Abandoned

"What the--?" Bucky muttered. He was staring out the window of the quinjet at the strange scene before them. It wasn't the enormous wolf that had him tongue-tied, or the impossibly thin shiny chains that bound the massive creature. It was the menagerie of tiny, seemingly helpless animals that had crowded around Loki's son. 

Loki chuckled through the tears that had begun to stream down his cheeks in rivulets. 

"I should have known... he used to do the same thing as a child. He protected those who couldn't protect themselves." 

"Like a true Avenger," Tony bumped Loki's arm suggestively. Loki ignored him. He still hadn't answered the metal man's question, and he wouldn't. Not before speaking with his son about that possibility first. 

Bucky smiled reassuringly. "Go on, dad. It'll be okay. If you need us, we'll be here. Take Fennie with you. She'll fit right in with his...friends." 

Loki peered out the window again. He was far more nervous about approaching Fenrir than he had been about going to Jor. Fenrir was an incredibly loving soul, but he was hurt so easily Loki was afraid he might not want to see him. Loki cradled Fennie in his arms, even though Fennie was perfectly capable of walking on her own, and stepped outside the jet. They had landed far enough away so as not to startle his son. Startling a wolf his size would be a terrible mistake even if he was locked in chains. The damage he could do to the quinjet would be catastrophic. 

As Loki closed the gap between Fenrir and himself, he whistled- a secret sound he used to make when Fenrir was a small child. He didn't know if his son would even remember the call, but he wanted to try. Several small animals, including what looked to be an entire family of brown rabbits, scurried out from under Fenrir's left paw as his son whipped his head around toward the sound. 

"Who goes there? Who dares to make that sound?" 

Loki was suddenly unable to move. Fenrir had recognized his whistle, but he'd thought someone was impersonating him. To what ends? 

"Fenrir... " Loki breathed. "Fennie." 

He knew no one else in the realms would call his son by that name. None had the guts to do so for fear of losing their limbs. He stepped closer, allowing his son to see him for the first time. 

"Papa?" 

"It's me, Fennie. I... I've missed you. It's taken me ages to find you, my son."

Despite how hard he fought, Loki couldn't seem to make the tears stop flowing once they had started. The last time he'd seen Fenrir, his wolf son had been huge, but still small enough for him to manage alone. Now, he was much bigger, and his eyes showed his age. It was difficult looking into those eyes knowing that they'd only seen this place for hundreds of years.

"Papa, come closer. You know I cannot move," Fenrir's rough voice growled. 

"I- I know, son. I'm here to rectify that." 

As Loki stepped toward Fenrir, his son snorted. 

"I've been trying to break free of these chains for a very long time, papa. I just don't think it's possible." 

Fenrir's voice was full of doubt and something else Loki couldn't quite place. Regret? He wondered what his son could possibly regret. He was the one who was full of regret. He'd been the one who'd allowed his son to be locked up for centuries. His eyes filled again as he stood there looking at Fenrir- the most magnificent creature he'd ever laid eyes on- lying on the ground. Moss grew on his paws where he'd let them lay for so long without moving. There were flowers sprouting up between his legs and tall grass grew around his tail. Loki sighed. 

"Let me try...just let me try," Loki whispered. 

Loki hadn't been paying much attention to Fennie as she lay in his arms, but Fenrir had noticed her. His gaze followed her everywhere Loki went while he inspected Fenrir's chains. 

"Papa, who is your little friend?" 

Fennie wasn't that little anymore. She was well on her way to being a full grown cat, but Loki didn't like to think about that. It was difficult thinking of her growing old so quickly. He'd been so lonely before he found her, and his life had changed so dramatically afterward he couldn't imagine life without her. 

"Her name is, well, it's Fennie. I named her after you." 

Loki hesitated in answering. He didn't want his son to think he'd been replaced. It had felt like he was honoring Fenrir by naming Fennie after him, but now that he was standing in front of the son he'd failed so badly, it felt wrong. Loki didn't know what to say, so he waited for Fenrir's response. 

"Can she come and play with me while you...try?" Fenrir gave him a lopsided sort of wolfy smile, and Loki let out a sigh of relief. 

He could tell by the way Fenrir said try that his son didn't believe he would succeed, but Loki wouldn't leave without freeing him. It had been far too long, and he'd be damned if that moss was going to travel all the way up his son's legs. He let Fennie down, and wasn't surprised that she ran straight to Fenrir, purring as if she'd known him forever. Loki wondered if Fenrir smelled anything like him. 

When Loki found a place where he could use his Seidr to break the chains, he asked Fenrir to keep Fennie from chasing the light. 

"She likes my magic, and this might be a bit...intense. Could you keep her safe for me, my son?" 

Fenrir nodded gravely, but Loki could see that he remained unconvinced that his spell would work. 

"What's he doing?" Steve asked, peering through the window. 

Bucky had been watching the entire exchange, so he was fairly certain he knew what was going on. 

"He told me he was going to use his S- his S-- dammit -- his magic to break those chains, but I mean... look at them. They're so flimsy. I could cut through those with my knife!" 

