Attack on Earth Part 2

Plot: The group head to New York seeking help from the remaining Avengers.

Tone: Serious

Warning: SUICIDE TRIGGER WARNING. Toward the end of this chapter, a character attempts suicide by slitting their wrists. Loki stops them and it is discussed afterward.

The guardians, along with Sif, Valkyrie, and about twenty Asgardian warriors boarded the ship and made a swift, almost instantaneous flight to New York. Loki's breath was caught in his throat when the ship landed. As everyone filed out, Loki tried to walk in the middle of the crowd and kept his head low. The group made their way through the packed streets. A few people passing by shot glares at Loki.

"Hey, that's the man who attacked New York!" a man shouted, pointing at Loki. The crowd turned to Loki.

"Murderer!"

"I had to move out of my house because of you!"

"I lost my job!"

"I lost my wife!"

Loki looked away and summoned a hood, his heart pricking with guilt. Something hit his head. He didn't need to look to know that one of the New Yorkers had thrown something at him.

"Hey, you good?" Quill asked, pushing through the crowd of Asgardians to walk beside Loki.

"I'm alright," Loki grunted, rolling his eyes.

"So, where exactly are we going?" Rocket asked, glancing at Loki.

"Stark tower," Loki replied, biting his lip. "The building with the big 'A' on it." His grief over his friend and discomfort with being back in New York were now mingled.

After a bit of walking, the group spotted the building in question. Outside, was a huge green figure. Loki recoiled almost on instinct before he took a deep breath and made his way toward Bruce.

"Hello, Bruce." Bruce/Hulk glared at him. Loki staggered back, stifling a yelp as he summoned his knives.

Bruce let out a chuckle. "I'm just kidding with you, man." He gestured toward them as he pushed the door of the tower open. "Come on in."

Loki marched toward him, getting rid of his daggers. "Do that again and I might have to remove your face," Loki growled, strutting past him.

Bruce just smiled. "Everyone else is on the next floor. You might, uh, have to take multiple elevators up."

"I'll take the stairs," Loki replied, stepping out of the crowd. "Elevators are too crowded."

"You walked in the middle of a crowd to get here," Bruce replied, walking beside Loki. The two made their way toward the stairs.

"That was better than facing the angry mob of New Yorkers," Loki sighed, his gaze shifting toward the ground.

"Angry mob of-" Bruce's eyes widened in realization. "Oh…"

"I know they can't harm me, I'm not afraid. I just… what I did was horrible, even if I wasn't in full control."

Bruce's gaze was soft. "Hey, it wasn't your fault, everyone knows that now. Just ignore their ignorance."

"It's not ignorance," Loki grunted, stopping right before another flight of stairs. Bruce stopped in front of him. "I destroyed their homes, killed their families. Whether I was in control or not is irrelevant."

"It's completely relevant!" Bruce threw his uninjured arm into the air. "They're blaming the wrong person."

"That might be so, but they have the right to be upset. I'm upset..." Letting out a sigh, Loki continued up the steps. Bruce walked by his side.

"I know how you feel," he sighed, dipping his head.

Loki raised an eyebrow. "You do?"

"When Hulk and I were separate, the Hulk was an unstoppable killing machine. He would destroy buildings, take lives… and I wouldn't know any of it until after the fact." Bruce let out a sigh. "But that's in the past, as is your attack on earth."

Loki nodded, feeling an unexpected pang of sympathy for Bruce. They made their way toward the next floor. The entire room looked like a huge breakroom, with one area having a circle of couches while the other was like a kitchen, with a small table not far from the counters. People were sitting in chairs and couches. The guardians had made it upstairs and sat isolated from the others in the kitchen. Loki observed the others.

Sitting with the Asgardian warriors, Loki recognized Pepper, Rhodey, Clint, Peter Parker, and for some reason, Steve. However, there was also a man with long brown hair and a metal arm, a dark-skinned man holding the Captain America shield, and a woman with long red hair. Loki was sure he had seen all of them during the Battle of Earth but didn't know their names.

"Hi, Mr. Loki!" Peter greeted with a wave.

