So, I decided to read this fic from start to finish, that way I'd make sure I wasn't messing up any facts, after all, I did start this in December, since it's been a while.
I realize that I did in fact state that Bucky knew who Tony Stark was, and how his suit worked. Let's just say Bucky has some kind of short-term memory loss, m'kay?
Also, I had made the assumption that Bucky didn't know Bruce's name when in earlier chapters, he obviously did.
Also, in the last chapter, Bucky didn't know Nat's codename, but obviously, he did in earlier chapters?- Let's just say he was pulling Steve's leg.
Also, the seating arrangement I originally had went completely crazy. I mean, how do you hug when there are two people sitting between you? Lol.
Big thanks to my Beta, MommaGotABuzz.
~PaleWolfsHowl
Loki, personally, was not very happy about this situation. He knew when he wasn't wanted somewhere. Not that he wanted to be here either. Couldn't he just go back to the ship? Why was life always so cruel to him - he didn't want to watch a "movie" with Midgardians. Mere mortals.
And some of the Avengers were making him highly uncomfortable. The Widow's green eyes burning into him, Barton's uneasy breaths. Didn't they realize he was in no position to do anything to them?
Not that he wanted to. He never even did in the first place - and if he did do something, Thor would get all weepy about it. Not that he would ever admit it out loud, but he really didn't want to betray his elder brother again.
The whole situation had gotten awfully tiring - trust, betray, repeat. Over and over again until it made his head hurt. He'd always hated hurting or breaking things, but it was all he was good for at the end of the day.
He couldn't even go to another planet without fear of something going terribly wrong - not that another planet would welcome a monster like him. He didn't blame them. They were wise to turn him away.
Thor was blind; unable to see that his 'dear little brother' was really just a beast pretending to be a man. A monster hidden behind the curtains.
And that was all he'd ever be. He attacked earth and killed people. He'd even gotten his one and only mother - the one person who'd truly accepted and loved him - killed.
There was an awkward silence stretching over the room as Loki and the Avengers eyed each other. The scruffy-looking Midgardian - The Winter Soldier or something - didn't seem to care - although Loki could tell from the man's posture that he was very much aware of the tension.
Thor, however, being the bull-headed idiot he was, did not.
"So, friends!" Thor said boisterously, his voice loud. "How do we start this telling of futures?" His voice boomed, and Loki saw The Winter Soldier flinch. Loki wouldn't admit it, but he didn't judge the mortal for it.
"It pauses when someone is having a conversation, mental breakdown, or an existential crisis. So, as soon as whoever it stops having a crisis, it'll start again." Stark said, eyeing Loki warily.
Loki rolled his eyes - he wasn't even doing anything! Though, that was probably half the problem. Maybe they thought he was plotting the take over of Midgard again?
Didn't they realize he had better things to do with his time? People to antagonize, places to turn to anarchy, things to disrupt, old ladies, to scare?
He didn't think he was the one having the crisis, but maybe he was? He wasn't, was he? It was probably Stark. Stark made everything harder and more difficult.
Yes, either him or Banner. After being stuck on a ship with Banner for a day or two, he knew the mortal had plenty of crises, external or internal. Or a mix of both.
Loki, deciding the room was far too quiet right now, looked over towards The Winter Soldier and asked, "Do you have a title that isn't as wordy as The Winter Soldier?" He asked bluntly, ignoring the eyes boring into him. The Soldier blinked lazily.
"Yes," He paused. "I have also been called Soldat, the Asset, and the Fist of Hydra. However, I might be the one having a crisis. I, uh … I don't really know what I'm going to do or say at this point," and he turns to look towards Captain America.
Loki feigned like he didn't notice The Captain eyed him warily, and he pretended he wasn't slightly irked at that.
In order to calm his slightly ruffled nerves, he remembered how he'd felt when he'd turned into The Captain. How the righteousness had surged - the idealistic and noble view of the world - and so forth, yada yada.
