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Chapter Text

Tony was used to the strange and unimaginable. Aliens invaded Earth. The gods were real. They were not alone in the universe. Wizards and magic and sentient robots were totally a normal thing. But the purple ballsack-looking fucker in front of him was the reason he even knew about it all. The reason he woke up in the middle of the night screaming as a wormhole closed around his dying body.

And now that same alien was going to kill him.

Thanos beat him into the ground mercilessly. A blast from the Power Stone sent Tony flying backwards. He tried to fight the titan back with a beam of energy from his hand, and called the nanotech from his leg to gather around his other hand for another beam. Thanos still fought his way through and reached Tony. He threw a punch at the purple alien’s head, but Thanos caught his fist mid strike. Gathering the last of his nanotech to create a sword in his other hand, Tony went to stab the titan, but that too was caught. Tony watched in horror as the madman broke off his sword and sent it through his gut.

Tony staggered back in shock as the searing pain paralyzed his blood and made his breath come out in ragged breaths. Thanos, in some twisted, sick form of empathy, held Tony’s head in his gauntlet-clad hand as the mechanic wheezed in pain.

“You have my respect Stark.” Thanos said as Toy’s vision blacked around the edges. “When I’m done, half of humanity will still be alive.” The titan’s eyes held genuine sympathy that made Tony’s stomach churn. “I hope they remember you.”

Thanos stepped back and powered the Stones, preparing for a final blow. Tony spat blood and fought to stay conscious against the pain and blood loss. He was going to die. Here. Alone on this alien planet. He would never get to see Pepper again. He would never get to apologize to Steve Rogers or his friend. He would never get an apology. He would never get to watch Peter grow older and smarter than him. He would never… never…

“Stop!” Tony turned his head to see Dr. Strange wipe blood from his lip. The motion sent stars through his vision. “Spare his life, and I will give you the Stone.”

What?! After all they’d fought to keep the lunatic from collecting all six Infinity Stones, Strange was giving in now?! ‘I won’t hesitate to let either of you die’ his ass.

“No tricks.” Thanos said with poorly concealed anticipation. Strange shook his head.

“Don’t-!” Tony cried, the sound ripping its way through his core and rattling his stab wound.

Strange gave him a long look that Tony couldn’t decipher nor had the energy to. The wizard summoned the Time Stone in his hands and Thanos extended his hand greedily.

“Gah…ah-” Tony gasped in defeat and utter disappointment. He was going to die for nothing after all.

Dr. Strange released the Time Stone and it floated over to the mad titan as if attracted by a magnetic force. The look of greedy excitement on Thanos’s face eerily resembled that of a spoiled child on Christmas.

Then it disappeared.

The Time Stone seemingly disappeared into thin air. Thanos snarled and grabbed Tony roughly by the arm - causing him to cough blood in the process - and held the Gauntlet to his head. The Stones glowed menacingly.

“No tricks, liar!” Thanos shouted at Strange who looked like all the blood had been drained from his body.

“This wasn’t me!” Strange cried desperately. “It wasn’t me!”

“Liar!” Thanos roared, pressing his fist against Tony’s head with such force he was sure his skull would break from his strength alone.

“Liar?” An all-too familiar voice asked softly. Tony’s heart stopped. Shit. Shit shit shit shit shit-

Thanos whipped towards the source of the icy-sweet voice, dragging Tony with him, not releasing his hold on the man. The sudden movement made Tony’s vision black out. When they stilled, Tony blinked rapidly to clear his vision. A blurry pale figure with long curly hair came into view.

For a second, Tony thought he imagined the voice because this figure did not belong to the god who invaded his home planet. The person was pale and gaunt, and though half-naked, Tony couldn’t discern their gender. Their long, curly black hair hung in their face and cloaked their body, spilling out onto their scarred chest. Tony could’ve sworn the voice was his, but this person in front of him held a completely different air than the god he met. This person felt ancient and powerful, the air of someone has lived 100 lives and died 100 times. That god felt like a stuck up brat who was throwing a tantrum because daddy didn’t give him a crown.

Thanos must’ve recognized the person, though, because he froze in shock. It strangely comforted Tony to see the titan in shock at the mere sight of someone, though it was most likely blood loss and delirium talking at this point. Tony let out a low giggle of hysteria. Thanos pressed his fist harder into his skull.

“Be mindful, Lord Thanos.” The person spoke again. Tony could swear it was his voice, but it was too soft, and didn’t carry its usual malicious gravel. “Mortals are very fragile, you know.”

“You…” Thanos started, then his face hardened. “You’re dead. I killed you. You’re dead.”

“Hmm…” the person hummed noncommittally. It was melodious in a broken way, like a piano out of tune. “Death is such a fickle thing… the lines are so blurry.”

The person stepped forward and Thanos straightened minutely, but it was enough to fill Tony with excitement. The person ignored the titan and swiftly crouched so that they were face to face with Tony. Tony forced his eyes to focus all the way despite the unconsciousness he felt creeping his way into his mind.

