19. I'll Never Let This Go
Hello readers, I hope you enjoy this chapter loads, lots of twists and turns and plenty of Loki and Daya feels teehee. Yes, the title is inspired by a Paramore song. Ok, so it's not exactly like how the avengers ended after the portal closing scene but I needed to scramble some things around for the story to go the way I wanted, and I didn't want to just repeat the storyline of the movie in case you guys got bored of it. I own nothing but Daya, so with that, I hope you enjoy.
As the heroes and Daya ran to Stark tower where Tony had entered the portal Daya looked up to see if she could see Loki. She couldn't, and she filled with panic at the thought of Thanos already getting to her husband. It didn't take Tony long to close up the portal, but his landing was not quite as successful. He tumbled fast through the sky back towards the ground but Hulk managed to catch up to Stark before he fell and grabbed him to cushion the fall.
Stark lay still and Daya buried her head against Steve's chest when they fell silent, thinking Stark hadn't survived the fall. However, a loud, abrupt roar from the Hulk brought Tony back to the real world.
"The Chitauri are still here, even if the portal has been closed, we need to kill the remaining soldiers left before they hurt the citizens more" Steve frowned as some Chitauri flew overhead past them.
Daya held his arm. "What about Loki? I need to see if he is alright".
Hulk growled and scaled Stark tower up to Loki to make sure he didn't try to escape.
"Stark, do you think you could give me a lift, quickly, before Bruce destroys my husband?" Daya asked as Steve helped Tony up.
Tony looked at Steve who nodded at him once. "Alright" Tony said. "Fine, but that's the only thing I am doing for you that's to do with Loki" he answered.
"Go Daya, the rest of us will take the chopper and meet you up there in a few minutes ok" Steve said before getting on-board Natasha and Clint's ship.
Tony placed an arm around Daya's waist. "Alright Princess let's go" he set before setting off to the roof.
When they landed Hulk was already In the middle of throwing Loki around like a rag doll. She ran to him "No, No Bruce stop it! Bruce stop it now BRUCE!"
Her screams caught Hulk's attention and he threw Loki across the room where he landed so hard he dented the floor. "Puny god" Hulk grumbled.
Daya went to his side and shook him, Loki wasn't moving, just staring blankly ahead. "Darling, Loki, are you alright?"
Loki sat up and stared over at the Hulk and Tony who were standing waiting for the chopper to land with the others. "How dare they, pathetic mortal abominations all of them!"
Daya wiped the blood from the small cuts on his face Bruce had made and kissed his forehead.
"It's alright now my love, we don't need to fight them anymore. It's over" she smiled.
Loki looked so wounded by her words. "That's exactly the problem now Daya. I lost, and now there isn't a fortress in the world that can protect us from Thanos' wrath".
Suddenly the rest of the avengers all gathered around at the balcony, Tony shouting something at Clint. Loki stood up and helped Daya up and together they went to see what all the fuss was about.
In the centre of the circle was Steve's body, he had multiple gunshot wounds in his chest, his costume torn from the impact of the shots. Daya shook and lowered herself to her knees, holding Steve close to her so his head rested on her lap, as she held his body close to her.
"What happened?"
"The chitauri flew past as we set off, they were shooting at agent Romanov and Steve couldn't get to his shield in time but still decided to take the shots for her" Barton frowned.
Thor moved to grab Loki's arm to hold him roughly, making sure he couldn't escape. Loki held his tongue realising that perhaps it wasn't the best time to start another fight.
"Steve, Steve you're alright, you're ok, wake up, wake up Steve" Daya pleaded with him, her tears falling on his closed eyes. She felt his chest. "He still has a heartbeat, he's still alive".
She shook him, and patted his cheek. "Steve come on, wake up, please, please wake up, do not leave me this way please".
Loki looked on with sympathy, he never would have thought Daya would ever care so deeply for anyone other than him, and he hated to see her so very distraught. Daya reached a hand up to Loki and he held it comfortingly. She pulled him down to sit next to her.
"Loki, can you not use your magic to heal him, please?"
Loki looked around at the avengers. "I do not owe these mortals anything at all Daya. They brought me down, they are responsible for the danger you and I are about to face from Thanos. I cannot help them now".
Daya cried furiously and looked down at Steve again. "Loki, this isn't about them, this is about me, I need Steve, he saved me on more than one occasion, please my love, please do what you can."
"Does he really mean that much to you my darling?"
Daya nodded as she stroked Steve's hair softly.
