Title: A Lane to the Land of the Dead chapter 2/14
Pairing/Characters: Teamfic. No Pairings. Loki, Thor, Avengers, Original Male Character. Brief non graphic mention of OMC/OMC
Tags: Gore, violence, strong language, angst, self harm, torture.
Note: There is no major character death in this fic.
Summary: 5th part of the Teamwork series, but this is written like a standalone fic, so if you haven't read the others you will still be able to understand it.
Loki has been an Avenger for two years, but as a new threat pushes him away from the team, they begin wonder just how much they can trust him.
~0~
Chapter 2
~0~
True to his word, Loki apologised to the team the next day for letting his anger get the better of him, and then took Steve to one side and swore he would not mistreat a prisoner again.
A few days later, when Tony asked him if he wanted to hit a bar, he graciously declined the invitation claiming that he needed to stay out of trouble for at least a few weeks, and instead Loki spent his evenings quietly reading, or watching films of Thor's choosing, which seemed to please his brother immensely.
~0~
It was closer to lunchtime than breakfast, as Loki idly poked at a bowl of cereal, ignoring the annoying sound of the game Tony was playing on his phone as he drank cup after cup of coffee.
Absolutely everything irritated him lately, and he had no idea why. He had a strange sense of foreboding, as if something terrible was about to happen, and a few seconds later it did.
"Sir, Director Fury is in the lobby," JARVIS said.
"What does he want?" Tony asked, looking up from his phone.
"He didn't state a purpose for the visit," JARVIS replied, "but he did say he wished to speak with Loki, sir."
"What have I done?" Loki asked, shrilly. "I've barely left the tower for the last two weeks."
"He will be along to answer your questions presently, sir."
Loki sighed and pushed his bowl of cereal away.
"Don't let it worry you," Tony said. "He could be bringing good news."
"When does Fury ever bring good news?" Loki asked.
Tony opened his mouth to speak, then hummed. "You've got a point there."
Fury marched into the room and Loki shrank down into his seat when he saw the look on his face.
"I haven't done anything," Loki piped up.
"How unusual," Fury replied dryly.
"Coffee?" Tony asked.
"I'll pass," Fury said, waving his hand and sitting down. "I need to ask you a serious question."
"All right," Loki said, suspiciously.
"Do you recognise this boy?" Fury asked, as he held up his phone, displaying a picture.
Loki furrowed his brow, taking in the short, dark hair that was longer at the front and fell across the boy's face in straggly tendrils. He looked thin and hungry, and couldn't have been more than 18 Midgardian years old. He looked familiar somehow, like someone he had seen in a long forgotten dream.
"I don't believe I've ever seen him before no, but… I don't know… there is something about him," Loki said.
"Who is he?" Tony asked.
"The kid got picked up wandering round Central Park in nothing but a blanket a few days ago."
"I don't understand," Loki said, shaking his head. "What has this got to do with me?"
"He claims he's your son."
Loki sat back in his chair. "I think I would remember if he were one of my children."
"No, no, this story gets better," Fury said, with a incredulous laugh. "He claims he's your son from the future."
Loki's mouth fell open in disbelief. "What?"
"Yup, your son, from the future," Fury repeated.
"How utterly ridiculous!" Loki exclaimed. "The child is plainly insane."
"That's what we thought too, but the kid passed a lie detector test with flying colours."
"That proves nothing. I'm sure I could tell you that I am your father and pass."
"Again, that's what we thought, so we performed a DNA test."
"What did it show?" Tony asked.
"It showed that he is half human," Fury said, knitting his fingers together as he turned to Loki. "And that you were a perfect match for the other half."
~0~
Loki nervously pulled at the hem of the hooded sweatshirt he had taken from Thor's wardrobe at Fury's insistence, as they crossed the car park and headed towards the entrance of the hospital.
"Will you stop fidgeting," Tony complained. "You're making me nervous, and I don't do nervous."
"I'm not fidgeting," Loki snapped as he pulled at the cuff and let out a small growl of frustration. "These clothes are just so irritating. How can you stand being so confined in unnatural cloths?"
"Confined? Mr 'wouldn't look out of place in an S & M club' is complaining about confining clothes?"