"Hello," Loki replied, leaning against the wall. His gaze shifted toward Steve. "Rogers, what are you doing here?"

"The same thing as all of you," he replied, shifting in place a little. "I came to help. Even if I can't fight like I used to, I want to do something."

"You really don't have to," the brown-haired man insisted, resting his metal hand on Steve's shoulder.

"You know why I have to, Bucky," Steve replied, pushing the man's hand aside.

"But you don't even have your shield anymore!" Bucky protested, his eyes huge. "You can't- I can't-" He let out a sigh, his head hung low. Loki raised an eyebrow.

"You really don't have to help," the red-haired woman replied. She had a noticeable accent that Loki couldn't recognize. "We can handle this ourselves."

"Can we though?" Clint asked. He met Loki's gaze. "Pepper told us these things aren't of this world. Is that true?"

"It is," Loki answered, dipping his head.

"Um, what are we fighting exactly?" Peter, tilting his head to the side.

"Fire demons," Valkyrie answered, nodding to him. "From the realm of Muspulheim. One touch from them will burn your skin." She grabbed her own arm for emphasis.

"Why do you guys call them realms?" Rhodey asked, gesturing with his arms. "They're just planets, aren't they?"

"Well, yes," Sif cut in. "But they're different from other planets."

Rhodey still looked confused. "How?"

"They're connected through Yggdrasil, or the Bifrost," Valkyrie explained, nodding to Sif.

"They also all orbit Earth much like Earth orbits the sun," Loki added.

"Alright, guys, stay focused," Pepper cut in, gesturing to everyone. "Loki." The two met each other's gaze. "You said they attacked New Asgard?"

Loki nodded. "That is correct."

"Who won that battle?"

"Well, they got away so technically nobody."

"So if you guys won." Loki glared at Bruce when he spoke up. "Well, drove them off, why do you think they'll attack again?"

"Midgard is an easy target," Sif replied, waving her spear around. "The fire demons know that and they now have easy access to your realm. Why wouldn't they attack again?" Valkyrie shrugged in agreement.

"What we need to know is where and when they will attack," Loki added, nodding to them.

"How are we supposed to know that?" Peter asked, raising an eyebrow. "Are you tracking them or something?"

"I thought it was common knowledge that all aliens attack New York." Loki nearly burst out laughing, he could barely say that with a straight face. To his surprise, several people murmured in agreement.

"I mean…"

"It is a pretty big city."

"...an obvious target."

Loki glanced at the guardians. Mantis was giggling into her hand, while Quill and Rocket smirked knowingly at each other.

"Either New York or Germany," Clint added, rolling his eyes.

"Guys, I was-" Loki covered his mouth to stop himself from laughing. "I was just kidding."

"You have a point though," Bruce replied, pointing at him. "They'd probably go for a big city."

"That would end up in the news," the red-haired woman commented, pulling out a phone.

"Yeah, we should keep an eye on it," Clint replied, nodding to her. "I mean, that's all we really can do for now."

"So that's it?" Rhodey asked, standing up. "We're just gonna sit here and wait for them to attack?"

"What other choice do we have?" the man with the shield asked, leaning back on the couch. "We don't know where these things are, or if they'll even attack." The man cast a glare at Loki.

I thought we already established that they ARE going to attack?

"I never got your name," Loki replied, gesturing to the man. The man exchanged a glance with Steve, looking completely baffled.

"You heard him," Steve replied, gesturing to Loki. "Tell him your name."

"Name's Sam," the man grunted, rolling his eyes. "Don't bother introducing yourself, I know who you are."

"I know," Loki replied, flipping his hair to get part of it out of his face. "I'm quite well known on this planet."

"That's not a good thing, you know," Sam replied, his eyes narrowed.

"It is now, isn't it? I did help defeat Thanos, after all."

A few people muttered in agreement as the group began to disperse. Loki forced a smile as his mind wandered back to the angry mob of New Yorkers. Who am I kidding? Some people will never come around.

Loki and Mantis were sitting together at the kitchen table, eating sandwiches while everyone anxiously awaited some kind of sign of an attack. Hours had passed and there was still nothing.

