Title: The Lucky Ones

Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes & Loki aka Lucky

Captain America/Thor crossover, though it takes place during the Captain America timeline, so before the events in Thor. We'll get to those at some point.

Rated M for later slash

A/N - Long time reader, first time writer. I don't own the characters, just the plot.

-The Lucky Ones - Chapter 2

Loki paced. He was not usually one for fidgeting, but he had never known this much amount of nervous energy. His mind raced. Loki, who was talented in spinning tales so much so that the people referred to him as the God of Lies, was at a complete loss as to what to tell his father about the human he had brought back from Midgard. Ahh, the human. That thought caused Loki to pause in his steps and give a small smile. After exiting the bifrost, giving Heimdall a pointed look that said both "Thank you" and "I'll explain later," Loki easily magicked himself and the injured man into the healing room. Thank the gods traveling within Asgard was a trick he had mastered as a child. The healers went into action immediately, keeping smartly quiet and not questioning the god about anything. None of the medics had ever worked with a mortal before, but they were educated enough to know what they were doing. Loki had stepped back, allowing them to work, but he watched intently. Finally, after some time, one of the healers approached him.

"He has some broken ribs and some internal injuries," the woman told him stiffly, for the prince intimidated her. "He seems to be healing himself at a much faster rate than we have heard about in Midgardians. We have given him something to help him sleep, to allow his body to continue healing. He is stable, but will not wake for several hours."

Loki could feel the tears of relief spring to his eyes as he listened. He blinked and forced them away, refusing to appear so emotional in front the healer. But the woman, she knew.

"He will live, my prince," She said quietly, before giving a small bow and retreating back to confer with the other medics.

At that, a tear escaped. Loki quickly wiped it away and strode to the bed where the mortal lay resting, now dressed in a linen tunic. The healing room doors opened and a guard came to tell Loki that the king wished to see him. Cursing under his breath, but not at all surprised, Loki looked once more at this infuriatingly intriguing man and stood to leave.

"My prince," one of the healer's aids called out. Loki turned as the woman walked to him. "We have his belongings safely stored, but I thought you might want this. I do not know it's value, but the mortal wore it around his neck as though it were jewelry." She placed in Loki's hand a set of small rectangular metal plates, held on a small chain. He looked at the inscription on the plates. "Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes" they read, along with other information which Loki did not know the meaning of. So this man, who had Loki so turned upside down, was called James.

"Thank you," Loki said to the woman. He tucked the metal plates into a pocket and left the room.

Odin, the All Father, king of all the realms, was making Loki wait. And as much as Loki resented it, he tried to use the time to come up with an explanation to give his father. He simply could not tell Odin that he had met the human's eyes and felt "something." No, the god could not even explain that feeling to himself, how could he make his father understand? He cursed under his breath again. These emotions were so foreign to Loki, and he was beginning to get very angry with himself for not being able to let them go.

The door to his father's chambers opened. Loki swallowed his nervousness, took a deep breath and entered the room. The All Father was standing on the terrace of the open room, looking out over Asgard, his kingdom. He truly was a royal figure, with his golden armor and white beard. Even the shimmering eye patch he wore over his right eye was regal. He turned when Loki stepped out onto the terrace.

"What is the meaning of this?" Odin demanded, but with little anger in his voice.

"Father, I can explain-" Loki began, but the king interrupted him, speaking forcefully.

"Traveling between realms outside the bifrost. You thought this was an important skill to learn? It is a very dangerous thing to do, Loki. And did you think I would not know what you had done?"

Loki looked down and said nothing. Odin stepped closer to his son and when he put his hands on Loki's shoulders, Loki lifted his eyes. Though only one eye remained on Odin's face, this solitary eye held Loki's gaze as strongly as two ever could.

"I will not have you attempt it again," the king's tone left no room for discussion. Loki complied with a quick nod, though he doubted it was an agreement he'd stick to. Odin's arms dropped and he turned away.

"I do not know how you managed to figure out that spell. You do have many talents, my son." There was some pride in Odin's voice now. Loki breathed a sigh of relief, knowing he would not be punished further.

"Now," the All Father continued, "What of this human you have brought back?"

"He fell from a train half a mile above the ground and lived, father. I do not know how a mortal could have survived such a fall, but he did," Loki explained. "The place was remote, there was nowhere that I could bring him to receive help and I did not feel right leaving him there to die after living through what he had already." Loki felt comfortable enough with this explanation. It was true, without revealing any more than necessary.

"Humans do not belong on Asgard. He will have to return immediately." Odin said calmly.

"I understand, Father. I ask only that he can remain here until he is fully healed. I would like to ask him some questions. Perhaps learn how he lived through the fall." Loki tried to mask the pleading tone in his voice.

Odin regarded his younger son for a few moments. Did he suspect anything? Loki hoped not, and held his gaze at first, but found he had to look away sooner than he wanted to. Damn this newfound inability to keep his emotions in check!

"Very well. As soon as the healers declare him well, he will have one day before he - and he alone - returns to Midgard."

"Thank you, father." Loki bowed his head and started for the door.

"Do you know his name?" Odin called out before his son left the room.

"His name is James, or so it says on the metal plates he wore around his neck." Loki answered. When his father gave no further reply, Loki turned and exited.

Having nowhere else he needed to be, the god made his way back to the healing room. The few women left in the room glanced up at him when he entered, but returned quickly to their work. Luckily they were on the far side of the chamber, and no one was near the bed where James lay. The man was in the same position, perfectly still except for his quiet breathing. Loki looked down at him. "James" he whispered, liking the feel of the name on his lips. James' brown hair was tousled, and his cheeks flushed with healthy color, but he had the most serene expression on his sleeping face. Loki reached out to touch James' cheek, but stopped himself. He glanced over at the medics, but they were not paying attention to him. Still, Loki did not trust himself, so instead he pulled a chair close to the bed and sat down.

Now that it was quiet, Loki had nothing to distract him from his thoughts. He watched the rise and fall of James' chest as he breathed, and thought back to what exactly happened back on Earth. When James had looked into his eyes, Loki had felt something. Something he had never felt before. He couldn't explain it. It was the feeling of belonging. And of knowing something outside yourself mattered more to you than anything you felt inside. These were extremely unfamiliar thoughts for this particular god, who had never felt like he had belonged anywhere. Who had always kept his own intentions at the top of his priority list. How had one moment of eye contact with a man, a human man no less, caused such a shift in his emotions? And more importantly, would he still feel those things when James awoke? Tired from the traveling, and all the drama, Loki soon drifted off to sleep, his body subconsciously leaning toward the man on the bed.

-To Be Continued-

Please review and be honest! Next chapter - Bucky wakes up!