Chapter Text
OUTSIDE THE FORMER AVENGERS COMPOUND
- 2023 -
“What the fuck just happened here”
With a sigh, Thor let go of Loki and took a step back. “Yes,” Thor said, “while I am truly happy to see you unharmed and well, brother. I too wish to know how you’ve managed to do this.”
“And Natasha”, Steve added. “How is this possible?”
“Yeah”, Tony said. “No offense, we’re all extremely glad you didn’t die on that desert planet- hell, over the moon even. But Clint said he saw you die. He couldn’t have gotten the soul stone without a sacrifice.”
Natasha smiled. “Well, it’s a bit more complicated than that.”
“And it will all be explained swiftly by yours truly”, Loki cut in with a small theatrical bow. “But shouldn’t you check on the rest of the ‘Earth’s mightiest heroes’ first?” He said, gesturing to the piles of burning rubble around them. With a start, Thor realised that he’d forgotten to put on his earpiece after the initial attack and thus had no idea how his fellow teammates were faring. As Thor fished around his pocket for the tiny communication device, he saw Steve activate his earpiece. “Hello?” Steve said. “Does anybody copy?” Thor, having finally found his earpiece, placed the device in his ear and waited for a response. For a while, he heard nothing but static, but then the Hulk’s- or rather Bruce’s grunt rang through the communication line. “I’m fine.” He said. “I managed to get out from under the rubble, but Rhodey and Rocket got washed away by the water,” Rhodey answered almost immediately. “We’re all right.” He said. “We almost drowned, but Scott got us out in time.” Thor saw rather than heardTony let out a sigh of relief those words. “Good.” Steve said. “And Clint? Are you there?” “Yeah, I’m fine.” Came the response. “I’ve got the gauntlet. I’m with Nebula and her sister. Nebula got snatched during the heist. We lead that purple bastard right to us. How’s the situation out there?”
“Believe it or not,” Tony said, “it’s over.”
“What?” Clint asked incredulously. The sentiment was echoed by their other teammates. “How? Nebula said they came with a whole battleship.”
“It’s gone”, Thor answered. “The Titan’s dead.”
“Wait, for real?” Scott asked. “That’s way easier than I’d expected it to be. Not that it’s a bad thing.” He added quickly.
“It’s true”, Steve confirmed. “But we weren’t the ones who defeated Thanos.”
“What do you mean you weren’t the ones who defeated him?” Rhodey asked. “There’s no one else here.”
“Loki showed up.” Tony said. “And Clint?” Tony’s voice took on a more serious tone. “Nat’s here.”
“Impossible”. Clint said immediately.
“She helped kill Thanos”, Tony told him.
“Stark”, Clint said, his voice dangerously low, “if you’re joking about this.”
“I’m not”, Tony said. “You know I wouldn’t. Not about this.” The line went quiet for a moment. “I’m on my way.”
“Well”, Loki said, loud enough to gather everyone’s attention once again. “Judging by the looks on your faces, I assume everyone’s well and accounted for?”
“Yes.” Tony said. “So, like Thor said, why don’t you go ahead and explain how you managed to pull this off. You can start by introducing us to your intimidating lady friend over there.” The woman smirked at the description. There was something oddly familiar about it.
“And where did that little boy go?” Thor asked, frowning slightly as he remembered the way vicious way the boy had attacked Thanos.
“And the crocodile”, Steve added.
“An alligator.” Loki corrected. “He’s rather sensitive about that.” Before Thor could start to inquire how Loki had managed to obtain that particular piece of information, another orange portal appeared. This time, an unfamiliar man stepped out, followed by the boy and the alligator. To Thor’s astonishment, Loki visibly brightened at the sight of the man. “Mobius!” Loki called, stepping forward to greet him with open arms. “Oh, my dear friend, you have done an absolutely marvellous job with the reset charges. The timing was impeccable!” Mobius shook his head softly with a smile that Thor could only describe as fond. “All I did was activate the pre-set timers.” He said. “You’re the one who timed the speech right.” The woman, who had stepped close enough to Loki to place her hand on Loki’s shoulder laughed and said “You should be proud of yourself. All those hours practicing in front of the mirror really paid off.” “What a nerd.” The boy snickered as Loki sputtered his objections with slightly reddened cheeks. Thor took in the scene in front of him with amusement and curiosity. For as long as Thor has known Loki, his brother never had friends. Not really. Despite both Thor’s effort to include his brother in his group of friends and Loki’s (albeit reluctant) efforts to befriend them, Loki never seemed to fit in. Not even with the commoners’ children. Instead, those who Loki associated himself with were either obedient minions or other influential nobles he could manipulate. They had always been mere pawns in Loki’s many masterplans, never equals. But now, surrounded by this odd combination of people (and alligator) that he called friends, Loki laughed freely and truly. And, Thor noted with a small flare of jealousy, Loki seemed unguarded in a way that he hadn’t been around anyone else, not even Thor. Thor wondered what made them so special to win his brother’s affections. He was the most curious about Mobius. At