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Chapter Text

Loki ached all over. His back, his legs, his arms, his abdomen - even his head hurt with an incessant, pressing pain.

He lay on his side, one arm tucked beneath his pounding head and the other stretched out by his side so as not to disturb the needle in it. His chest was bare. Frigga, his daughter, lay curled up against him. He was nursing her, doing what he could to keep her comfortable and healthy.

His chest ached, too. His breasts - that’s what they were - were heavy and swollen with milk, and the only way to relieve the pain was to let his child nurse. Luckily, she had an appetite, and was all too eager to take what her mother offered her.

Loki was also very tired. His labor with Frigga had been difficult and excruciatingly painful, and he hadn’t even been sure he would live to see her. He had been terrified when he felt the pains of labor grip him as he and Thor floated in the vacuum of space. He had been convinced that he and his child would die out there.

But they hadn’t. He had lived, lived to give birth to his daughter; lived to hold her in his arms and nurse her at his breast. But giving birth had taken a lot out of him, magically, emotionally, and physically. Fighting the Outriders and Thanos had only drained him further. He wasn’t surprised to learn that he had fainted. Humiliated, yes, but not surprised.

He felt truly awful: he ached all over, his head hurt, his chest was painfully sore and tender, and he was so tired that he felt sick. He doubted that he could even stand without blacking out again. He’d simply exerted himself. He was therefore grateful for the chance to rest, to give his aching body a chance to recover and relax.

Loki shifted slightly, careful not to disturb the baby nursing at his breast. He was lying on the bed in the room Thor had carried him to. The blankets were folded down at the end, unused. The IV stand was placed beside the bed, and a screen on the bedside table displayed his vital signs. It wasn’t an uncomfortable room, Loki thought: The furniture, though sparse, was well-made and pleasing to the eye, and there was a nice painting on the wall, depicting what Loki assumed to be a Wakandan landscape.

He’d been given new clothes: a clean tunic and pair of pants, both made from cotton and not covered in the blood of aliens, Thanos, and childbirth. They’d provided him with a little cotton onesie for Frigga to wear and a soft fleece blanket to wrap her in. He’d even been given some books to read.

And yet despite the room and the clothes and the books, Loki knew that he was not a guest. He was a prisoner in a not-quite-gilded cage.

He was being watched. This he knew. There was a mirror on the wall, but he knew that it hid a window. The woman who had been assigned to him by the captain was on the other side, watching him.

Loki didn’t mind; he was past caring, at this point. All he wanted to do was to be with and care for his child. The woman was a good person, he decided: She spoke plainly but kindly, and made sure he had what he needed. She’d left a plate of fruit when she went. She hadn’t gone far.

The Avengers didn’t trust him. Loki was fully aware of this.

He couldn’t blame them. The things he had done on Midgard those six years ago would hardly be forgotten easily. He knew what they thought of him, what they said behind his back. Not only did they not trust him, they hated him. He could see it in their eyes, hear it in their voices. They didn’t believe him when he said that all he wanted to do was to be with his family, that he meant no harm.

It was the truth, but they didn’t believe him. He didn’t want to hurt the Avengers; he had no desire to take power here. Somewhere during the last few days he had lost the stomach for such things. Perhaps it had something to do with losing Asgard, or perhaps it had something to do with having a child again. But the Avengers were still suspicious of him, and it would not be easy to gain their trust. It might even be impossible.

The captain was willing to give him a chance, but even then, Loki knew that he was being watched very closely by the man. One mistake, and that would be the end. The only reason he had not been put in an outright prison was Thor.

Thor wasn’t there. He’d left perhaps an hour ago, in order to help his friends and allies. Loki wished he hadn’t left; he felt exposed, somehow, without his brother. Thor was the only thing between him and a prison cell.

Loki was deeply grateful to Thor for vouching for him, and for helping him stay with his daughter, but he doubted, deep down, that he even deserved Thor’s love. He’d been so cruel to Thor, broken his heart more times than he could count. Thor really had no reason to vouch for him.

Frigga squirmed in his arms, and Loki immediately moved to cradle her. He didn’t care that the movement caused the needle in his arm to pinch him in a rather painful manner; his maternal instinct to hold and be near his baby was too strong. His need to protect and nourish and touch overrode any pain.

He talked to her quietly, murmuring soft and gentle nothings. He knew that she couldn’t understand him, but he felt the need to tell her, “I love you. I’ll keep you safe. I love you.” The litany of words spoken in low and gentle tones kept her calm, and soothed him. Just knowing she was there, just holding her was a great comfort to him.

Loki’s daughter was his everything. She was his entire world, one of the few lights that still shone in his life. She was his reason for existing, his purpose. He loved her more than anything in all the universe, more than magic, more than power, more than life. Holding her gave him more happiness than ruling Asgard ever had. He stroked her soft black hair, and felt as though his heart would burst as she looked up at him with those beautiful gray eyes. It didn’t seem possible that he could love anything or anyone this much, but Frigga proved him wrong. He’d loved her before she was even born, when he still carried her and felt her stir inside of him.

Loki bent his head and pressed a kiss to the Jotun markings on Frigga’s forehead. She cooed, letting go of his breast, and he guided her mouth back, gently touching her cheek as he did so. She pressed her tiny hands to the soft, warm flesh of his breast, hands that seemed impossibly small. Loki continued to stroke her hair, murmuring to her in the Old Tongue of Asgard.

At first, he had been terrified to discover that he was pregnant, a feeling that had intensified as the months went by and his belly swelled with child. It wasn’t because he didn’t want the babe; he had wanted the child so badly that it hurt, and it hurt even more that he wasn’t sure he could protect it.

Her. Then he found out that it was a daughter he was carrying, and the fear and love grew stronger. He had only ever had one daughter before this, and he had loved her just as fiercely. His beautiful, talented Hela, his sweet princess. He’d loved her so much, and his heart had shattered when she was taken from him. Seeing what Odin had twisted her into hurt even more. There had been many times on Sakaar when he was alone that he had broken down into tears and sobbed and wept for his lost daughter. Just thinking about her now threatened to bring tears to his eyes.

Loki pushed the memories from his mind. Hela was gone. Much of his life was gone, but he still had Thor. And he had his baby daughter.

He moved his arm to cradle her, his hand resting on the back of her head as she nursed. He caressed her soft wavy hair and she stirred, lifting one tiny fist in response to her mother’s touch.

Loki allowed himself a small smile as he gazed at her. He was a prisoner, true, but he had her: He had his perfect, beautiful, innocent baby, and that was all he needed. He could worry about the Avengers later. In this moment Loki was solely a mother, providing for his baby. His task now was to care for his child, and it was a task that he could do. For now, he was content.

Chapter Text

Steve was tired of politicians, he decided. All they did was talk and ask stupid questions and make everybody feel worse. Even T’Challa, one of the calmest people Steve knew, sounded irritable after their call with the various organizations that had wanted to talk to them. The only groups that hadn’t been maddeningly difficult to speak with were Doctors Without Borders and the United States Army. They seemed more interested in action concerning aid than talking about rules and laws and protocols. Bucky muttered something about throwing himself off the falls before leaving to help the Wakandan civilians.

After a few hours, Steve called it quits and left the conference room, thus leaving Tony, T’Challa, Thor, and Rhodey to try and communicate with the U.N. Steve had decided that the letters stood for ‘unhelpful nimrods’. It reminded him of the League of Nations: possessing good intentions, but not very good at getting things done.

Steve decided to go see what Loki was up to. He walked down various hallways, got lost once, asked directions from a man polishing a pair of bronze doors, and finally arrived at his destination.

“Captain.” The Dora Milaje guard he’d posted greeted him. “How is the king faring with the politicians?”

A smile tugged at the corner of Steve’s mouth. “He’s coping,” he said. “He’s not happy, but he’s coping.”

She smiled. “That sounds about right.”

Steve allowed himself to smile, too. “I can’t blame him. He’s had a rough day, miss -?”

“My name is Khule Msuthu,” she said. “I am what you would call a sergeant.”

“Nice to formally make your acquaintance, Sergeant Msuthu.” Steve shook her hand. “I’m sorry I didn’t ask your name before. How’s guarding Loki been?”

“Uneventful,” she responded. “He hasn’t done much except sleep and take care of his child. You can see for yourself.”

Steve looked through the window into the room. Through it, he could see Loki sitting in the bed, dressed in the clothes T’Challa had provided. He leaned back against the wall, cradling his daughter in his arms. There was an open book beside him, but it was ignored in favor of his baby. She lay in his arms, wrapped loosely in her blanket.

Loki’s daughter was a beautiful baby. She was tiny, with rosy pink cheeks and snowy white skin. She already had quite a bit of hair, and this was black in color, just like her mother’s. She looked like Loki in more than just her coloring, though: she had his chin and nose. Her name was Frigga, Steve remembered. She really was a sweet baby, and her mother clearly loved her.

The baby squirmed, and then started to whimper. Talking to his child in quiet tones, Loki lifted his shirt with one hand, revealing small breasts. He held the baby to his chest, and she quieted quickly as she started nursing. Loki stroked her hair, looking down at her with no real expression on his face. He gave no indication of any emotion, but the gentility of his touch and the way he held the nursing newborn belied what he felt.

“You say he’s been like this the whole time?” Steve said.

“He has been very quiet,” Khule affirmed. “He hasn’t given any indication that he wants to try and get out.”

Steve didn’t know what to think. Tony was right, seeing Loki like this felt wrong. Steve was still having trouble believing that there even was a baby. Loki had been pregnant, had given birth to a child, and was now breastfeeding that child. He had never seen, never imagined, that Loki could be so gentle. The Loki sitting in front of him and nursing his newborn daughter was so different than the angry, malicious madman who had attacked New York. The Loki sitting in front of him was tender and nourishing, peaceful and protective. Steve could see the love in Loki’s eyes as he gazed down at his daughter.

Maybe, Steve thought, this was the Loki Thor talked so fondly of on occasions when the Avengers gathered; the Loki who was clever and joyful and full of life. Maybe there was something to Thor’s insistence that Loki had changed since New York. 

------------------

Thor was busy at the moment, and for good reason: using Wakandan tech and the Guardians’ radio, the Guardians had managed to pick up a very faint signal from the Asgardian refugees. It seemed that they too had been brought back by the Gauntlet.

“It’s kinda rackety, but it works,” Quill said. “AAH; son of a bitch!” The radio sparked, setting Quill’s jacket on fire. He jumped, frantically smacking the flames out. Once he extinguished them, he cleared his throat. “Ahem! Anyway. Go ahead.”

“Is that you, your majesty?” The voice was faint and crackly, but recognizable.

Thor grinned. “Valkyrie! Yes, it’s me! By the Nine, it’s wonderful to hear your voice! Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” came the reply. “So is everyone else. A bit confused, but we’re all breathing. Is the Big Guy with you?”

“Well, he’s Bruce right now, but yes,” Thor said. “He’s unhurt. He’ll be glad to hear that you’re all right.”

“Good.” Thor could hear the smile in the Valkyrie’s voice. “How about your pain of a brother?”

Thor laughed. “He’s going to be all right. He had the baby.”

“Did he?” the Valkyrie sounded interested. “And?”

“It’s a girl, as he said,” Thor told her, unable to keep the proud smile off his face. “Her name is Frigga. She’s a beautiful, healthy little thing.”

“I’m glad,” she said. “They’re probably better off where you are now. I’m not sure how long it’s going to take us to get to Earth, but we’re not close.”

“Do you have enough food and supplies?” Thor asked. “I hope so,” she said. “They ought to last a while. Heimdall thinks we might make it to Earth in a month and a half, but he’s not sure.”

“Heimdall?” Thor said. “He’s alive? Where is he?”

“With the rest of everybody,” the Valkyrie said. “He and I have taken over command for now. He sends his regards. Look, your majesty, I don’t know how often we’re going to be able to communicate with you: the signal out here is really weak, and we keep going through dead patches where it doesn’t work at all. We’ll try as often as we can, but I don’t know how often that’s going to be.”

“Just try to do what you can,” Thor said. “We’ll be monitoring radio signals. Keeping heading for Earth. And stay safe. That’s an order from your king.”

“We’ll try, your majesty,” Valkyrie replied. “Oh, Helheim; I think we’re about to hit one those dead-”

The message cut off, replaced by the crackling static of outer space. Quill twisted a few dials before shaking his head. “It’s on their end, not ours,” he said. “We’ll just have to wait for them to come out of whatever dead zone they’re going through. I would make the signal stronger, but they’re a ways out.”

“I am just glad to have heard their voices,” Thor said. “Thank you for helping me contact the, Star-Man.”

“Lord,” Quill said.

“What?”

“Star Lord,” Quill said. “And you’re welcome. Glad to help.”

