Loki, the Undying

Rated: T

Summary: [Set immediately after Infinity War, Spoilers inside.] After his encounter with Thanos, Loki is found adrift in space. After finding that he is too late to attempt to help Thor save the universe, he is determined to find out the fate of his brother. After all, Loki is still the God of Mischief, and he may have a few, albeit drastic, tricks up his sleeve.

000

Though Stark insisted that he was drinking to celebrate, ("I'm drinking for three!"), Loki suspected it was in mourning, like the rest of them. After finishing off his first bottle of scotch that he graciously shared with the group, he asked Pepper if they were having a boy and if so, then could they name him Peter? It was clear that Stark had other things on his mind than the fact that those he loved had made it through the Snap when so many others did not.

Barton had retreated after a few drinks because he couldn't hold his tongue. Natasha dragged him away when he started going off on an incoherent slur about family. He tried to fight her, but she had not been imbibing—only staring at Cass as if the alien woman had made threats against them all. Nat seemed reluctant to leave the room, but with the sour moods, it was better to simply remove the incitement.

Stark and Pepper retreated shortly after. They hadn't yet had any privacy, and they needed their time together.

One of the strangest sights to Loki was the raccoon that joined them. Thor introduced him as the 'noble rabbit, Rocket'. Loki noted that no one bothered to correct Thor, so Loki let it slide. Apparently the creature had helped Thor in his quest to forge a new weapon. He hadn't said much to Loki once he finally joined them in their 'celebration,' but he did sit with Nebula and ask her a few questions. Loki gathered that he had been hoping that at least one of his friends would return with Stark.

Once Nebula recounted the battle and got to the part about Peter Quill… the talking beast jumped up, swearing, and throwing whatever he could get his hands on at nothing in particular. Rocket was angry… but he didn't seem surprised.

There were a few people that Loki didn't recognize.

"Scott Lang," said one of those few as he walked up to Loki's spot. Loki had quietly sat nursing his own bottle of strong liquor while Stark hogged the spotlight. Lang actually put his hand out for Loki, much to his surprise. Loki sat up fully from his hunched position, shook the man's hand, and then swept his arm out to the seat next to him.

"Loki, of Asgard."

"Yeah, I heard. So, uh, I hear you were the one responsible for the Invasion of New York."

Loki's brow twitched. "It's complicated."

"Yeah, heard that too. Mind stone, or whatever. Listen, I'm gonna be honest. I have no idea what these guys are talking about half the time. Thanos? Infinity gems? I'm just here to help. Which… you are too? Yeah? They're all pretty chill being around a mass murderer, so I guess you had to have turned over a new leaf."

At his words, Loki turned to stare at the man. He was so nonchalant that Loki really had to give him credit. "Apparently you're pretty 'chill' about it too."

Lang shrugged. "Man, I've done my time in jail. I've met some bad people. Would I forgive them for their crimes? Maybe not. But I would want them on my side in a fight. So, basically, you're on our side?"

Loki shrugged. "I'm on my side, and right now, that's the same side."

"Cool, cool, so uh, what's space like?"

Loki appreciated the man's attempt to include him in the 'festivities.' No one else had been eager to talk with him, leaving him to his own devices on his cushioned chair. Thor would try to bring him into a conversation, but the others would quickly shut him out—and Thor would have no idea what they were doing, that buffoon. So, he took what he could get and decided to entertain the other outsider.

At the sound of Scott's laughter, the group started to move closer to him.

"No, seriously?"

"Yes. They are the most beautiful creatures in the universe… but they are mean. We got off easy, and likely just because we were Odin's children."

Thor finally sauntered over and gave Loki a new bottle. Loki had quite the taste for cognac, it seemed, and Tony kept the bar well stocked. "What tales are you telling now, brother?" Thor clapped his hand on the back of the chair and remained.

"The forest nymphs."

