First of all, HUGE APOLOGIES for taking so long to update! I hope I haven't lost all my readers! I had major writer's block and this chapter just did not want to get written. It's done now, and I am really looking forward to the next one, so hopefully it won't be another five months!

This chapter very briefly touches on some unpleasantness that Loki went through while with Thanos & Co. Be warned.

As always, reviews are appreciated! You can find me on Twitter, Loki_Can or on Tumblr, .com. Thank you for reading!

-The Lucky Ones- Chapter 14

Loki looked around glumly at his new, decidedly unimproved surroundings. Gone were the harsh fluorescent lights and the large windowed walls. They had been replaced with dark, dreary stone walls and only a small bit of natural light, familiar Asgardian sunlight, filtering in through the tiny windows, too high to see out of. The shackles had been removed, for which Loki was grateful, as well as the muzzle. However, his magic had been bound so thoroughly, that he felt more restricted than he'd ever felt with the chains. Every breath he took was a labor. His heart ached in his chest, and it was not just because he missed Bucky. Loki did long for Bucky. He wanted him with every fiber of his being, but he'd done that for so long, it was his normal state. Never in his life had he been unable to feel his magic coursing through his veins. Odin had stopped that flow, and Loki felt as if his blood had stopped as well.

All in all though, it had not been as bad as Loki had feared. His actual punishment was still being decided, and Odin had merely sent him to be locked away for the duration of his contemplation. He'd been expecting immediate execution or banishment, and the fact that the All Father seemed willing to consider other options was a small comfort to Loki. A small comfort indeed, Loki thought as he lay on the unforgivingly hard floor. He used his arm to rest his head and stared toward the ceiling, not really seeing it. With nothing around to distract his mind, his thoughts drifted to Bucky. Always Bucky. Rather than avoid those thoughts, as he usually did, he forced himself to think them. To feel all the regrets he had after their last interaction. Not that he would have changed anything. The fact of the matter was that they could not be together. It was impossible. Why allow Bucky to hope for something that could never be? Loki did the man a favor, as much as it killed him to do it.

Loki spent several long, dull days in solitude. The only consolation he had was that, along with his magic, the voices seemed to have left him. Though he was not happy by any means, Loki knew a peace he hadn't in years. He slept in short intervals, but soundly. He ate when they brought him food. Even the debilitating effects of the loss of his magic seemed to lessen as the days passed. He was still a far cry from where he had been before that fateful day of Thor's coronation, but he was beginning to feel like his old self again. He wrapped himself up in the comfort of the familiar loneliness and endured.

It was in this stasis that Thor found his brother when he barged into the cell one warm day. Loki had lost count of how many days he'd spent alone in the cell, but it was long enough that he was surprised by his brother entering the room. Odin had expressly forbidden anyone entering from Loki's cell until he was called back to receive his punishment. He'd just assumed that meant Thor as well.

"To what do I owe this pleasure, dear brother?" Loki sneered from his seated position against the far wall of the cell. It was where he always sat, as he could look up from that spot and see a bit of the sky through the narrow window. The small things in life were the only things Loki had left in life. "Has Odin finally decided my fate?" Thor walked over and stood above him for a few moments, saying nothing. Then he did something that shocked Loki even more than his entrance had. He sat down. Right there on the dirty floor, directly in front of Loki, cross-legged so their knees practically touched. No doubt he was soiling his pants with dust and grime. Loki gaped at him.

"Loki, I do not wish to fight," said Thor, finally. "I came to speak with you." Loki started to complain and moved to stand, but Thor put a hand on his knee. "Please, brother. Hear me out."

Loki relaxed back against the wall and looked cautiously at his adopted brother. "You are dirtying yourself. You should not sit on the floor."

"This is where you are sitting. I will sit with you." Simple words, though their meaning was anything but.

"You would lower yourself to sit with me? A common criminal?"

"Loki," Thor placed his large hands on the other's narrow shoulders, a gesture that all but demanded eye contact. Loki obliged, but with a narrowed gaze. "We have sat this way countless times. Perhaps not since we were children, but I remember. We were friends then. Brothers. I am still your brother and will sit with you wherever you are."

"We were never brothers, and we never will be." Loki spat, allowing the anger to surge forward, even though a part of him was grateful for Thor's words.

"I know you do not see me that way any longer, but I do." Thor moved his hand to the back of Loki's neck, in that familiar gesture of affection. He expected Loki to shrug it off, but Loki just lowered his eyes and allowed it. "You are my brother, Loki. My equal, whether you choose to believe that or not."

"Your equal? You throw that word at me like it is supposed to soothe me? I have been your inferior since the day I was born. You are the only one too blind to see that."

