Not many of you were very fond of the cliffhanger of the last chapter, huh? Haha, let's just put it this way. My general writing style is that I usually DON'T use cliffhangers at the end of the chapter, with the events occurring in the chapter more or less finishing by the end. This story is the exception.
But heyyy, I updated a day earlier than I said I would, right?!
Also, does anyone know anything about Viking/Old Norse culture? Personally I'd like to implement it in the story, but I don't even know where to start research.
I may have accidentally looked at major spoilers for Thor 2, and if they're true then I FREAKING CALLED IT GUYS (don't worry, I don't imply that I wrote about it, per se, but I definitely thought about it...) and I better finish up this story before that movie comes out but FREAKING HECK MAN ARE THOSE SPOILERS LEGIT BECAUSE IF THEY ARE THEN /KEYSMASH.
Steve had fewer responsibilities in his day than he was used to. Truthfully, he was more than willing to take on a normal job and work for his own living, but SHIELD thought it their responsibility to mollycoddle him through the rest of the twenty-first century and provide him lots of punching bags and pop culture reeducation to busy him.
Nothing he was actually used to, having worked who knew how many jobs just to stay afloat back in the day. He couldn't help but feel uncomfortably unproductive as he stayed in the tower while Tony was busy discovering fifty other new elements, Natasha and Clint were fulfilling their duties, Bruce was off somewhere saving lives, and hell, even Thor seemed to be getting work done despite not even being a remote part of Earth's society. A man like Steve could only punch through so many punching bags before he started questioning his life choices.
Which was why Steve was going through all the hallways with a vacuum cleaner, tidying every inch of carpet he could find in Stark Tower. Tony had guffawed when Steve told him his plan, saying that Dummy had any sort of cleaning already covered (even though it was Dummy that made the smoothie maker explode in the first place not too long ago), but easily conceded to Steve's request for cleaning supplies, throwing in a frilly apron from God knows what into the mix. Steve had been at it for a good three hours, vacuuming and dusting every inch and making sure the place was spic and span to prove to Tony that he could at least do one thing better than a robot.
However, when he saw Thor exit from the nearest elevator, the look of pure unease settling on his features, Steve powered down the vacuum cleaner and dropped the antibacterial wipes. He wiped his forehead, approaching Thor concernedly.
"Thor?" he said. "What's the matter? Are you looking for something?"
"Loki," said Thor. He shook with pure worry. "Loki, have you—have you seen him? Did he pass through here?"
Steve shook his head. "I was in the kitchen the whole time, wiping down everything. What's the matter? Isn't he usually in his room?"
Truth be told, Steve kept a wide berth between him and Loki. He wasn't afraid of Loki in the slightest, especially after hearing Thor's story of their past and being uncannily reminded of himself, but he knew from perhaps too much experience that trying to talk to other people, especially if said other person was emotionally unstable and probably despised his guts, was not a skill he particularly possessed. If Steve remembered correctly, the last time he had one-on-one contact with Loki was when he kicked the god of mischief in the face at Stuttgart, after all.
"He—we—" Thor swallowed and rubbed his forehead. "I hurt him, and he ran away. Now I do not know where he is, and I'm afraid that he—I don't know if—"
"What happened?" said Steve.
"I was a fool," said Thor, burying his face in his hands. "I was a fool, an arrogant fool, and now I don't know where he is. I'm afraid if he'll hurt someone—or hurt himself—"
"Calm down, Thor," Steve said. "Okay—Loki—you say he's uh, he's upset. What does he do when he's upset? Where does he seek comfort?"
"If only I knew now," Thor said. "It was once me or Mother. Now, he has no comfort."
"Did you try JARVIS?" said Steve.
"Loki has tampered with Stark's butler so that he will not reveal his whereabouts," said Thor. "I do not even know if he is still in the tower. He's still weak—he will only hurt himself more if he leaves and it will be my fault. Why was I so foolish?"
Steve pushed aside the curious urge to ask Thor what he said to Loki. More important matters were at hand. "I can tell the rest of the people in the tower. SHIELD agents, Tony, everyone. We can all work together to bring him back."
"What if SHIELD thinks he has escaped out of spite?" said Thor. "They will treat him roughly, and he does not deserve it."
"We'll give them a heads up or something," said Steve. "Thor, do you mind if I—never mind, that's really nosy of me. I shouldn't ask."