Thor gave a boisterous laugh. Some of those who hadn't yet inched over towards Loki—Steve, Rhodey, Sam, and even Natasha who had just returned—took a step forward. Cass, Nebula, and Rocket remained in their seats. "That is a good tale! A lesson learned, for certain…"

"Nymphs?" Sam asked, dropping onto a foot rest. "For real? Asgard had nymphs?"

Loki internally winced at had but ignored it. "Yes. As I was telling Mr. Lang here, the nymphs of Asgard were a sight unlike any other. They were the perfect mix of woman and animal."

"They call those furries here," Scott said, earning a snort from Rhodey.

"Mmm, no, definitely not furry," Thor said, his hand held out like he was correcting Scott. "At least… I don't think…"

"They were majestic," Loki corrected. "Some looked like what you would call mermaids—those were the water nymphs. Some emulated a yorlea—I think, something like a gazelle here on earth? Lithe creatures with glittering horns—those nymphs were as fast as the wind and impossible to catch—"

"—we tried," Thor said with a grin.

"—and we failed. Some had the wings of birds on their backs, allowing them to soar through the air. Those were rarely seen though. I think they thought themselves above the others."

"Not that you would know anything about that, would you, Loki?" Natasha asked with a slight upturn of her mouth. Loki returned it with a smug smile.

"Anyhow, Thor and I decided we should sneak out to see them. We had just heard about a hidden grotto where they supposedly bathed."

"I'm pretty sure it was my idea—"

"—no, it was mine, I just convinced you it was yours—"

"—ah, yes, that does sound about right."

"We escaped our escorts—for at that time, we were too young to be on our own. Odin said it was for our own protection, but I think it was more likely that we had a tendency to cause chaos wherever we went."

"You had babysitters?" Steve asked, raising a brow.

"Well… yes. Though half the time it was really just Huginn and Muninn following us, reporting back to Odin," Loki replied.

Thor chuckled. "You had to cloak us from their sight to escape the city limits, did you not?"

"Yes," Loki said and sat back in his chair, gazing off as if he were remembering fondly. "My magic was still new—I had to literally cloak us and use an illusion spell on that… We left the limits and spent all day searching for the nymphs. It was nearly sunset by the time that we found them. It was like a dream—they bathed and sang… it was quite a sight."

"Sounds like you were being total creeps," Natasha muttered.

Thor laughed loudly again. "Yes. Yes we were. And we should not have been. We were just children at the time. We were foolish to think of invading someone's privacy like that—especially someone with enough magic to permanently disfigure us. We were of course caught. Loki could not contain himself and fell out of our hiding spot."

"I did not!" Loki replied, a look of betrayal on his face. "I was trying to hold you back from trying to get any closer! I knew what they could do!"

"I really don't think that's how it went, brother—"

"—oh yes it did—

"—mm, no, don't think so. My will power was just greater than yours—"

"—oh right, and it was your willpower that allowed you to eat your name-day cake the night before… and that was meant to feed the entire head table! Even Volstag was disgusted!"

"I was quite sick after that…"

"So what about the nymphs?" Banner asked, a small smile on his face. He had a cocktail in his hand that Natasha had made for him, and he sipped it loudly.

She raised a brow at him and tilted her head to the side. "What, you want to hear more about the beautiful women, Bruce?"

He looked at her, eyes wide, like a yorlea in search lights. "Hey now, don't put words in my mouth. Clearly something bad happened or Thor wouldn't have mentioned a lesson learned."

"He's right," Thor said with a sigh and nodded his head solemnly. "Something bad did happen."

"We were turned into animals," Loki replied and hung his head. "It was horribly embarrassing. Thor was turned into a tornig, which is like a frog, and I was turned into a jackalope, which is-"

"A rabbit with antlers," Steve said, perking up. "We have those here."

"No, we don't," Sam said with a laugh, "those are myths. At least here they are."

