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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[godofbadideas]

Loki laughed, and helped himself to a few more fries as well.

"I knew I liked you."

[he_that_stands_it_now]

"I should hope so. I did you solid up till I died, and then I kept doin' you solid even when I didn't know it."

[godofbadideas]

"I would never have given you the knife if I didn't think you were good for it."

[he_that_stands_it_now]

"Now, that's something I've wondered for the longest time. Why DID you give me that knife?"

[godofbadideas]

"Because I like you," he said simply. There was more to it, of course; because he knew what Bucky's life would hold, because he was curious, because-- "And because it seemed like a good idea at the time."

[he_that_stands_it_now]

"Didn't like me enough to pull me outta that situation I was in, though. Guess it served you well enough."

[godofbadideas]

"Unfortunately, the situation you were in..." He shook his head. "Let's just say I've seen several worlds where Bucky Barnes was never the Winter Soldier, and they were not, actually, better off than those where you were."

[he_that_stands_it_now]

"Including for me? Or was that just a matter of me takin' it for my country?"

[godofbadideas]

"A lot of times you end up messily dead," Loki stated matter-of-factly.

[he_that_stands_it_now]

"And the times when you chose to step in?"

Because he can't imagine a world where he didn't have his god of breakfast foods.

[godofbadideas]

"Interstellar shenanigans, and then you end up messily dead," Loki replied. "And the people here in Midgard were the worse for it. In the few universes where we've met, anyway."

[he_that_stands_it_now]

"Few? What, you left me hangin' on the other ones? I'd pout if I didn't know you better."

But he seems satisfied by the response.

[godofbadideas]

"You didn't always ask for help," Loki said. "Or... Well, there are a lot of factors."

He swiped the last two fries, and shrugged.

[he_that_stands_it_now]

"Then those other mes didn't have the sense you gave a couch cushion," he observed as he sipped on the remainder of his shake.

[godofbadideas]

"No, they didn't," he agreed. "...are you ready?" he asked, when the milkshakes and fries were all gone.

[he_that_stands_it_now]

"If you can get us someplace a little more private, sure."

He leaned back in his seat.

[godofbadideas]

"Then take my hand," Loki said, holding it out over the table.

[he_that_stands_it_now]

He slipped his hand into the gods and gave him a rakish grin.

"You takin' me to the spring social?"

[godofbadideas]

Loki curled his fingers (cooler than a human's, noticeably so) around Bucky's, and returned the grin, eyes glittering playfully.

"Would you go if I asked?"

Before Bucky could reply though, he transported them away from the diner, to someplace safe, and private.

His very ordinary-looking apartment.

[he_that_stands_it_now]

"...why do you have a massive picture of Thor thwacking someone?" was the first question.

[godofbadideas]

"Because he's my brother, and it is an excellent thwacking, and he made the most marvelous face when he saw it."

[he_that_stands_it_now]

...which was when things started filtering into place.

"Wait a minute. You're that--"

He had literally never put that together. Literally. THAT Loki. His god, the one who'd given him his knife, was THAT LOKI.

"...well shit."

[godofbadideas]

Out came the phone, and he was so taking your picture Bucky before dissolving into a very godly gigglefit.

[he_that_stands_it_now]

That got a very flat look from James.

"God, you are five."

[godofbadideas]

There was a very undignified gigglesnort, and Loki grinned at him.

"You expected something else?"