Thor nodded. “You are a good man, Star Lord. I am going to go tell my brother the news. Please let me know when you hear from my people again.”

Quill saluted. “Will do.”

-----------------

Steve was still in the hall outside Loki’s room when Bucky approached him. He had taken over for Khule, allowing her a break before she came back. He sat in a chair outside Loki’s room, fiddling with the new shield T’Challa’s younger sister had given to him. It was an incredible piece of technology, and Steve hadn’t even begun to figure out all of the features built into it.

“Working hard, I see.”

Steve looked up to see Bucky walking towards him, a sly half-smirk on his face. He gestured to Steve. “Who said you could sit down?”

“Shut up,” Steve joked. “I figure I’ve earned it.”

“I guess.” Bucky came up to stand beside him. “Sitting down sounds nice; I just got back from helping some folks out with cleanup.”

Steve hummed. “How did that go?”

Bucky shrugged. “There’s a lot of hurt people, but the technology here is so good that there’ve only been around a dozen casualties reported so far. Nothing like World War II.”

Steve nodded. He knew exactly what Bucky meant: they’d both seen terrible things during that war. He remembered it vividly, remembered the battles and the raids. He could still remember the carnage and loss, still hear the screams of the pilots he’d watched being dragged from their burning B-17 bombers, still see the bodies lying half-buried in the sand of Omaha Beach.

“Yeah,” he agreed. It was all he needed to say. Bucky knew what he meant; he always did.

“So.” Bucky looked up and down the hallway, noting that it was empty save for him and Steve. “What’ve you been up to?”

Steve gestured over his shoulder to the window he was sitting beside. “Keeping an eye on Loki.”

Bucky looked through the window. Loki was lying curled on his side in the bed, seemingly asleep. His daughter lay next to him, wrapped loosely in a small Wakandan blanket. Even in his sleep, Loki had an arm around her. There was an IV drip beside his bed, attached to a needle in his left arm.

“So, that’s Loki, huh?” Bucky watched the still, long-legged figure through the window. “The guy who tried to take over New York?”

Steve nodded. “Yeah, that’s him. What?” he asked, noticing that Bucky seemed confused.

“Well, I guess I thought he’d look tougher,” Bucky admitted. “You’ve told me that this is the guy who got you all together. He hardly looks like anything.”

Steve turned to look at the black-haired figure on the bed in the room beyond. Bucky had a point: Loki looked nothing like the threat that had gotten the original six Avengers together in 2012. He looked weak, vulnerable.

Steve cracked a smile. “I guess we owe him a thank-you for getting the gang together, huh?”

“Yeah, I guess so.” Bucky leaned against the wall. “Y’know, Steve, I’ve been thinking.”

“Better be careful,” Steve joked. “That’s kind of dangerous for you, remember.”

“Aw, shut up, punk,” Bucky scoffed. “Anyway, what I’ve been thinking is, if Loki really is telling the truth - about being controlled by Thanos - he’s not that different from me. Apart from the magic and the baby-having thing, I mean, but if he is telling the truth, we’ve got a thing or two in common. We’ve both had our minds picked apart. We’ve both been used to do things we didn’t want to do.”

Steve considered that. “Do you believe him?” he asked.

Bucky shrugged. “I dunno; I haven’t been around him yet. But I don’t know if I’d trust my word alone. Nat’s good at reading people; maybe it would be worth asking her. But what about you, Steve? What do you think?”

Steve sighed. “I don’t know, Buck,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck in a contemplative manner. “He isn’t anything like the Loki I remember, that’s for sure.”

“How’s he different?” Bucky queried.

“In a lot of ways,” Steve said. “For one thing, he was actively trying to kill people. He was angry. He didn’t want anything to do with Thor. Now, he doesn’t want Thor to leave. He’s not angry anymore. I don’t know if I’d say he’s scared, but he’s definitely acting nervous. And he’s got a kid, for Pete’s sake.” He rubbed his hand over his face. “The way he acts around her, the way he holds her, the way he just looks at her - there’s nothing there that reminds me of the guy I fought in New York. I don’t know what to think.”

Bucky stayed quiet. He slid down the wall to the floor, plopping himself down beside Steve. “Well,” he said at last, “I guess I’d say go with your gut. But to be honest, I don’t know how much that’s worth, considering that your gut instinct led you to jump out of a plane without a parachute.”

“You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?” Steve asked.

Bucky grinned. “Nope.”

“Steve!” Steve and Bucky looked up. Thor was striding down the hallway towards them, a broad smile on his face. He waved to the two soldiers. “Steve!” he said again. “How are you, my friend?”

“Doing ok,” Steve said. “How’re you? You look like you got some good news.”

Thor beamed. “I have indeed!”

“Feel like sharing?” Bucky asked. “We could all do with some good news.”

Thor looked down and spotted Bucky on the floor. “Ah, hello, Sergeant Barnes. My friends, I have some very good news: I was able to make contact with my people!”

“No kidding?” Steve said. “How?”

Thor told them how he’d managed to talk to the Asgardians, relaying their situation and the conversation he’d had with the Valkyrie. “I do not know when they will arrive,” he said, “but just to know that they are alive is the greatest gift I could have asked for. I doubt that I can rebuild my planet, but at least I have my people. And with Heimdall and the Valkyrie leading them, I have no fear that they will reach Earth safely.”

“That’s great, Thor,” Steve said. “I’m glad they’re ok.”

“As am I,” Thor agreed. “I was on my way here to tell Loki. How is my brother?” he added, sounding a bit worried.

“He’s fine,” Steve said. “One of the Dora Milaje and I have been keeping an eye on him. He hasn’t caused any trouble.”

“Of course not,” Thor said a little testily. “He does not want to cause any trouble.”

Steve didn’t say anything to that, for he was still conflicted on that point. “Well, Loki’s asleep right now, but go in if you want to. Bucky and I’ll be out here.”

“Thank you,” Thor said. “And thank you for giving him a chance, Steve.”

Thor opened the door and stepped into the room, closing it behind him. Loki snapped awake when he heard the door open, but relaxed when he saw that it was Thor. He sat up, careful not to disturb his IV as he picked up his daughter. Thor walked over to him, his eyes (eye?) on the baby in Loki’s arms. He bent over her, smiling. He said something, and Loki laughed.

Thor held out his arms, and Loki laid the baby in them. Thor straightened up carefully, looking down at the baby. He said something, and then looked back at Loki, continuing to speak. Steve watched Loki’s eyes widen, and watched a real smile appear on the god’s face as Thor continued to talk.

Thor smiled, too. He put the baby back in Loki’s arms and reached down to touch the baby’s cheek, smiling. He said something, and Loki smiled. The dark-haired Asgardian bent his head and kissed his daughter’s forehead. Thor appeared to laugh, sitting down in the chair beside the bed. His smile was as bright as the sun as he watched his brother and his niece.

Loki cradled his daughter with one arm, holding the book he’d been given in his other hand. The title on the spine read ‘the Princess Bride’. Loki started to read it, but seemed to be having some trouble holding both the book and his squirming baby.

Thor stood. He said something to Loki, who seemed to consider something before nodding and handing the book to Thor. Thor lit up at once. He settled himself on the bed beside his brother, doing his best not to jostle him. Then, opening the book, he cleared his throat and began to read it out loud. Loki turned his attention to the child in his arms, rocking her until she calmed.

Steve felt a bit creepy, but he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He knew what Tony would say: “What the hell is this, read aloud time?” This day just continued to blow his mind in ways he never thought possible.

Thor continued to read. Meanwhile, Loki’s eyes began to slip shut; Steve could see he was struggling to remain awake. Then, slowly, his eyes closed and he leaned back, his head dropping onto Thor’s chest. Thor looked down at his brother. Shaking his head with a smile, he closed the book and leaned back against the wall, putting one arm around Loki’s shoulder. Loki, perhaps unconsciously, snuggled into the embrace, holding his baby daughter a little tighter.

Steve looked away then, opting to give the three their privacy. He struck up a conversation with Bucky, but even as he talked of small and unimportant things, a small voice in the back of his mind began to whisper that Loki might have some truth to what he was saying, after all. 

Maybe, Steve thought.

Chapter Text

Steve strode into T’Challa’s conference room, Sam, Nat and Bucky behind him. The rest of the Avengers were gathered there: Tony, Bruce, Rhodey, Thor, and Wanda. T’Challa and Okoye were there as well, as was the group that called itself the Guardians of the Galaxy. Steve also saw that Clint and Scott were there, having arrived a few hours ago. The entire group looked subdued, as was fitting, considering the situation and the subject of the meeting.

The only ones not there were Fury, Agent Hill, and Agent Coulson, who were busy dealing with the more political side of things. Peter Parker and T’Challa’s sister Shuri weren’t there, either. They’d become friends with in an alarmingly short time and had been in her lab the entire time.

“Glad you could join us, Cap,” Tony said, greeting Steve.

“Hi, Tony,” Steve said. “Didn’t have anything better to do, unfortunately.”

Tony snorted. “How’s the Baby Mama been behaving? Has he tried anything?”

“No, nothing,” Steve said. “He seems pretty content with his baby.”

“Hm,” Tony said, clearly unconvinced. “Well, you haven’t missed much: Nothing’s new, everything about this situation sucks.”

Steve snorted dryly. “Sounds about right. Hey, Clint.” He shook Clint’s hand and pulled him into a one-armed hug. He hadn’t seen the archer in several years, not since he’d broken him out of his underwater prison along with the rest of the Avengers who had sided with him. “Nice to see you again.”

Clint slapped him on the back. “Look what happens every time I retire: Everything goes to hell. Good to see you, too, Cap.”

“Yeah.” Steve nodded. “I guess you got filled in on the whole Loki situation?”

Clint scowled, and Steve remembered once again how Clint and Loki had interacted in the past. “Yeah, I’ve been filled in.”

“How’re you feeling about it?” Steve asked. “I know you have some history.”

“Uh-huh.” Clint didn’t look too pleased. “We do.”

“You hear about the mind control thing with him?” Steve asked.

Clint’s scowl deepened. “Supposed mind control,” he said.

Steve frowned, too: This Loki situation wasn’t going to be easy at all. He personally was starting to trust Loki more, but he wasn’t sure if Clint ever would. “Clint-”

“Steve?” Tony’s voice startled him from his thoughts. “Opinions?”

Steve shook his head. “Sorry, what?”

“Gauntlet,” Tony said. “What do?”

“Uh . . .” That was the million-dollar question, wasn’t it? “I would say destroy it, but I don’t know if that’s possible. Thor, you’re wearing it, correct?”

Thor nodded. “Indeed.” The Infinity Gauntlet had shrunk to fit Thor’s hand when he had donned it to reverse the damage done in the battle. The metal was charred and melted in places from his and Loki’s combined attack on Thanos, but the Infinity Stones glowed just as brightly as they always had.

“Wow.” Steve looked down at it, the object that had caused so much pain and repaired so much evil. “That’s a lot of power right there, Thor.”

“I am aware,” Thor said grimly. “It frightens me, if I am to be honest. I know not what to do with it.”

“Well, that makes just about everyone,” Nat said.

“Doc?” Tony looked to Strange. “You owned and used one of the things. Any ideas?”

Strange sighed. He still looked awful after what he had done with the Time Stone. “I don’t know,” he said heavily. “The Time Stone is the only stone I’ve used. My mentor, the Ancient One, told me very little about them. They’re not evil objects, but they’re very powerful. No one said anything about how to keep them safe.”

“We can destroy them,” Bruce said. “Wanda destroyed the Mind Stone. We can do it.”

Strange went the color of milk. “Oh, bad idea,” he said.

“Why’s that?” Quill asked. “Seems like a solid plan to me.”

“Well, yeah, but here’s the thing,” Strange said. “There’s a spell connecting me to the Eye of Agamotto, which houses the stone. If the stone goes, so do I.”

Bruce blanched. “You mean . . .”

Strange nodded. “If the Time Stone is destroyed, I’ll die. And in a very excruciating way, might I add.”

“Oh,” Bruce said, his voice a few octaves higher than normal. “Ok, bad plan, there.”

“Oh, god.” Tony buried his face in his hands. “Why does every option suck so bad?”

“Is there anyone who knows what to do?” T’Challa asked, looking lost.

“There is one person who may,” Thor said. “Someone who has used two Infinity Stones. Loki may be able to help us.”

This suggestion was met by instant groans and dismissal from all around the room.

“No; bad plan, bad plan!” Sam said. “We all know what happened there!”

“I don’t know how wise it is to trust him,” Rhodey agreed.

“I sure don’t trust him,” Clint said.

“It doesn’t seem like a very good idea,” Scott said. “I mean, just from what I know about him, that is.”