Stark patted him on the back and chuckled. 

"Actually, if what I read is true, those chains are the strongest chains in the universe. They were made thin like that to trick Fenrir into allowing the Asgardians to chain him up. It was like a contest of sorts. They brought chains and bet him that he couldn't break free. That is, until they had these specially made... and when he couldn't break them, the assholes wouldn't let him go. Odin just cast him out of Asgard." 

Bucky shook his head in disgust. "That is really fucked up, man. No wonder Loki is so pissed all the time." 

The three of them stopped talking when they saw Loki's characteristic green light flashing. It seemed the light grew brighter and brighter, but nothing was happening. They watched as Loki clenched his jaw and braced himself, continuing the stream of bright green light. His face became pale, and his hands trembled with the effort until he finally dropped to the ground beside his son. Bucky flung open the door to the quinjet and ran to Loki's side. 

"Loki! What happened? Loki!" 

He reached over to touch Loki's wrist, finding his pulse and sighed with relief. Looking over at the chains, he realized that one link had been severed. 

"Oh my god, he did it! Loki, you did it!"  

Fenrir, who was still cradling Fennie, looked to the side where Bucky was pointing. 

"He broke the chain? He really broke it?! Papa? Papa!" 

Loki groaned and began to stir, and Bucky yelled toward the quinjet. 

"Bring some water or... fuck... something. I don't know... just... help!"

Kneeling down at Loki's side, Bucky was frantic with worry. He didn't know how to help his friend- not with this. If he'd been shot or stabbed, Bucky would be able to give him first aid without a problem, but this was absolutely not his area of expertise. 

"Loki, man... you gotta wake up. What do you need? Come on... please." 

Loki blinked his eyes and looked up at Bucky. 

"I failed. Again," he shook his head, "Just...leave me here. I want to stay with my son." 

"No! You didn't fail! Look! One of the links is broken! All we have to do is unwrap him! He's free!" 

Loki looked confused for a moment, but smiled when he saw that Bucky was right. Tony ran from the quinjet with a hand full of supplies- water, gatorade, some sort of concoction he drank after missions that Loki wouldn't dare put in his mouth, and a few pieces of candy. 

"Take your pick, dad." 

Loki drank some water, but was distracted by the idea of finally freeing his son. "Help me... help me get the chains off," Loki rasped. 

"Jeez man... that spell broke you," Bucky said. Tony laughed, and Loki couldn't help but chuckle even though it drained him even more. 

Fenrir had been sitting there keeping Fennie busy while everyone looked after Loki. He'd promised his father he would keep her safe, and that's what he did, even though he was dying to unwrap those chains. He'd known his father would be alright. He'd seen Loki drain himself that way before, but never quite as badly. 

As Loki, Bucky, and Tony worked to unwrap Fenrir's chains, Fenrir asked Loki if he'd meant what he said. 

"Were you really going to stay here with me? Like this? It's a boring life, you know. Especially in the winter when there are no animals to play with." 

Loki didn't know how to express what he was feeling. He'd never been good at that. Being shut down by his brother and his adoptive father for so long had taken its toll on his ability to deal with emotions. No one ever asked him to say what was on his mind and heart unless it had something to do with war. 

"I couldn't leave you, son. I've spent far too long without you. And...it's my fault you're here in the first place. The least I could do is suffer right along with you. I deserved nothing less. If I could go back in time and take your place, I would." Loki dropped his head. "I failed you. I should have killed Odin and every single one of the Aesir who did this to you before allowing them to send you somewhere I could not follow. I'm so sorry, son." 

Fenrir saw the tears falling onto Loki's chest, and as soon as he was freed, the massive wolf curled around his papa, burying him in fur. 

"It wasn't your fault, papa. I never blamed you. I thought of you often, but I never blamed you."

Loki felt a giant tongue slurp the side of his face, and he couldn't control his laughter. He hadn't felt that in so long, it made his chest ache. 

"Fenrir, I have an important question to ask you. And...it's alright if you say no," Loki said after they'd spent several hours wrestling each other in the fields nearby; Fennie chasing Fenrir's shadow. 

Loki explained the situation with the Avengers, asking Fenrir if he'd be willing to help them when they needed him. He also explained that they would provide him with adequate shelter and food, and that he wouldn't be alone anymore. It pained Loki to think of any of his children joining a league of superheroes, especially considering the fact that he was basically being held captive by them, but if this was the only way, then Loki could deal with it.

"Papa, I'll do anything to be close to you again. I've missed you." 

When Loki told the rest of the team the news, Stark was practically foaming at the mouth with excitement, but Loki had thought of one caveat. 

"Stark, would you mind...not telling my son why I'm here? He doesn't know that I'm your prisoner. We just finished freeing him from chains, and I--" 

Before Loki could finish, Tony slapped him on the shoulder. 

"You got it." 

Loki started to walk away, and Tony called after him. 

"Oh, and Loki? You're more of a friend who's required to live here now than a prisoner, anyway."