Nope. Definitely Loki.

But definitely not the Loki Tony knew.

His face was gruesomely scarred and pockmarked. His lips were torn as if they were sewn shut but then ripped open. His sharp green eyes were cloudy and unfocused and looked straight through Tony. Not-Loki raised a scarred hand to Tony’s head and darkness took his vision.

“Sleep.”

Chapter Text

14,000,605. 14,00,605 possibilities and only one success. Out of 14,000,605 possibilities, this was not a single one of them.

Stephen knew of the rumors, of course. He’d sensed the echo of a soul in Loki when they first met. He’d been warned by those before him of the danger the god possessed, and not to be fooled by his… other body. But there was always a part of Stephen that doubted - how could someone possess so much power that they could puppeteer a homunculus with most of their power sealed away by Odin himself? Especially the arrogant - and frankly weak - person Stephen met.

This person was straight out of the legends and rumors. He had the aura of an ancient and powerful being of immense ability. Stephen could see the more gruesome side of the legends were true as well. The sight of the god brought bile to Stephen’s throat, and he swallowed the bitter acid back down as waves of nausea and disgust washed over him. His hair was a long and tangled shroud, his body was littered head to toe with scars, covered in blood and bruises and dirt. His fingers were blackened with unidentifiable grime and blood that stained his too-pale skin. But the worst was his face. It was mangled nearly beyond recognition. It appeared as though someone had poured boiling acid into his face, covering the bridge of his nose in scar tissue. His eyes were cloudy and unfocused, staring straight ahead of him for miles.

Loki crouched in front of Tony Stark and placed a nimble hand on his head. “Sleep.” He said. Tony passed out immediately. Stephen snapped out of his shocked state and realized that this situation had the overwhelming potential to get very very bad very very quickly. After all, it was impossible to decipher Loki’s true motives at any given time. Though judging by Thanos’s reaction, Loki was not on the titan’s side.

“You…” Thaos steeled himself and straightened even more. Despite having a good four feet on the god, he clearly felt intimidated. Perhaps Thanos heard of the rumors as well. “You have served me well, in the past. I would forget your previous crimes if you give me the Time Stone, child.”

Loki seemed thoroughly amused by that. With a shit eating grin on his mangled face, he taunted, “Tell me, Lord Thanos, what would you do if I were to refuse you the Stone?”

Thanos’s face darkened. “I would show you the true meaning of pain, and you will suffer it tenfold.”

Loki outright laughed at that. “Pain! You don’t even know what pain is! In your miserably comfortable life, you have known nothing but power and affordability. Do not speak to me of pain, titan.”

Thanos snapped and lunged forward to wrap his gauntleted hand around the god’s throat. His hand stopped mid motion as he strained against the telekinetic hold. Loki didn’t even flinch. He merely smiled mockingly and let his head fall lazily from side to side.

“Tell me, Lord Thanos.” Loki drawled, his smile hardening and his tone dripping with poison honey. “Where is my dear brother? You didn’t kill him, did you?”

Thanos hissed as he struggled futilely against the invisible restraints. Loki circled the titan tauntingly with a grace Stephen didn’t think possible for someone in his condition. When Loki reached Thanos’s side, he released the telekinetic hold and the titan stumbled forward. “Vel nå, Lord Titan?” The god of lies crouched in front of the huge man. “Where is my brother?”

Stephen found the spider-boy crouching behind a rock with the salvaged Guardians. The daughter of Thanos Nebula was crouching in position to attack behind another rock. The ex-surgeon sighed in relief. Now if only Stephen could get to Tony. He still didn’t know if Loki meant any harm to them. It seemed obvious the god wasn’t on Thanos’s side… for now. But Stephen wasn’t willing to bet his life - or the Time Stone - on Loki’s loyalty.

“He’s alive.” Thanos confirmed, standing up. “On Terra. But his life means little to me. Give me the Time Stone, godling, or I will-”

“Will what?” Loki interrupted, all semblance of good graces falling from his destroyed face. The god’s clouded eyes didn’t focus, but stared directly through Thanos’s. The titan snapped his mouth shut. “Destroy my home? My people? My family? Me? There is nothing you can take from me that I didn’t already lose. The only person I still care about in the living world is my brother, and if you even consider hurting him you will be dead before you take your next breath.”

“Do not threaten me, failure!” Thanos roared. He was cornered like a wild animal, ready to thrash out in order to survive. Thanos was scared.

Stephen whipped his head to the Spider, and got his attention. ‘When Thanos attacks, grab the Guardians and run.’ Stephen mouthed, but the look on the teen’s face showed that he didn’t understand the message. Stephen sighed and made two ‘L’ figures with his fingers and shifted his hands. ‘Run.’ Peter’s face shifted to understanding, and Stephen was thankful the kid knew sign language. ‘When I say to, run.’ Stephen furthered in sign. Peter nodded rapidly.

