The Absent Prayer (Comics Canon: The Past)

[he_that_stands_it_now]

It's been a bad day.

Honestly, it's been a bad week.

Between the mess on the beach the other day and the hulking monstrosity of Nazi engineering making it's way towards him with massive flailing flaming limbs, Bucky Barnes has started to wonder if his bad temper, his foul mouth, and his flippant treatment of authority hasn't gone all the way up the line to the Big Guy Himself and gotten him attention he really didn't want.

Nonetheless, if He got him into this mess than maybe He can get him out, so he spends a couple of precious seconds in between when he lands and when he jumps again to get off a silent prayer.

Dear Whoever Is Listening, I promise I'll never talk at the movies again if you just get my backside out of the frying pan here!

Comments

[godofbadideas]

Speed it is then.

And a little fire resistance on top, because he was the god of fire, and frankly didn't care for Nazis.

[he_that_stands_it_now]

Much appreciated!

[godofbadideas]

Oh I do hope so, Loki replies. I accept offerings of breakfast meats, coffee, milkshakes, breakfast meats, blood, and breakfast meats.

[he_that_stands_it_now]

So I got to the god of all night diners?

He was fighting, fighting for his life, for his friends, but that didn't mean he couldn't spare a thought. Especially with this speed!

[godofbadideas]

Yes. Among other things, naturally.

God of all night diners? Hell yes Loki would take that.

[he_that_stands_it_now]

Not really something I'm aware of, how all that works. But lemme tell you, the speed's pretty nice.

Cap was out, knocking the chump on his face while Namor and the others got their feet under them.

[godofbadideas]

I'm glad you like it. You have about another thirty seconds of it. Unless...

[he_that_stands_it_now]

Unless?

After the beach, the fact that he was the only non-superpowered member of the Invaders was something that burned him just a little.

[godofbadideas]

Be my devotee.

Not that that has ever ended poorly for anyone, ever.

[he_that_stands_it_now]

Can we negotiate the terms properly at a later date?

[godofbadideas]

Demanding little mortal. All right, I'm feeling indulgent, go for it. Survive, and call upon me when you have.

[he_that_stands_it_now]

What name do I call, boss?

Huh, Namor actually kind of thanked him. That was new.

[godofbadideas]

Loki.

[he_that_stands_it_now]

Sounds good to me. I gotta deal with some stuff but we'll talk later, all right? Much appreciated on the save, o god of all night diners.

[godofbadideas]

Don't forget to eat.

And Loki settled down to wait, and eat his breakfast-for-dinner, and consider his new maybe-devotee.

[he_that_stands_it_now]

It's a little while later, most of the night really, before the voice comes to him again.

O Loki, God of Breakfast Whenever The Hell You Want It and Dipping Fries In Your Chocolate Milkshake Because Otherwise You're a Loon, you up for some of that negotiation?

[godofbadideas]

Grinning, because guess what he was doing when the invocation came, Loki used said invocation, and teleported; across space, and a little time, but such things weren't terribly meaningful on that kind of small scale.

"I was wondering when you'd call."

[he_that_stands_it_now]

And Bucky Barnes literally fell over his bunk onto the other side before scrambling to his knees.

"Holy #$@&, you're real."

[godofbadideas]

"You suspected otherwise?" Loki replied, keeping his own startlement well under control, because really? The desperate kid calling on his aid was James Buchanan Barnes?

[he_that_stands_it_now]

"Heat of the moment," he offered logically, "coupla knocks on the head. Fear can do a lot of things, includin' make you faster."

Not that it'd ever made him that much faster.

He stood up and walked around the bunk to peer at the new arrival.

"Snazzy gettup."

[godofbadideas]

"I am a god," he pointed out. "And a prince of Asgard. Snazzy getup goes with the territory."

[he_that_stands_it_now]

"Well, la de dah," he said with a little wiggle of his fingers, "I ain't never met a god before. Not really familiar with the niceties."

[godofbadideas]

"Well, most of you lot these days are monotheists with a fixation on a deity who never bothers to show his face, so I can hardly fault you or that."

[he_that_stands_it_now]

"Never had much truck with any god," he admitted as he offered his meager bunk for a seat. Thankfully, Cap was off getting debriefed and Toro was off with Jim, so he had the tent to himself for the time being.

[godofbadideas]

Loki settled on the bunk like it was a solid gold throne.

"Not many people have the nerve to offer to negotiate, you know," he said approvingly.