Loki sighed. "I have done you so much wrong, it seems only fair for me to do one more thing to make you happy". He kissed Daya's forehead, as she had done to him only minutes ago and took his sceptre from Thor's hand and held it against Steve's chest gently. It glowed brightly and the blood from Steve's wounds seemed to clear up. Finally Steve's wounds seemed to heal slowly and his eyelids fluttered as he opened them slowly.
Daya smiled and stroked Steve's face. "You're ok, you're alright Steve" she smiled. Steve sat up and looked at Daya and then Loki. The captain wiped her tears away and smiled. "What are you crying for?"
Daya grinned as Steve looked over at Loki suspiciously.
"Loki saved you" she told Rogers.
"Only because you asked me too" Loki corrected her.
"Well then, Loki thanks for saving my life. I owe you at least that" Steve nodded once at Loki.
Thor suddenly came up behind Loki and made him stand up. He placed his hands in very strong handcuffs and placed a muzzle like mask over his face, it locked into place and Daya turned to see what the noise had been. When she saw the muzzle she let Steve go and stood up.
"What the hell do you think you are doing Thor?"
"Loki is to be arrested, and brought to justice in Asgard Daya, you know that has to be done" he replied.
"You have put a muzzle on him like he is a stray dog? Thor he deserves more than that" she frowned, facing up to Thor. Steve placed his hands on her shoulders, earning a stony look from Loki.
"Thor, is the muzzle really necessary?" Cap asked.
"He cannot be trusted Daya, you know that" Natasha said as the Hulk growled.
"He just saved Steve's life, is that not enough to at least earn him back the right to talk?" Daya cried out, going to Loki's side, she tried to see if there was a fasten on the mask that she could undo, but there was nothing visible that she could release.
Thor rolled his eyes. "Only I can undo the mask Daya".
"Then release it from him, he is not an animal. He is your brother Thor, have a heart".
"I have given Loki more than enough chances, he has gone too far this time, and he must be presented to the Asgardian councils for judgement".
"I never said that you didn't have to let him go I just asked that you remove the mask" she asked.
"Listen Daya, we need to go and secure the rest of New York, we will be back soon ok, don't go anywhere" Steve leaned closer to her. "We can fix this ok just hold on" he whispered.
She reluctantly allowed him and the avengers to leave, leaving just her, Loki and Thor.
Loki held her hands gently and she stared down at his own manacled ones. "Thank you, for saving Steve my love, we will get through whatever punishment Odin gives us together".
He bent his head towards her gently and she kissed his muzzle and then looked over at Thor.
"Please Thor, he won't fight with you, he won't argue, I just want him to have his dignity back, please" Daya pleaded with Thor. Finally, he gave in and released Loki's muzzle.
Loki gave Thor a hard stare before turning back to Daya, taking her hands in his own once more.
"Listen to me my darling, you have to get away from me, Thanos will be coming for me and he will kill you if you are there by my side. He will want revenge, he will stop at nothing to get it".
Daya shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere, I will not leave you again, not again Loki. Not now, when we need each other the most. I told you, we face whatever comes next together".
Loki frowned but bent to kiss his wife chastely on the lips, of course she would not leave him, not even if he begged her to. She smiled as she rest her forehead against his, even now, after all they had been through, in a different realm, after all the drama, they still stood together again.
"Your laugh" Daya whispered.
"My laugh darling?"
"That's what I missed most about you, when we were not together, your laugh".
"Not my kisses then?"
"Those too of course" she replied before pulling him in for another long kiss. Thor watched on but not in disgust or disapproval but with happiness. He couldn't remember the last time Loki and Daya had been truly content and happy together, everything had been a strain on them since, well, since Thor's mission to Yotunheim. The god of thunder couldn't help but feel guilty at the thought of him being the one that had caused them so much pain.
It didn't take long for the avengers to wipe out the remaining Chitauri in New York and they soon arrived back at Stark towers to escort Loki and Daya down to the ground with the tesseract secured to go back to Asgard.
Thor guarded Loki as he allowed her to say goodbye to the avengers, when she came to Steve she already began to cry. Steve held her close and she cried against his chest. Steve himself allowed a couple of tears to fall, but he wouldn't allow the others to see them.
"Hey, hey now it's ok. It's not like this is going to be forever right? You will come visit me, and we won't forget each other" he said.
