midgard. Loki knew that Thor had helped to create the being that currently held the Mind Stone. If he'd calculated correctly, it was also the last Stone that Thanos needed.
"Loki?" A voice called from behind him. Loki whirled about, recognizing it immediately.
"Nebula," he said softly, the relief he felt unconsciously seeping into his voice. "You are well?"
The blue part-cyborg rolled her shoulder and twisted her knee back into place. She smiled a lopsided smile.
"Never better," she said solemnly. He met her eyes for a moment, reading the truth there, instead.
During his time with Thanos, he and Nebula had formed a sort of companionship. Those who had been tortured by the mad Titan were not, in general, capable of forming real friendships, but once he and Nebula had ascertained each other's similar goals, they had silently come to a mutual understanding. He saw what she did not wish to say; that she was nearly depleted, but the end was near, either way, and she would see it through.
"Excellent. Midgard it is, then," Loki said, clapping his hands, startling the others. "I presume you came on your own vessel?" He addressed the Guardians. "I am afraid it would be a little cramped if we were all on mine."
Perhaps his tone had sounded a bit too cheerful when it was the imminent destruction of half the universe on the line. All except Strange had varying expressions of astonishment directed at him.
"Thanos is on Earth?" Peter asked hesitantly.
"If he is not at the moment, he will be very soon," Loki told him honestly. The little Spider nodded slowly, and then, to Loki's (and everyone else's) surprise, determinedly marched over, stood next to him, and said, "What're we waiting for?"
Loki could not have stopped the smile that spread across his face.
Did I just… almost write Mantis/Loki? Huh. If anyone wants to take that and run with it, please do! I'm not going to chase that plot bunny, but I'd totally read that.
Btw, Mantis' origins are different in the comics and the movie; in the comics she's originally from Earth, and in the movie it's 'unknown planet'. I went with the movie's origin because it gave me lots of flexibility, and took her species name from the scientific name for a praying mantis. Side note: My sister and I are coining the term 'intergalactically correct'.