"I know" Thor dropped his arms, and his head. "I have been blind. Not because I see you as my equal, but because I did not notice that you felt differently, that you were treated differently. You have been the most important person to me my whole life. Did you never realize that? No, because you were always too busy agonizing over every slight, every insult, real or not. We were both fools, brother. We still are."

"How could you not see what they did to me? You heard the comments, the whispers everyone said about me. They all mistrusted me. They all hurt me! However, none as deep as the one who was supposed to love me most of all." said Loki softly, pained by the memories. "You were there when he sent Bucky away. You stood by and did nothing."

"I tried to speak with father about Bucky." Loki rolled his eyes at this, but Thor insisted. "I did! But I did not understand. How could I have explained how you felt to father when I did not know myself?"

"You've never been in love?" Loki asked, a little shocked that he'd never stopped to consider that.

Thor smiled. "Aye, I have now. But not then. I was still so young then. I thought you had merely fancied him because he was different from everyone. He did not know your past or your reputation, like everyone here did. I did not realize how deeply you cared for him."

Part of Loki was infuriated. He felt that Thor's presence and his words were pulling the confessions from him against his will. But another, perhaps larger part was grateful to be letting it out. And Thor seemed genuinely interested in hearing him, for once. "He was everything to me, Thor. I had never wanted anything as much as I did him. Odin cared not. He sentenced me to a life of solitude the day he sent Bucky away, and he did it without so much as a second thought. And why would he think twice? I am merely the discarded offspring of his enemy. I am not his son. Odin owed me nothing, and he saw to it that I received it."

Thor cursed under his breath. "Frost Giant..." he muttered. "Loki, you must stop beating yourself up for things that are not your fault. Things you cannot change. When will you realize that what you are does not matter? Not to me! Not to Mother or Father. Not to Bucky. We love you whether you choose to accept it or not."

"It no longer matters what Bucky thinks of me! I will never see him again. Why does any of it matter? I am to be banished, or executed or forced to endure some form of endless torture. I am no longer free to be anyone's son. Or brother. Or lover."

"That is why I am here, Loki!" Thor exclaimed, excitedly grabbing Loki's shoulders once more. "I believe that you were not acting as yourself during your time in Midgard. The Chitauri are known for their mind control abilities, as well as other awful things. It pains me to think about what you went through when you were with them. I know they controlled you. They forced you somehow to do their bidding. I want to know how, so I can explain it to Father. So I can beg for mercy."

Loki growled and stood abruptly, striding across the cell in anger. "I do not need you to beg for me!" he shouted. "I have no use for your father's mercy!"

"Loki, please!" Thor rose to his feet as well, but did not approach his brother. "There is no reason to accept a punishment you do not deserve."

"What have I deserved, dear brother?" replied Loki with a bitter laugh. "Did I deserve to be lied to my whole life? Did I deserve to be ridiculed because I was not as good a fighter as you were? Because I preferred magic to swordplay? Did I deserve to have the one man who made me happy stolen from me without so much as a chance to say goodbye?"

"No, you did not deserve any of that."

"So tell me what good is asking for mercy now? So I can return to my rooms and live out the rest of my life alone? I've done that long enough." Loki spat his words out as if they tasted bitter on his tongue. "Whatever Odin has in store for me, at least it will be a change of pace."

"Who says -" Thor's words were cut off as the door to the prison cell swung open with a loud creak. A uniformed guard walked in and announced that the king was ready to see them both. Immediately. The man affixed yet another pair of shackles to Loki's wrists.

The two brothers, one light, one dark, both silent, walked through the halls of the prison. They made their way to the throne room, and Loki looked around, surprised that no audience was in attendance. He was sure the whole of Asgard would want to witness this spectacle. Instead, it was only Odin, dressed casually, with Frigga standing by his side. Thor stayed by Loki's side as they approached the base of the steps leading to Odin's throne. As afraid as he was, Loki held his head straight and kept his expression neutral.

"Loki Odinson," the king began. Loki merely closed his eyes and forced himself to remain unaffected by the king's purposeful misnomer. "You stand before me accused of many atrocities. Countless lives were lost by your hands - innocent lives. You attempted to kill your own brother. What have you to say for yourself?"

Loki met the All Father's gaze defiantly, but stayed silent. He had nothing to say for himself.

"Will you allow me to speak for him, Father?" Thor voiced from his place at Loki's side. Loki looked at him sharply, but still kept his expression unreadable.

"What could you have to say, son? He has committed a grave act upon you, multiple times. Why would you speak for one who would see you dead?"

"He is my brother. Not by blood, but because you made him so. You saw something in him that was worth saving. I see that same thing still." At this Loki looked at Thor, a little taken aback by his candor.

