Marvel || WinterFrostIron || Marvel || Fight for the Future || Marvel || WinterFrostIron || Marvel

Title: Fight for the Future – Writer's Month

Fandom: Marvel

Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Marvel Comics for the creation of some of the most awesome heroes ever. This fanfiction on the other hand is entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.

Warnings: polyamory (m/m/m), dark AU

Main Pairing: Loki/Bucky/Tony

Marvel Characters: Anthony 'Tony' Stark, Loki Friggason, James Buchanan 'Bucky' Barnes

Summary: Writer's Month Prompt: dark AU

Loki went after HYDRA to get the staff back. He took more with him than expected.

Fight for the Future

Writer's Month

The scepter was dangerous. Too dangerous to stay with mortals. So Loki returned to Earth to track it. He found it with the worst kind of human scum. HYDRA. Nazis. Loki had read up on human history and he had seen it – those who thought they had more power than others, who thought themselves superior and pushed the weak around. It reminded Loki of everything he hated about Asgard. So when he tracked the scepter down, he tore down the building around it and he tore apart the HYDRA, ripping its heads off – or rather, its legs? Since these strange humans had no concept of what an actual hydra looked like. Pathetic, truly. He halted when he came across someone.

He wasn't HYDRA, not like these drones Loki had taken out. Loki furrowed his brows as he reached out for the man who looked so wary. Loki was an expert on mind-control.

He knew how it worked, he had worked it himself and he knew how the scepter worked. This one, he had not been controlled by magic or an Infinity Stone. It was archaic, brutal. They had dug into his brain and scrambled it to control him. Loki frowned at how primitive it was.

"You are as much a tool for them as the scepter", stated Loki. "And like the scepter, I shall take you with me. I can break the spell they have on you. I can restore you. Do you agree?"

The man looked at him with broken, desperate eyes and nodded.

/break\

James stared at himself in the mirror, tentatively touching his arm. It was magic, golden and made of Asgardian armor but enchanted to actually feel. Loki had removed the triggers, removed the brainwashing. James was in charge of his own body again, of his own fate. Loki had given him back his autonomy and freedom and he had offered him the chance for revenge. Loki had never meant to stick around on Earth, but he had grown attached to James – as James had grown attached to Loki. What HYDRA had done to James, Loki had started to take it personal as he grew more and more fond of James .Yes, Loki was a selfish bastard but those he considered his, if they were wronged, he would rain vengeance upon the enemy. Systematically, Loki and James started taking out HYDRA cells and agents, undetected by the Avengers – that would just complicate everything.

James wasn't ready to face Steve yet, despite the triggers being removed. Too many decades had passed, too much had changed. When HYDRA was gone, when James' mission ended. Because this was his mission. He had to take HYDRA out. Not to mention the complicated history between Loki and the Avengers; James hoped that maybe, taking out HYDRA would sway Steve.

The thing was, HYDRA was everywhere. They were even in SHIELD. Steve Rogers, Captain America, was working for HYDRA. Suddenly, James found himself being wary. Could he even trust his former best friend? Decades had passed and too much had changed, perhaps Steve himself had changed? HYDRA had infested everything – the governments, not just theirs but beyond.

"We could remodel the world", whispered Loki lowly.

His hands were gentle as they ran through James' hair, emerald eyes finding James' in the mirror. James tilted his head back and rested it against Loki's shoulder, closing his eyes and relaxing.

"We would be kings", murmured Loki as he pressed a kiss against James' shoulder.

"I am no king. I am a soldier", whispered James back. "But I am loyal to my king."

He turned to look at Loki with all the conviction he had and Loki smiled pleased.

/break\

The witch had infiltrated the Avengers and with that, Loki and James knew the Avengers were corrupt. The witch and her brother had escaped when Loki had seized the scepter, two experiments created by HYDRA. They had meddled with the minds of Tony Stark and the Avengers, they had joined Ultron, Loki and James watched that from the comfort of their living room, thinking it was unnecessary to meddle; the Avengers had this one and James was not ready to face them. But then the battle ended and the witch was taken into the Avengers. Loki had destroyed an expensive bottle of whiskey in his anger. He was a wanted criminal on this planet, but she became a celebrated hero? No, these humans, they had no moral compass anymore. No one even thought to charge her for the acts of terrorism. The pain on James' face had shook Loki.

Steve Rogers, who had gone to war to fight Nazis, was now willingly accepting a Nazi into his team, his home, not even punishing her for her crimes. It was all the proof James and Loki needed to know the Avengers were corrupt. For now, they needed to take out the witch, then they would see what else to do. They broke into the Avengers compound and found the witch.

"Man of Iron, stand down. We are not here to harm you", stated Loki coldly.

Iron Man stood in front of them with his gauntlet raised, the only Avenger aside from the witch who was at the compound. "Right. The Winter Soldier and Loki break in for a friendly chat."

"We're here to take out the HYDRA agent", snarled James, face hidden by his mask.

"Why? Aren't you a HYDRA agent?", inquired Iron Man doubtfully.