Daya pulled back and wiped her tears, it even took her a while to look Steve in the eye. "I am not good with goodbyes, especially one like this, with someone so important to me, so I wrote you something. I have been working on it for a while, at least, planned what it would say, but it was for all the things I couldn't say to you face to face, because they were too hard. Don't read it yet, only read it when you feel you are truly ready" she said before handing him the note she had written back in Stark towers.
He tucked the note away and pulled her in for another hug. "I love you Steve Rogers" she smiled as she hit his arm playfully.
"I love you Daya, just in a different way to how you were thinking I guess" he smiled.
Fury gathered the avengers together along with Loki and Daya one last time, talking of how things on Earth would be different now and how all eyes would be on them, so if they messed up, everyone would know. As Daya listened in, Fury's voice became blurred and suddenly a voice from behind her called her closer. She pulled away from the group without anyone noticing and followed the voice. It was deep, and haunting, like a far off nightmare, yet still it drew her in. She then did something Loki was all too used to doing for the past few months, realm travel. It was a mental process, where only the mind left but the body seemed set to remain where it was.
Daya closed her eyes as she felt an odd sensation surround her, and when she opened her eyes again, she was in a dark, eerie place, just like a fallen star.
"Loki's wife I presume, Daya is it?"
Daya turned to the source of the haunting voice and saw a fearsome creature. He was tall and covered in heavy armour, truly and overbearing figure, even more so than Thor. His face was red and his eyes were a soulless blue. He grinned at her to reveal a wide mouth full of frightening white teeth.
"Yes I'm Daya. I assume you are Thanos?"
"Clever Asgardian wench, I am Thanos indeed".
"Your reputation is known throughout the realms, the titan with the obsession with death, known for his countless murders of others across the universe" Daya nodded.
"You know me well then Goddess of compassion".
"Well actually no, to me you will always be known as the titan who manipulates others and gets them to do your dirty work for you".
Thanos laughed. "You try to push me Goddess? When yours and Loki's lives hang in the balance as they stand already?"
"I am not a fool Thanos, I know the only reason you brought me here was to kill me, I might as well insult you before I die".
"Who says I want to kill you? It's your husband that failed me, perhaps you are too pretty to kill after all. I want to kill Loki" Thanos frowned.
"How will Loki suffer if he is dead?" Daya knew she would have to lie to protect Loki from death. "You want Loki to suffer, you should kill me, take the one thing he loves away from him. That is true suffering".
Thanos circled her. "Why do you want him to suffer?"
Daya quickly thought up another lie. "He just made too many mistakes, I have nothing left anymore, I cannot love his lies any longer. Death will be welcome to me, kill me, watch Loki suffer".
She held back the tears, she didn't want to die, she didn't want Loki to get hurt either, but perhaps he could move on without her, find a new wife, a new love. She would not allow him to die for her.
"I can see past your trickery goddess. I know you only say these things to spare your husband but however, I will oblige you. I will kill you slowly, you will be aware of everything around you, but you shall not open your eyes, you shall not speak, you shall only listen patiently, as the life inside you leaves you behind. You will hear the mournful cries of your husband before the end and that my goddess, is true pain" Thanos smirked.
He walked behind her and stabbed her in the side quickly with a small dagger. She felt the dagger pierce through her flesh deeply and stumbled forward and let out a sharp gasp of pain but still stood straight, clutching at her stomach trying to remain strong. "The blade is tipped with poison, it should take effect in about three minutes, if that. Tell Loki this is what happens when you fail me, but first, say your goodbyes Daya".
Thanos sent her mind back to New York and she stared down at her stomach, the blood was already travelling fast down her body and she could feel the poison course through her veins. Loki looked back and saw her, his eyes widening at the horrific sight of his wife stood there with her eyes glazed over and blood pouring from her body
"Daya, Daya, what happened? Thor, Thor let me go, Daya is hurt" Loki broke free of Thor's grip and ran to Daya's side just as she fell to the ground.
MAJOR CLIFFHANGER GUYS! Is Daya going to die or will Loki and the avengers find a way to save her? Will they ever return home to Asgard Safe? What will become of Steve? What will happen to Thanos after Loki discovers the truth? What do Loki and Steve's notes from Daya say? Fear not my loves, all these questions will be answered in the future chapters, but only your reviews, favourites and follows can save it. I haven't received many in while and I am worried you guys don't like it anymore? I am working on the next chapter already do not fear but again, your reviews, favourites and follows are MUCH appreciated, just so I know you guys want to hear the rest of Loki and Daya's first story. Please excuse any silly mistakes I may have made. Until next time