Thor gave him a half-hearted glare as if seeing exactly where his mind was going. He smirked at his brother, before turning his attention back to The Soldier of Confusion.
"Well, everyone has always called him Bucky - although, recently, he's gone by Winter until we realized who he really is." The Captain said, a little stiffly, but he was being civil. Loki narrowed his eyes a little, he could bet it had something to do with Bucky or Winter? What was the proper thing to call him? Which would he dislike most? What would irk him the most? He made sure to think mean thoughts, and pretended he wasn't also wondering which name the man would want him to use.
The Soldier nodded at the Captain, and as if sensing Loki's unease, turned to look at him with a piercing blue gaze. "I don't mind either one of those," The Soldier said nonchalantly.
Loki blinked once, before deciding to call him Winter. It was less personal. More formal. He gave Winter a curt nod.
Thor nudged his leg a little, giving him a slightly concerned look. Loki rolled his eyes. He wasn't at all touched by his brother's unnecessary concern. He didn't care, AT ALL. Obviously. Thor didn't matter to him at all, Loki told himself - you know, like the liar he knows that he is.
Finally, the Telling of the Future seemed to deem that whoever was having a crisis was finally over it, and the movie started again.
[as the trio is being escorted in a van]
Wait - had Captain America been arrested? Oh, now that was priceless. He couldn't keep the smirk off his face - not that he was trying - The Captain sent him a half-hearted glare.
Steve Rogers: It was him. He looked right at me like he didn't even know me.
Loki noticed as everyone tensed. He pondered over whom The Captain was talking about. And judging by how Winter looked - it was probably him, wasn't it. Winter had some sort of memory loss thing, didn't he?
This was going to be very dramatic, wasn't it. Fun.
Sam Wilson: How's that even possible? It was like seventy years ago.
Steve Rogers: Zola. Bucky's whole unit was captured in '43. Zola experimented on him. Whatever he did helped Bucky survive the fall. They must have found him and…
Loki gave Winter a startled look as his head jerked up at the mention of the name Zola. He seemed to be breathing too fast, his eyes wide and unfocused. Loki struggled to keep a grim look of understanding off of his face. He knew how awful panic attacks could be. He blinked with mild surprise as the Captain pulled Winter closer to him.
Wait, hang on a minute, the fall? What did the mortal fall off of? A building? What did the Midgardians even have that they could fall off of? A train?
At least, whatever he'd fallen off of, it wasn't a sparkling rainbow bridge.
Natasha Romanoff: None of that's your fault, Steve.
Steve Rogers: Even when I had nothing, I had Bucky.
Ah, that explained the closeness of a supposed deadly Assassin and Mr. Righteous America. Shared history. So before Winter was a cool, beat-up, assassin - he was a boring minion of Captain America's?
That was a lot less exciting than what Loki had been hoping for. Where were the traumatic events? The chaos and anarchy?
Winter looked over at Steve with large, vulnerable eyes. Ick, feelings. Loki really hoped it wasn't contagious. He really didn't want feelings. Disgusting - the whole lot of them.
[Sam notices Natasha is bleeding from her shoulder and looks at the guards]
Loki's eyes widened. "Who managed to do that? I'm impressed." He said happily, ignoring the dark look Natasha Romanoff sent him. Winter timidly raised a hand.
Aw, he was liking this mortal more and more by the second. Except for the feelings. Feelings were evil, and Winter obviously had too many of them. Ick.
Sam Wilson: We need to get a doctor here. If we don't put pressure on that wound she's gonna bleed out here in the truck.
Loki could almost feel the concern oozing through the air. And tried to ignore the icky feeling of regret that Winter sent Romanoff. They seemed to be having a silent conversation. Must be a sacred bond shared by Assassins across the world.
Maybe he should become an Assassin? Only to learn their secret code, of course. But what made a killing count as an assassination?
What truly marked the difference between a normal murder and an assassination?