"What did you say these were again?" Mantis asked, taking a bite of her sandwich.

"Peanut butter and jelly," Loki replied, placing his aside. "One of my only meals for five years."

Mantis smiled. "That's a bit of an exaggeration, isn't it?"

"Not really," Loki answered with a shrug. "You'd be surprised how much meat the people of Earth eat."

"Too much," Mantis commented, sticking her tongue. Loki chuckled, then nodded in agreement.

Peter dashed into the room, his suit on, and his phone in his hand.

"They're attacking New York!" he exclaimed, holding up his phone to display a news article. Loki and Mantis leaped to their feet. Everyone dashed out of the hall and jumped off the couch.

"Of course they are," Rhodey grunted, adjusting part of his suit.

"Where in New York?" Bucky asked, glancing at Peter.

"Brooklyn," he answered.

"We can walk that," Steve replied, pushing the door open. "Come on."

The group charged past Steve and down the stairs. Pepper ran down one of the hallways.

"I'll catch up!" she called, dashing down one of the halls. Everyone else charged down the stairs and out of the building like a crazed mob. Bucky and Steve were far behind.

Quill, Rocket, Groot, and Nebula grabbed their guns, while Drax and Gamora unsheathed their knives. Peter put on his mask, panting as he ran.

"Are you sure we can run that far?!" he asked, pointing at the smoke that rose from behind the tall buildings.

"I ran this distance all the time when I was your age," Bucky grunted, rolling his eyes. "Really, kids these days." Steve nodded in agreement.

That's a lie for sure, Loki thought.

"I'm gonna go on ahead," Peter grunted, extending his hand with his fingers pointed toward the building.

Loki grabbed Peter's wrist. "No, you're not," he growled, pulling Peter back. Peter flinched, squirming out of Loki's grip. "You can't face the fire demons alone!"

"Sheesh, okay Mr. Star-" Loki's eyes widened. "Mr. Loki!" Peter and Loki both looked down at the ground, shaking their heads clear as they ran.

The group rounded the block, skidding to a halt. Fire demons were running rampant through the streets, tearing down parts of buildings and throwing street lights to the ground. Some of them had clearly combined, as they towered above the humans, who were fleeing the street, sheltering in buildings or dashing past the group.

"Get the civilians to safety!" Valkyrie ordered, gesturing to her warriors. "Contain the fire demons to this street!"

The Asgardian warriors charged into battle, with Sif and Valkyrie in the lead. Loki did the same. He summoned his knives, slashing them across a fire demon's throat with ease. The demon's head lolled back and it crumbled into pieces. More fire demons charged at Loki, surrounding him from every angle within moments.

There was a shriek. Loki looked around, summoning knives and flinging them telekinetically at all the fire demons that surrounded him. When they flopped over, Loki noticed some humans pointing at him.

"Loki! He's trying to kill us again!" a woman exclaimed, ducking behind a fire hydrant.

"This must be his army!" a man added, pointing at the fire demons.

Loki's eyes narrowed. Do they not see me fighting them?!

"No, I'm not-" Loki stopped when a scream broke the air.

He turned to see a woman, holding a baby and fleeing from a fire demon about twice her height. Heart skipping a beat, Loki lunged in front of the mother. He shielded her with his arms, flinging his knives telekinetically at the fire demon to knock it over. Condensing the air above it, Loki made water splash onto the demon. It sprawled out and yowled. Then moments later, the demon melted into nothing.

"Are you alright?" Loki asked, turning to the mother.

The mother was shaking, clutching her baby close to her chest. "I'm… fine," she answered, her eyes wide.

"Good." Loki turned to the others. "Get out of this city, all of you. We're trying to contain the threat for now!"

A fire demon lunged at him. Loki turned toward it, blocking its attack with his knives and kicking it over. Ice shot out of the ground to impale it.

"How do we know we can trust you?!" a man demanded, pointing at Loki. "You could be lying!"

"He's not lying." Steve shambled up, limping slightly in his old age. Murmurs of surprise rose from the humans.

"That's Steve Rogers!"