“Please, friends, hear me out!” Thor pleaded, sounding a little desperate. “Loki knows the nature of the stones more intimately than anyone here. He used two of the stones, and one of them just today. He spent time with Thanos and is very intelligent. He may be able to help us.”

“I don’t know, Thor,” Nat said, biting her lip. “This is Loki we’re talking about.”

“Odin’s beard, how many times do I have to say it?” Thor demanded. “Loki was not responsible for his actions in New York! He helped in the fight against Thanos this day! He helped save your planet! Loki is not a threat! Do none of you take me at my word?”

His eye glowed blue for a moment, and Steve quickly reached out to lay a steadying hand on his friend’s arm. “Easy, buddy,” he said. “Look, you guys.” He addressed the room. “I know how most of us feel about Loki, but Thor’s right: He’s the best bet we have for dealing with this situation. He’s bound to know more than any of us. He might be able to help. Let’s give him a chance. I’ll vouch for him.”

Bruce nodded. “Me, too,” he said.

“And me,” Rocket said.

“I will, as well,” said Gamora.

“I believe him,” Mantis said.

“I also believe the man who had a baby,” said Drax.

“I am Groot!”

Steve looked at the others. “Guys, this is the only option we really have. I know you don't like it, but no one else knows what to do. Loki might.”

There was silence from most of them, and little bit of grumbling.

“Fine,” Sam said. “I’ll give him a chance, but just because you say so, Cap.”

“I will, too,” Nat said.

“What the hell,” Tony sighed. “Bring him in.”

--------------------

Bucky and one of the Dora Milaje brought Loki in. The god definitely didn’t look like a threat. He had dark circles under his eyes, and he was dressed in loose clothing. But most of all, he held his baby daughter in his arms. The tiny baby lay asleep in her mother’s gentle grasp, one of her hands wrapped tightly around his finger.

“Oh, my god,” Nat said quietly.

“No way,” Rhodey murmured, his eyes fixed on the tiny thing asleep in Loki’s arms.

Sam’s eyes looked like they were about to bug out of his head. “Holy shit, that’s a baby.”

All Clint said was, “Oh, wow.”

Thor went to his brother’s side at once. “Loki,” he said, “how are you? How is she?”

“I’m all right,” Loki said. He looked down at the baby lying in his arms. “And so is she.”

Thor smiled at the child his brother held. He touched her cheek with the back of his finger and the baby stirred, yawning as she stretched in her mother’s arms. She squeaked softly, opening her eyes.

A small smile appeared on Loki’s face. “Hello, little one,” he said softly. “Did we wake you?”

The baby, perhaps not pleased at being woken, started to make fussing noises. “Oh, no, baby,” Loki said. “No, don’t you fuss, little one.” He lifted her up to his chest, settling her head on his shoulder. “Don’t fuss. It’s all right, mother’s right here.”

Thor chuckled softly. “I didn’t mean to disturb you, little one.” He stroked her hair gently. “It’s all right, your mother has you. I know I’m a bit ugly, what with the missing eye and all. At least you have your mother’s looks, and not your uncle’s.”

“Yes, your uncle has always been a bit unsightly,” Loki agreed. “Shh shh shh, Frigga. It’s all right.”

The baby quieted as Loki spoke to her. Loki pressed a kiss to her head. “There. You’re all right. Well, Thor.” Loki looked around the room, seeing the mistrusting and incredulous faces of its inhabitants. No one knew what to make of the sight Loki and his child. The way he acted toward her didn’t make any sense in context of his former actions. “Why have I been brought here when I am so clearly not welcome?”

“We brought you here to ask for your advice,” Steve said.

“Against our better judgement,” Tony added. He’d taken his place by Steve, and the sight was so natural that no one remembered that until this afternoon the two hadn’t talked to each other for two years.

“My advice?” Loki raised his eyebrows, clearly suspicious. “What for? I thought that I was to be avoided like the plague.”

“That was the goal,” Tony agreed.

“It’s the Gauntlet,” Steve said, ignoring Tony. “We don’t know what to do with it. We’d like to destroy it, but we don’t know how wise that it, or if it’s even possible.”

“And Thor, being the trusting soul he is, suggested we ask you,” Tony said. He was trying to act flippant, but the image of Loki with the tiny, hours-old baby in his arms was throwing him for a massive loop. It just didn’t seem right, seeing Loki, who for Tony represented destruction and chaos, cradling a fragile new life with such care, acting toward her with such love.

“I’m flattered,” Loki said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “I will do the best I can to aid you, even though I know there are those of you who do not believe me.” He caught sight of Clint, and something like fear or guilt flashed in his eyes for the briefest of moments. “Mr. Barton,” he said quietly, “it has been some time.”

Clint nodded, his face hard. “Loki.”

Loki sighed. “I know how you hate me,” he said. “I do not ask you to forgive me. I know that you don’t trust me or believe me, but all I can say is that I speak the truth when I say I am sorry for what I did to you.” Perhaps unconsciously, he held his child closer. “I know what it is like to have someone else inside your head, controlling your actions and causing you to do things you would never dream of doing. I am sorry for inflicting such things upon you, as well.”

Clint looked quite taken aback by Loki’s apology. “Oh,” he said, clearly not knowing what to say. “Well, I-”

“The stones,” Tony prompted, speaking to Loki. “What do we do about them? Can we destroy them?”

“We can,” Loki said, “but the consequences may deter you from doing so.” He pointed to Strange. “For one, the Time Stone is bonded to its keeper,” Loki said. “If it is destroyed, this man dies.”

“We’ve covered that,” Rhodey said. “But you said something about the consequences. What do you mean?”

Loki looked at him cautiously. “I mean that destroying the stones would damage the fabric of the very universe,” he said. “The best we can do is to scatter the stones and destroy the gauntlet. The Reality Stone ought to be returned to the Collector: It will be safe with him. The Time Stone should be returned to the sorcerer.”

“What about the Mind Stone?” Wanda asked softly. Vision was still being repaired by Shuri. It was uncertain when all the damage would be reversed.

Loki frowned deeply. “The Mind Stone I would see destroyed for the pain it caused me and others. If one stone is destroyed, it may destroy with it the chances of the stones being used together again.”

“It’ll take a lot to destroy the stone,” Strange said.

“I did it once,” Wanda said. “I can do it again.”

“Strange and I will aid you,” Loki said. “If three beings with magical powers destroy the stone, it will make it much harder to bring it back.”

“Hang on, is this smart?” Sam asked.

“Do we have another choice?” Strange retorted.

“No.” It was Steve who answered the question. “I, for one, agree with Loki’s idea: scatter the stones, destroy one if we can. We have a potential plan for three of them: What about the other three?”

“Which ones are left?” Tony asked.

“Space, Power, and Soul,” Loki said. “The Space Stone I would entrust to Thor, as it has been guarded by Asgardian kings for generations. The Power Stone was kept on Xandar, correct?”

“Yeah,” Quill agreed. “The Nova Corps had it.”

“I’ve never heard of them, but they sound incompetent,” Loki said. “No, this is what I would have you do: Strange, you have knowledge of alternate dimensions, do you not?”

Strange nodded. “I do. Why?”

“In which dimension would the Power Stone be safest?” Loki asked.

Strange frowned. “The Mirror Dimension,” he said after a while. “I’m one of the few that can gain access to it, and things that happen there don’t affect any other dimension. It would be safe there.”

“Sounds like a good place to put it,” Rhodey said. “Can you manage it, doc?”

Strange nodded. “Sure.”

“What about the Soul Stone?” T’Challa asked.

“No one in the universe was supposed to know the location of the Soul Stone,” Loki said, “but apparently someone did, or Thanos never would have gotten it.”

“Two someones, actually.” Gamora raised her hand. She indicated Nebula, who stood beside to her. “I discovered where it was kept and I told Nebula.”

Loki approached the sisters. “So you know where it was kept,” he said. “Tell me, was it safe there?”

Gamora nodded. “It was.”

Loki nodded, as well. “Then it ought to be returned there, don’t you think?”

“I’d like nothing better,” Gamora said darkly. “But how do we get there? The place it was kept is light years away, and I don’t want to risk anyone else finding out where it is by going there in a ship, even one with jump capabilities.”

“A ship won’t be necessary,” Loki told her. “The Space Stone can take us there.”

“Time out, us?” Tony broke in. “Why did you say ‘us’?”

“I would’ve thought that was obvious,” Loki said. “I will be going with Gamora to return the Soul Stone to the place it belongs.”

Everyone reacted to this news, but some of them more strongly than others.

“Whoa, wait, what?” Sam exclaimed. “No way is that gonna happen!”

“Why is this a good plan?” Clint asked.

Loki’s eyes flashed with anger, but only briefly. “Because,” he said, “I am the only one here with experience in using the Space Stone. Anyone else is unlikely to get back from this mission, if they make it to the right place at all. Besides, humans cannot use the Space Stone, save for someone with powers like Strange’s. I can use the Space Stone. I did so today, while I still carried my child inside me.”

“Holy crap, he had a baby today?” Scott said, but got no response. The room was more focused on the wisdom of letting Loki leave with two Infinity Stones. Almost no one thought it was good idea.

“I don’t know about this,” Tony said, speaking just about everybody’s mind. “Loki, what kind of assurance do we have that you’re going to come back from this escapade?”

Something flickered in Loki’s eyes for a brief moment. It looked almost like hurt, perhaps, but it was gone too quickly to truly read. His shoulders sagged a little before he responded in a rather subdued tone, “I will leave my daughter here,” he said. “I will come back for her. And for my brother,” he added. “Besides, where would I go? Asgard is gone. Jotunheim is not my home. I have no desire to return to Sakaar, not without my child. The only things I have left are on Earth. Believe me or not, but it is the truth.”

Tony glanced at Steve. “Steve?”

Steve shrugged helplessly. “What other option is there? Sending a spaceship is risky: The stone might be stolen, or people might follow it. We’re already sending two stones that way to get the Reality and Power Stones off our hands.”

“It does seem like the best approach,” T’Challa agreed.

Steve looked around the people in the room. “I guess this is what we’re doing? All right, Loki: We’ll trust you here. But if there’s any funny business, you won’t get your daughter back.”

Loki’s expression upon hearing these words hurt to look at. He looked frightened and upset; Steve’s statement obviously distressed him. But he nodded. “I understand, and I accept your conditions. Gamora: tell me where the Soul Stone belongs.”

Gamora hesitated. She looked back at the Guardians. Mantis nodded encouragingly. “He is not lying.”

“All right.” Gamora leaned forward. Loki bent his head and Gamora whispered something in his ear. Loki leaned away, a bemused look on his face. “No wonder no one found it before now,” he said. “Very well, we shall go. But first . . .”

Loki turned to Thor. He approached the thunderer and gently laid his daughter in his brother’s arms. “Hold her until I come back,” he said quietly. “And I will be back.”

Thor nodded. He settled his niece against his broad chest, cradling her with the utmost care. “I know, brother.”

Loki nodded, too. “And now, the stones.”

Gingerly, Thor reached down and removed the Space and Soul Stone from the gauntlet. There was a soft hum as he did so, and the Gauntlet seemed to glow less brightly. Thor regarded for a moment and then looked Loki in the eye. Quietly, he said, “I trust you, Loki.”

Carefully, Thor placed the stones in Loki’s palm. The stones’ combined glow intensified as soon as they touched Loki’s skin, its light illuminating his face and flashing off his bright green eyes. Loki regarded them for a moment, his face unreadable. Then Loki tucked the Soul Stone into his tunic and then raised the hand with the Space Stone in it. The stone hummed, its blue glow growing stronger. Loki’s hair waved in a sudden breeze, his face made strange and alien by the blue light it was bathed in. A ring of blue light appeared in the air in front of him, a black void at its center. It grew until it was large enough for a person to walk through. A few people muttered in surprise and awe, and few took a step or two back.

Loki ignored them. He turned to Gamora. “Are you ready?”

The woman nodded. “Let’s go.”

“Very well. I shall allow you to follow me, as it may make you feel safer.” Loki took a step toward the portal, but paused halfway there. He looked back at Thor, holding his daughter. “I will return soon, brother.”

“Go safely,” was all Thor said in reply.

Loki nodded, and then he and Gamora stepped through the portal. It swirled for a few moments after they left before fading.

Chapter Text

There was silence for a few long moments after Loki and Gamora left, broken only by the soft sounds of the baby lying in Thor’s arms. She alone seemed unperturbed by the events that had just transpired.

“Well,” Tony said at last, “depending on how this goes, that’s either the best or worst thing we could’ve done.”

“Loki will come back,” Thor assured him, though he seemed to be speaking to the whole room. “He will be back for Frigga. He would never leave her behind.”

