Abandoned

"Fenrir is on Midgard? Odin actually sent him here?" 

Loki was baffled. He couldn't imagine how his Fenrir could possibly be on Midgard without anyone knowing about it. There was just no way to hide him. 

"Tony, are you absolutely certain this information is correct?" 

Before Tony had a chance to answer, Bruce walked in and glanced at the screen. His eyes widened almost comically as he read the name out loud. "Fenris."

He glanced between Loki and Tony as if searching their faces for a clue that this was some kind of joke. Evidently, he was not satisfied by what he found. 

"Are you two nuts? The Fenris wolf is the catalyst for the end of days. Ragnarok. That's not just a myth, you know. It's real. You let him out, and it's over for us!" 

Tony was staring at Bruce as if he'd grown an extra head, and Loki had begun to laugh, but was trying to play it off by holding his hand in front of his mouth. 

"Come on Bruce. You're the...second smartest guy here," Tony only half-joked, "You can't be serious. This is Loki's son we're talking about. I mean, yeah...he's a giant wolf just like the legends say, but there's no way you actually believe he's going to bring about the end of the world. That's just superstitious bullshit for people who read too much." 

Loki knew all the myths. When he'd been bored in his room, he'd read the books and laughed at most of the mortals' theories. Some of them were so far-fetched, even he couldn't believe how ignorant they were. The only one that seemed to be pretty accurate was the one where his boy Fenrir breaks free of his chains and eats Odin. Loki could definitely see that happening, and he would rejoice. After all, the bastard had stolen his children and flung them to the far reaches of the universe. 

"Well, there is a fairly accurate theory floating around where Fenrir eats Odin, but I'm not certain anyone would care," Loki muttered, glad Thor wasn't in the room to scold him. 

"I never liked the guy much anyway. See, Bruce? Nothing to be afraid of. Besides, you'll be fine. You've got the green guy on your side." 

Loki was shocked to hear Tony say that he didn't care for Odin. Not because Odin was so likable, but because Loki figured Tony would never sully the All-father's name when they had been working so closely together to keep him on a short leash. He suddenly felt much closer to the metal man. A smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. 

"So, the Fenris wolf is in Norway?" Bruce asked, turning to Loki. "Are the myths true? Did Odin really  trick him into being chained for all of eternity?" 

Loki nodded solemnly. He hated talking about this particular part of his past. Fenrir was just as headstrong as he was, and it had cost him his freedom. Loki had spent decades obsessing about all the things he could have done differently- all of the things he could have done to prevent Fenrir's incarceration. He should have just killed Odin rather than allow him to do what he did. But he'd been a coward. 

He sighed. "Fenrir is strong. Stronger than any of the Aesir, including your favorite lightening thief. Fenrir made Thor look like a child. His weakness was arrogance- and yes, I know he gets it from me-" Loki interrupted himself before anyone else could, "Odin- being the conniving retch that he is- decided to use both of those qualities against poor Fenrir. He brought several sets of chains from different realms and bet Fenrir that he couldn't break free of them. When Fenrir was able to do so, the Aesir were impressed and frightened. Such was the All-father's master plan. He finally commissioned a special set of chains that were smaller and so delicate that Fenrir laughed when he saw them. But he couldn't break free. And though Odin had promised to let him go, he never did. He banished Fenrir just as he did my other children. And I watched it happen...I did nothing." 

Once again, Tony and Bruce felt awful for making Loki recount the tragedies of his past. Bruce found himself unable to respond. His throat was closed-off, and he was holding back tears imagining how he would feel if he were in Loki's place. Tony's head was bowed, and he simply waited for someone else to speak first. 

Loki had gone to visit Fenrir several times before his exile from Asgard. At first, he had scolded his son for being so strong-willed, but he knew if he'd been in the same situation, he probably would have made the same mistake. At first, Fenrir had been convinced that the All-Father would come to let him out- that his imprisonment was just a joke, or some kind of lesson- but Loki knew better. Loki knew Odin had planned the entire thing.

He tried to appeal to the All-Father. He went to the palace to plead his son's case. Loki remembered that day very clearly. Every time he'd gone to visit Fenrir, his son had grown more and more lethargic. It was almost as if he'd completely given up on life. It broke Loki's heart to see him in such misery. Loki went to Odin to ask for a trade- he would sit in chains in order to set Fenrir free. But the All-Father wouldn't hear of it. 

"He's dangerous, Loki."

"My son hasn't hurt anyone! If you're looking to imprison someone, take me instead. I deserve it."

"It's only a matter of time. I can't have him running around terrorizing the citizens of Asgard. We're done here."