"The retired Captain America!"

"You need to leave the city," Steve rasped, gesturing for people to follow him. "Drive as far away as possible."

Loki leaped out of the way of another fire demon's attack, causing it to ram into another fire demon. They both flopped to the ground. Loki doused both of them with water.

"We're New Yorkers!" a woman snapped, throwing her arms out. "We don't have cars!"

"I don't even have a license!" a teen boy added, raising his hand.

"Then run!" Steve snapped, rolling his eyes. "I ran all the way here, and I'm almost two hundred years old!"

The crowd exchanged glances before nodding. Groups of people began charging through battle. Valkyrie sliced three demons in half with one powerful swing of her sword to allow a man and his children to get through. Clint jumped in front of a young child to shield them. He shot an arrow at one of the bigger fire demons, only making it stumble it backward. Wanda lifted several fire demons into the air. A crowd of people ran under them. Once they were out of the way, Wanda slammed the fire demons into the ground, splitting them to pieces. Sam ran with the crowd of humans, holding up his shield to block any attacks and allow them to get through. Then he lunged back into battle, shooting at the demons as he soared over them. Mantis dashed between a human and a fire demon. Pressing her hands against the fire demon's face, Mantis put it to sleep, then kicked it away.

A gray figure zipped through the sky. Once it was close enough, Loki realized that it was a suit of armour. Definitely something Tony made. The armoured person landed with a thud beside Loki, tearing back the mask to reveal…

"Pepper!" Loki cheered, smiling brightly.

"Am I late?" Peper asked, straightening up and putting her mask back on.

A swath of fire demons began charging toward them. Pepper shot them down with her hands. Loki lunged at the fire demons and continued to slice them to pieces.

He was again surrounded. Loki took a few steps back, gasping when he bumped into something. There was a gasp behind him. It was Bucky. The two glanced at each other for a moment before turning back to the fire demons. Bucky shot them down with his gun. One of them lunged at him, forcing Bucky to fling it off with his metal arm. The demon staggered to stand.

Loki gazed up at the air, his hands shaking as he began to condense the air above them into water. The sky began to darken. After a few moments, water fell from the sky in one blob, splashing on the fire demons and melting them. Bucky glanced at Loki, his eyes wide.

"What was that?!" he exclaimed, taking a step back.

"I condensed the air into water," Loki replied, turning around.

A mob of fire demons was charging at them. Directing his energy at the water beneath him, Loki flung it at the fire demons, freezing it into ice and impaling them.

"That's impressive," Bucky commented, shooting a few fire demons.

Peter swung overhead, shooting some webbing at a few fire demons to trap them.

"Dude, Loki, when did you become a water bender?!" he called, landing on a nearby building.

"I'm not, I-"

"You're like Katana, from that old show…" He shot some more webbing at a fire demon without even looking. "What was it called?"

"Avatar the Last Airbender is not old!" Loki called, his shoulder blazing as a fire demon grabbed him. Loki turned around and sliced it to pieces with his knife. "And it's Katara!" Loki added.

"Hey, give me a break. I haven't seen that show since I was a kid!" Peter suddenly gasped, his masked gaze fixed on something down the street. Loki glanced at it too. The fire demons were jumping at each other, combining into a bigger one.

"What are they doing?!" Bruce asked, his eyes wide.

"Fusing," Loki replied, summoning longer knives.

"We're all screwed," Nebula grunted, resting her hand on her forehead. The guardians and avengers began to group up as the fire demons charged toward the ever-growing one. Once it stopped growing, the demon was about as tall as Stark Tower. It let out a huge roar.

"Quill, can you throw another grenade at the giant?" Mantis asked, her eyes wild.

"I can't! It���ll nuke the whole city!"

"That's an exaggeration," Clint replied, shooting an arrow at the fire demon.

There was an explosion and the giant's chest split open, and Loki could see the buildings on the other side of it. The demon looked down at its chest. Moments later, the hole filled up again and the demon stomped on, its roar cracking the air.

"That did nothing!" Rocket exclaimed, shooting down some smaller fire demons who charged toward the growing one.

