Third Person
The group had noticed Bucky's impatience as he tried to get Loki to talk, but the god of mischief wouldn't break in.
Okoye could only think of the worst things possible that could have happened to Hope.
Ayo didn't know what to think. She knew some bad news was coming, but she didn't want to believe Hope's hurt or worse...
"Okay! We're far enough!" Bucky stopped just as they made it to the large field leading to Bucky's hut down the hill.
Bucky grabbed Loki's shoulder, pulling him to stop along with him. "Now talk."
Okoye nodded and stopped walking. as well as Ayo.
Okoye looked over to Loki, taking in his body language and expressions. She didn't know if she could trust him, but she knew he was the only person who knew what truly happened to Hope.
Ayo was sceptical of Loki. With him being the literal God of Mischief and Lies. But she too, knew Bucky should hear the news from him.
"You can talk privately, but you can't leave our sights, are we clear?" Okoye spoke with much authority.
"Crystal." He smirked with a small nod before walking forward again.
"Hey! I said start talking, Jack Frost!" Bucky yelled at the retreating god and followed him.
Okoye gulped, not liking the frown that immediately covered the gods smirk from a moment ago.
"It's not good, isn't it..." Ayo watched the two men walked ahead, only to stop at a large rock which laid in the ground and was up to Loki's knees.
Okoye glanced over to her fellow warrior. She noticed the grim look that displayed clearly on her features.
"I'm afraid it might not be." Okoye sighed before turning back to the two.
Bucky glanced back at the woman and shook his head. "They are definitely trustworthy. They're friends with me and Hope."
Loki nodded and sat on the rock. He looked up at Bucky. "I suggest you sit down."
Bucky hesitated, not wanting to think of what he was about to tell him. He didn't want to hear it, but at the same time he thought it may just be wrong.
Bucky could feel the fear in him grow at Loki's behaviour.
"I know Hope wouldn't let you come here without her because she would love to show you around. She always planned on it. Just tell me where she is? Is she okay?" Bucky asked almost desperately.
Bucky's new arm glistening in the sun as he sat down next to his god friend.
Bucky's clear expression of worry and fear made Loki slightly uneasy, but only because he knew how much Hope meant to him.
He knows that Bucky loves Hope just as much as he did, just in a different way.
Loki cleared his throat before speaking.
"Thor, Bruce, Hope, and I were on our way here, along with the people of Asgard. Since we had no place left to go, and Hope suggested here and said it would be fine." Loki began, not knowing exactly how the man will react in the end.
Bucky's anxiety was skyrocketing. His heart was beating so fast, scared of Loki's changed behaviour.
He thought that Loki was dragging this on for too long, now.
"Everything was going smoothly, until Thanos arrived. He showed up out of nowhere. Even Hope wasn't ready for his appearance. We all fought to keep everyone safe. We managed to get mostly everyone out, thanks to Hope... but it didn't go as planned." Bucky stared at Loki, taking in the look of despair.
Loki, putting on a show, displayed an impressive amount of acting. The god of Mischief's is as deceiving as ever.
"Thanos slaughtered just under half the people on that ship." Loki let out in a slightly shaky breath. "My people."
Bucky felt his heart drop into his stomach.
"I watched him kill innocent Asgardians, all the while holding Hope in a position even she could not get out of." Images of his people dying and Hope being hurt played in his head. Watching and hearing people cry for their loved ones.
"W-What..." Bucky stuttered, clearing his throat to straight himself up. "What happened to her?"
"Thanos let the other half of my people go, leaving only Bruce, Thor, Hope, Heimdall and myself. We were the last ones on the ship." Loki kept on, ignoring Bucky for a moment.
"Thanos was about to kill Bruce... so Heimdall used the BiFrost to get him to come here. Hope... she used her magic on me to push me with him." Loki couldn't help but feel the guilt creep up on him.
Bucky's mind was processing what Loki was saying about his people and Hope.
He felt sympathetic towards Loki, but hearing this made him even more concerned.
Loki glanced at the man, knowing what he's about to say will be troublesome to Bucky. He was preparing for the worse.
"Bruce and I ended up in New York, without Thor or Hope. Then, some of Thanos's warriors came to New York. They were one of the few that were on the ship as well. They told us what happened."
Bucky and Loki made eye contact for a moment. And Bucky could see his eyes slightly glossy with tears brimming his eyes.
Bucky's eyes widened slowly in realization. His breathing was becoming slightly ragged. "No..."
"The lose of connection Hope and I once shared only confirmed it." Loki continued, ignoring Bucky who was shaking his head side to side.
'Lose'... 'once'... Bucky picked up on those words.
"No, no, no..." Bucky stood up and backed away from Loki.
"They told us that Hope is... she's..." Loki hesitated for a moment, taking in the super soldiers stance.
Tense. Rigged. Heavy breathing.
Loki let out a sigh, not liking this at all. Loki couldn't help but think about the situation.
Hope knows that telling them this is just playing with their emotions. She will definitely do a lot, and I mean a LOT of apologizing when she makes her appearance. But this to spark a stronger need for victory and to realize how much of a threat Thanos is while also having an upper hand on Thanos. I can't help but be impressed...
Loki didn't have time to react as Bucky grabbed his collar and glared intensely into the gods eyes.
"Say it." Bucky growled, not knowing how to react yet.
