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, maybe.

Rated M for slash

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

Thank you again for all the reviews and for everyone following and favoriting my story! I am beyond thrilled that you are all enjoying it! I appreciate every single reader!

*I edited the very last section of chapter 6 slightly, so I recommend rereading it! Go experience the angst again!

This chapter is dedicated to my King, and my friend, who has had a rough couple of days. I wish for you nothing but a speedy recovery and full health.

-The Lucky Ones- Chapter 7

Not knowing what to do after Loki left, Bucky wandered aimlessly around the room. He picked up one of the books laying out on the desk, but it was written in a language he didn't understand, so he replaced it. He slumped down in the chair near the desk and closed his eyes. He knew Loki was lying. Or rather, that he wasn't telling the whole truth. Bucky knew in his heart that Loki loved him. He was lying to protect himself, to protect Bucky. It was a noble reason, but it still infuriated him. He didn't need Loki to protect him, he needed to hear those words back.

Bucky was still stewing quietly when the door to the room opened. Bucky jumped up, his heart in his throat, expecting Loki to walk through. It sank back down to his feet though, when he saw Thor instead. Just what he didn't need to deal with right now.

"Bucky," Thor said in way of a greeting.

"Thor," He didn't know what else to say.

"Where is my brother?" Thor asked, walking over to where Bucky stood.

"Uh, he left. To go see your father."

"My father." Thor said, almost to himself. Then he looked at Bucky. "My father acts too quickly sometimes, before he has a chance to think. I believe this is one of those times."

Bucky looked up at him, wondering just how much the man knew.

"I know not what to say to him to make him change his mind, and for that I am sorry," Thor offered. "He has asked that you come with me now."

"Now?" Bucky squeaked. The tall god just nodded, sadness in his eyes.

"Will you give me a minute? If I'm not going to get a chance to say goodbye, I'd like to leave a note for Loki."

"Of course," came the answer. "I will wait in the hall"

Bucky was frantic, but hid it well. He went to the desk and tore a scrap from one of the blank sheets. He wrote quickly, then walked to the bed to leave the note there. Maybe he'd still get a chance to see Loki before he left, but he doubted it. After dropping the note, Bucky stood and looked at the bed, remembering how happy he had been there not too long ago. He wished he could go back to that time now, to just lay there with Loki and forget everything else existed. What he wouldn't give to spend eternity in that moment! But, he could hear Thor's footsteps pacing out in the hall, and he knew he needed to go. Bucky started to walk away, but a thought struck him. Taking the chain from around his neck, he placed his dog tags on top of the note. With a deep sigh, he retreated from the one place he knew true happiness, and left the room.

The two men walked down the hall, both quiet. Neither knew what to say. Bucky's head hung low, but he could tell Thor kept glancing over his way. They arrived at the stables to find two horses saddled and ready for them. Bucky knew they had to ride a good distance to get to the bifrost, as Thor had explained it to him the day before. Before he could climb up, Thor stopped him.

"My friend," Thor said, meeting Bucky's eyes. "I know you care for my brother, and he for you. I can see that. What my father is doing will hurt Loki, and I fear what will happen to him. I tried to speak for him, to convince my father to give you more time, but he did not listen. I can do no more to stop this."

"I do care for him," Bucky whispered. Thor gave him a regretful smile.

"I am truly sorry that you cannot stay. My brother deserves to be happy. I wish my father could see that he would be happy with you."

Bucky just nodded. He was grateful for the kind words, but he didn't trust himself to speak at that very moment. The two men mounted their horses, and Thor led the way out of the palace walls and to the golden dome at the end of the rainbow bridge. Bucky looked around in amazement at everything he was seeing. The way the surface of the bridge lit up colorfully with each footstep. The massive golden sphere he walked into. The helmeted giant of a man who stood just inside with a large sword and a stern expression. Next to him was an older gray-bearded man, dressed in an elaborate costume and wearing a patch over one eye. He looked regal, so Bucky assumed this was Odin.

Thor walked with Bucky as they approached the imposing pair, but halted a few feet away, leaving Bucky to take the remaining steps alone. Bucky swallowed nervously, his heartache replaced with anxiety. He'd never been comfortable meeting the fathers of the girls he'd dated, and this was a whole new level of awkward.

"James," the king spoke, his voice booming in the large room. "My son brought you here to save you, and so you have been. But Asgard is not a place for humans. You must return to Midgard now."

Bucky nodded at the king's words. He refused to mention anything about being called James. Odin could call him whatever he damn well wanted to.

"Thank you, uh...sir, for allowing me to stay while I recovered." he said, his voice giving away his nerves.

The king gave a slight nod to the tall man by his side and then walked to Bucky's side. He indicated for Bucky to follow him, and then walked slowly to the opposite end of the circular room. As Bucky followed Odin, he watched the helmeted man place the large sword into a contraption in the center of the chamber. Suddenly a loud whirring sound started and bolts of energy spewed out from the sword. The walls themselves started spinning! Bucky's eyes grew wide, but no one else seemed to pay any mind to the spectacle.

The king led Bucky to stand in front of a giant opening, where brightly colored lights swirled around. Now he was not only nervous, but downright scared. Was this going to hurt?