Clint rolled his eyes. "Well, I'm sorry mister raccoon. Have you got any better ideas?!" Loki's eyes widened.

"Raccoon?!" Rocket threw himself at Clint, claws unsheathed.

"Hey! Stop!" Loki summoned a wall of ice in front of Rocket, who slammed into it face first and fell to the ground. He jumped to his feet, glaring at Loki.

"He called me a raccoon!"

"I don't care! No in-fighting!" Loki gestured to the lumbering tower of doom slowly approaching them. "We have bigger things to worry about!��

"Wait… the ice!" Bruce stomped toward Loki. "Loki, that ice thing. Can you do it to the giant?"

Loki glanced at the giant. Straining his hands, he condensed as much of the air into water as he could. A wave of water splashed on the giant. Flicking his hands, Loki froze all of the water into ice, which encased the demon's upper body. However, the ice shattered in seconds, and the demon lumbered on.

"I'm not powerful enough to do it on my own!" Loki exclaimed, almost falling over as he struggled to get his balance.

"Not powerful enough?!" Sam nearly tripped as he landed. "Is this seriously the guy who attacked New York?!" he demanded, gesturing to Loki.

"Under Thanos's control!" Quill snapped before Loki could say anything.

"While in possession of two infinity stones!" Mantis added, shoving another small fire demon into the ground.

The giant ran its fingers through one of the buildings, slashing parts of it through the sky. A red flare surrounded the debris. Loki glanced at Wanda, who flung the rubble aside. However, the top of the building was now covered in fire, and parts of it began to crumble to the ground. The fire demon did the same to the buildings around it as it lumbered closer.

Rocket, Quill, and Pepper flew around the giant, shooting wildly at it, while Clint shot a barrage of exploding arrows at it. Wanda stood in place, attempting to force the giant into place with her powers. Nothing was working.

Loki was caught in the middle of the smaller fire demons. Flinging knives and ice at them was beginning to tire him out, like a fire being repeatedly doused with water. His energy seemed to be sapped. He was on the sidewalk when a civilian ran out of one of the crumbling buildings. Loki glanced at the human. He was covered in burn marks and was screaming in pain. A few of the fire demons looked at him. One of the demons charged at the human, closing the distance between them faster and faster. Loki was about to attack when someone yowled,

��NOOO!"

A blurry shape lunged between the fire demon and the civilian, allowing the civilian to run away. There was another scream; an oddly familiar scream. The fire demon flung the shape out of the way, and it landed to the side with a grunt. Then Loki realized who it was.

"STEVE!" a voice cried from the battlefield field.

"Oh my god!"

Loki flung the fire demons out of the way, ignoring the blazing feeling in his skin as he dashed toward Steve. Bucky and Sam were at his sides in moments. The three men fell to their knees in front of Steve.

"Steve, what did you do?!" Bucky demanded, grabbing the old man's shoulders. Steve's only answer was a groan. His neck and chest were covered in blackened marks as if someone had thrown him in a fire.

"You!" Loki's eyes widened when Bucky turned to him. "Help me carry him. We're getting him to the hospital. Now." The desperation in Bucky's eyes told Loki not to argue.

He nodded, grabbing one of Steve's arms and putting it around his shoulders. Bucky did the same. The two got to their feet and dashed down the street, Steve swaying between them. Sam trailed after them. The sounds of the battle faded as they ran, sharply turning a corner and charging through the doors of the nearest hospital. A woman behind the front desk gasped at the sight of them.

"Oh my goodness, what happened?!"

"Third-degree burns," Loki answered, almost instantly.

"This is Steve Rogers, the retired Captain America, can you get him treatment?!" Bucky was shaking as he gestured to Steve.

"Um…" The woman's eyes were wide as she dialed a number on her phone. "Hi, these guys just came in with the retired Captain America-" The woman nodded. "Yes, Steve Rogers. He's injured. He's covered in third-degree burns, can you-" There was another pause. "Okay, perfect." She put the phone down and looked back at the group. "Room A-one, floor two."

Loki and Bucky nodded and charged toward the elevator.