He needs to hear it for him to actually process it. Loki thought while raising his hand up to signal the two Dora Milaje to stand down.
The two warriors had kept strong faces. They had lost a fellow warrior before. For the general, many.
"...Hope's dead." Loki mumbled to the man, allowing Bucky to grip to his suit with his metal hand.
Bucky froze.
The man's eyes become unfocused as he stared at the ground in deep thought.
Memories of Hope laughing and helping Bucky through the years played in his head. From when she was a child in HYDRA all the way up to the day she left almost 2 years ago.
"That's not true! Stop fucking lying!" Bucky sneered in his face, not wanting to believe him. "She's stronger than that! She's too smart to just get herself killed for...!"
Bucky stopped suddenly.
She would risk her life for one person. Especially Loki. Bucky thought to himself.
Loki gulped as he stared at the man who tightened his grip on him.
Loki didn't say anything back, but gave Bucky a look that told everything he needed to know.
The god's deception skills working like a charm against the weak, emotional Bucky.
"She's not... She can't be..." Bucky's voice becoming softer and quieter.
Bucky let out a shaky breath while letting go of Loki.
"She... She's dea..." Bucky's voiced cracked. He couldn't even let the words out.
Bucky and Loki stared at each other, Bucky tried to see any source of lying. But the god of Mischief and lies was all too good at hiding it.
Loki couldn't help but let a tear fall at the thought of what this man was feeling because he felt the same thing earlier that day. Plus it made Bucky and the two Dora Milaje believe him even more.
Loki had never thought he would feel this much empathy for anyone other than his own family.
Bucky and Hope shared a relationship that no one else could ever dream of having.
Bucky's shoulders fell as well did his arms. His head hung low with his hair covering his face.
Ayo was the first to approach the two men. Her eyes trained on Bucky, hating to see a man who has gone through so much to cry like this again.
Her mind going to the first time she saw him cry. When he became free from HYDRA's control. (Don't mind me... I'm totally not crying over this and thinking of that TFAWS scene with Bucky crying...)
Bucky's shoulders had began to shake violently, quiet sobs could be heard.
Ayo and Okoye felt their heart break at the sight and sound.
Loki reached his hand up and placed a hand on the man's shoulders.
Loki wasn't all for touching feelings stuff like this, but he knew how much Hope meant to Bucky. So he made an exception.
He pulled Bucky closer to him and hugged him slowly. Awkwardly.
Bucky didn't care at the moment. Loki was the closest to Hope that he could get.
He just hugged Loki back, gripping onto Loki's suit tightly, shaking violently as he cried.
Loki seemed to have given into the hug as well.
Okoye and Ayo were both tearing up, letting their heads fall as they paid their respects to their fallen warrior and friend.
None of them had expected Hope to be the one to leave first. No one expected to see her go.
"S-She was the one... who was supposed to l-live..." Bucky sobbed into his friends shoulder.
Loki nodded his head and clenched his jaw, hating this feeling. He couldn't help the tears that fell as he thought of Thanos having her in his grasps.
All because of me. Loki reminded himself of Ebony's words.
"She last thing she did was something she's always done, didn't she?" Okoye spoke up for the first time since the news came out.
Loki and Bucky pulled apart.
Bucky's face was wet with tears, snot was slightly falling as well. His eyes red and puffy. His lip quivering with a deep frown.
He was trying hard to keep from crying in front of everyone.
Loki stared at Okoye with confusion.
The three people looked over to the General.
"She saved a life." Okoye lifted her gaze to the god, wanting to know if that's what she had done.
Loki felt his breath hitch.
She told me she didn't have a plan until after she had throw me in the BiFrost. She risked it all, just to make sure I was safe. She would have died saving a life if she didn't think of something right then and there. Loki realized, all the while falling more in love with the reckless woman.
Loki nodded while smiling fondly to himself. "She did..."
The three others couldn't help but feel proud of Hope.
But it didn't make her death any less painful.
Bucky couldn't take it anymore.
Everyone in this world has or will find that one person that will make them be the best that they can be. That person who you'll want to protect or keep safe because they helped you find yourself. They made you feel at ease, relaxed.
That good person who just means the world to you more than anything. The one who feels like family.
Bucky had always felt like Hope the only reason he didn't give into HYDRA. To Bucky, Hope was his good person.
And she was gone.
Bucky collapsed to the ground, his body shaking as he cried.
Ayo bent down and placed a hand on Bucky's shoulder. Her head hung low, thinking of her dear friend.
All Bucky could think about is the good times Hope had brought him. How she had made his life bearable.
Even though he was crying now... in his head, he still couldn't believe she was gone.
She promised... Bucky thought deeply.
The sound of Bucky's soft sobs filled the air as they three others had the same thing on their minds.
Hope was one of the strongest out of us... and the one who did this to her is coming here. What happens next?
__________________________________
Now that was a lot of damage... 🤕
This really hurt me to write to be honest. I know she's alive and all, but still...
I'm so mad at those two for lying!! Bucky is hurt because of you two!!
Sometimes I forget I'm the author and yell at my own characters... 😅
Loki better stop influencing Hope to do the same shit he does... hehe... influence... (if u get the reference...)
Anyway... I want to see Hope get him some plums to apologize for this... if she gets the chance to... 😶