"The former Winter Soldier had been mind-controlled by HYDRA", supplied Loki, looking past Tony to stare at the witch's bedroom door. "A concept you should be familiar with. I can feel the witch's magic on you, Stark. She has been in your mind. Is that is? Is that why the great heroes accepted a villain into their midst with no repercussions? Mind-control?"

Much to Loki's surprise, Tony lowered his arm and turned to look away from them. Loki furrowed his brows and turned to look at James, who shrugged with an equally confused look on his face.

"Why would you betray your... team-mate?", inquired Loki curiously.

"She... is not my team-mate", whispered Tony, not looking at them. "I told Cap that she should be locked away, he said... I caused her enough pain already. She... did good. She decided to help us so we shouldn't punish her for the mistakes she made in the past, since we judge no one for their past and then he looked at me with that long, serious glare, I know that one, the one they give the Merchant of Death. Still judging me for my past. She mind-controlled the Avengers, she put the vision in my head. She made me build Ultron, yet the media and everyone damns me for it!"

Loki raised one eyebrow and took a step back, seeing that currently Tony was bursting with things he had suppressed. "They damn me for building Ultron, but praise her for betraying Ultron in the last second after she noticed it was not beneficial for her anymore. All I want to do is protect this planet! I know what will come! I saw it! And Steve – Steve thinks we are enough to protect it, but we aren't. Especially not now. Bruce is gone. Thor is gone. Steve brought in his buddy whom he met jogging. And we now let a Nazi terrorist join the Avengers. I don't know what this is, but this is not the Avengers. This is not... what I fought for."

With a snarl on his face did Tony turn away and leave them to it. James and Loki exchanged a curious look as Tony left them alone to do whatever they pleased. As he let them take down the witch. Loki wondered what to make of that, but he had seen the outfall over Ultron, had bugged Stark Tower and seen the way Thor had choked Tony, the way the Avengers had blamed him alone for what had happened. Had seen how the Avengers welcomed the witch despite Tony's protests.

/break\

It took the silver-tongued Asgardian far less to sway Tony Stark. He started to visit at night, when all the other Avengers were sleeping. Everyone thought the witch had decided to leave, to run from the Avengers, supposedly being unable to handle her brother's death. Loki had worked his magic on the AI and manipulated the footage to make it look like she left on her own. They talked. About HYDRA, about the Avengers, about alien invasion. About the future Tony feared. Tony started meeting Loki outside the compound, where James also joined them. At first, Tony was shocked to see who was behind the mask. Then he was shocked to hear that Loki had saved him. That the two were doing what the Avengers should have done; take down HYDRA. He was angry when he heard the truth about his parents' murder and that Steve and Natasha were deliberately hiding that truth from him. What a great team the Avengers were, huh? With that, it was not hard for Loki to sway him, to promise Tony a better future, one he got to shape, one where he could be king.

Unlike James, Tony wanted that. The Stark Empire, the former United States, were the strongest, most powerful country in the world. Tony finally got to change things, even though he had to join the villains to do so, even though he had to seize power and forcefully take over the world. Most countries still got to rule themselves, though they answered to Loki and Tony. James, he was their top general, but he did not want to rule himself. He admired his kings and lovers though.

That part had come nearly naturally, while taking over the world. Tony just gravitated toward them and one night, it hadn't even been a special night, Tony joined them in bed and he never left again.

"Welcome home, doll", greeted James softly when Tony entered their bedroom.

Tony sighed contently as he leaned against James, enjoying the embrace and kiss he got. Part of Tony still couldn't believe the love and tenderness he received from Loki and James Barnes, of all people. He still saw the look of utter betrayal on Steve's face when the trio had taken over the US. It was ironic, they were the bad guys, technically. Because they forced their way into power. Yet... they were celebrated by millions when Tony personally kicked Donald out of the White House and made his home in it. When Tony Stark and Loki Friggason became the ruling force of the US and from thereon out, took over the world. Tony's goals never changed though, even if his methods had.

He got to push through for laws that provided healthcare for everyone, make the richest of the rich pay more taxes, something he had always pushed for. Helping the poor and homeless and starving. And perfecting the original Ultron design. This time around, with actual time and patience and without his mind being scrambled by the witch, the program worked. Earth's Defense Watch Intergalactic Network. It protected Earth. And lo and behold when Thanos' army came for Earth, just as Tony had predicted, the protective shield around Earth's atmosphere protected them and the special training Earth's military had received to deal with aliens paid off.

"You look exhausted", hummed Loki displeased, running his fingers through Tony's hair.

Tony gladly collapsed sideways to rest his head in Loki's lap. He was fine. He wanted to be a hands-on ruler, that had been his choice. He smiled happily as James started massaging his calves. This was better than any future where he would have swallowed his tongue and obeyed the Avengers.

~*~ The End ~*~

Author's note: Sooo I stretched the term "dark AU" a TINY little bit buuut since Tony joins two supposed villains and they forcefully take over the world, it totally still counts as dark, right? Even though the world is a better place now! :D