“I hope you’re right,” Nat said, “because we just set Loki loose in the universe with two Infinity Stones.”

Thor glared at her balefully. “What will it take to convince you of Loki’s innocence?”

“Him actually coming back would be a step in the right direction,” Clint said. “Thor, I know how much you love your brother, but you have to admit that he’s done pretty awful things.”

“He wasn’t in control of himself,” Thor retorted, “just as you were not in control of yourself when under the influence of the Mind Stone. I may have been the one to sever Thanos’ head from his body, but it was Loki who subdued him and enabled me to do so. He saved your lives. Loki put everything at risk to fight Thanos. He easily could have died. As it is, he is not well: He gave birth to his child today and fought Thanos and the Outriders. He is exhausted and still he helps us.”

“He did fight well during the battle,” T’Challa agreed. “He seems to be a brave and ruthless warrior.”

Thor smiled at this praise of his brother. “And intelligent, too,” he said. “There is no one smarter than Loki.”

Tony snorted. “Well, I don’t know about that. I’m pretty smart, too.”

“Loki is smarter,” Thor said.

“You said Loki had his baby today?” Rhodey said. “How is he still on his feet?”

“I think the real question is how did he have a kid in the first place?” Clint said.

“Loki isn’t like us,” Thor said. “Physically, that is. He is Jotunn, in possession of both male and female organs.”

Nat stared at him. “You mean Loki has a vagina?”

“That is such a gross word,” Quill muttered.

“I’m using the proper terminology,” Nat retorted.

“He does,” Thor said, answering the question. “And a womb. That’s how he was able to give birth to my niece.”

“Hhhorkkk,” said Scott.

“What’s her name?” Nat asked, ignoring Scott.

“Frigga,” Thor responded. He smiled down at the baby lying in his arms. “He named her after our mother.”

Frigga gurgled, waving a pudgy fist as she looked up at her uncle. She wasn’t even a day old, but she already looked a great deal like her mother. Even though her eyes were gray, they were the same slender shape as Loki’s and possessed the same brightness. She was small, though, and looked even smaller next to Thor’s massive arms.

The Avengers didn’t know what to make of her. She was Loki’s daughter; they could see that just by looking at her face, her hair, her snowy skin. But it was the fact that she existed at all that was puzzling them. Loki as a mother - as someone who brought forth and nourished life - was such a strange concept that no one quite knew what to do with it. 

Tony heaved a sigh, looking down at his watch. “I’ll give Loki five hours,” he said. “If he doesn’t come back - well, I don’t know what we’re supposed to do.”

“He’ll be back,” Thor insisted. “I know it.”

-----------------------

Several hours passed. The team stayed in the conference room, talking with various groups and organizations about the cleanup process. Thor got in contact with the Asgardians again, but only for a short time. Tony left briefly to take a call from Pepper. Upon his return, he cast a bored glance around the room. Steve and Bucky were deep in conversation and Clint and Nat seemed to be having some kind of disagreement with Bruce. Quill, Sam, and Scott sat cross-legged on the floor, playing a game of ‘Go Fish’. Okoye watched them with one raised eyebrow.

“The liveliness of this room is overwhelming,” Tony remarked sarcastically. “And I see that our two space voyagers have not returned.”

“Well, it’s kind of an important job they’ve got,” Bruce reasoned. “I can imagine they’d want to take their time.”

“Whuh?” Doctor Strange, who’d been dozing off in a chair, suddenly snapped to attention. “Did someone say something about the Time Stone?”

“About time, yes, but not the stone.” Tony strode over to the table. “Speaking of which . . .” He checked his watch. “Three hours. I sure hope we haven’t made a huge mistake by sending Loki.”

“Hey, give the guy a chance,” Quill said from where he sat on the floor. “Space crap takes time.”

“Time?!”

“Again, Strange, not the stone.” Tony sat down. “Aren’t you worried about this at all?” he asked Quill. “Your girlfriend is out there with a potentially very dangerous man.”

Quill shrugged. “Go fish,” he said to Scott’s query about fives, and then responded to Tony: “Not really. I’d never met the guy before today. I don’t have any real reason to trust him, but I also don’t have any reason to distrust him. I can’t really vouch for the guy, but he didn’t seem like much of a threat.”

“He did do us a favor by helping knock off Thanos,” Sam admitted. “Aw, shoot.” He reacted to having to give Quill a card. “What do you think, Cap?”

“Well . . .” Steve was hesitant to say much on the subject. He didn’t want to hurt Thor’s feelings, as he knew just how much the thunder god loved his brother. Truth be told, he was divided. He didn’t know what to think of Loki. He knew and kept in mind what Loki had done, but he also saw and took into account Loki’s recent actions. “We need to give him a chance,” Steve said. “Considering what he’s done to help us, we can’t write him off completely.”

“He did do some good,” Tony agreed. “But where is he?”

“He’ll be back.” Thor had been silent for most of the time spent in the room, instead focusing on his niece, who at the moment lay sleeping in his arms. The tiny newborn was still and quiet, secure in her uncle’s embrace. Thor sat by the wall, staying out of the way. “Loki will not abandon his child. He and Gamora will return.”

“I hope you’re right,” Rhodey agreed.

“I know that I am,” Thor said firmly. The baby in his arms stirred at that moment, squirming and beginning to make soft fussing noises. She coughed and then started to whimper.

“Uh-oh,” Clint said, “that’s not a happy sound.”

Clint knew what he talking about, because the baby’s whimpers turned into cries. Rocket winced and covered his ears. “Aw, hell.”

“What’s wrong, little one?” Thor stood, setting the Gauntlet down on the table. “What is it? Don’t cry. I have you.”

Despite Thor’s best efforts, the newborn continued to cry. She wasn’t loud, but her cries couldn’t be coaxed into silence. Thor looked around at his companions a little desperately. “Does anyone know what to do?”

“Oh, boy.” Scott glanced at Clint, his fellow dad. “I don’t really know, man; I’ve only ever had one kid, so I’m not so sure that I can help.”

“Don’t look at me,” Strange said, “I’m not a pediatrician.”

“Well, we have to do something,” Tony said. “The kid’s not happy. Does anybody-”

A soft hum filled the room. Everyone looked around in confusion, except for Mantis, who perked up. “Someone is coming!” she said, sounding excited. A blue and black circle appeared in the middle of the room, growing in size and diameter until it was as tall as a human being. It crackled and a familiar figure stepped through.

“Gamora!” Quill got to his feet, scattering his cards. “Babe, you’re ok!”

“Of course I am.” Gamora gave him a peck on the cheek. “Everything went fine.”

“Where’s Loki?” Tony asked.

A tall, long-legged figure stepped through the portal, which closed behind him. Loki completely ignored the Avengers and the Guardians, instead making straight for Thor and his crying infant.

Loki immediately took his baby in his arms and held her close. He nuzzled the top of her head with his nose, kissing her cheeks and forehead as he rocked her in his arms, murmuring to her in low and soothing tones. “Don’t cry, my little one,” he said. “Don’t cry. I’m right here. I’m right here, little one; mother’s right here. I’m not going anywhere. You don’t have to cry.”

Loki swayed slowly back and forth, his child tucked into the crook of his neck. He rubbed her back as she cried, bouncing her gently as he swayed. He talked to her in a low, sing-song voice, speaking words that no one could quite understand. After only a short while, the baby quieted, her cries ceasing as her mother rocked her in his arms.

“There,” Loki said softly, speaking only to his child. He adjusted her so that she could look at him, stroking her hair as he did so. She looked up at him, her gray eyes half-closed, and Loki smiled down at her, his green eyes full of more love than seemed possible for anyone’s eyes to hold, let along Loki’s. “There,” he repeated, “you’ve no need to cry, little one. I’m right here. Momma has you.”

“What the hell,” Clint murmured, but his tone was one of awe rather than anger or confusion.

Loki ignored him. Instead, he looked up at Thor. “Thank you for taking care of her,” he said.

“I didn’t know how to stop her from crying,” Thor said a little sheepishly. “I’m sorry.”

Loki chuckled, but not cruelly. “It’s all right,” he said. “She just wanted her mother. She’s comfortable with you, but I’m the one she knows best. I did give birth to her, after all.”

“I hate to interrupt,” Tony said, and he was actually somewhat sincere, “but how did it go? Got the stone taken care of?”

Gamora nodded. “Yeah, it’s back where it belongs.”

“No problems?” Tony prompted.

“None,” Loki said. “But we did run into an old acquaintance of yours, captain,” he added with a smile. “He sends his regards.”

“Huh?” Steve looked dreadfully confused, but Loki didn’t say anything further on the subject. Instead, he turned back to Thor. “Here, brother.” He handed over the Space Stone. “We have dealt with the Soul Stone, so I return the Space Stone to you. And now,” he said, turning to the rest of the Avengers, “I would like to be allowed to return to my room. I am very tired and would like to care for my child.”

“All right,” Steve said. “You do look kind of rough. Thanks for your help. Bucky, you want to take him back to his room?”

Bucky nodded. “Sure. Follow me, Loki.”

“Thank you,” Loki said, inclining his head to Bucky. “Thor: Remember to return the Time Stone to the sorcerer.”

“Oh, yes.” Thor picked up the Gauntlet. Gingerly, he removed the Time Stone. He was in the process of returning it when there was a strange creaking sound, like the cracking of glass. He paused, frowning. “What is that?”

Mantis straightened, her eyes wide. “There’s someone here,” she said.

Loki, halfway across the room, stiffened. He turned, his shoulders and the expression in his eyes tense. “I know this presence,” he said. “Thor, get the Gauntlet! Everyone, watch yourselves!”

“What is it?” Tony asked, rising to his feet.

Loki opened his mouth to reply, but he never got the chance to speak. The sound of cracking glass came again, and then the glass ceiling of the room shattered, raining shards down on the occupants.

“What the hell-?” Quill brushed glass from his hair. “Whoa, what the? Who’s that?”

Kneeling on the floor in the middle of the room, surrounded by shattered glass, was a figure clad in a black-and-white jumpsuit with golden shoulder guards. A long, three-pointed weapon was clutched in their hand.

Loki’s eyes widened. “My gods. It can’t be.”

Proxima Midnight stood, glass crunching beneath her feet. She smiled grimly, her red eyes gleaming. “Hello again, Trickster. I’m surprised to see you alive. You won’t be for long, of course, not once I get the Gauntlet.”

“Who are you?” Tony demanded, addressing the woman who had just crashed through the ceiling.

“One of Thanos’ children,” Gamora replied, “Proxima Midnight.”

Okoye hefted her spear. “I thought she was dead.”

“Clearly not,” T’Challa said. He flexed his arm and his suit enveloped his body. “You will not get the Gauntlet, woman.”

Proxima Midnight regarded the king with disdain. “You mean to fight, I take it?”

“You’re damn right, we do,” Sam agreed.

“Admirable sentiment,” Midnight said, “but futile, I fear. You cannot best me.”

Steve unfolded his shields. “Wanna bet?”

Midnight eyed him. “What point is there in a useless bet? You will all die.”

With that, she launched herself at Thor.

Chapter Text

Proxima Midnight moved like lightning. She moved for the Gauntlet, lying on the table beside Thor. The god managed to strike her a blow with his hand, knocking her backwards, but the Time Stone flew from his hand in the process, landing on the floor.

“The Time Stone!” Thor said. “Someone get it!”

“Here, take her!” Loki shoved Frigga into the arms of one of the Dora Milaje. The woman ripped a vibranium-enforced blanket from the wall and wrapped it around her and the child before crouching behind a table that she turned on its side. “Keep her safe,” Loki told the woman.

Strange, in the meantime, raised his hands. Lines of light like welder’s sparks appeared in front of him in odd and complicated patterns. “I don’t know how you returned to the land of the living,” he said to Midnight, “but you’ll be leaving it shortly.”

Midnight scoffed. “I don’t think so, Stone-Keeper.” She jabbed her blade down at the Time Stone, and things immediately went south. Strange had been moving towards her, but as soon as Midnight touched the spear to the stone, Strange let out a yell of pain, as if he’d been stabbed instead of the stone. His hands flew to his head as he collapsed to the floor, his knees giving out beneath him as he crumpled in a pile of blue and red.

“Strange!” Tony yelled. “Shit, somebody get the stone!”

Nebula fired her blaster at the intruder, but Midnight simply raised her weapon and deflected the blast. It hit the Time Stone and Strange screamed, his body jerking even as he lay on the floor.

“Cover the stone!” Tony yelled.

The cloak on Strange’s back quickly detached itself from his shoulders, flying to attack the woman who was hurting its master. It wrapped itself around her neck, jerking her backwards and away from the stone. As she fought with the garment, T’Challa dashed forward to grab the stone. Midnight saw this and reached for it, as well, but T’Challa kicked it away from her and it skittered to a stop at Steve’s feet.