"My clothes are made of leather which is natural. It is hardly the same."
"Will you two stop bickering like teenage girls and get in the damn hospital," Fury barked. "You're giving me a headache."
Loki scowled at Tony, who flashed him his most annoying grin in return.
"So what do you know about my so called son?" Loki asked. "I will wager that your tests are incorrect and the child is simply insane."
"He said his name is William Lokasson and that he is 600 years old."
"The tests are definitely wrong then," Loki stated as they reached the entrance.
"And what makes you say that?"
"I hardly think I would give any child of mine a name as dowdy as William."
Fury turned and glared at Loki, his hand still on the door handle. "Given that the name William actually means 'helmet', I rather think that you might."
"Oh," Loki said. "I see your point."
~0~
"Oh my god, that is totally your kid!" Tony exclaimed, as they finally saw William through the glass panel in the door. "The hair, the slightly weasely face, the expression like he can smell something really bad."
"My hair looks absolutely nothing like his!" Loki replied. "Wait… weasely? What do you mean by that?"
"Come on, you can't see that he looks kinda like you?"
"Maybe slightly," Loki admitted grudgingly, "but he has brown eyes. My eyes are green."
"Your eyes are not green."
"Yes they are!"
"When you two have quite finished pulling each others pigtails," Fury said with a raised eyebrow. "Is there any way you can tell if he really is your son? Just in case the DNA tests are wrong."
"Oh, yes," Loki replied. "If he is my son he will posses the ability to do magic. Each person's magic is unique, but the basic skills are inherited. I will be able to sense if his magic is at all related to mine."
"Like a genetic fingerprint?" Tony asked.
"More like a smell," Loki replied.
"Magic has a smell?" Tony asked.
"Not exactly, it's like a smell, a taste and a feeling all together," Loki replied, "but it is the closest description that I can give that your mortal brain will understand."
"What does it smell like?"
"Mine smells… like a mixture of fruit and sugar. Like those toffee apple that Thor insisted on making last Halloween… Before he burnt the toffee and set off the fire alarms."
"What does my magic smell like?"
"Like something that came out of the back end of a cow."
"Can we get back to the matter in hand?" Fury asked loudly.
"Sorry," Loki said quietly, and Tony mumbled something that sounded apologetic, but probably wasn't.
"So you can tell if he's lying?"
"I believe I can, yes."
"Well, in you go," Fury said as he motioned for the SHIELD guards to step out of the way, and pushed open the door.
Loki hesitated, and then stepped into the room alone.
He was going to meet his son, his son who hadn't even been born yet, he felt a strange mix of emotions and questions swirled round his head. What would he be like, how was he born, who was his other parent, was this child really his, and most importantly how should he feel about him?
Was he supposed to love this boy, even though he had never met him before? If he didn't love his child, what did it say about him?
When his other children had been born he had loved them from the second he felt them growing inside him, and it had broken his heart when they had grown too large or fierce to stay in Asgard. This child seemed to have a normal appearance, one that would allow him to pass for Asgardian, and Loki started to wonder if his sudden arrival on Midgard meant he had been cast out too.
"Father!" the boy shouted with a beaming smile. "I'm so happy to see you."
"Er… Hello," Loki said, feeling slightly ill at ease.
"I understand this must come as a terrible surprise to you," William said. "You often told me that you hadn't planned to have more children, but I am so glad to see a familiar face. Midgard at this time is awfully strange."
Loki took a moment to assess the situation as he crossed the room and sat in the chair by the bed. The boy certainly looked like he could be his child. His eyes were different, his lips fuller, and his face a little wider, but they definitely shared the same nose, cheekbones and jaw line.
"It is rather, yes," Loki said, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Why don't you tell me how you came to be here?"
"We were in a mighty battle, an army were preparing to invade Asgard, and we called upon master sorcerers from all over the realms to aid us," William began. "Our plan was to create a portal using the power of the Bifrost, and send the enemy to a distant place, far among the stars, but they lost control of the portal. It destabilised, splitting into several smaller ones in different locations, and sadly one of them materialised next to me."
"And where was Odin during this? Surely he would have had the power to control the portal?"