Loki had been so distraught that he'd begun making plans to free his son. Unfortunately, just as he thought he'd perfected the spell to free Fenrir from his chains, Odin learned of his plans. He sent Tyr to speak with Fenrir. The rumor around Asgard was that Tyr had promised to free Fenrir if he told Tyr of Loki's plans. But Loki hadn't mentioned his plans to Fenrir. He hadn't wanted to get his son's hopes up. Tyr had teased Fenrir by lifting the chains just enough for Fenrir to move around, but that had been a dire mistake. Fenrir's temper was also inherited, and when Fenrir realized that he was being blackmailed, he ripped Tyr's hand completely off his wrist. 

Odin banished Fenrir without telling anyone. Loki never even got the chance to say goodbye. 

"These are magical chains, right? I mean, we're going to need some kind of bad-ass wire cutters to break him out," Bucky said, snapping Loki out of his memories. 

Loki hadn't really considered that, but Bucky was right. He would need to use his Seidr to release his son from the chains. And then what?

"Tony...Fenrir doesn't have anywhere to go. It's not like he can simply roam the countryside in Norway. He's massive. Once he's released from his chains, he will need a home- somewhere people don't fear him." 

Loki didn't want to ask for Tony's help, but he didn't want Fenrir to have hunters chasing him all over Norway either. It wasn't fair that he'd been stranded on Midgard in the first place. And Loki knew he could never go back to Asgard. 

Stark stared at the computer screen for a few moments before answering Loki. He wasn't sure what to do, especially since he didn't know exactly how massive Loki's son was. If he was anything like Jor, Stark knew things were about to get a lot more complicated. If the wolf was as intelligent as Loki claimed, they could use him on the team as long as Fury agreed, but the question still remained: where would he stay? 

He turned to Loki, who was looking apprehensive, and patted his shoulder. 

"We'll figure something out. Don't worry, dad. Now, what do we need to pack for a trip to Norway?" 

As everyone scurried around trying to get ready for their trip, Loki tried to steady his nerves. There was no guarantee Fenrir would even speak to him, but he still had every intention of freeing his son from his bonds. Loki had been much younger and far less experienced when Odin put his son in chains. Now he knew several ways he could free Fenrir, and he spent his time going over every last detail in his mind before they left. 

Loki loved practicing his magic with Fennie in the room. She always chased the green lights that danced around the room. Sometimes she even attacked his fingers where they glowed with the magical light, and Loki couldn't control his laughter. He idly wondered how Fennie would react to his giant wolf son. Would she be afraid of him? Or would she simply try to cuddle with him like the rest of the animals in Asgard had done? 

Fenrir was always surrounded by a horde of animals. They were mostly herbivores; rabbits, deer, and even some baby goats. Loki guessed Fenrir made them feel safe because he never tried to eat them, and he was large and warm and furry. He often found Fenrir asleep with several of them curled up under his paw or nestled into his side. Once, he even found a baby bunny tucked underneath his ear. Fenrir acted as though he was annoyed by the animals, but Loki knew he secretly loved their affection. That was an inherited trait as well. Pretending to detest someone's affection while secretly craving it was one of Loki's best attributes. He rolled his eyes.  

"You ready, big guy?" 

Loki didn't know how long Bucky had been standing in the doorway, but he honestly didn't care. It wouldn't be the first time Bucky had seen him deep in thought, making faces at his own idiocy. 

"Not really. I don't know how to do what you said. I don't know how to stop..." 

Loki didn't have to finish. Bucky already knew what he was saying. Loki didn't know how to stop being mean to himself. He didn't know how to not hate himself. 

"I know, man. Listen, don't- beat yourself up for that too. Just try to remember that you were young. We all make mistakes. And what were you going to do? It's not like you could have overthrown that old bastard. You're doing the right thing now." 

Bucky lifted Fennie from the bed and began stroking her fur. 

"C'mon. We're going to see your kid. He's going to be thrilled to see his old man after all this time. And even if there's some awkwardness, you'll feel better, I promise. I'll be there the whole time. And so will Fennie. Won't you, doll?" 

Loki made a gagging sound at the ridiculous baby voice Bucky used to speak to Fennie, but he smiled nonetheless. 

When they were finally seated in the quinjet, Tony sat down next to Loki. 

"How would you feel about your son being part of the team? That's the only way I could sell it to Fury. We would bring him back here...somehow, and I could have a nice place built to house him. We would only use him if the circumstances called for it. But he would be required to train with us so he knows what we're about." 

Loki could feel the eyes of every person in the jet on him as he contemplated his answer.