What If... HYDRA Got Hold of Loki?

bridal carry

Loki has refused all help Thor's friends have tried to give him.

No, he does not want them to find him a wheelchair.

No, he does not need them to get him a spare change of clothes.

No, he does not need a blanket to keep himself warm on the flight.

He doesn't need anything from them.

He just takes what's his: himself, his drinks, and, of course, his brother.

Thor carries him bridal-style through the halls, Steve on one side and Bruce on the other, and Loki makes a point not to look at either of them. He ends up closing his eyes, not because all this moving is making him dizzy (although it kind of is) but because he'd rather stare at the inside of his eyelids than accidentally meet the gaze of one of Thor's friends.

Once he feels the fresh air on his face, he has to open his eyes again. They're outside now, on their way to some giant ship just casually sitting in the yard. The others stand beside it, forming a hall of sorts as though they're soldiers waiting for their commander.

It feels oddly formal as they walk between the two lines of people, and for the most part, he's able to ignore them and pretend they're not there; that it's just him and Thor, heading off on a new adventure.

But then Morgan waves at him, and he can't help but give her a smile in return. She really is adorable.

It's Tony and Scott who stand by the ramp to the ship, and if Loki has to look at one of them, it's going to be the latter. Scott raises his hand in a small wave, and Loki responds with a small nod. He doesn't mind Scott. He respects him, really. He seems like a good guy.

Thor's just about to step on the ramp when Tony stops him.

"Hey, before you go," he says, and Thor pauses, much to Loki's chagrin. "Keep the tablet. There's twice as many people in the world than there were this morning. Loki's gonna want to talk to at least a few of 'em."

Thor huffs and takes the tablet from him, awkwardly grasping it in his hand beneath Loki's back. "Thank you," he says. "For everything."

Tony nods once in recognition. "You know, one of these days, you gotta invite us over to New Asgard."

Thor furrows his brows. "I did invite you to New Asgard," he says. "I invited you all years ago, but nobody..."

Tony sucks in a breath through his teeth. "You did do that, didn't you?" he says awkwardly. "Well, we need to set a date – maybe once Loki's doing better?"

Thor gives him an awkward smile and nod, and then he carries Loki up into the ship.

He sets Loki down on a careful pillow-covered seat and straps him in with a seat belt, which is both very sweet and also kind of embarrassing. It's certainly necessary, though; he does not have the strength to keep himself seated upright on a flight halfway around the world. One small jerk of the plane and he would go flying.

Thor sits down next to him, noticeably without wearing a seat belt, and he turns the tablet on and sets it down in Loki's lap.

Loki looks at him curiously. Does he want Loki to say something? What is he...?

"In case you need anything," Thor explains.

"Oh," Loki mouths silently. He looks down at it uncertainly. He's not sure how to use this now that there's no Atari controller. What if he just...

He lifts an arm – a relatively new development, and one he's very pleased to be able to do, even if he can't move it far and it trembles the whole way – and brings his hand to one of the letters. When he taps it, it appears at the top.