Shattered-(A Loki Fanfic and sequel to Broken)

Chapter Twenty-Four

"Rhodey, where's Sam?" the Captain asked. The man looked sad, as if he didn't want to answer. It took me a moment to realize why.

"I'm sorry, Steve. He's..." He looked down. Captain America —can I call him Steve now?—looked down, too.

"I'm sorry, Steve," the Widow said. She placed a hand on his back and rubbed it up and down. I looked at Steve's face. His eyes were broken, and it reminded me of all the dark things that had been happening lately.

I looked down at the ground. All of the sadness was just not something I wanted to watch. Loki must have sensed it because he rubbed his hand up and down on my arm.

I heard the scooting of feet and looked up. I saw Rocket depressingly scooting closer with his gun dragging on the ground.

"Rocket?" I asked. He looked up, his eyes watery. I looked around and didn't see Groot anywhere near him. "Oh no." Loki looked confused, but Rocket just slowly nodded. "I'm so sorry."

He sniffed and wiped his eyes. He sat down and put his head in his hands.

"Do not fret, Rabbit. It will be all right," Thor said.

"Rabbit?" I whispered to Loki. "Did he just call him a rabbit?"

"He, um, He wasn't always the brightest when it came to Midgardian animals," Loki replied.

"Oh." Thor patted Rocket's head. He flinched but didn't stop him.

Steve stood up, glancing around with his hand above his eyes. I guessed he was looking for anyone else that was coming.

A woman approached, looking sad. But she wasn't the only one. She wore an African-looking outfit that was mostly orange. She had golden rings around her neck and a saved head. She held a golden spear in her hand. In all honesty, she looked pretty awesome.

"The king is... gone," she said grimly. " The Black Panther is no more." I didn't know who that was, but I had been gone for a long time. I was probably pretty behind on current superheroes.

Then, I heard loud, metallic footsteps grow closer. I turned to see a giant Iron Man suit with a missing arm, about as big as the Hulk. My brows furrowed as I slunk back into Loki's arm.

The helmet opened to reveal none other than Bruce Banner. I sighed as my body relaxed. "Lilith?" he asked. His gaze turned to my right. "Loki?"

"Hey there," I said.

"You know her?" the Widow asked.

"We, uh, We met out in space. It was... a weird experience," he answered. "Can I get out of this thing now?" The Black Widow nodded and the giant suit of armor opened up. Bruce hopped out and landed awkwardly on the ground.

He walked over by me and Loki. "So, um, how have you guys been since I last saw you?" I could tell he was just trying to make the best out of a bad situation.

"We're fine. I mean, we're engaged now, so that's a plus," I answered. His eyes widened.

"Engaged?"

"Yeah, it means we plan to get married," I said sarcastically.

"Watch yourself," the Widow snapped. I slouched back into Loki's arm again.

"Nat, calm down. She's fine," Steve said.

"It's not her that I'm worried about," she said, glaring at Loki.

"Then stop snapping at her," Steve told her. "Besides, a wedding seems like a light in the dark right now."

"You're kidding," she said. Steve shook his head. "Alright then, I guess there's going to be a wedding." She rolled her eyes and looked away.

"Well then, looks like we will be married sooner than later," Loki told me.

"Is that okay?" I asked him.

"Oh, that's excellent. I didn't think we would have time to do it anytime soon. Or at all, knowing everything that's happened today. But now, I get to see you in a beautiful dress walking down the aisle. Nothing could be better than that." He leaned down and kissed me on the forehead.

"You are just full of cheesy sentences, aren't you?" I said with a smirk.

"Ah, but you love it."

"That is true. I do like some cheesy Hallmark lines." I scooted over and sat in his lap. He wrapped his arms around my chest, holding his two hands together. His chin went back to resting on my head.

"Steve, we should probably go," the Widow said.

"But what if there's more people? We can't just leave them," he answered.

"There's no way to know. Besides, I'm pretty sure they can find their way back to the city. It's not hard."

"Alright. I guess you're right." He held out his hand and helped her up. "Alright, gang, we're heading out." I stood up, Loki standing behind me.

It startled me when he took my hand, so I jumped a bit. "Calm down. It's just me, love," Loki cooed. He began to walk, pulling me along. I rolled my eyes as I stumbled after him.

We followed the group towards the seemingly beautiful city. It was emptier than it probably should have been. There were devastated families everywhere. Lost children, crying parents, and even lost lovers. I held Loki's hand tighter, feeling lucky that we ended up together.

I didn't realize that tears were in my eyes until one fell. The devastation surrounded me. I could feel in in everyone around me. I could see it, too.

"It's all right, darling. You're okay."

I know I am, but they aren't. Thanos took everything from them.

"I know. He almost took everything from me, too. If we can fight this battle, then so can they."

But they aren't fighters. They're just people.

"That's why we must fight for them and bring back their loved ones. I just need you to stay strong. They need you to stay strong. All right?"

Y-yeah. Okay. I rubbed the ring on my finger. I guessed that it would become a new nervous habit. Loki?

"Yes, my love?"

I... I'm scared. He stopped walking and turned to face me. "I'm so scared," I told him.

"There's nothing to be afraid of, darling. You're safe."

"No, I'm not. Nobody is safe. Not one of us. Thanos is out there doing God knows what. We don't even know how to fight him." His gorgeous eyes looked into mine as he placed his hands on my cheeks.

"You listen to me. Thanos will be stopped. And we will be among those who stop him. Hel, we'll be on the front lines. But I shall not have the love of my life living in fear so long as I stand with you. I will protect you. Do you understand me?" I nodded. "Good."

Loki pulled my face closer so that our lips met. We separated and he pulled my head into his chest, wrapping his arms tightly around me. I could feel his heart beating. It was steady, reassuring.

"Let's go," he said, pulling me along so we could catch up to the rest of the group.

Once we were in front of the tallest building, we stopped. I looked up, admiring the building's beautiful structure.

"Where exactly are we?" I asked.

"This," Steve said, "is the heart of Wakanda."