Steve frowned, his brows knitted deeply. "What? No, they're real. Bucky's cousin's friend—". He stopped and looked around. "Okay, actually, he might have been making it up. Might have been just a rabbit with antlers stuck on its head."

The group laughed, including Loki who gave a chuckle. He… so comfortable now. Welcome even. It was like being back with the Warriors Three and Lady Sif, before things went awry.

"I think you gained your affinity for shapeshifting after that day," Thor said, reaching down to squeeze Loki's shoulder.

"Doesn't seem like much of a lesson learned if you started doing it voluntarily," Rhodey interjected, raising his glass with a skeptical look. Loki shrugged.

"The shapeshifting wasn't necessarily the bad part. It was dodging the predators for a night until Huginn and Muninn quite literally picked us up to take us back to the All Father. Mother's magic was able to undo some of the enchantment but…"

"I had gills and webbed appendages for days," Thor said and hung his head, shaking it. "I had to spend most of the time in the baths, so I could easily breath. Loki had buck teeth and antlers for just as long."

"We couldn't go into court at all. Thor's friends laughed at us for ages until he pummeled them hard enough to make them stop. Though I suspect it was Lady Sif who periodically left jackelope feet beneath my pillow…"

Loki couldn't help but smile fully. It was nice to have a captive audience. It was even nicer to be recounting completely true tales without even a hint of embellishment. It crossed his mind that he and Thor were the only two left who would remember that time, and his smile faulted.

"Too bad we couldn't see these nymphs. They sound pretty cool," Scott said with an ah after gulping down his beer.

"Unfortunately, they fell with Asgard," Thor said, his smile also fading.

There was silence as reality set in once more. For a moment, it seemed that their short lived fun had come to an end. And then Cass spoke up.

"Bring out that Thanos-Killing-Axe of yours," she called out from her spot behind the group. There was a clink as she set her glass down on the end table next to her. "And you can see a nymph."

Thor looked at Loki, who was doing his best not outright scowl. He would have preferred to keep Cass out of his fun. However Scott and Sam were quick to start chanting bring it out, which really decided how things were going to go. Thor reluctantly left the room and returned a few minutes later, wielding a beautifully massive battle axe. Loki could barely hide the fact that he was thoroughly impressed. He supposed it was exactly what he should have expected from the dwarves on Nidavellir.

The group gathered around the table where Thor had set his axe which was called by Stormbreaker. "Is it like Mjolnir? Only the worthy and such?" Loki asked circling the table. Nebula had also joined the circle, leaving Rocket alone in his sorrows.

"No," Thor replied. "One need only the strength—and the desire to kill Thanos."

Bruce smiled and stepped back, a hand in the air. "I know I'm not strong enough. Maybe the Big Guy. Not me." Natasha also remained in the back of the crowd, aloof as ever.

Rhodey immediately turned around to go and get his War Machine gauntlets. Sam gave it a tug, and it moved a bit, but not much. He laughed and shook his head. "Yeah, that's a no for me. Dear lord, how strong are you guys?"

Nebula took a detailed look and then put both of her hands down. She too was able to move it a few inches, but she couldn't lift it. Her cybernetic body wasn't enough on its own. Scott also used both of his hands and pulled. It slid, but it took him putting his foot on the table as well to try to move it.

"Lemme try again when I'm giant," he said with a laugh. There was a round of chuckles, though Loki felt he missed the joke.

Rhodey came running back in, his arms both covered in his suit arms. He was actually able to raise it into the air, but couldn't get a very good grip. "I bet I could do it with my suit on. I'll try when we're in the field."

"What about you?" Thor asked, nodding to Cass. She hadn't moved from her spot on her chair. "Do you have more power than your meek body displays?"

She gave a small smirk. "No thanks. I'm good. Saving my energy to show you all a nymph."

Thor shrugged but Loki narrowed his eyes. Surely one of her shifted forms would have the strength to lift Stormbreaker—she could likely transform into Thor, for Odin's sake! (That was a disturbing thought.) Could it be that she didn't want to kill Thanos? Was she concerned about giving herself a way?