"I cannot look past what he has done. Reparations must be made." Odin said.

Loki stood frozen in his spot as his would-be brother and his pretend father spoke of him as if he wasn't even there. He dared a quick glance at Frigga, though he regretted it immediately because the pained expression she wore drove a sharp pang through his heart.

"I believe Loki is not responsible for his actions." Thor explained. "He was with the Chitauri for some time before they sent him to Midgard to steal the Tesseract. They had to have influenced him, whether by some supernatural force, or other form of...persuasion."

The king seemed to consider this for a few moments before he spoke. "The Chitauri are skilled at deception and manipulation. They shielded Loki from our view the entire time he was there. I would not put it past them to bend him to their will." Odin turned to Loki, who was reeling from this revelation. They could not find him? Is that why no one had come to rescue him? Would they have come for him if they had known? "Is this true, Loki? Tell me what came to be while you were with them."

Still Loki remained silent. Thor looked at him with pleading eyes, begging him to speak up. "Brother, please tell us. Father deserves to know the truth."

"He doesn't deserve to know anything!" A voice rang out from the far side of the room, punctuated by the sharp sounds of footsteps as the owner of the voice approached them. Loki turned, his face finally forming a true expression, one of awe and incredulity as Bucky strode forcefully toward them. He felt Thor's arm on his shoulder and glanced back to see him smiling warmly. Thor had brought Bucky here! Why?

-ooooooooooooooooo-

Bucky was roused suddenly from a sound sleep. He sat upright and looked around, disoriented in the darkness, unsure of what had woken him. It took a few seconds for him to realize he'd fallen asleep in the room he'd been assigned in Stark's tower. Switching on the bedside light, he blinked into the sudden brightness for a few seconds before the door to his room swung open. Thor rushed in, looking large and regal in his Asgardian clothing. The last remnants of sleep fell away instantly and Bucky leapt up from the bed.

"Thor! What's happened? Is Loki okay?"

"He awaits my father's word, but I still fear for him. I am here to take you back with me, if you still wish to go," Thor said. "We must leave immediately."

"Of course I'm going!" Bucky's heart was racing. He was glad he'd fallen asleep in his clothes. He didn't want to waste another second. The pair traveled by elevator to the rooftop to meet the Bifrost. The large blond god wrapped his arm around Bucky tightly, limiting his ability to breathe, but Bucky scarcely noticed. He shut his eyes tightly and thought of Loki.

With barely a chance to regain his bearings after his trip through the very fabric of space, Thor tugged Bucky out of the gilded dome and to a pair of horses that were waiting for them on the newly rebuilt rainbow bridge. The gatekeeper watched them with interest, but offered no greeting to the human. Bucky climbed onto his horse and followed Thor to the palace. Once there, Thor instructed him to remain in a hall outside Odin's chambers.

"I am certain my father is ready to hear from Loki, but I wish to speak with him first. Wait here until I come for you."

"Let me come with you. Please." Bucky pleaded, but Thor shook his head.

"I have not told anyone, except Heimdall, of your presence here. I wish it to remain a secret until Loki is in front of the All Father. It will be too late to send you home then." Thor smiled at Bucky. "Trust me, Bucky. I have faith in my brother."

Bucky nodded, as much as he didn't like being kept from Loki, he begrudgingly accepted that it was best this way. Thor strode off to the prison, leaving Bucky with nothing to do but wait.

Bucky waited. He wasn't sure how long. Long enough to become very familiar with the hallway though, the intricate detail on the pillars, the knotwork style pattern to the floors. Long enough that he began to wonder if anxiety would be what finally killed him. No one came upon him, for which he was grateful, as he wouldn't know how to explain his being there. Finally, after Bucky began to doubt he'd ever see anyone, he heard footsteps. Unsure as to who it was, he hid around the corner. When the steps halted, and the door to the throne room opened, Bucky peeked around. His heart skipped a beat when he saw Loki, once again shackled. Before he could say anything though, the pair disappeared into the room. Bucky hung back, unsure what he should do. The door had been left ajar, so Bucky stood just outside, listening.

The Chitauri. Bucky recognized the name of the alien army. They'd had Loki captive? Is that what had happened to turn Loki mad? Bucky's heart broke more and more with each word said, until he couldn't hold back any longer. Loki was still refusing to help himself, but Bucky wouldn't let him go again without fighting for him.

Pushing open the door, Bucky shouted at Odin, who seemed unsurprised at his presence. "Sorry, uh...your highness, but it's true." Bucky continued, as he came forward to take his spot by Loki's other side. He didn't look at Loki, his eyes were focused straight at Odin. "You lost that right when you lied to him his whole life. When you sent away the one person who loved him more completely than anyone else could and forbade him to come after me. If anyone deserved the truth, it was Loki. You should have given it to him."

