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!

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[he_that_stands_it_now]

That was a look.

"Think that can be arranged."

[godofbadideas]

Loki grinned. It wasn't a pleasant grin.

"I rather thought that might be the case."

[he_that_stands_it_now]

Then there was a noise and he shooed his god with one hand.

"You gotta get outta here. Cap's on the way back!"

[godofbadideas]

"The others are also sacred sites. If you have need of shelter, you and yours will be safe there," Loki said quickly, before he faded from sight with a wink.

[he_that_stands_it_now]

He breathed out a sigh as Steve made his way into the tent to head to bed.

A few days later, Loki might feel the rush of quite a few sacrifices on a particular site, as well as be made aware of the fact that there was a massive fiery explosion that destroyed the HYDRA installation there.

[godofbadideas]

Yes. He very definitely felt that.

Sacrifice in blood and fire - very definitely the best and most delicious kind.

And having a reactivated sacred site didn't hurt at all.

[he_that_stands_it_now]

The other sites were cleaned.

The years went on.

There weren't any prayers after a certain point, except perhaps a hollow, confused question or two. The knife, however. The knife ate well.

Until one day, one day long after that first meeting when a soft voice spoke out into the darkness.

You still there? I've got a second shake on the way.

[godofbadideas]

He really hadn't been expecting any, after a certain point. After all, he knew what waiting in the future for Bucky Barnes, and none of it was pretty.

It was once Loki was back to his proper place in the timeline, when things were on the path they ought to be, that he started wondering. Until he didn't, anymore.

Of course I'm still here. I've always been here.

And then Loki appeared in the seat opposite.

[he_that_stands_it_now]

The chocolate shake was pushed over towards him.

"Been a while. Huh."

[godofbadideas]

Loki grinned, and wrapped his hands around the shake, taking a long pull through the straw before answering.

"You could say that."

[he_that_stands_it_now]

"Well, for us non-god types."

He popped a french fry into his own chocolate shake and pushed the plate of them into the middle of the table to share.

[godofbadideas]

"Thank you." Loki helped himself to the fries, alternately dipping them in ketchup and his shake.

"Yes. So, you're back to yourself now."

[he_that_stands_it_now]

"For a given value of myself," he said with a shrug.

[godofbadideas]

"I could help with that," Loki pointed out. "It would be horribly unpleasant, but I doubt that's much of a deterrent, at this point."

[he_that_stands_it_now]

"I've had my fill of horribly unpleasant, but what's another one on the pile? Pretty sure I wracked up some credit over the years."

[godofbadideas]

"You certainly have. ...If it's any comfort, the horribly unpleasant part only applies to you, not anybody else."

[he_that_stands_it_now]

"Well, then..."

He looked at his god.

"Might as well lay it on me."

[godofbadideas]

"You don't want that here," Loki said, very seriously. "Finish your milkshake. I'll take you someplace safe."

[he_that_stands_it_now]

"Didn't figure so. I was more making sure you knew I was interested."

He sucks in a bit of chocolate shake.

"Besides, the fries are good."

[godofbadideas]

"They really are. You know, they fry them in lard here?"

[he_that_stands_it_now]

"What else would the fry them in? Don't taste half as good otherwise."

[godofbadideas]

Loki glanced about, leaned in, and in a horrified whisper said,

"Vegetable oil."

[he_that_stands_it_now]

"...what the shit is that?"

[godofbadideas]

"They make it from corn, and peanuts, and sunflower seeds, and all sorts of things that start as plants, and are definitely not the deliciously rendered fat of animals."

[he_that_stands_it_now]

"Why the hell would you do that?"