This time when Thanos went for Loki’s throat, the god let him. “Give me the Stone!” Thanos cried, raising Loki off his bare and bloody feet. Loki didn’t struggle, but simply dangled there with his unfocused eyes locked on Thanos.

“No.” was the only answer Loki allowed before the Titan’s head exploded.

Chapter Text

Loki woke fully for the first time in four hundred years. The last thing they remembered was the titan Thanos crushing their windpipe and dropping their corpse before their brother’s sobbing body. Loki had been living vicariously through their homunculus for so long that they forgot what it was like to be fully conscious of the Cave.

Then the pain returned and it was as if Loki’s mind never left.

The Serpent looming above them hissed and spat more venom on their face. Loki knew it was there through magical echolocation, as the Cave was too dark to see anything. Loki coughed blood as knives dug their way through the god’s growing awareness. They were sprawled on their back across cold rock, their arms and legs bound by tough leather chains. The haziness of consciousness cleared and with sudden remembrance, Loki vomited. With their head tipped up, Loki choked on the vomit. They tried to move their head to the side to clear their airways, but the hands of a long-dead corpse held their head forward. Trying not to panic, Loki spat up as much vomit out of their mouth as they could, and swallowed down the rest. Just as Loki caught their breath, the Serpent spat more venom on their face. The air was torn from their body once again. Tears leaked from Loki’s unseeing eyes, wide with pain. They swallowed their screams, as they knew it would only agitate the Serpent more.

Loki breathed deeply through their nose and hissed it back out through their mouth. They repeated the process even through another dose of venom. They allowed the oxygen to flow through their veins, bringing feeling back to their long-cold hands and feet. Loki’s limbs tingled like pins and needles. The god was used to the pain when the Serpent spat more venom on their face.

Suddenly, a burst of energy hit Loki and they gasped. The Serpent reared its head in surprise and a gush of venom assaulted Loki’s face. They hissed through the pain and realized the energy wasn’t foreign. It filled a hole in Loki’s seiðr that they didn’t know they were missing. Loki reached out with their newly returned magic and found Odin’s spell to be slightly weaker than normal. Still strong enough to hold most mages, but Loki was not most mages.

Loki waited for the Serpent to draw more venom from its fangs. They felt the energy from the poison surging through its veins. Then its mouth opened for an assault. Loki concentrated on the Serpent’s life force, wrestling it into their grasp. The Serpent reared and hissed, confused at the meddling of its life force. Loki gritted their teeth and crushed the Serpent’s life in their hands, letting the silky threads of life spill between their nimble fingers.

The Serpent stilled as if frozen by a Jotunn’s touch, and dropped heavily onto the god beneath it. Loki gasped at the sudden weight slamming onto their already weakened body. They swore they felt a rib or two crack. Loki simply tacked it onto the already too long list of injuries.

Loki flung the corpse of the Serpent off of them telekinetically. Their body was still bound with… with their corpses and their head was still held strictly in place with… with her hands. Loki willed the second round of bile from reaching their throat, swallowing down the acid that stung their raw throat.

Carefully, Loki unraveled the gut-chords from their body. They had been attached so tightly for so long that Loki’s flesh started to heal around the chains and melded them into their body. However, they were more concerned about damaging the chains than themself. With their hands finally free, Loki reached up to their face to loosen her hands. The motion prickled their fingers. When they finally reached her hands, Loki hesitated to remove them. They softly held the hands that held their face. They carefully caressed the rotten leather, and imagined those hands in life. So warm and soft, with the smart callouses of a practiced artisan. Loki felt familiar tears well in their eyes, but they did not let them fall.

Loki’s mother told them long ago that shedding tears for the dead would make them feel guilty about dying, and they wouldn’t be able to pass on to the next life. They still didn’t know if that was true or not, but they thought it was a nice sentiment. Loki’s tears were long spent. There was no use mourning those who have already moved on.

Loki gently pried the hands off their face. They sat up with much difficulty as dormant muscles were spurred back to life. Blood rushed to their head and they saw stars. Loki closed their eyes and waited for the dizziness and nausea to pass. They reached out with their magic to assess the Cave more - as if every detail wasn’t already burned into their brain. Sigyn loomed over where their head used to lie, her body frozen solid in the cold of the Cave. Narvi and Vali’s bodies lie in twisted ropes on the cavern floor. Loki quickly gathered their sons into their arms, as if trying to shield them from the frigid cold of the Cave. Not that it would affect them much, they were half Jotunn after all. But Loki couldn’t allow their sons to lie on the disgusting Cave floor, it was undignified. Cradling their sons in their arms, Loki shuffled closer to their late wife, tipping their head gently against her frozen chest. They wished they had a robe or a cape to wrap her body with. Perhaps a cup of lavender tea to warm and sooth her.

Loki reached out with their magic again, farther this time. The entrance to the Cave was blocked with a massive boulder, but it wouldn’t be too heavy for them. Loki considered their sons’ and wife’s bodies. They would need a proper burial, they were denied one for five hundred years. It would have to wait just a while longer, however. Loki had a living brother still, and he needed them.