Loki broke from his thoughts at Thor clapped him on the back. "What about you brother? Care to test your strength?"

"You know I am, brother," he replied with a grin and turned to stand fully in front of Stormbreaker. He wanted to kill Thanos. He knew it. Surely the axe would be able to tell… He just needed to be able to lift it more than Rhodey… Hiding his anxiety, Loki reached down and placed a hand on the wooden hilt of the axe.

He lifted it with ease—well, almost ease. Not as good as Thor, he supposed, whom the axe had been made for. However he certainly received looks of admiration for being the best (behind Thor,) and for that, he smugly beamed. He adjusted his hold to use both of his hands and swung it a bit in the space he was given. Natasha was watching him very closely, as was Steve. Perhaps they thought he would try to hurt someone? After a few moments, he set it down, and he swore he could see them visible relax.

"A fine weapon, brother."

Thor through his arm over Loki's shoulder and raised his glass. "I know we've been dealt a heavy blow, but I feel the Fates looking upon us. As someone clever once said, the sun will shine on us again. We will defeat Thanos and we will set things right!"

There was a round of cheering and glasses clinking. Loki remained with Thor's arm over his shoulder and felt a sense of pride as he looked amongst the group. Here he was with some of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, and a few galactic allies. He knew he shouldn't put too much hope in them, but Thor simply had a way of rallying the troops. He made people feel like they could do anything.

Now was no different.

"So," Thor continued after downing his drink, "about that nymph…"

Cass stood and discarded her oversized jacket. "Close your eyes."

"We don't know you well enough to close our eyes while there's a powerful weapon nearby," Natasha snapped quickly. Loki looked at the woman and raised a brow. She did not like Cass either, it seemed. Finally, someone else on his side.

Cass shrugged. "Fine. Don't be too grossed out."

She shirked off the rest of her clothes, causing at least Bruce and Steve to turn away. There was the sound of bone cracking, which then caused a few of the others to look away as well. Loki watched as her form shifted into something much larger than her normal form. To his surprise, wings began to sprout from her back just as quickly as her hair grew and changed color. Soon, he was looking at a very convincing nymph—one with Cass's same brown eyes.

He heard gasps and a mutter of angel from a few mouths. Thor beamed, thrilled to see the visage of the Asgardian nymphs again.

Loki frowned. He knew that she could not take on a form without seeing it before, which meant one thing for certain—she had been on Asgard before. He looked up to meet in eyes, finding that she was staring at him. He returned the stare, a tight pit forming in his stomach. Though angelic she may have appeared… she was far from a harbinger of light.

His eyes drew downwards once more, to Stormbreaker, and he briefly wondered if Thanos was all that it could kill.

000

Author's Notes: I know, again, not much. But I wanted to give everyone the chance to 'warm up' to Loki before they start setting into their real goals. Gotta have everyone on the same page. Hopefully you don't find it too cheesy. I really fall under the belief that more than anything, Loki wanted love and acceptance in his life.

Redskin122004: thank you for your review! I'm glad you're enjoying the story!

Guest: I'm glad Loki brought you back =) thanks for deciding to stick with me!

MirandaStonelight: thank you for your review! And yes, I promise there is ABSOLUTELY more to Cass! Hopefully when it comes out, it will be an 'ohhhh' moment! I'm hoping to get more chapters out, but they just aren't coming as quickly as I would like… I have a big event this weekend and it is just mentally draining me! Hopefully when it is done I can get a chapter up every other day! Thank you for reading! I'm glad you're still enjoying it!

GliderPilot: Haha! "Cats are like Baskin-Robbins." I've never heard that but I love it! It's true, they're very intuitive! Thanks for reading!

And thank you to everyone else who has been reading! We are about 18 days out… Lets see how much I can get done before the movie!

Ever Your Servant,

A.F