"You mean to know what it is I did to offend Loki?" said Thor. Steve nodded guiltily. "I…I do not mind if you ask, Captain. If anything, everyone should know how foolish I can be. I was frustrated with Loki and told him—I told him he was as brutish as a Frost Giant. I never thought—we use such a comment countless times in Asgard, as we have such a low regard of Frost Giants for most of our lives, that I had not properly weighed its meaning when I said it today."
Thor leaned against the wall. "I thought I had changed. I thought I had a turn of heart and that I would accept Frost Giants just as I would accept AEsir and mortals…but I know that deep inside, a part of me still remembers the resentment I once had for their race. My judgment and disapproval of them, and now it is bleeding into Loki. What if my banishment never actually changed me, only my surface? What if—what if my subconscious hates Loki just because of what race he is? If I were to face any Frost Giant besides Loki, I know I would not embrace them as easily as I do any other creature, and it hurts me to realize this. If I can't accept the other Jotuns, Loki will not think my love legitimate. And perhaps—perhaps he has the right to think so."
The look on Thor's face was so confused and heartbroken that Steve felt his heart sink.
"Thor," said Steve. "It's—I know what you mean. Before I woke up, I didn't really ever hate the Germans or the Japanese, not like other people did, but I had this idea that they were extremely different, and that I ought to be wary of them and stay away from them. And then I'm here and everything's changed and I ought to lose that mentality but…but it's hard. I really understand. It doesn't mean you'll keep thinking that way forever. You get to know them and you understand that they're more than what you thought they were. And after a while you—"
But Steve faltered when he notice the look on Thor's face. He could tell Thor was not listening to him, because he froze and his eyes hardened, wide with suspicion. He turned his head sharply to the window, the graying clouds looming over the tower.
"Thor?" said Steve.
"Do you hear them, Captain?" said Thor. "The engines?"
Steve frowned, straining to listen. For a moment he thought he could only hear his own pulse in his ears, but then he realized it was far from his imagination. There was a strumming of power, almost like the Tesseract except rougher, crueler. He peered out the window, trying to find something amiss in the city.
"What is it?" said Steve, pressing a hand against the glass.
Something shivered. The universe hazed for a fraction of a second. A flash of light in the corner of his eyes and then it was gone.
"The Chitauri," Thor said. His voice was grave. "They're here."
Steve's heart skipped a beat.
"In New York City?" he said.
Thor nodded. He immediately moved down the hall.
"What are they doing back here?" said Steve, chasing after Thor.
"They must know Loki is here," said Thor. "They must have come for him."
"Thor, we need a plan of action!" said Steve. The Chitauri—here again! How many? How did they get here? There were too many unknowns.
"Please contact the man of Iron and the SHIELD agents," said Thor, swiftly fetching Mjölner from his room. "I can sense their presence as clear as day. They are on the west, almost beyond my senses. There are many—please, we must hurry."
"What are you doing?" said Steve as Thor began to spin Mjölner at breakneck speed at his hands.
"I shall protect my brother," said Thor.
Without a second of hesitation, he shot forward, shattering through the windows, shooting through the sky to the west.
The moment the Chitauri took a step forward toward Loki, many of them already raised their rifles and pulled the trigger. A volley of burning bullets whizzed past him and he had to dive to the ground to avoid their blow. He searched wildly for a piece of broken glass, a rock, anything to use. A rubbish can knocked over to its side was just out of reach; he rolled towards it, barely missing a well-aimed shot, before pulling the trash lid from the ground.
The moment a Chitauri warrior came close to him, holding its rifle aloft, Loki slammed the edge of the lid against its groin. It doubled over in pain just enough for Loki to whack the lid against its chin until he could hear its neck crack. He wrestled the rifle out of its grip before it even fell to the ground.
A jet of blue power from the others' rifles skidded past him, skimming his makeshift shield. It left the smell of melting metal. Gritting his teeth, he used it to bash in the head of the nearest Chitauri before it could touch him, giving it a satisfying stab with the bayonet before he let it fall.
A shot hit his leg and sent a shock of searing pain through his muscle. He swallowed a groan and stood upon it nonetheless. Another skimmed his side. He lifted the rifle he took from his foe and launched its power at the crowd. Two guards fell, two more took their place.
"You wish to dance, Asgardian?" said the leader. He laughed, sending chills down Loki's spine. "We will make you do so much more with yourself—"
The sentence snapped in half as Loki aimed a shot at the leader's shoulder. It jerked back from the impact, its wound smoking dangerously. It sneered, cocking its rifle.