William's eyes were suddenly downcast. "I'm afraid to say that the all father no longer lives in my time. He died a warriors death, fighting for the safety of Asgard, and Thor rules in his place with you by his side as his most trusted advisor." The boy sniffed and turned his head away.
"Are you all right?" Loki asked.
"I'm sorry," he replied, wiping his nose. "I miss grandfather terribly. It still upsets me to think about it."
"You grew up in Asgard, in the palace?" Loki asked suspiciously, knowing that none of his children in the past had ever been afforded that luxury.
"I was born on Midgard," William said. "You still had many responsibilities here, but we travelled between the realms frequently."
Loki considered the story for a second. It seemed plausible enough, and nothing in the boy's demeanour indicated that he was either lying or of unsound mind.
"You understand that this has come as a surprise, and that I must ascertain that you are telling the truth, yes?" Loki asked.
"I would expect nothing less," William said with a smile. "Would you like me to perform a spell so you can trace the magic?"
"I think that would wise," Loki replied. "What is your greatest skill?"
"I'm quite accomplished with fire," William replied.
"Well, shall we see a little of that?" Loki asked.
William smiled widely, held his hand up, and created a small flickering red and gold ball of light.
"Very nicely controlled," Loki said, impressed at the tight shape of the flames.
"I had an excellent teacher," William replied, blushing slightly at the compliment.
Loki reached out with his magic, feeling tendrils of it curl around the flames. He could feel something familiar in it, but it was feint and distant. "Can you make it burn a little brighter?"
"Of course, father," William said. He concentrated on the flames in his hand, causing them to burn brighter and hotter until the ball was growing in size, and Loki suddenly knew exactly who the boy was.
An alarm sounded, water started to rain from the ceiling as the sprinklers turned on, and Fury burst into the room with his gun drawn.
"Stop, stop!" Loki shouted, as he jumped from his seat and stood in front of William.
"What the hell is going on in here?" Fury barked.
"A simple test," Loki replied, with his hand outstretched, ready to throw up a deflection spell. "You told me to ascertain if he was my son, and to do that he had to perform a spell."
"You tested it with fire?" Fury shrieked.
"Well, yes."
"Fire? FIRE?" Fury raged. "You tested it with fire, in a hospital filled with highly combustible gasses?"
"Oh," Loki replied. "I hadn't really thought about that."
"Tell me you at least got the answer to our question?"
"I did. I'm rather surprised to say that he is definitely my son."
"You are 100% positive?"
"Oh yes, there is no mistake."
"Can someone please get these god damn sprinklers turned off?" Fury shouted over his shoulder to the SHIELD agents who hovered at the doorway. They looked at him blankly and he growled in frustration, heading towards the door. "Never mind, I'll do it myself."
"Well, that was interesting," Loki said.
"That was Nick Fury," William said, with a look of awe on his face. "He is exactly how you described him."
"And how was that?"
"Angry," William replied. "Very, very angry."
The sprinklers and alarm shut off and Loki went to speak, but stopped when William broke out into a wide grin. "What is it?"
"OK if I come in?" a voice asked, and Loki looked round to see Tony stood at the door.
"Tony Stark!" William said excitedly. "I have heard so much about you, and it is an honour to finally meet you."
"An honour, eh?" Tony said, as he walked over to the bed.
"Very much so," William replied, then his brow creased. "You're a lot shorter than I expected."
"Oh, oh, he is definitely my son," Loki said proudly. "Only a few sentences exchanged and you're already insulting him."
"Like father like son," Tony said.
"Forgive me, i-it was not meant as an insult," William stammered.
"Don't worry about it, kid. I've kinda become immune since your dad's been mooching, rent free, in my house," Tony said.
"My father speaks very highly of you," William said. "I was always sad that I never got to meet you, and now here you are."
"You hear that?" Tony said to Loki. "I'm your favourite."
"I can only imagine that at some point you have a knock on the head, which transforms your personality, because you are quite the most irritating creature I have ever met," Loki replied.
Tony frowned at Loki, and then turned back to William. "So… From the future, eh?"
"I am, indeed."
"If this is daddy, who was the unfortunate little lady, or horse, that he got with?"
"I don't actually know the identity of my other parent, all I know is that he was a mighty warrior who fell in battle and my father was so distraught at his passing that he ate his heart so his spirit would live on," William replied, and Loki stared at him with wide eyes.