Steve snatched the stone up, but at that moment Midnight broke free of the cloak’s grasp. She swung her weapon and knocked T’Challa backwards. She dodged a blast from Tony’s repulsors, deflecting it back at him. Tony, without the rest of his armor, braced himself for the worst.

Instead, a burst of green knocked the weapon’s fire from the air, sending it through the window to Tony’s left. Loki cast Tony an almost reproachful look. “Careful, Stark,” he said, “her weapon deflects all forms of magic and energy.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Tony managed. He was stunned. Had Loki just saved his life?

Proxima Midnight went after Steve next. She tried to snatch the stone from him, but he shoved her back, hard, causing her to stumble into Okoye. The general attempted to strike Midnight with her spear, but the alien rolled aside and the spear’s blade sank into the floor. She aimed her next strike at Strange, who by this point was lying unresponsive on the floor, but the Cloak of Levitation flung itself over the prone figure of the sorcerer, shielding him from the blast, which bounced off its fabric like a raindrop off an umbrella. Gamora grabbed the sorcerer and hauled him behind a table.

Natasha dashed forward. Ducking under Midnight’s swing, she brought her electric baton down on the woman’s wrists. Midnight yelped, for a moment loosening her hold on her weapon. In this split second, Nat wrenched it from her grasp. This action set off yet another discharge of energy.

Steve ducked the blast as it tore through the ceiling above him. “Thor!” he shouted. “Catch!” He threw the stone.

Thor reached out for it, but his one eye gave him a lack of depth perception, and he fumbled. The stone fell to the floor and in the moment Thor bent to snatch it from the ground, Midnight was on him. She kicked Nat aside, drawing a thin blade and charging at Thor while he was distracted. She raised the weapon, and her aim was true. She would have sunk it into Thor’s neck, but at the last moment, with a frantic shout, someone came between Thor and the knife. Loki’s green eyes widened with pain and shock as the blade buried itself in his side.

Midnight’s eyes widened, too, in surprise and frustration. “What?”

Loki slumped to the floor with a soft gasp, his hand going to the knife in his side.

“No!” Thor shouted. He swung his arm at Midnight, and his hand, now clad in the Gauntlet, hit her square in the face. The Power Stone hummed, and with a sound like thunder, Midnight was flung backwards. She hit the opposite wall with such force that the concrete buckled under her. There was a sickening crack and the alien woman slid to the floor, her neck hanging at an odd angle. The glassy sheen over her strange red eyes indicated that she was no longer among the living, a fact that Bucky confirmed.

“She’s dead,” the soldier said.

“Thank god,” Tony muttered. “Everyone ok? Somebody check Strange.”

“He’s breathing,” Gamora said. “He’s unconscious, but he’s alive.”

“I am all right,” T’Challa wheezed as Quill gave him a hand up.

“I’m ok, too,” Nat confirmed. “Bruce?”

“All good.” The doctor crawled out from under the table that he had taken refuge under.

“Steve, all good?” Tony said. “Is everyone else-”

“My friends, please!” Thor cut Tony off. Everyone immediately looked towards him, because the fear in Thor’s voice was palpable. When they beheld the sight before them, they understood why.

Loki was lying on the floor in a steadily-growing puddle of blood. His breathing was shaky and harsh, and his eyes were wide and fearful. Proxima Midnight’s dagger was buried in his side, blood oozing from the wound and soaking his shirt and pooling on the floor beneath him. Thor knelt beside his brother, the Time Stone lying forgotten at his feet.

“My friends, Loki has been injured!” Thor looked up at the Avengers, who stared in horror at the sight before them. “I fear that the wound is most grievous! Please, he needs help!”

“Oh, my god,” Steve said. “We need a doctor, now!”

“What happened?” Quill asked, horrified.

“That woman aimed to kill me with this blade,” Thor explained. “Loki came between her and me, and took the blade himself. Please, he needs a doctor!”

“We need to get him to an infirmary,” Tony said, “both Loki and Strange. Thor, can you get Loki off the ground without jostling the knife too much?”

“I will try.” Thor tried to lift Loki from the ground in a bridal-carry-manner, but Loki cried out in pain.

“AGH! Gods, Thor, don’t!” Loki managed through gritted teeth. “Don’t; you’ll make it worse!”

“How am I supposed to-?”

“Help me stand,” Loki said. “It’ll be less painful . . . that way.”

Gingerly, Thor helped Loki to his feet. Now that he was upright, the wound could be seen more clearly. The dagger was buried almost to the hilt in his left side. Blood soaked the clothes around it and ran down his leg to the floor, where a sizeable pool of it had collected. Loki was trembling badly, just barely standing on his feet. He somehow looked paler than before, if that was possible.

Thor noticed all this, and it panicked him. “My gods,” he said with horror, “Loki, why?”

“Why?” Loki, despite the pain he obviously in, managed to give his brother an exasperated look. “She was going to kill you, Thor! I couldn’t let her kill you; you’re all I have left.” His eyes widened. “Where’s Frigga?”

“She’s fine; Sergeant Khule’s got her,” Steve assured him. “We need to get you to a doctor. General Okoye, can you take us to your emergency facilities?”

“I can.” Okoye nodded. “Follow me.”

“Someone get Strange,” Steve instructed. “Thor, come on.”

-----------------------

Thor half-carried, half-dragged Loki to the emergency room. Loki could barely carry himself toward the end of their short journey, much to Thor’s alarm. He was grateful, of course - Loki had saved his life - but he didn’t want it to be at the cost of Loki’s own life. Loki was far too weak, far too tired to suffer such a wound. What would he do if Loki was to die? He shoved the thought out of his head. No, he thought. He would not lose Loki. He couldn’t.

Loki stumbled suddenly, his knees giving out underneath him. Thor quickly tightened his grip on his brother to hold him up. The action prompted a cry from Loki, alarming Thor further: the only other time Loki had cried out today was when he gave birth to his child.

“I’m sorry, Loki,” Thor said. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Loki said something in reply, but his jaw was clenched so tightly that Thor couldn’t understand him. By this time, blood had soaked his entire left side all the way down his leg. His left foot left bloody footprints behind him on the floor. His eyes were half-closed, and it hit Thor just how tired Loki was. He had survived space, given birth to his daughter, fought aliens, fought Thanos, used an Infinity Stone to travel a long distance, and had now suffered a terrible injury.

Thor’s heart sank. Loki had pushed himself to his limit, and was now paying for it. He never should have been put through this. He should have been allowed to bear his child in peace, instead of giving birth to her on the floor of a spaceship. After her birth, he should have been able to rest and take care of his child, instead of being asked to take an Infinity Stone halfway across the galaxy.

Thor allowed Loki to catch his breath. Once his brother was steady enough, he lifted him from the floor. “It’s all right, Loki,” he said. “Lean on me. I have you.”

Loki didn’t say anything, but Thor thought he saw gratitude in his eyes. Thor adjusted his grip on Loki and helped him down the hallway.

By the time Thor laid Loki on a hospital bed in the palace’s emergency room, the god was almost unconscious. He barely spoke, but when he did, his words were slurred and shaky, as if he was drunk. “Where’s Frigga?” Loki mumbled, looking up at Thor. His eyes were luminous with concern. Despite his exhaustion, his focus was entirely on his daughter.

“She’s all right, Loki,” Thor assured him. “One of the soldier women has her, remember? She’s safe.”

“I want to see her,” Loki said. He winced, sucking in his breath as the Wakandan doctors cut through his bloodied tunic and pulled it off his body. Even then, the blood clung to him like a second skin. “Where is she?”

“I will have her brought in,” Thor assured him. “For now, we must concentrate on you.”

Loki didn’t seem reassured. “Frigga . . .”

“Coming in!” Quill and Gamora entered the room, carrying the unconscious Strange between them. Quill jerked his head in Steve’s direction. “Where do we put the wizard?”

“Just find a bed and drop him,” Steve said. “We’re more worried about Loki right now. Doctor, how’s it looking?”

The doctor, the same one who had examined Loki earlier, was now looking over the wound in his side. The knife was still there: Thor hadn’t tried to remove it, as he knew that it would only bleed more if he did so. The Wakandan doctor used her kimoyo bead to do a quick scan of Loki’s abdomen. The scan appeared on a monitor, showing a number of graphs and figures. The doctor looked at the screen closely, her eyes flicking from graph to graph and taking in the information in a split second.

“The blade has not pierced any of his vital organs,” she said, “but the wound must be taken care of or he will be at risk of losing a dangerous amount of blood.”

“Will he be all right?” Thor asked nervously.

“I think so,” she said. “But we must tend the wound.” She turned to her colleague, another doctor who was cutting Loki’s tunic off. “I am going to prepare the anesthetic,” she told the other woman. “We will need to put him under.”

Loki had been lying still for the majority of the conversation between the doctors and Thor, but upon the mention of the anesthetic, he seemed to panic. He started violently and tried to sit up, his eyes wide and frantic.

“Loki, stop!” Thor put his hand on his brother’s shoulder in order to keep him on the operating table. “You need to lie back. You’ll make it worse if you move around.”

“No, please, don’t make me sleep!” Loki begged. This was wrong, Thor thought; Loki didn’t beg. He sounded panicked. “Please, Thor; don’t let them do it, please!”

“Loki . . .” Thor said in concern. “You must let the doctors help you. The anesthetic will make the removal of the knife easier. You won’t feel it, I promise.”

“I don’t want to fall asleep like that,” Loki insisted. “Please, Thor, I don’t know where I might go.”

Thor frowned. “Loki, you won’t be going anywhere.”

“But I will.” Loki dropped his eyes. “I don’t want to lose control of myself. I don’t want anyone to make me sleep. Not again. Please, Thor. Don’t let them.” Loki’s voice trembled. “Please.”

Thor was alarmed. He didn’t know what Loki was talking about, but he didn’t need to know to understand that his brother was frightened. Not just frightened, very frightened. Loki was trembling slightly, and not just from pain. Loki was terrified.

“All right,” Thor said. He looked to the doctor. “Is there a painkiller that you can administer instead?”

The doctor frowned slightly. “Yes, but there will still be pain.”

“I would rather have some pain than be forced to sleep against my will,” Loki said shakily.

The doctor nodded, clearly harboring misgivings about Loki’s wish. Nevertheless, she agreed. “All right,” she said. “I will return with the pain killer. The rest of you may want to leave the room.”

“I am staying with my brother,” Thor said firmly. “I will not leave his side.”

“I have to leave,” Steve said. “I’ve got to go make sure the Gauntlet and the rest of the stones are safe. What’s going on with Strange?” he asked, directing this question to the male doctor taking charge of Strange.

“He seems to have suffered some kind of a shock to his system,” the man replied. “All he needs is some rest and he will be all right.” He eyed the cloak, which floated by Strange’s bedside. “Andiyithandi le ngubo yokuphosa.”

Strange’s eyes flicked open at that moment. He blinked, looking around, narrowing his eyes at the sudden brightness. “What . . . happened?” he croaked.

“Doc.” Steve went to his side. “Good to see you among the waking. How do you feel?”

“Like I was attacked by a gang of kindergarteners with cattle prods,” Strange groaned.

Steve raised an eyebrow. “Oddly specific. Have you had that experience before?”

“Don’t wan’ talk about it.” Strange closed his eyes before opening them again. “What happened with the stones?”

“They’re safe,” Steve told him. “Midnight’s dead. Loki got stabbed, but it looks like he’s going to be all right.”

“Good.” Strange winced, but then something seemed to occur to him and looked around with a suddenly alarmed look on his face. “Where-?” He spotted the cloak floating a few feet away and an expression of relief replaced the one of alarm.

“Cloak,” Strange managed, reaching a trembling hand out to it. The garment was at his side immediately, wrapping itself around his arm and brushing against his face. A faint smile spread across the sorcerer’s face. “Don’t worry,” he rasped. “I’m fine. Really,” he added, after the cloak flicked his cheek in an almost reproachful manner.

“You are going to be fine,” the Wakandan doctor agreed. “All you need is to rest.”

“Sounds great to me,” Strange agreed. He blinked. “Oh, great. Good night.”

Strange’s head lolled back as he lost consciousness once more. The cloak supported his head before it could fall back against the table. Then, gently, the garment settled over Strange’s body, laying itself across him like a blanket. It pressed its collar against the doctor’s cheek, and wrapped part of its hem around his hand. Strange stirred slightly, his fingers tightening on the cloak. He shifted his head, snuggling into the fabric against his cheek.

Steve and the doctor exchanged a look. “Not normal where I come from,” Steve told him.

The doctor nodded. “I don’t know if that makes me feel better or worse.”

