Into the Unknown

Truth Beneath the Rose

I am shocked to see Peter Parker standing in the Compound. And he looks just as surprised at me.

"How...do you know me?" He asks.

Tony turns to face him. "I told you, I had someone who knows about you."

"Aww Tony, you talk about me? I'm flattered." I place my hands over my heart.

"And who is this?" Thor asks as he walks into the kitchen.

"This is Peter Parker. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spiderman." I answer him.

"Oh wow, ok. So you do know." Peter says.

I guess I'm freaking him out. I get off the stool I had been sitting on and walk over to him.

"No point in hiding it. I'm not from this universe. Where I'm from, everyone is a comic book character."

"Woah! Really? I'm a comic book hero?" Peter asks excitedly.

"Yeah, we all are." Tony answers him.

"So do you know everything?" Peter asks me.

I walk back to my seat next to Loki. "To a certain extent."

"And even then, she's not that reliable." Tony smirks at me.

I sigh and roll my eyes. "Oh my God, Tony! Let it go!" I glare at him. "So what exactly did you bring him here for?"

Tony walks over to the counter and pours himself a cup of coffee. "You said that he helps out in the next movie."

"What movie?" Peter asks.

I see Bucky enter the kitchen as well. He stops and raises an eyebrow at Peter.

"You have a metal arm? Awesome!" Peter says.

I chuckle. At everyone's look I blush.

"He says that to you after you try to punch him and he stops it." I look down at my plate.

"He can stop a punch from this arm?" Bucky asks.

I look back up at him. "One of Peter's abilities is Super Strength." I look at Tony. "We'll need that for the big bad." I grab my plate and put it in the sink and Loki does the same to his plate.

"What big bad?" Peter asks.

"Still missing a few people. Anyway, welcome to the team!" I smile at Peter as I pass by him.

Once Loki and I are back in our room, he grabs my wrist.

"So what exactly can that kid do?"

I sigh. "He is strong enough to pull Thanos' glove off of him. He almost does it in the third Avengers movie but, due to circumstances that are not his fault, he fails."

Loki looks at me with a look of dread on his face. "What happens after that?"

I frown. I don't want to tell him this. "Thanos wins. He gets all the Stones and half of the entire universe is snapped away."

He is silent for a minute. "Is Thor one of them? Is Mother? Or am...I?"

I shake my head. I can feel tears beginning to prick my eyes. How do I tell him what happens? I can't. It's too hard.

"Pet?" His voice sounds shaky.

I shake my head.

"Pet, tell me." He places his hands on my shoulders.

I shake my head again. "I can't." I whisper. I can't hold back the tears anymore.

"Pet, please tell me." He pleads.

"I can't. It's too hard." I look up at him and then look away.

"How?" Is all he asks.

I sniffle. "You save Thor from Thanos."

Loki pulls me into a hug and I hear him sniffle. "You've known all along." It's not accusatory. It's a statement.

I nod. "It's not just you. Natasha and Tony die as well."

Loki pulls away and tilts my chin up so I look at him. "I thought I was supposed to die back on Svartalfheim?"

"The Kursed was supposed to stab you before you activated that bomb on him. While you and Thor both thought you died, you somehow survived." I shake my head. "I don't know how, so don't ask me. It's never explained."

"So you've been trying to change everything from the beginning?" He asks.

I nod. "Yes."

"Why not tell them now?"

"I can't tell Tony. If I tell him then he'll still die. That's why I asked Bruce to figure out how to combine himself and Hulk into one. He's the only one that I know that can use the stones and not die."

Loki is silent for a while.

"Then you need to tell all of them the truth about Thanos." I start to protest but Loki stops me. "You don't have to tell Tony or Miss Romanoff about their fates." He sighs and looks down. "It's time we both tell them the truth."

"Loki, you don't have to do that!" I grab onto his shirt.

He shakes his head. "No. I think that will let them know exactly how dangerous he is."

I look down and nod. "Steve and the others should be back in a day or two. We'll tell them then."

Loki nods and wraps his arms around me tighter and I bury my head into his chest.

"Please don't ever leave me." I beg him.

I hear him let out a small chuckle. "Little One, don't you know? I am Loki. And when I die, I don't."

I can't help my smile but I force it away as I look up at him. "Then promise me that if you have to face him, promise me that you'll use your magic and not some dinky butter knife!"

"A what?" Loki looks confused.

I let out an irritated sigh. "You try to stab Thanos in the throat with one of your daggers instead of using your magic. You're the most powerful sorcerer in Asgard and probably the universe and you use a fucking butter knife! And that's how you die!" By the end I'm shouting at him.

Loki holds his hands up in surrender. "Alright, calm down." He places his hands on my shoulders again and waits for me to calm down a little. "I have no plans on dying anytime soon. You are my reason to live. As long as I have you, I have a reason to live. He will suffer, make no mistake. But I will not leave you alone."

I sniffle. "You better not. I'll chase you to Valhalla and bring you back."

He laughs and then leans down to kiss me. "You, my love, are my Valhalla." He kisses me again and I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him back.

A knock at the door makes us stop. We both grumble as the door opens and Thor steps inside. "Tony wants help in training the Spider-child."

We both sigh.

"Alright. We're on our way." I tell Thor.

He nods and leaves. I look up at Loki. "To be continued?"

"Very much so." He replies and we both head to the training room.