"You will regret ever trying to escape," said the leader. "Who was it that helped you? You are too weak, too cowardly to bring your punishment to an end. Who was your savior, fallen prince?"
Loki clamped his mouth shut and shot again. He dived behind a row of trashcans just as a torrent of shots flew toward him. His leg was still smoking from the shot wound and was reluctant to support his weight.
"You play the part of the noble soldier, Frost Giant!" said the leader. "But you are nothing but a sniveling coward, depending on a mortal realm to shield you. Was it Earth's gaggle of heroes that saved you? Did they take pity on the worthless runt? Perhaps once we're through with you, we'll pay them thanks ourselves!"
Unquenchable anger soared in Loki at those words. In a swift motion, he leapt out of his refuge, triggering a cascade of shots at the nearing army. Many Chitauri fell immediately from his attack as he stepped forward, aiming at perfect targets.
Unspeakable pain suddenly shot through his abdomen and he fell to the ground, gasping for breath. He tried to push himself back onto his feet before a knife sliced through his shoulder, paralyzing him with agony. He raised his head, his eyes blurring in pain as he saw the leader step closer, rifle aimed directly at his heart.
"You will learn discipline," said the leader.
Before the Chitauri could take a step closer, the clouds suddenly flashed overhead. The Chitauri did not notice, but Loki felt a rush of emotion flow through his nerves. His hands curled into fists as the lightning danced over his head, illuminated his bloodstained body as he braced himself for the inevitable.
Thunder split the sky apart and a flash of pure white light struck the ground between Loki and the Chitauri. The impact sent the Chitauri flying back, some of them seared on the spot from the power. Loki could barely keep his head raised as he saw the all too familiar figure fall to the ground, hammer held aloft and ready to strike. Thor emerged from his own destruction, his face lined with fury. Loki didn't know if he felt relieved or angry at the sight of him.
"You will suffer for what you have done to my brother," said Thor, raising his blond head. His knuckles whitened as he strengthened his grip on his hammer's handle.
The leader of the Chitauri laughed. "The golden prince of Asgard, having mercy for the traitorous outcast of Jotunheim."
"No," said Thor. "The firstborn of Asgard, come to protect his brother in arms, life, and heart."
"And you're doing a marvelous job at that," said the leader.
Thor swung Mjölner forward, the heavy stone crushing the skulls of many Chitauri through its path. Every movement he made was powered with vehemence and Loki couldn't help but watch in pure shock.
Why did he come?
(isn't it obvious?)
Why did he care?
(Are you so blind?)
He felt the dagger in his shoulder shift and wrench out painfully. He choked down a cry as a metallic pair of hands pulled him off the ground.
"Don't want to get stepped on, Reindeer Games," said the man of Iron. Loki could only stare incredulously at Tony, completely clueless of why he, and for that matter Thor, was here at all.
"Yup, yup, your knight in shining armor," said Tony, as if they were discussing the weather while Thor was battling aliens behind them. "Steve ought to be here any minute, the poor guy can't fly worth a damn—oh, crap!"
A jet of light flew between them, a Chitauri's aim barely missing them. Loki, ignoring the pain coursing through his entire body, took a hold of the rifle he dropped as one of the warriors ran forth. Before the warrior could even touch Loki or Tony, Loki ran the bayonet through its chest, killing it immediately. With a strong swing of the arm, he dragged the body on the rifle and flung it back into the crowd, knocking down two warriors in its way. They barely had time to collect themselves before Loki shot them right between their eyes and they dropped like toppling stones.
"Well, shit," said Tony. "I guess I'm not needed here."
He sent a jet of power from his glove into the crowd, knocking down several Chitauri at once. Even with their combined power the Chitauri seemed to multiply, bursting out of their human disguise to attack.
A spangled shield flew out from who knew where, bowling over a handful of Chitauri before zooming back to its owner. Loki gritted his teeth; how many people tagged along just to battle alien invaders?
A blast sent Loki falling back; Thor skidded to his side, his cloak singed and soot covering half his face. Loki felt his breath hitch at the sight of his brother who was gathering himself back onto his feet, even more riled up to fight back. Before Thor could run forward, Loki grabbed his shoulders tightly, trying to hold him back and forcing him to look into his face.