Loki, in the meantime, seemed to be getting worse. He was having a hard time keeping his eyes open, and his skin had grown paler. Thor stood by him, holding his hand and talking to him in an attempt to calm him. Loki wasn’t reassured, however: he was nervous, anxious. He kept talking about his daughter, clearly worried about her. “Where is she?” he asked. “Is she all right?”

“She’s fine, Loki,” Thor said soothingly. “She’s safe, I promise.”

Loki shivered, a spasm of pain running the length of his body. He had been stripped of his tunic, but had been given a sort of sports-bra-type garment to wear in an attempt to give him some dignity. His belly was still slightly swollen - not much, but just enough to remind one that he had carried a child not so long ago.

“Excuse me.” A soft voice came from the door of the room. Thor, Steve, and the doctors looked up to see Mantis standing in the doorway. She looked around, her wide dark eyes curious. “Is Loki here?” she asked in her sweet voice.

“He is, but he is not well,” Thor said. “What is it?”

“I brought his baby.” Mantis stepped into the room, revealing herself to be holding Frigga in her arms.

“Frigga?” Loki’s eyes widened and he tried to sit up, prompting Thor to push him back down. “Is she all right?”

“She is fine,” Mantis said. “She’s very calm. I made sure that she wasn’t scared.” She came to stand by Loki’s side. “She is happy. See?”

Frigga waved a fist, cooing and kicking her tiny feet. A smile came to Loki’s face, relief showing in his eyes. “Frigga,” he said softly, reaching out with a shaking hand. “My baby.”

He touched his daughter’s hand with his long fingers and Frigga responded, grasping her mother’s thumb. Loki’s smile widened. “Thank you,” he said to Mantis. “She trusts you, I can tell.”

“I can hold her while the doctors take care of you,” Mantis offered. “I like holding her. She’s a very sweet baby.”

Loki nodded. “I would be very grateful,” he said.

The doctor returned, holding a vial of clear liquid. Loki eyed it as she hooked it up to a drip system. “It won’t make me sleep?” he asked, trying to sound calm but failing.

“It will not,” the doctor assured him, slipping the needle into his arm. “It will dull the pain, nothing more.”

Loki nodded, but he didn’t look all that reassured. “Do what you must,” he said.

-----------------------

The doctors set to work removing the knife. First they sterilized the area, cleaning it of blood and any potential causes of infection. They then went about pulling the blade out. Loki stayed quiet, but it clearly hurt him, because his face went completely white and all the muscles in his body tensed. He didn’t refuse the hand Thor offered him, holding on so tight that Thor swore he felt the bones in his fingers crack. Thor talked to him in an effort to reassure him and keep his mind off the pain, holding Loki’s hand despite the tightness of Loki’s grasp.

The process of removing the knife and bandaging the wound was slow, and even with the painkiller Loki was in a great deal of pain. He knew that it would have been far easier with the anesthetic, but Loki didn’t want to fall asleep, not like that. It reminded him of Thanos and what his minions had done to him after he fell from the Bifrost, and he didn’t want to remember that. They’d sent him to sleep far too many times, freezing him so that he couldn’t fight back. Even now, in his sleep, he heard their voices in his head and felt their cold hands on his body, felt them in places they shouldn’t have been, felt them prying at his clothing and slipping off his breeches, baring his skin and his legs . . .

No. He didn’t want to remember. He didn’t want to think about it. But seeing Proxima Midnight had brought all those memories back, just when he’d thought he didn’t need to think about Thanos and the Black Order anymore. She had been one of the worst, burning him and cutting him over and over, pressing her blade deep into his skin, prying his legs apart and reaching between them even as he screamed and cried and pleaded for mercy, mercy that never came.

Loki closed his eyes, desperately trying to block out the memories. He didn’t want to remember. “No,” he whimpered quietly, speaking out loud, “no, please; I don’t want it . . .”

“Loki.” Thor’s voice came to him, pulling him up and out of the void. He opened his eyes and Thor was looking down at him, concern in his single blue eye. He felt Thor’s hand in his, the other touching his hair. “It’s all right, Loki,” Thor said, “I’m right here. They’re almost done, I promise. You can do it.”

Loki swallowed. He didn’t want to, but he couldn’t stop himself saying, “Midnight?”

“She’s dead,” Thor told him. “I killed her. She can’t hurt you anymore. I’m right here. Frigga’s all right. You’re going to be all right. The doctors are almost done.”

The two women were in the process of bandaging Loki’s wound. They’d disinfected it and sewed it up before packing the area with cotton and binding it up tightly, being mindful not to bind his chest, as well. Speaking of his chest - Loki couldn’t decide which ached more, his side or his sore breasts. Grateful as he was for his ability to feed his daughter, he had to admit that it came with some drawbacks.

“Hurts,” he mumbled before he could stop himself. He felt himself blush slightly. He hadn’t meant to say that out loud. Clearly this painkiller was making him loopy.

But it wasn’t entirely awful, for upon hearing this Thor squeezed his hand gently and stroked his hair, a reassuring smile on his face. “I know, Loki,” he said soothingly. “It’s all right. The doctors are almost done. You’re doing so well.” He gave Loki’s hand another squeeze. “Thank you for saving my life.”

“I couldn’t let you die,” Loki mumbled. “You’re my brother.” It wasn’t the painkiller that spoke next: “I need you.”

The smile that spread across Thor’s face was well worth the feelings of embarrassment he felt saying such things in front of the doctors. It was the truth: Loki did need Thor. Thor was family, the one familiar thing here in this unfamiliar place. Thor was safety in this place of danger. Thor was certainty in a place that fairly hummed with uncertainty. As long as Thor was there, Loki knew, no harm would come to him.

Chapter Text

When Loki woke up, he wished he hadn’t. As soon as he opened his eyes, he was immediately made aware of the pain in his side and his head and his chest. He winced, groaning slightly as he buried his face in the pillow. A significant amount of time had passed - the date on the clock beside his bed was one day later than it had been yesterday. He vaguely remembered Thor carrying him back to his hospital room/prison cell and laying him on the bed, helping him drink some water and then patting his back when he choked on it. He remembered the woman - Mantis - bringing his daughter in and settling her on his chest as Thor sat down next to him.

Loki rolled over in the bed. Thor wasn’t there. His chair was empty, but there was a note on the bedside table. Loki reached for it, cringing as the movement jostled the wound in his side. He scanned the note. It was written in Thor’s terrible handwriting and said something along the lines of Thor being absent to discuss the matter of getting the Reality Stone to the Collector.

Loki replaced the note, feeling slightly disappointed that Thor wasn’t there. He felt safer with Thor there by his side. Thor, at least, didn’t glare at him in the ways the others did.

Well, some of the others didn’t glare at him. Banner didn’t, and neither did Captain Rogers. The Guardians didn’t. Mantis had actually smiled at him, and she liked Frigga.

Frigga. Loki looked around the room in a mild panic. He heard a soft sound beside him and turned his head to see his baby daughter lying in the bed beside him, wrapped in her blanket.

“Frigga,” Loki breathed. He gathered her into his arms, curling up on his non-injured side and pulling his child to his chest. He kissed her head, stroking her soft black hair and running his fingers over the small perfect lines of her ears. Loki laughed softly, unable to keep the smile off his face as he cradled his baby. He breathed in her warm familiar smell, kissing her hair.

“Hello, little one,” he murmured.

Frigga opened her eyes and looked into his. Loki thought his heart might break with happiness as he looked at her. He’d been without a child for so long that he’d forgotten how strong the bond between mother and child was. And oh, he had wanted a baby so very much. Even while pregnant he kept almost constant contact with his unborn child, by laying his hand on his stomach. Perhaps that urge had been for the worse in the past: perhaps his heart wouldn’t’ve broken the way it did.

The baby girl stuck her fist in her mouth, gumming her fingers. She shifted, opening her mouth and making soft noises. Loki had borne enough children to know that this meant Frigga was hungry. He put a pillow behind him before pulling off his shirt and holding his daughter to his breast. Frigga latched on at once, and Loki let out an involuntary sigh as he felt the pain in his chest begin to fade as his baby nursed.

“You’re a hungry little girl, aren’t you?” he said quietly, running his fingers through her hair. “That’s all right; I’m not going anywhere. You can have all you want.”

Frigga nursed until her body relaxed and her eyes closed. Loki pulled her away gently, allowing her to settle before he rose from the bed. He winced at the pounding pain in his head, pausing for a moment to let the sudden dizziness fade. He must’ve lost a great deal of blood in order to feel that dizzy.

The doctors had assured him the bandaging was waterproof and had encouraged him to bathe or shower if he felt like it. He did, so he left his sleeping daughter on the bed and walked to the bathroom.

He stripped off his clothes, dropping them to the floor. Before he turned on the shower, he took a moment to look at himself in the full-length mirror. A pale, tired figure with disheveled hair and a swollen chest and belly looked back at him with red-rimmed eyes.

Loki sighed. He ran a hand through his hair. He couldn’t help how he looked, he supposed: He had been stabbed, after all, and it would be a little while longer until his figure was back to what it had been before he’d become pregnant. He had done a rather amazing thing, he thought: He had created an entirely new life.

Loki turned on the shower and stepped in. He wasn’t sure what to make of it at first - they had no showers on Asgard - but he decided that he liked it. He spent a bit longer than he’d intended in there, just letting the warm water cascade over him.

He noticed as he stood there, some blood between his legs. He wasn’t worried about it, as he knew that not all the blood that came about because of the baby would’ve come out with her. He didn’t feel like bothering anyone about it: The last thing the Wakandans or Avengers needed to know about was the fact that he had female organs. They already knew, he supposed, but they didn’t need to hear him talk about it.

He stepped out of the shower, noting that he felt abnormally warm. Perhaps the water had been too hot. He was a Jotunn, after all. Heat wasn’t something they enjoyed. He also had a bit of a cough, which he simply put down to the steam from the hot water. He did feel unwell, however: Perhaps it was just exhaustion and the injury he’d sustained, but his entire body ached. His head hurt, his chest hurt, his stomach hurt, and he was having some of the worst cramps he’d had in a long time. As if all that wasn’t bad enough, he felt hot.

Loki put his clothes back on, opting to go without the chest binding he’d been given during the surgery. It hurt, and he really didn’t need it. It wasn’t as if his breasts were that large.

He stepped back into his bedroom, noting with a smile that Frigga was still asleep. He walked to the bed and picked her up, careful not to wake her as he did so. She stayed asleep, but she snuggled closer to him, cooing in her sleep.

Loki smiled. He sat down on the bed, leaning back against the headboard. He looked down at his child, watching the slow rise and fall of her chest. He started humming a song as he sat there with her in his arms, stroking her hair. It was a melody his mother, his daughter’s namesake, had sung to him as a child. He remembered it was a song about a troll maiden who asked a warrior to marry her, only to be rejected because she wasn’t Aesir.

He hoped that his mother would be proud of him, that she would approve of him. He hoped that she would have loved his daughter. He knew that she would have, of course, but it was still a thought that crossed his mind.

Loki stroked his sleeping daughter’s hair, still humming softly to her. Frigga lay quietly in his arms, her tiny hands lying on her chest as she slept. Loki thought that something so perfect had never existed as he looked down at her.

The door to his room suddenly banged open with a cacophonous crash, nearly knocking the painting off the wall. Loki jumped, startled by the sound. His head immediately felt worse. He tensed, his arms tightening around Frigga. He expected to be taken by soldiers and hauled out of the room. Instead, he heard voices. Children’s voices.

“. . . and that is how we used vibranium and incorporated it into cloth.” It was a girl’s voice.

“Wow, that’s so cool! That must’ve been super hard!” This was a boy’s voice.

“Not really,” the girl said. “It was simple compared to the other things we have done here.”

The owner of the voice became visible. She saw Loki and stopped dead in her tracks. She was a young child, with dark skin and dark hair that was braided into an elaborate updo. She wore clothes that were in the style of Stark’s clothing, but with Wakandan patterns. She and Loki stared at each other for a moment or two, both of them confused.

“Hey, Shuri; what did you-” A boy the same age and height of the girl appeared behind her. He was pale-skinned, with fluffy brown hair and brown eyes. He was dressed simply, like Stark.

He, too, saw Loki sitting up in the bed, his hair damp and his clothing disheveled. He blinked. “Oh! Uh, hi. Shuri, I think we’re in the wrong room.”

“Obviously,” the girl said. “This room is usually empty. Sorry,” she said to Loki, “we didn’t think there was anyone here.”

“It’s all right,” Loki said. He was surprised to see the children. “I’m not doing anything important in here. At least you can leave.”

“Hey, wait a minute,” the boy said. He peered at Loki and then his eyes widened. “Whoa, wait; are you Loki?!”