"Thank you," Sam nodded to the woman at the front desk before following Loki and Bucky.

The elevator door closed behind him. The ride up to the second floor was silent, apart from Bucky frantically tapping his foot. Finally, the door opened. Loki and Bucky charged toward the first patient room labeled "Room A1" and practically flung him on the bed. A nurse was in front of Steve in moments.

"How did this happen?!" she demanded, grabbing some supplies from nearby.

"Have you looked at the news?!" Bucky snapped, flaring up like a lion about to attack.

"There are these things attacking Brooklyn," Sam cut in, closing the door behind him as he entered. "They're made of fire and burn whatever they touch."

"Why was he in a battle?!" the nurse demanded, gesturing to Steve. "He's too old for that kind of stuff!"

"He insisted on going, I told him not to!" Bucky yowled, his eyes watering. "He was trying to save someone," he muttered, falling to his knees. "He was always a martyr."

Loki felt a pang of sympathy for Bucky. He hadn't known him long, but he could tell that Bucky and Steve were close.

"Can you help him?" Loki asked, gesturing to Steve.

"I don't know," the nurse sighed, her head drooping. "But I do know that I can't do it alone. It's so much worse than I thought." She looked up at Loki and Sam. "The three of you wait outside. I'm going to get some more nurses."

She dashed out of the room, followed by Sam. Loki glanced at Bucky. The man let out a sigh, forcing himself to his feet. The two left the room. Loki leaned against the wall, grabbing his communicator. There was a new message.

January 13th

Pepper: Where are you? We've been forced to flee the battle and we can't find you, Bucky, or Sam.

Loki swiftly typed out a response.

Me: I'm with them at the hospital. Steve's been injured.

The reply was almost instantaneous.

Pepper: What?! How bad is it?!

Me: Quite bad. Third-degree burns.

Pepper: We're on our way.

"Are you seriously texting right now?!" Bucky demanded, bristling with rage.

"Pepper asked where we were," Loki answered, flicking the communicator. "The others are on their way."

"They fled from the battle?!" Sam asked, his eyes wide.

"We fled too," Loki replied, looking away. "There was nothing more any of us could've done." Was that really the truth?

A few nurses dashed past them, holding various tools and antibiotics, and into Steve's room, slamming the door behind them.

"Right now, I just hope Steve is okay," Sam sighed, his head dropping.

"Me too," Bucky replied, nodding. Loki nodded as well.

Minutes later, six people came barrelling up the stairs. Loki glanced at them. Clint, Bruce, Wanda, Pepper, Rhodey, and Peter were dashing toward them, calling their names.

"Where's Steve?!" Clint asked, looking wildly around the hallway.

"In that room," Sam replied, pointing at the door. "They told us to wait outside; there are some nurses treating him."

"Where are the others?" Loki asked, glancing at Pepper.

"Your friends are okay," Pepper informed, nodding vigorously. "They went with the Asgardians."

Loki glanced at his bracelet. He tapped it a few times, making it glow green. Moments, later, it glowed again, blinking on and off a few times without him touching it. Loki let out a sigh of relief. She's okay...

"How bad is it?" Clint asked, looking between Loki, Bucky, and Steve.

"Third-degree burns," Loki answered, dipping his head. "We got him here as fast as we could."

The other frantically chatted amongst themselves, while Loki awkwardly stood off to the side.

"Is he…" Everyone looked at Peter, who was shaking. "Going to live?"

"HOW DARE YOU SUGGEST SUCH A THING?!" Bucky was seething with rage as he stomped toward Peter.

"Bucky! Don't!" Loki growled, standing between him and Peter. Loki and Bucky glared at each other in silence for a moment before Bucky let out a sigh and took a step back.

The room door swung open. Loki looked up to see one of the nurses, his head hung low.

"His wounds are too severe," he informed, his voice heavy, "We're losing him."

Sam let out a breathless gasp. Pepper, Wanda, and Clint stared at the nurse with wide eyes while Bucky's face seemed to be numb of all emotion, though he was ever so slightly trembling.