Why are you doing this? Loki wanted to ask. As much as he tried to speak, his voice had withered into nothing and he could only gasp. They'll kill you. They'll kill all of you for being here. They just want me. Isn't that what the realms want, is me gone? They'll kill you.
Thor's eyes were gleaming with determination. He clasped his hand on the back of Loki's neck; Loki could feel the blood stick to his skin.
"I swore to protect you, brother," said Thor. "And if by my life or death I can, I shall."
Loki gritted his teeth. Idiot. Naïve, impulsive idiot.
A spurt of fire streamed past his head, nearly scalding his neck. Immediately, Thor pushed Loki behind him, swinging Mjölner against the nearest foes. Loki wanted to throttle Thor until he could hear however little common sense he had in his head rattle against his skull. The thought was immediately banished when a Chitauri soldier hurled a slick knife at Thor, piercing him in the leg. With a pull of a trigger, the soldier was dead in less than a second afterward.
"Where the hell are they all coming from?" said Tony between spurts of his fire. "I thought they were light years away from here!"
"Let's ask that question a little later!" said Steve over the din. He wrestled a soldier off of his back and slammed it against the wall. Before he could deliver the finishing blow, its entire body jerked back a flyaway arrow pierced its side. Steve looked up, bewildered, just as a bullet shot through its cheek and the soldier moved no more.
"Natasha?" he called out, baffled. "Clint?"
Loki felt his jaw drop as he saw the all too familiar assassins in the clearing. They were possibly the very last people Loki would ever expect to come to his aid, and yet here they were, shooting the Chitauri with vengeance.
"Yeah, thanks for inviting us, Cap," Natasha said before punching a Chitauri in the chin so hard that it flew back.
"What are you doing here?" said Steve. "You were supposed to stay back in Stark Tower."
"Our duty is to defend the Earth from crazy bastards, so this is part of the job description," said Clint, drawing an arrow. He turned sharply to Loki, who was still gaping incredulously at the pair. "So don't think we're doing this for you, asshole. Duck!"
Loki ducked just before a bullet skimmed where his head once was. Clint released the arrow, immediately killing the warrior responsible. Loki straightened, still confusedly shaken, and gave a bow of the head in thanks. Clint pretended he didn't notice.
"Stark, on your left!" Natasha said.
The defensive blast from Tony's suit drilled a hole through the building that surrounded them. Steve gave a cry of protest.
"There are civilians in there, Stark!"
"Then get them the hell out," said Tony.
"That was your job!"
"Well, Reindeer Games looked like he was in a bit of a tight spot so I sort of forgot."
Steve gave a groan before slamming his shield down on the head of a Chitauri soldier. "Then fix this!"
Loki turned around and his breath stopped in the middle of his throat. Natasha was battling three warriors at once, armed with only a handgun and herself. She had the upper hand, able to slip between the Chitauri's attacks and tackle their weak points in a nick of time, but one of them behind her was brandishing a jagged sword unbeknownst to her.
It was all out of instinct. The rifle in his one hand was forgotten as he raised the other, calling upon his magic. He felt what little magic was permitted to flow through his veins shudder at its master's command, fighting the chains that the Mind Gem had it in. For just a brief second, he clawed the magic away from the Mind Gem's parasitic possession and sent a dagger of icy blue power shooting towards the Chitauri.
It felt as if someone had a pincer-grip on his heart and pulled at it, stretching it like rubber until it ripped. He let out an inaudible gasp and fell to one knee, clutching his chest as the Mind Gem reverted from clinging to his life source for power back to his waning magic. The Chitauri was scorched on impact of Loki's magic and fell back just as its knife came close to Natasha's back. Natasha whirled around, her eyes wide and falling upon Loki. She looked as shocked as he was, though for a different reason.
"Loki, watch out!" she said.
The warning came a second too late. Loki suddenly felt himself fly into the air, his back stinging from the blow of a Chitauri rifle, before he slammed against the brick wall. He fell to the ground, dazed and aching, dust from the brick billowing about him. His vision grew hazy and his arms shook as they kept him from falling to the ground.
He could hear the whir of machinery as a rifle that he knew was pointed to his head came to life. He raised his head to see a machine gun far beyond the build of any other Chitauri weapon. In that moment, Loki knew—this could be the last thing he would ever see.
"Our master never said you had to be brought back alive," the Chitauri said.
Loki raised his hand.
The Chitauri pulled the trigger.
And—
Horrifying, agonizing shock.