Loki flinched slightly. He’d hoped that the children wouldn’t recognize him; he didn’t need anyone else thinking poorly of him. He sighed. “Yes,” he said heavily, “I am.”

“No way!” the boy exclaimed. “Shuri, this is Thor’s brother, the guy who tried to take over New York!”

Loki felt his heart sink. It seemed that those were the only two titles he was to be known by. Back in Asgard, he’d been referred to as ‘brother of Thor’. He was an afterthought, a shadow of his brother’s glory. He’d had worse nicknames: liar, whore, slut, Mother of Monsters - but it still hurt to be thought of as younger brother only. The Midgardians thought of him as a madman, a would-be tyrant with cruel intentions and dreams of conquest.

The boy went on: “Dude, you’re so cool! Is it true that you can do magic?”

Loki blinked, stunned. He wasn’t sure that he had heard the child correctly. “I beg your pardon?” he said hoarsely.

“You’re so amazing!” the child said, beaming. “I’ve heard the stories from Mr. Stark. You’re super strong and really good at fighting, and he says you can do magic! He even told me that you used two Infinity Stones! And you’re from space! That’s so cool!”

It was the girl’s turn to look astounded. “You used two Infinity Stones?” she said, directing the question to Loki. “How?”

“I-” Loki didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t expected this reaction: Fear and aversion, yes, but not awe and admiration. The children were mad, had not been informed of his actions, or perhaps just too innocent.

“Oh, I’m Peter Parker, by the way,” the boy said. “I’m from New York. And this is Shuri. She’s the princess of Wakanda. Can you really do magic?”

“Er, yes,” Loki said, still stunned. “I can do magic.”

“Can you show us?” Peter asked eagerly. “Doctor Strange won’t do any because he says it’s silly to use magic like that.”

“I’m afraid not,” Loki said, feeling genuinely bad about disappointing the boy with his wide-eyed charm. “I’m not exactly up to the task at the moment.”

Part of the reason for his exhaustion decided to make herself know at that particular point. Frigga hadn’t woken when the two teenagers burst into Loki’s room, but now she stirred, making soft sounds as she woke from slumber. The baby girl opened her eyes, looking up at her mother.

“Hello,” Loki said, turning his attention to his daughter. “Hello, little one. How are you?”

“Ohh, my god; is that a baby?” Peter exclaimed.

Loki blinked, startled by the boy’s reaction. “Er, yes,” he said, a little hesitantly. “She’s my daughter.”

Now it was Peter’s turn to look startled. He hadn’t been expecting that answer. “You have a kid? No way! Can I see her?”

“I suppose,” Loki said. He shifted the tiny baby he held, and a small smile crossed his face as he looked down at her. “Her name is Frigga.”

Peter looked at the child with interest. She was an adorable baby. “I didn’t know you had a kid,” he said. “Wow, she looks a lot like you.”

Loki’s smile widened just a little bit. “I’ve been told that.”

“Where’s her mom?” Peter asked. He immediately winced, remembering that the Asgardians were still in space. The mother of Loki’s child might not have survived the encounter with Thanos. “Oh, geez; sorry, Mr. Loki,” he said. “I didn’t think about - uh, yeah, you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

To Peter’s surprise, Loki’s smile widened further. “Don’t worry about it,” he said. He touched his daughter’s hand and it closed around his finger. “Her mother is fine. I am her mother.”

“What?” Peter stared at him.

“That’s crazy!” Shuri said, speaking at last. “You can’t be her mother; you’re a man. Men don’t have babies.”

Loki actually laughed. It was a surprisingly nice laugh, but it had an undertone of mischief. “Oh, children,” Loki said with a shake of his head, “you have much to learn. It is entirely possible for me to bear children. I’m not human, or Asgardian: I’m Jotunn, and males of my species can become pregnant and give birth. All Jotunns have both male and female reproductive organs.”

“I don’t believe it,” Shuri muttered. “You can get pregnant?”

“I can and have,” Loki said wryly. He looked down at Frigga, who had closed her eyes again. He touched her cheek and she squirmed a little. “That’s how she came about.”

“How old is she?” Peter asked curiously.

Loki couldn’t help the smile that came to his face as he replied, “She’s a day and a half old.” He kissed Frigga on her head, prompting Frigga to open her mouth and make a soft coo.

“A day and a half?” Peter repeated. “Oh, my god; wow. Congratulations, Mr. Loki; she’s super cute.”

“Thank you,” Loki said. “I think so, too. I think she’s absolutely perfect.”

“You mean you just had a baby?” Shuri said.

“In space, to be exact,” Loki said.

Both of the children’s mouths dropped open and they stared at him with wide eyes. Loki couldn’t hold back the laugh that escaped him. “Not in the vacuum,” Loki said. “Let me elaborate.”

He went on to give them a brief summary of the events of the past few days. The two children sat down on the end of the bed, their eyes wide as they hung onto every word he said. Loki’s heart panged a bit as he spoke to them. They had the same curiosity as Hela had as a child. He wasn’t over Hela’s fate; he doubted he ever would be. At least he had Frigga, he thought. His newborn lay quietly on his chest as he talked, lulled to sleep by the warmth of his body and the familiar rhythm of his heartbeat. She lay with her fists tucked up by her head, one hand pressed against her mother’s breast.

“So, you and your brother can survive being in space without a spacesuit?” Peter said.

Loki shrugged. “It would seem so.”

“That’s insane!” Peter exclaimed. “That’s so cool, Mr. Loki. But I’m glad your kid’s ok.”

“As am I,” Loki agreed. Frigga stirred, grasping at her mother’s hair. Loki smiled. “Hello, little one,” he said quietly, taking her tiny hand. “Hello. Are you awake again?”

Frigga squirmed, trying to turn her head so that she could see Loki’s face. Loki gently shifted her so that she could do so. The baby girl cooed, looking up at her mother with wide gray eyes.

Loki chuckled. “What? Did you just want to look at momma? I’m right here, little one. Oh, my sweet little girl, momma loves you.”

“Did it hurt?” Peter asked out of the blue.

“Giving birth?” Loki raised an incredulous eyebrow. “Of course it did. I literally pushed a person out of my cunt.”

Peter blinked at Loki’s blunt words, but Shuri laughed uproariously. “I like you!” she laughed. “You don’t mess around!”

Loki was stunned to hear the girl say she liked him. People usually didn’t like him. He managed to reply: “Oh, I do mess around. How do you think I got pregnant?”

That made Shuri laugh harder and even got a laugh out of Peter. Loki smirked, allowing himself a snicker.

“So,” he said after Shuri’s laughs died, “what of you two? Who are you and how did you happen to stumble upon me?”

The children introduced themselves more formally. Peter was like Thor’s friends the Avengers, Loki gathered: He had powers not normally found among Midgardians, such as superior strength and stamina. It was an impressive thing from such a young boy. He was under the protection of Stark. Shuri was a princess and highly intelligent. She was an inventor, she said, and Loki could practically see the speed and level at which her mind worked. Shuri had been showing Peter around the palace when they’d taken a wrong turn and stumbled into his room on accident.

Loki was glad they had. It was so nice to be talked to as though he was normal, as though he wasn’t a wanted man. They seemed in awe of his abilities, not in fear. They didn’t find his ability to bear children repulsive at all. Though they were so young, they were clearly very bright. And they had good hearts; Loki could tell just by talking and listening to them. He found himself growing fond of the two.

“So you were bitten by a what?” Loki asked.

“A radioactive spider,” Peter said. Noting the confused look on Loki’s face, he said, “Radiation is a transmission of energy. It can be pretty dangerous to humans. It seriously messes people up.”

“Or it gives them the ability to climb walls, hang from ceilings, and lift over 75 tons,” Shuri said dryly.

Peter shrugged a little helplessly. “Yeah, I guess so. But you can use magic, right, Mr. Loki?”

“I can,” Loki said.

“What kinds of things can you do with it?” Shuri asked. “Strange won’t show us anything because he says it’s ‘a silly and frivolous use of magic’.”

“Both of those words mean the same thing,” Loki said, amused. He wasn’t very fond of Strange: The man had sent him plunging through a void and then dropped him onto a floor. It was only quick reflexes that kept him from landing on his stomach and harming his then-unborn child. “I can do many things with magic,” he went on. “I can change my shape, create illusions, use it as a form of weaponry, heal myself, teleport, make things levitate, etcetera, etcetera.”

The two children stared at him. “That’s amazing!” Shuri said. She turned to Peter. “Can you imagine the experiments we could do with him? That would be so cool! You could help us learn so much!”

“I could,” Loki agreed, “but I am not sure how much freedom I have to do so. The only thing keeping me from prison is the grace of Captain Rogers and his trust in my brother. That and the fact that I have a child. Without Frigga, I’m sure, I would be thrown away and never seen again.”

The children looked uncomfortable. They exchanged a look that Loki interpreted as either concern or fear. “I guess they must be worried about what happened in New York,” Peter said at last. “Mr. Stark - he gets worried pretty easily. He’s got a lot of responsibility.  He’s probably just worried about what happened last time. No offense, Mr. Loki.”

Loki sighed softly. “None taken,” he said. “I understand his worry. I did awful things under Thanos’ control, and I do not suppose that they are to be forgiven so soon. Still, I would appreciate it if I was acknowledged for what I did to fight Thanos.”

“My brother appreciates it,” Shuri said. “He admires your ability.”

A small, sardonic smile tugged at the corner of Loki’s lips. “I am glad to know that there is at least one who is appreciative.”

The door opened and in came Okoye and three of the Dora Milaje. The general raised an eyebrow when she saw Shuri and Peter at Loki’s bedside, but she didn’t seem shocked. “I should have known you would make your way in here eventually,” she said. “You and this boy are nothing but trouble.” As Shuri stuck out her tongue, Okoye turned to Loki. “You are asked to come with us.”

Loki raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Asked?”

“Ordered,” Okoye admitted. “You are to come with us to the king’s conference room.”

Loki felt his heart sink. He felt like screaming in protest. He had just been stabbed, for god’s sake. Was he not to be allowed any rest, any time to recover and care for his child? He didn’t feel well at all; everything hurt, and his skin was hot, as though he had a fever.

Yet he had to go. He was fearful of what might happen to him and his child if he refused the summons. Besides, how else was this mess to be dealt with? He knew the most about the Infinity Stones, after all.

“Very well.” Loki sighed. “I will leave my child here, though. I trust she will be looked after?”

Okoye nodded. “I will have Sergeant Khule come in. Princess, Mr. Parker, you will leave this room immediately.”

“You’re no fun,” Shuri grumbled, but she stood. She aimed a smile at Loki. “See you around.”

“Yeah, see you!” Peter waved. “Nice to talk to you!”

The two children left the room. Loki stood, noting once again how his head pounded painfully. He laid Frigga in the middle of the bed, making sure that she was comfortable and settled before he turned to the women who had come to fetch him.

“Lead on,” he said.

Chapter Text

The walk to the conference room was short, but Loki felt ten times worse by the time he stepped through the door. His head pounded and he could feel sweat beading on his forehead. His chest felt heavy, as if he was breathing in water, and his stomach twisted and churned like a serpent.

The Avengers, Wakandans, and Guardians were already there when Loki walked in, surrounded by a Dora Milaje guard. He glanced swiftly around the room, taking in the expressions and postures of the people in it. Stark looked just about as exhausted as Loki felt, and the woman who called herself the Black Widow appeared highly exasperated. Strange was collapsed in a chair, an ice pack on his forehead. The sorcerer looked as though he’d been Hulk-smashed.

Every eye in the room flicked to Loki as he walked in. He saw distrust, suspicion, anger, pity, exasperation. Barton glanced at him and curled his lip ever so slightly. Mantis waved. Thor smiled at him. “Hello, brother.”

“Hello, Thor,” Loki said. “I trust you are well?”

Thor nodded. “I am sorry to have you come here so soon. I tried to persuade them otherwise, but we need your advice.”

Loki sighed. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Loki.” Captain Rogers stepped forward. “Glad you came.”

“Did I have much of a choice?” Loki asked smoothly.

The captain had the good grace to look sheepish. “We’re sorry about dragging you out of bed. How’s the side?”

“As good as can be expected,” Loki replied. “Let’s get to the point, please: I assume that I am here to aid with the remaining stones?”

“Right on the money,” Stark said. “It’s the Reality Stone, this time. We’re a bit worried about how we’re going to get it to this Collector Guy.”

“Yeah,” Steve agreed. “We think that Proxima Midnight may have been brought back when Thor and Strange used the Time Stone. There’s a possibility that the rest of the Black Order has been revived, and we’d like to avoid running into trouble with them.”

“And where do I come into this?” Loki asked.

“We were hoping that you might be able to use the Space Stone again,” Natasha said.