"We have traveled the bifrost for countless centuries. It may be disorienting, as you are not used to it, but it will not cause you pain." Could Odin read his thoughts? Bucky hoped not!

Bucky gulped and braced himself. He closed his eyes, held Loki's face in his thoughts, and felt a strong force yank him forward. He tried not to scream, but couldn't tell if he succeeded or not as he flew through the blinding light, heading for home.

-ooooooooooooooooo-

Loki spent the next few days locked in his room. His brother came by a few times and asked to be let in, but Loki ignored him and Thor never pushed. Servants came and left trays of food outside his door, probably at the request of his mother. He brought the trays in sometimes, when the hunger gnawed too strongly at him. But he rarely had appetite to eat. He spent a lot of time cleaning up the mess he had made. What wasn't too badly damaged, he used his spells to repair. He'd have to get a new chair though.

Like eating, sleep was another thing Loki avoided. He did not enjoy the dreams that came when he did succumb to sleep. Finally, exhausted by everything, he lost consciousness, not stirring for nearly twelve hours. When he did wake, he did so with anger in his veins and vengeance in his heart. He'd had enough wallowing in self pity. It was time he started demanding things. Just because he wasn't the favored son, the firstborn, didn't mean he deserved to be unhappy. Why should he have to settle? Why should he have to say goodbye to the one thing in his life he truly wanted?

Loki sat at the edge of his bed and toyed with the dog tags he now wore around his neck. He had put them on as soon as his grief had subsided enough for him to move. He promised himself he would never take them off. Not until he could put them back in Bucky's hands. Feeling better now that he had a purpose, Loki got up and went to his washroom to clean and change his clothes. If he was going to see the king, doing so in days old clothing and filthy hair would not be prudent. He dressed in his best armor, and even put on his cape. Bucky's dog tags felt warm against his chest, hidden underneath the layers he wore.

Once Loki felt sufficiently confident, he finally left his room. Spending days in solitude was not a new experience for him, but the past few days felt like longer than he had ever been alone before. Deciding that walking would do his neglected muscles some good, Loki set off to find his father. Anger and indignation built inside him with every step, and by the time he got to the king's room, he was seething. The two guards outside the room stepped up when he approached, but one look at the prince's furious expression made them stand aside quickly and without a word. Loki flung the door open.

"Father!" he shouted, not immediately seeing the older man, but then spotting him standing still on the other side of the room.

"Father, why have you done this?" Loki demanded. He crossed the room to stand in front of the old man, standing tall, refusing to show any trace of the fear or intimidation he always felt in his father's presence. The king's eyes snapped to Loki's.

"What would you have me do? Allow a prince of Asgard to mate himself with a human?" His words made Loki recoil slightly. He should have known the All Father would see exactly what was going on between him and Bucky. Loki saw no point in denying anything.

"Would that be so bad?" he asked.

"A human's lifetime is but a blink of an eye to us. You would throw your future away for a few meaningless seconds of enjoyment?"

"They would not be meaningless," Loki said softly, though the truth of the king's words filled his bones with a chilling coldness. Not wanting to think about that, he took a deep breath and tried to bring his anger back to the surface.

"That is my decision to make!" he insisted.

"Loki, you're too young and too foolish to make a choice like that," Odin snapped.

"You would rather me live in solitude until I die? Or lay with anything that moves like the rest of the men here? I want more than that!"

"And what more do you think you would get with that man? You can have no life with him. It cannot happen. I did you a favor."

"A favor?" Loki spat. "All you've done is ensure that a life with him can not happen. I could have done it."

"A mortal cannot live in Asgard, and you cannot live there," stated Odin.

Loki had thought the same thing, but suddenly, staying on Midgard no longer seemed like such an impossible dream.

"Why not?" he asked. "Why not let me live there? Their lives are short, you would not miss me in that amount of time."

"And when your human passes, what will you have then?"

"Memories. Of being happy," Loki said simply. He remembered Bucky in his bed, holding him. "I have but one now."

"You would give up your life here, live in a strange land, just to see him grow old and die before you?" Odin looked at his son with incredulity.

"In a heartbeat."

Odin regarded him thoughtfully for a few moments before he spoke. "I only wish to spare you the pain of losing him."

"Pain is not something I fear, Father." Loki wondered if he was getting through to him. "Living without him is."

The king walked a few steps away, not speaking or looking at Loki.

"Father, please," Loki begged. "Let me make this choice."

Odin gave a great sigh and turned to look at Loki. "Let me think on this, son. I will give you your answer tomorrow."

Stunned, Loki could only nod. His heart felt like it had stopped beating and was sure to burst any second. He quelled the hope that was threatening to take over his entire being, knowing that he could not survive having that hope shattered.

"Thank you, father," he whispered, not trusting his voice. He turned and fled, before any other emotion could escape his tight control.

Once out in the hall, away from the guards, he allowed himself to breathe again. With his breath, came the tears, and though he cursed himself for crying again, he allowed them to fall. These tears felt cleansing, and he needed them. He leaned against the wall, put his hands on his knees and took deep shuddering gulps of air. Eventually, after many long minutes of this, Loki felt calm enough to move. Wiping his cheeks with his hands, and straightening his armor, he headed back to his room. He needed to pack, he thought with a smile.

Next chapter should be up soon! Thank you for reading and reviewing!