"Annnd… yup, that's pretty much the most disgusting thing I've ever heard," Tony said, and then he turned to Loki, and asked, "A heart? Really?"
"It would not be the first time," Loki replied quietly.
"I don't know how I will get home," William said, as he nervously wrung his hands together. "We were in the middle of a great battle. My part of the plan was vital and we may face defeat if I am not there. Asgard may fall."
"Well, you must come back with us to the tower," Loki suddenly said. "Stark here is a genius and I am sure he will be able to help you create a portal device."
"Sure, yeah, time travel," Tony said. "I'll get right on that one…"
"Do you have any objections about my son coming back with us?" Loki asked, giving Tony a look that clearly indicated what his answer should be.
Tony raised his eyebrows and looked at William who was staring back at him with a hopeful look on his face. "Sure, why not. Seems like I'm giving a home to half of the Asgardian royal family these days. One more won't hurt."
~0~
Tony called Steve on the way back to the tower and asked him to gather everyone for an important meeting, but they were surprised when Tony and Loki turned up, trailed by a dark haired boy who was dressed in a black hoodie and what appeared to be a set of hospital scrubs.
"Uncle!" William shouted as he shot across the room and wrapped his arms around Thor. "It is wonderful to see you!"
Thor smiled down at the boy and said, "I'm sorry. I think you have mistaken me for someone else."
"He's my son, Thor," Loki said, as William moved back over to his side.
Thor looked up quickly. "You have another son? You have kept him hidden from us?"
"Er… he's from the future," Tony said with a shrug of the shoulders.
"TIME TRAVEL?" Clint shouted. "After all the weird and wacky shit we've seen we now have to deal with time travel too?"
"How is that possible?" Bruce asked.
"No clue," Tony said, as he slumped down on the sofa. "Why don't you ask those two? Actually, ask him who the mother is because you'll love that one."
"Mother?" Natasha asked. "Who was it?"
"Technically, I am," Loki replied, looking down at his feet.
"Shape shifting?" Bruce asked.
"It's a little more complicated than that," he mumbled.
"He ate a heart," William said proudly.
"BROTHER!" Thor exclaimed. "Again?"
"Again?" Clint asked. "You mean we've been living with a-a a cannibal?"
"I'm not a cannibal! If I was a cannibal I would have had to eat the heart of a Jotun," Loki said, his cheeks turning pink, and then he raised his finger to his pursed lips. "Oh wait… Angrboda was a Jotun."
"Oh god," Clint said. "I let you drink out of my water bottle the other day. I feel sick."
"That happened hundreds of years before you were even born," Loki said.
"I don't care. I am burning that bottle."
William let out a little chuckle, and everyone looked at him.
"Sorry," he said. "It is just so very wonderful to meet you all. My father and uncle speak of you frequently, of the adventures you had, and of your many arguments. It is wonderful to be here to experience it for myself. It's exactly how I dreamed it would be."
"So you can do magic?" Steve asked, trying to drag the conversation back, and William nodded. "Can't you create a portal to get back to your time?"
"I'm afraid my powers are quite limited in comparison to my father as I have not finished my training in the magical arts yet. I did not create the portal that brought me here. I'm afraid that I may never be able to return home," William said, his voice wavering on the last few words as he brought his hand up to his eyes.
Loki patted him on the back, and said, "Don't get upset, we will find a way to send you home. Come, you should rest a while, and then we will begin work on finding a way to open a portal."
"Thank you, father," William replied, smiling sadly as Loki led him from the room.
Loki paused at the doorway and turned his head. "You will meet me down in your lab in approximately ten minutes to discuss this, Stark, or you will feel the consequences."
"You better run, Tony," Natasha said with a smirk, as Loki left the room. "Wouldn't wanna keep your wife waiting."
"Ha ha," Tony replied sarcastically, then he jumped out of his chair and headed quickly down to his lab.
"This place just gets weirder and weirder," Bruce said.
As the room cleared and everyone went back to their work, only Clint and Natasha remained, both knowing exactly what the other was thinking.
"You trust the kid?" Clint asked.
"Not a chance," Natasha replied.
"Same here."