"He wants to talk to everyone who's here for him," the nurse added, pulling the door open for them.

Everyone filed into the room, their heads hung low. Loki took a step back. Pepper cast a glance back at him.

"You too, Loki," she replied, gesturing to him.

Loki blinked at her in surprise but obliged and followed her inside. The nurse closed the door behind them. Steve was laying on the bed, his wounds now completely blackened and shriveled. The heart rate monitor was beeping every now and then. No one could bring themselves to speak. They all stared at Steve, eyes wide as they stared at their teammate… former teammate?

"Steve…" Bucky spoke first, taking a step toward Steve. A sob broke past his lips and he fell to his knees by Steve's bedside. "You didn't have to do that," he whimpered, his hair covering his face.

Maybe he didn't, a voice in Loki's head chided, You were nearby too. Why didn't you help? Loki clenched his jaw.

"It was the right thing," Steve replied. His voice was so raspy now that Loki could barely hear him.

"Don't die on us!" Bucky yowled, his fists clenched around the sheets. "Don't die on me! Please, Steve! I need you!" He broke off to sob, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I have no one else but you!"

"Buck…" Steve's eyes rippled. The heart rate monitor was slowing. "That doesn't have to be the case."

Bucky didn't respond. Loki glanced at him, wondering if he should comfort him. But what could I say?

"Steve…" Bruce spoke up, his voice steady even as his eyes watered. "What you did was very noble."

"We'll always remember you for that," Clint added, dipping his head.

Steve nodded. The heart rate monitor began to slow as Steve rested his head on the pillow. "Peggy…" He murmured. "I'm coming…" His eyes fluttered shut. The monitor flatlined, and a horrible screech filled the room.

A few sobs pierced the air. Loki looked away, his eyes watering slightly. Bucky suddenly shot to his feet, walking backward away from Steve, sobbing and trembling intensely.

"I was always going to outlive him," he muttered, "I knew I would have to deal with this!"

Bucky charged toward the door. There was a clank as he bumped into one of the desks before he dashed out the door. The room fell silent. Everyone glanced at the entrance, their eyes wide.

"Should we… go after him?" Peter asked, shaking like a leaf in the wind.

"Give him a minute," Sam replied, biting his lip as tears poured down his face. "He's just grieving."

Loki glanced at the desk. Was it just him or were some of the scalpels… missing?

His eyes widened. Heart skipping a beat, Loki charged out of the room and toward the stairs. He looked wildly around the lobby. The door was swinging closed as Bucky charged out of the building. Loki followed him. Bucky fell to his knees on the sidewalk, holding up the scalpels. Barely thinking, Loki lunged at him. Bucky let out a yelp of surprise as Loki grabbed his wrists, holding them apart. The scalpels fell to the ground as Bucky struggled

"My god!" Bucky wriggled free of Loki's grasp. "What are you trying to do? Kill me?!" he demanded, taking a step back.

"What are you trying to do?! Make an incision?!" Loki snapped back, grabbing the scalpels. The two stared at each other, panting as Loki got rid of the scalpels.

"Leave me alone," Bucky growled, turning away.

"No, you listen to me right now." Loki stepped in front of Bucky, his voice as stern as an angry parent. "You are not allowed to give up. I know it hurts but this is not a reason to end your life. Nothing is!"

"You wouldn't understand," Bucky sighed, looking away.

Loki took a deep breath to calm his anger then sighed, "Yes I do, Tony was my best friend… and I lost him."

Bucky met his gaze. "He was more than that to you though," he muttered, his gaze oddly soft. "Wasn't he?"

Loki bit his lip. "In my heart, yes, but he was only ever a friend... and I cherished every moment of that."

"You do know then." Loki blinked, his eyes widening with surprise. Then he nodded. "But how did you stop grieving?" Bucky asked, looking away.

Loki rested his hand on Bucky's shoulder. "I didn't."

He stiffened when Bucky threw his arms around him, sobbing into his shoulder. Loki hugged him back. Something odd surged within him: a need to protect this person he barely knew, to make sure he didn't hurt himself. Loki's eyes widened. Is this… how Tony felt about me?