“So soon?” It might have been Steve’s imagination, but he thought he heard a note of despair in Loki’s voice. He looked at Loki again, more closely this time. The god didn’t look good. He looked too pale, even for Loki, but his cheeks were flushed with bright pink. There seemed to be sweat on his forehead.

“Are you doing ok, Loki?” he asked.

“Yeah, you look a little rough,” Tony agreed. “Are you sure you’re up to this?”

“I’m fine,” Loki said. He was most definitely not. He hurt all over and he felt as though he was burning up. The last thing he needed was for these people to see weakness from him. The thought was too embarrassing. And would they care? Loki doubted it; they probably wouldn’t bat an eye if he passed out.

“You don’t look well, brother,” Thor said in concern. “Is something wrong?”

“It’s just the stab wound,” Loki lied, waving him off. It wasn’t just that. He barely felt the wound. “It hurts, but I’m fine. What of the remaining stones?”

Steve was less than convinced that Loki was completely all right, but he let it go. “Well,” he began, “Thor has the Space, Reality and Power Stones, and Strange has the Time Stone. The Mind Stone is in Princess Shuri’s lab.”

“Where it is under surveillance,” T’Challa added.

“Could we deal with the Power Stone, first?” Loki asked. He didn’t want to use an Infinity Stone so soon after being stabbed, and not when he felt like this. He felt as though the floor beneath him was moving. “The plan was to send it to the Mirror Dimension, if I recall.”

“We would, but the doc isn’t up to it right now,” Tony explained, gesturing to Strange. “That alien lady really did a number on him when she hit the Time Stone.”

“I am very glad that we didn’t destroy it,” Bruce said.

“Me, too,” Strange said from his chair.

“Hey, you all know my feelings on this,” Sam said. “I’m still not sure about this guy.” He looked at Loki critically. “Does the ‘god of lies’ thing make anyone feel different about this plan?”

Anger flared in Loki’s chest, along with despair and hurt. He knew that there were still those who didn’t trust him, but it still hurt. This man had never even met Loki before the fight with Thanos, and he was already against him.  

“We know it’s a lot,” Gamora said, interrupting his train of thought, “but if the Black Order is out there, we need to make sure that they don’t get the stones. We have to destroy them and get rid of them as soon as possible.”

“If they get the stones, they’ll be unstoppable,” Nebula said to him. “We both know that.”

“We cannot dispose of the Power or Mind Stones without the sorcerer,” T’Challa said.

“Sorry,” Strange mumbled.

“Our best bet right now is the Reality Stone,” Nat said. “It’s the one we can do something about right now.”

“Can you try, Loki?” Steve asked.

“I could try,” Loki said, his voice heavy. “But may I caution you, I am not at my full strength. There is a high possibility that I may not return here on my first attempt.”

Clint snorted. “Convenient.”

Loki turned to him, his eyes dangerous. “And what might you be implying?” he asked in a low voice.

“Friends, please,” Thor began, but Clint ignored him.

“Two stones are an awfully tempting thing,” Clint said cooly. “Last time you had two, you made a real mess of things.”

Loki’s shoulders tensed. When he spoke, his voice shook, but it wasn’t purely anger that made it shake. He sounded upset, and in more ways than one. “What I did in New York,” he said, his voice almost fragile, “was not my will. I was under Thanos’ control. He used the Mind Stone to turn my thoughts to madness and bloodshed. Even in my blackest anger, I would never do as I did that day, not without someone else inside my head.”

“How do we know that’s the truth?” Rhodey asked. “It’s kind of hard to believe: You used the Mind Stone and you’re telling us that it was being used on you, too?”

“Yes!” Loki exclaimed. His eyes were bright. “Why is it so hard to believe? Why is it so hard to believe that I was not myself? Did none of you notice the color of my eyes that day? They were blue, as his were when I controlled him!” He gestured savagely to Clint, his voice rising as he continued to speak. “My eyes are green! They have always been green; you can ask Thor!”

“You’re a god,” Tony said. “How could you be controlled, even by someone like Thanos?”

Loki clenched his fists. “You don’t know what happened to me, what Thanos did to me when I fell into his clutches,” he said in a low, tremulous voice. “He tortured me in ways you cannot begin to imagine.” His voice rose. “He burned me, he cut me open and spilled my blood, he choked me, he let his Chitauri and his Black Order have their way with me, dozens of them! Thanos raped me! He and his minions took me again and again against my will and violated my body until I begged for death!”

There was dead silence in the room. You could hear the soft hum of the arc reactors built into Rhodey’s leg braces. Everyone’s face wore a look of horror. Several of them looked sick, but Loki didn’t stop. He was tired of being treated this way, as if he was the enemy instead of the one who had helped to destroy the enemy. He was injured and tired and afraid for his child and felt so sick that he could hardly stand. It had all become too much to bear, and now it came pouring out.

“If I failed in my task, Thanos would have punished me!” he said, desperation on his face. “Can you imagine what he would have done to me? I never would have done any of what I did had Thanos not had me in his control! Why do you still doubt me? The things he did to me-”

“But that’s not the worst of it,” Loki went on, tears brimming in his eyes. “I was pregnant when I fell from the Bifrost. And the baby-” Loki’s voice broke, “the baby - I lost the baby. I miscarried; I bled my unborn child out in Thanos’ dungeons. I never even knew if it was a boy or girl that I lost! Thanos and his beasts killed my child!”

Loki started sobbing. He couldn’t hold it back anymore. He’d tried to block out the memories, the searing pain of those horrible contractions as he bled his unborn baby out from between his legs; the blood and the pain and the screams and the sobs and the tiny bloody thing that would never grow to be a child. Now they all came rushing back.

His head spun, his stomach churned, and then Loki was on his hands and knees, gagging, choking, coughing up blood and bile and he was crying so hard that he couldn’t breathe.

He vaguely sensed some kind of commotion around him; shouts and frantic voices and other indeterminate sounds. There were hands on his shoulders, hands pulling his hair away from his face, hands rubbing his back as he continued to heave up a horrible mixture of blood and vomit.

Loki tried to speak, tried to say something , but all that came out was an agonized whimper that didn’t fit him at all. He managed to get off of his hands and collapsed backward at once with a distressed cry. He felt strong arms around him, catching him and keeping him from falling to the floor. He heard Thor’s voice in his ear, saying something in low and soothing tones, but Loki couldn’t make it out through the pounding in his head.

Loki gave up. He was tired of fighting and pushing back and pushing away. He was tired of being feared and hated and looked down upon. He hurt all over and inside; he was frightened and distressed and in pain. He collapsed into Thor’s arms, sobbing so hard that his entire body trembled violently with each choked breath in. He clung tightly to his brother, knowing that he was probably hurting him, but he didn’t want to let go. He didn’t care that there were people watching. He just wanted someone to hold him, wanted the reassurance that someone was there, that someone cared.

And so he held onto Thor for all he was worth, sobbing and sobbing and sobbing as his brother cradled him in his arms and stroked his hair and whispered soothing words as he had done when they were young so long ago.

The Avengers didn’t know how to react. Loki had revealed horrible things to them and then suddenly collapsed and thrown up what looked to be mostly blood all over the floor, and now he was lying in Thor’s arms and crying so hard that it looked like it hurt. They hadn’t expected this, to see Loki so weak, but now it seemed that whatever walls he’d built up around himself had come crashing down. It was difficult to take in: sudden, strong emotion from one who had never shown it before. And the things he’d told them . . .

Thor cradled his brother the same way one would cradle a small child, stroking his wavy black hair and murmuring quietly to him. “Easy, Loki,” he soothed. “I’ve got you; you’re safe.”

Loki let out a cry, whether out of pain or distress it wasn’t clear. “It hurts, Thor,” Loki moaned, tears pouring down his cheeks. “It hurts . . .”

“What hurts, Loki?” Thor asked in concern.

“Everything.” Loki coughed, and blood speckled his lips. “Gods, Thor, I’m burning up from the inside . . .”

Thor brushed Loki’s forehead with his hand and let out a sound of shock. “My gods, Loki; you’re on fire!” He looked up at the Avengers. “Bruce, Sorcerer Strange; Loki has a very high fever!”

Strange managed to get out of his chair to kneel beside Loki. He laid a scarred hand on Loki’s forehead and sucked in his breath in surprise. “Damn, you’re right; he’s burning up. Feels like at least 103, but I can’t be sure.”

“What could have caused this?” Thor asked. As he spoke, Loki’s nose started bleeding. The rest of the room watched in horror as a veritable river of the scarlet stuff flowed down Loki’s chin and streaked his pale neck.

“I don’t know,” Strange said. “I wonder if . . .” His eyes widened, and he hurriedly pulled up Loki’s shirt.

Everyone winced. The wound in Loki’s side had turned a nasty shade of green, with the skin around it a pale blue streaked with darker tendrils of green. Strange raised a slightly shaking hand over the wound, an expression of concentration appearing on his face. He grimaced. “Poison,” he said.

“Poison?” Tony blurted, startled. “Are you sure?”

“Very,” Strange said. “I can feel it in his bloodstream. Midnight’s blade must have had poison on it.”

“But what about the kid?” Steve asked. “He’s been breastfeeding her, so wouldn’t the poison hurt her, too?”

Strange shook his head. “No. This poison is very different from any I’ve seen. From what my magic is telling me, it’s designed to affect only the person whose blood it enters. That’s why the baby’s unharmed, and he’s not.” He grimaced as he continued to move his hand over the wound. “God, this is a bad poison. It’s attacking his organs and causing him to bleed internally. His lungs, his stomach, his uterus, his intestines - they’re all bleeding.”

Thor stared at Strange, horrified. He looked back down at Loki, who lay in his arms, coughing, crying, and choking on his own blood. “Can you help him? Please, you must!”

“I think so,” Strange said, mindful of the fear in Thor’s face and voice. “Take him to the emergency room.”

Thor stood, drawing Loki to his feet and settling him into his arms with Steve’s help. Loki was still crying, his sobs now more like whimpers than anything else. Tears streaked his cheeks and pooled in his large green eyes, which were glassy and vacant. Blood from his nose trickled down his face, across his lips and chin and onto his clothes, mingling with the tears. He kept choking on the blood in his lungs and from his nose.

“Easy, Loki,” Thor said, trying to soothe his brother despite the fear he felt. “It’s all right. I have you, brother.”

“Ok, emergency room, right now!” Strange said. “I’m going to need drainage tools and a hell of a lot of painkillers. Captain, Doctor Banner, you’re with me! Move!”

Thor, Bruce, Steve, and Strange left the room with Loki, accompanied by T’Challa and Okoye. The rest of the group was left in stunned and horrified silence. There was blood everywhere, covering the floor like a horrible crimson carpet. Wanda’s hands were clapped firmly over her mouth and Sam looked like he’d just received a slap to the face. Even the unflappable Rhodey looked deeply affected.

“Oh, my god.” It was Quill who broke the silence. The familiar sarcastic tone to his voice was completely gone. “Oh, my god. Holy shit.”

“What just happened?” Tony asked, sounding truly stunned and entirely serious. “Guys, what the hell?”

“Oh, my god.” Nat said the same thing as Quill had. “I-I’ve seen a lot of things, but that- oh, god.”

“Is there supposed to be that much blood?” Rocket asked faintly.

“Do we believe him now?” Sam said uncertainly.

“I sure do.” Bucky looked stricken.

“He was not lying.” Everyone turned to look at Mantis. Her beautiful dark eyes were brimming with tears, which streaked her cheeks. “Everything he said was true. He has suffered horribly. Thanos did terrible, terrible things to him. He was controlled. He feels great pain even now, and deep anguish. He is not over the loss of his child.”

“Holy fuck,” Rhodey said quietly. “He was telling the truth.”

“About everything,” Clint added, looking shaken and sick. “Oh, my god, you guys; he was raped .”

“Jesus,” Tony muttered.

“Oh, god,” Nat said. “Oh, my god; Tony, the baby; he lost a baby-”

Gamora looked as if she’d just had the floor taken out from under her. “I knew Thanos was cruel, but never that cruel.” Her voice shook. “Oh, my god; that poor baby. I was still with Thanos back then. I should have done something.”

“Babe, it’s not your fault.” Quill laid a hand on her arm. “You didn’t know.”

“We didn’t listen to him,” Tony said, disgust heavy in his tone. “He was telling the truth this whole time, and we didn’t even listen to him. Loki was telling the truth about being controlled. He saved my life with Midnight, and he saved all our lives with Thanos. He helped save our lives and we all thought he was plotting something. Shit, you guys: We fucked up, bad.”

“What are we supposed to do now?” Rocket asked.

It was Clint who answered the question. His voice was thick and shaky all at once. “We say thank you. And we apologize.”