There was no pain. No clawing of his chest. He did not feel his own blood warm his skin. No fade to black, nothing.
Only Thor crumpled on the ground, blood seeping from the wound on his chest he took for Loki when he threw himself in harm's way, barely breathing.
No.
In that moment, Loki forgot about the battle raging around him, or the Chitauri that had tried to kill him, or anything that ever happened or mattered up until that point. He pulled himself to Thor's side, unable to breathe as he looked upon his brother's (not brother) face.
No no this can't be happening it cannot
Shaking hands flew to Thor's face. Thor's eyes creaked open just a mite to take in Loki's disbelieving face.
"Loki—" he coughed out. "You're safe."
Loki wanted to hit him. Hit him and tackle him and stab him and knock some sense into him.
Why?
Why?
Why?
Thor was fading in and out of consciousness and Loki tried to call for help. Not even the sound of a sigh escaped his silenced lips. Steve saw, though. Steve, in the midst of a fierce battle with the gradually dwindling number of Chitauri, saw Loki's fallen brother and immediately broke from the fight to rush towards them. Loki pressed his hands against the bleeding chest. There was so much blood, so much carnage, so much damage.
"Thor, can you hear me?" Steve said the moment he fell to his knees at Thor's side. "Thor, you've got to stay with me, buddy. You've got to stay awake."
Thor barely nodded, his breathing shallow. Steve tore Thor's cloak from his shoulders.
"Loki—use this to stem his bleeding for now. I'll get Stark to call up Bruce to get things ready for Thor when we get back to the tower and fetch you some sort of transportation to get him out fast."
Loki didn't bother questioning the legitimacy of taking orders from the mortal. He automatically took the cloak and covered the wound tightly. Even when the cloak was red, Thor's blood stained it noticeably.
"Thor—keep yourself awake, all right?" said Steve. "Keep your eyes open. Keep looking at Loki. There—that's good. Don't go to sleep, don't close your eyes. We'll get you out of this in no time, but you've got to stay awake, okay? You've got to stay strong."
"Thank you, Captain," Thor said. His voice was barely heard.
"Loki?" said Steve.
Loki looked up. He didn't realize how much he was shaking. Steve put a hand on his shoulder and Loki nearly jumped.
"Don't worry," said Steve. "He'll be all right, okay? Thor will be all right. It's okay. Don't worry."
A loud crash came from behind them and Steve had to return to the fight. Loki felt his heart shudder in his chest as he took in the sight of Thor's bloody body. He could see Thor's eyelids droop and Loki shook his shoulder immediately.
The wound was too deep and too critical. A mere cloak would not keep Thor alive, no matter how long or short the time will be. Loki could feel the blood dampen the cloak already.
Thor.
He gritted his teeth, trying to breathe calmly. He could feel himself hyperventilating and his head spun. Thor mustn't die. He shouldn't—he can't. Not for Loki. Not for him.
Don't you die for me.
Don't you dare die for me.
I'm not worth it.
He felt his magic thrum in his fingers and he knew. He tore the stained cloak from Thor's chest and placed his hands flat on the open wound.
(was this not the brother he once tried to kill, the man he scorned with his being?)
(does death triumph over hate?)
Don't you dare die.
Bracing himself for the pain, Loki jerked his magic away from the Mind Gem. It felt as if a thousand hooks were attached to every inch of his insides and were simultaneously torn out of him. He couldn't breathe as his magic poured from his fingers and into Thor's chest, knitting his wounds back together. He forced his eyes to stay open as the Mind Gem drained his life energy, deprived of the magic that was now used to heal Thor.
Don't die now, Thor.
Don't leave.
He saw Thor's blood slowly recede back into his body, coloring the previously ashen face. He felt as if it was his own blood that left him. His eyelids grew heavy, and the pain began to numb his body. He couldn't hear anything around him.
Wake up.
He felt Thor breathe underneath his fingers. His face swam before his eyes. There was no breath left in his own lungs. He felt himself sink closer to the ground until his cheek was barely above Thor's chest.
The Mind Gem thrummed in his chest like a second heart, slowly taking over the first.
Open your eyes, why won't you open your eyes?
His hands trembled. He felt so, so cold.
Thor would not stir, but he breathed, and Loki didn't know if he would see any more.
His voice was just at his lips, but he had no breath to make a sound.
Brother, please.
A cold rush as his life was slowly eaten away, and then—
White, blinding light.