Healing Each Other (Loki Fanfiction)

Chapter 56

ELIZA'S POV

The gravity on Titan is completely askew. I can tell the second I set foot on the planet. Something isn't right. I almost trip coming down, but Peter grabs me. The bug girl, Mantis, won't stop bouncing around. I can tell Peter wants to join her, but he's restraining himself. Instead he strikes up conversation.

"Is this your first time off of Earth?" Pete whispers, glancing around. He stays close behind me.

I almost nod, but then shake my head. "I've been to Asgard. That's a different realm. It's beautiful. All golden and majestic. Technically, I'm a princess of Asgard, but keep it quiet. Tony doesn't even know I got married yet."

"You're a princess, too? Honestly, Eliza, you keep getting cooler! Can you take me to Asgard?"

"If we make it out of this alive, sure." I'm actually looking forward to this trip until I realize the flaw. "Actually, we can't. Asgard was destroyed."

"What? How?"

"It's a long story. You can visit my house, though. We have a spare bedroom."

"That's awesome. I have a question though." I raise my eyebrows, waiting for him to speak. "Did you marry Thor or Loki?"

"Loki," I say, a smile spreading across my face at the thought.

"Dang. I owe Ned twenty bucks."

"The heck happened to this planet?" Quill asks in disbelief, measuring. "It's eight degrees off its axis, gravitational pull is all over the place."

"Yeah, we got one advantage. He's coming to us," Tony says, glancing around. "We'll use it. All right, I have a plan. Or at least the beginnings of one. It's pretty simple. We draw him in, pin him down, get what we need. Definitely don't wanna dance with this guy. We just need the gauntlet."

Drax yawns, mouth wide. I only raise my eyebrows, waiting for Tony's criticism to hit. Three, two-

"Are you yawning? In the middle of this? While I'm breaking it down? Huh? Did you hear what I said?"

"I stopped listening after you said 'we need a plan.'"

"Okay, Mr. Clean is on his own page."

"Not helpful, Tony," I sigh.

"See, 'not winging it' isn't really what they do," Quill explains.

"And what exactly do they do?" I ask. There's an edge in my voice. I just want to kill Thanos and go home to Loki, then check on the cat.

"Kick names, take ass," Mantis says proudly.

"Yeah, that's right!" Drax agrees.

I'm going to die surrounded by the biggest idiots in the universe and Stephen.

"Alright, just get over here, please. Mr. Lord, can you get your folks to circle up?" Tony asks, slightly helpless and very irritated.

"'Mr. Lord.' Starlord is fine," Quill scoffs, rounding up his gang nonetheless.

"We gotta coalesce. 'Cause if all we come at him with is a plucky attitude-"

"Dude, don't call us plucky. We don't know what it means. Alright, we're optimistic, yes. I like your plan." What? Are we actually agreeing? "Except it sucks, so let me do the planning, and that way it might be really good."

Hoped too soon.

"Tell him about the dance-off to save the universe!" Drax says excitedly. Quill blushes, trying to brush it off.

"What dance-off?" I ask, amused. These guys are weirder than I thought, but maybe in a good way. We used to have dance-offs at the compound. No one ever won, because we could never stop arguing about who did win. Loki and Natasha were the best, though.

"It's nothing!"

"Like in Footloose, the movie?" Peter asks, eyes wide.

"Exactly like Footloose!" Quill responds, face lighting up. Someone is finally speaking his language. "Is it still the greatest movie in history?"

"It never was."

"Yeah, have you seen Les Miserables?"

"Don't encourage them, all right?" Tony asks, back to annoyed.

"Okay," Peter replies sadly.

"We're getting no help from Flash Gordon here."

"Flash Gordon? By the way, that's a compliment. Don't forget, I'm half-human. So that fifty percent of me that's stupid- That's one hundred percent you!"

"Excuse me, Star-Prince, but I'm not a full human either!" I say heatedly.

"Starlord!"

"Your math is blowing my mind," Tony adds sarcastically.

"Excuse me?" Mantis says, her shrill voice rising above our argument. "But does your friend often do that?"

Stephen is levitating about twenty feet from us, face twitching back and forth rapidly. The Time Stone floats in front of him. He falls to the ground seconds later, crying out. We all rush to him, but I reach him first.

"Hey, you okay?" I ask, putting my hands on his face and letting some tranquility flow into the doctor. I shudder when I receive his dread and panic in return. His wild blue eyes find mine as he slowly nods, pulling my hands off of his face but still holding onto them. "You're back, you're safe, I promise."

"Strange, we alright?" Tony asks, kneeling beside me. "You're all right. Hi."

"What was that?" I ask him, still confused.

"Yeah, what happened?" Peter chimes in.

Stephen's voice is breathless as he speaks. "I... went forward in time to... view alternate futures... To see all the outcomes of the... coming conflict."

"How many did you see?" Quill asks. He straightens his leather jacket, trying not to act concerned, but that's exactly what it is. An act.

"Fourteen million six hundred and five." He won't make eye contact with anyone, too shaken.

"How many did we win?" Tony asks quietly. My stomach squirms. I'm not sure I really want to know the answer.

Stephen finally glances up. His eyes lock with mine, then Tony's. A new emotion fills me, coming slowly from his unsteady hands. Guilt. Resolve.

"One."