Mystical Magic (Loki x Reader)

Chapter 64 - Nuclear fallout

Author note: Oh god, guys! I cried so much writing this chapter! I hope it moves you too <3

***

*Loki POV*

Loki went back to The Avengers compound in New York with the rest of the team and Rocket, one of the Guardians of the Galaxy he had met in his time in Wakanda when Rocket, Thor and Groot blasted into the middle of the battle

The whole time since half the universe had gotten dusted up to arriving back at the compound, he hadn't said a word to anyone, for fear of breaking down in worry about you.

That façade was quickly thrown to the side when they had landed and Pepper had come running out, wondering if it was Stark. When she saw Loki, she ran straight over to him, in tears and launched herself into hugging him. He was confused at first but he really needed a hug himself so he hugged her back.

"Have you heard from Y/N? Or Tony?" Pepper had asked him during the hug.

"No, have you?" Loki replied, trying not to let the tears forming in his eyes spill over and down his face.

Pepper pulled away from him slowly and looked him in the eyes. "No, I haven't. I'm so scared," She sobbed

"Me too, but we need to have faith that they're still out there and are coming home," Loki sadly smiled to Pepper, telling her the line he had been telling himself for the last how many hours.

Since then, when he wasn't working with The Avengers to get a grasp on just how badly the universe had changed, he spent a lot of time with Pepper. They comforted each other while they were waiting to see if their loved ones would be returning to them.

After the first day back, Thor came to Loki's room, tears in his eyes. "What is it, brother?" Loki asked Thor, worried

"It's my fault they're gone. It's my fault Y/N's gone" Thor sniffled.

"No it's not, brother. We all lost. And we don't even know for sure that she's gone," Loki tried to be optimistic for Thor.

"It is! I could have killed him if I'd have gone for the head!" Thor yelled, tears streaming down his face.

Loki was slightly taken aback by the outburst but eventually managed to say, "And maybe if I'd have let the Space stone get destroyed on Asgard, then it wouldn't have happened either. A lot of things happened leading up to Thanos wiping out half the universe, it's not any one person's fault." Loki was quite surprised at how calmly he was managing to say it all

Thor looked at Loki for a few seconds before pulling into a hug and sobbed into his shoulder for a while as they both held each other like they hadn't done in so so long.

The situation seemed dire, everyone was in panic and it seemed like the world was crumbling around them all.

After the first week, Pepper and Loki were sitting together in the main lounge of the compound, just being there for each other. They didn't always talk when they were together, it was having someone there that felt the same heart ache as each other that was comforting, in a weird twisted way.

"Loki, can I tell you something?" Pepper asked him, breaking the comforting silence

"Of course you may," Loki smiled weakly to her

"I'm pregnant...and I'm so scared that Tony will never get to know he has a child," Pepper choked. Loki felt a wave of joy through him for the first time since you had left Midgard to go after Strange into space.

"That's wonderful news! Congratulations. I'm sure he's out there trying to get back to you," Loki comforted her and gave her a hug. He had a soft spot for Pepper after the time they had spent with each other over the last week

***

The following week brought some hopeful news with the arrival of a new face: Carol Danvers. She had received a distress signal from Fury before he got dusted away and came to answer it. She was a powerful woman and just made Loki think more of you.

They told her about how you, Tony, Peter and Strange had ended up in space and if any of you had survived, you'd probably need rescuing and she agreed to go out and look for you all.

That seemed to lift the spirits of everyone in the compound for a while, especially Loki and Pepper. But as the day's passed them all by, spirits dwindled.

***

"Guys! She's back with the ship!" Natasha shouted through the compound a week later.

Loki and Pepper had been together and were both on their feet in an instant, running for the doors to get outside and see if their loved ones had come back with the ship. Loki could have teleported himself there, but he wanted to be with Pepper when they found out.

Danvers flew down to the grass field, carrying the ship above her and put it down gently on the ground.

Loki and Pepper were holding each other's hands behind Steve and Rhodey as they waited, a new energy in them both as they watched the hatch of the spaceship open.

Loki's heart dropped when he only saw two people walking down the ramp and one of them wasn't you. He was happy to see that Tony was back for Pepper, but the heartache he felt when he realised you weren't there seemed to kill something inside him.

He must have been in shock, he thought when he didn't move a muscle.

"I lost the kids," He heard Tony choke, which just confirmed what he already knew.

You were gone.

One of the vanished.

Like you never existed.

"Oh, my God! Oh, my God!" Pepper gasped when she finally saw Tony and tore off straight for him and leapt into a hug

"I lost the kids" Tony sobbed to Pepper as she helped him walk

When Tony spotted Loki, the tears that were in both of their eyes spilled over. Tony limped over to him and pulled him into a hug and they both broke down crying. "I'm so sorry. I lost her..." Tony sobbed into Lokis shoulder

"We lost her," Loki choked back

"She told me to tell you that she loves you and that you need to keep on living. For her," Tony replied, trying to hold back the sobs

Loki couldn't get any more words out of his mouth so he just nodded his understanding. He had to keep it together, he told himself.

He helped Pepper help Tony back to the compound and into the lounge everyone was gathering in. He helped Tony to a chair where Bruce came and put a needle in Tony's arm to give him fluids. Tony looked like hell. Underweight and dehydrated and like he had been to Hel and back.

"It's been 23 days since Thanos came to Earth," Rhodey said once everyone was gathered.

"World governments are in pieces. The parts that are still working are trying to take a census. And it looks like he did... he did exactly what he said he was gonna do. Thanos wiped out fifty percent, of all living creatures," Natasha concurred

"Where is he now? Where?" Tony weakly demanded, asking what Loki had wanted to know too. He couldn't let Thanos get away with this.

"We don't know..." was all Steve had to offer.