Bucky really hoped Odin wouldn't kill him.

-ooooooooooooooooo-

Loki had just gaped at Bucky through his little speech, then looked back to Odin, wide-eyed with fear. He had never heard anyone speak so insolently to the king and he feared the reaction Bucky would get. But Odin merely gave a small nod, as if he had been expecting it the whole time.

"I have made many mistakes with Loki." At that he glanced back at Frigga, who merely raised an eyebrow as if impressed that he actually voiced the words aloud. Odin looked back to Loki. "I did what I believed to be best at the time. By withholding the truth about who you were, by sending Bucky away. You were reckless then, foolish to place your love, your future, in a human who would grow old and die in the blink of an eye. I did it to save you from yourself. From making poor decisions."

At this, Loki finally spoke up, albeit softly. "They were my decisions to make."

Odin regarded his adopted son with a doleful expression. "Even the wisest kings are allowed to err in their ways. For what it is worth, I am sorry, Loki. But that does not forgive your own malicious transgressions." He stepped closer to Loki, head raised with authority. "The Chitauri, what did they do to you? Tell me now, Loki, or I will have no choice but to find you fully responsible. I am feeling lenient, but I still have to uphold the law of this realm."

Loki swallowed thickly. The memories begin to swirl in his head, of the Chitauri and the tortures they inflicted on him. He had been successful in blocking them until this point, and remembering what he'd gone through, talking about it, was not something he ever wanted to do. A warmth enveloped his hand suddenly and he looked down at Bucky's hands, closed over his. Loki looked at Bucky's face and every defense he'd built came crashing down at the emotion he saw pooling in those blue eyes. His knees gave out and he sank to the floor, his chains clanking loudly, though he barely heard them. Both Bucky and Thor knelt at his side, the first still holding his hand and the second laying a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"It is okay, brother." Thor said gently.

"I love you, Loki. No matter what." Bucky insisted, his words soothing Loki more than any tonic ever could.

Loki took a deep breath and without looking up, began to recount exactly what the Chitauri had done to him when they found him. After his fall, he had been nearly completely broken, physically and emotionally. The Chitauri, under the direction of Thanos and the Other, continued to tear him apart, piece by piece, until he was truly nothing. A shell of a man. The part of him that was "Loki" had been reduced to a tiny pebble, locked away in head, buried, forgotten. Then they had worked on rebuilding him, shaping him, with relentless force, into their perfect soldier. Using his vices against him, skillfully weaving their poison into his brain, they ensured that not only would he deliver them the Tesseract, but that he'd believe he wanted to do it.

By the time Loki finished, tears flowed freely from almost everyone in the room. Only Odin and Thor remained stoic. Thor gripped Mjolnir with rigid, white-knuckled ferocity, too overcome with rage for tears. Odin remained inscrutable, appeared to be deep in thought. Loki wiped his eyes with a chained hand, and chanced a look at the All Father. He was not surprised at Odin's seeming indifference to what he'd heard, and Loki lowered his head back down.

Thor spoke forcefully, standing to face the king. "Father, we must go after these monsters. They need to pay for what they've done to Loki. They are the ones to blame here!" After a few moments where Odin said nothing, frustration bloomed. "What say you, father?!"

Odin blinked, stepped back and turned, his expression still guarded. When he spoke, it was with a quiet authority. "Take Loki back to his chambers. I will assign a guard to ensure he remains there. Bucky will stay with him, as further motivation to stay put." The old king looked down at the broken man on the floor. "I feel as if I am a great fool for trusting you, Loki. Please do not prove me so." Frigga stepped forward and placed a grateful hand on her husband's shoulder.

Loki sat in silent disbelief, uncomprehending. His heart too torn to shreds to allow any hope to filter through. Bucky only watched Loki, waiting on his reaction.

Again, it was Thor who finally spoke up. "Father...? What does this mean? Is Loki free?"

"No. Not yet. I need to decide the right course of action. This is not a time for hasty decisions, and in the meantime, I see no reason for Loki to suffer more punishment than he already has." With those words, Odin, with Frigga on his arm, retreated from the room, leaving the three men in stunned silence.

Thor and Bucky helped Loki to his feet, and he leaned on them heavily, relief and exhaustion taking their toll. The All Father's words and leniency were likely the only apology Loki would receive, and Loki was frankly surprised to even have those. He grimly noted that Odin had not unbound his magic, but found even that mattered little. Bucky was there, at his side, taking him not to a dank, dark cell, but to his old rooms. Oh, there was so much that needed to be said between he and Bucky. So many apologies Loki needed to make. He only hoped it was not too late.

See? Not too bad anymore, right?