[suddenly one of the guards pulls out an electric rod and neutralizes the other guard on the side, knocking him out. Turns out the guard is Agent Hill when she removes her helmet]
Maria Hill: Ah. That thing was squeezing my brain.
Most of The Avengers cackled, the Captain managed to keep himself composed, and Winter just blinked, and a small smile on his face.
When Thor snickered, Loki could swear that the couch shook. He sent a glare at his brother, but it was just returned with a good-hearted smile.
Bah, Humbug. Loki had read that somewhere whilst on Midgard. He didn't know what it meant, but he liked it. Was 'Bah, Humbug' a sacred ritual among the mortals?
[Sam looks at her in confusion; to Steve] Who's this guy?
"A bro in arms." Said Stark in a serious tone. A what..? Winter seemed to share his confusion, giving Stark a beseeching look. Banner just shook his head. "Don't worry about it." He said calmly.
[Rumlow's crew stop their vehicles and get out]
Brock Rumlow: Three holes. Start digging. [they go over to the van holding Steve, Sam, and Natasha and as they open the door they find it empty with one of the guards left unconscious and a massive burnt hole on the car floor]
[Hill has taken the trio to a secret facility, a man runs towards them; referring to Natasha's wound]
Maria Hill: GSW. She's lost at least a pint.
Sam Wilson: Maybe two.
"What's more fun than losing a few gallons of blood?" Romanoff said with a small smile on her face. Loki rolled his eyes.
"Getting frozen in ice for around seventy years?" The Captain joined in on the idiocy. Loki rolled his eyes again, this was so, 'Bah, Humbug.'
"Getting sucked into a wormhole?" Stark added helpfully.
Thor then joined in on the mortal's stupidity. "Having your planet blown up?"
Loki rolled his eyes yet again, resisting the urge to, 'Bah, Humbug' his brother. Maybe that was what a 'bro in arms' was? A brother.
Doctor: Let me take her.
Maria Hill: She'll want to see him first.
[Hill takes them to see Fury who's alive and lying in bed. The trio look at him in shock]
"But I killed him?!" Winter exclaimed in confusion, curling up tighter and inching closer to The Captain.
"Apparently ... Not?" Stark said, confusion in his voice.
So, Loki thought, Winter thought he had killed Fury? Interesting. That was slightly less 'bah, humbug' than all the other information he'd been getting. Winter was interesting. He zoned out, ignoring the mortal's dramatic conversation, and stared at the screen, blinking occasionally.
Nick Fury: About damn time. [later as Natasha's wound is being treated] Lacerated spinal column, cracked sternum, shattered collarbone, perforated liver, one hell of a headache.
"That's a lotta damage." Loki said quietly, reciting one of the mortal 'memes' he'd seen while trying to do world domination on Midgard.
Stark looked at him with a satisfying amount of shock, eyes wide as he gazed at Loki. Barton wasn't much better, mouth gaping open.
"Did you just … recite a meme?" Stark asked in a shocked voice. Next to Loki, Thor looked confused as usual.
Loki shrugged. "I was exposed to the internet while on Midgard," He replied coolly.
"So, let me get this straight ..." Banner said, looking at him cautiously. "Between the murder and world domination … you looked up memes?" He asked incredulously.
Loki nodded. "I do have other interests besides world domination." He said, and at the looks the Avengers sent him, he wanted to 'Bah, Humbug,' them.
Doctor: Don't forget your collapsed lung.
Nick Fury: Oh, let's not forget that. Otherwise, I'm good.
Natasha Romanoff: They cut you open, your heart stopped.
Nick Fury: Tetrodotoxin B. Slows the pulse to one beat a minute. Banner developed it for stress. Didn't work so great for him, but we found a use for it.
Loki noticed that Winter's eyes narrowed at that. Ah, they hadn't told him the doctor's little thing yet, interesting.
Steve Rogers: Why all the secrecy? Why not just tell us?
Maria Hill: Any attempt on the director's life had to look successful.
Nick Fury: Can't kill you if you're already dead. Besides, I wasn't sure who to trust.