first sight, the man appeared to be the exact opposite of Loki. Mobius was a middle-aged man dressed in a smart (but incredibly dull) brown suit, with gray hair and a moustache to match. He seemed like the last kind of person Loki would befriend, and yet Loki had called him a dear friend and laughed alongside him. The ‘intimidating’ woman, whose name Thor still didn’t know, seemed more like the type of person Loki would associate himself with. Or rather someone whose good graces Loki would like to be in for protection or the power of their name. While that particular possibility didn’t seem entirely off the table, it was clear that it was not the defining feature in their friendship. Thor was also rather curious about the child in their midst since he knew Loki wasn’t overly fond of children and their snotty tendencies. As for the alligator, well, its presence and place among the group of friends remained a complete mystery to Thor. He was brought out of his musings by the sound of rushing footsteps approaching. Thor tore his eyes away from Loki and turned to look behind him, just in time to see Clint appear from behind a pile of rubble with the gauntlet in his hand. Clint stopped dead in his tracks the moment he saw Natasha. Behind him, Nebula followed along with a green-skinned woman who Thor assumed must’ve been Gamora, based on Rocket’s past tales. Clint stood frozen to the spot. After a moment, he spoke with a shaking voice. “How was your trip to Vienna?” He asked. While Thor hadn’t a clue as to what Clint was speaking about, Natasha seemed to know exactly what it meant. “The coffee was good, but the weather was horrible.” She replied with a soft smile. In an instant, Clint shoved the gauntlet into Nebula’s hands and crossed the distance between him and Natasha. He crashed into her with a hug and lifted her off the ground to spin her around. Thor was mildly surprised that Natasha let him do so, but he supposed the circumstances allowed a one-time exception. During their heartfelt reunion, the rest of the Avengers managed to emerge from the debris and make their way over to the centre of the action. Thor saw Scott turn green at the sight of the Titan’s corps. “God, is that-” he cut himself off as he started retching. Rhodey awkwardly rubbed his back with a “Just let it out” while Rocket stood at the side and called Scott a wuss. Clint, who had put Natasha back down again, stared at her in disbelief. “Fuck, Nat.” He said. “How? I saw you fall.”
“But I never hit the ground.” She replied.
“Instead, she fell into my waiting arms.” The blond intimidating lady said, grinning. “Which, by the way, you’re welcome to do again any time you want.” She added with a wink. “You wish,” Natasha said, rolling her eyes. Though Thor could see the smile tugging at her lips.
“Is it just me or does everything just keep getting weirder by the second?” Tony asked, looking around the group. “And why is no one is explaining anything here?” He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “You know what, fine. They say that the third time’s the charm and all, so I’ll just ask again. What’s going on? And- pardon my French, who the fuck are all of you?” Thor once again turned his gaze to Loki, but just as the god of mischief opened his mouth to speak, the blond woman at his side cut in. “Well, Since the prince of dramatics here is taking way too long to start the introductions, I’ll do it myself.” She said. Loki started to protest, but he was cut off by Mobius. “Sorry buddy, you snooze you lose.” Loki crossed his arms almost petulantly but resigned and let the woman continue.
“The one with the moustache”, She said, pointing at the man, “is Mobius.” Mobius gave them a small wave with a “Hi.” “The tall one is Loki.” She continued. “I’m sure you’re already well acquainted.”
“That’s one way to put it.” Thor heard Rhodey mutter.
“The small child here”, the woman gestured to the child, who protested at being called small, “is also Loki.” Thor’s eyes widened in surprise. He had not paid much attention to the boy earlier, but now that Thor had taken the time to take a proper look at him, he could recognise the familiar features in the boy’s face. Thor realised that the boy’s golden-horned crown should’ve been the clearest indicator of the boy’s identity, but he had foolishly assumed it to be the group's matching accessory for the group. Thor’s eyes shifted downward to the Alligator in the boy’s arms. If the boy wearing the crown was Loki, then it must also mean that... Thor’s suspicions were confirmed a second later. “The Alligator”, the woman said, “is also Loki.” Thor heard the surprised and confused noises from behind him. However, despite the unexpected form his brother had decided to take on, it was decidedly one of the less bizarre (or horrifying) forms Thor had seen. If anything, Thor was more shocked by the number of brothers he saw in front of him. “And lastly,” the woman said, “My name is Sylvie. Formerly known as Loki Laufeydottir.” Thor briefly wondered how he got himself into this situation. Just this morning, he had been the last living member of the Asgardian Royal Family. But now it seemed that he had not only regained the brother he had thought had passed, but also acquired two other brothers and a sister.
“So, just to be clear”, Clint said. “You’re all Lokis.”
“Yes”, Sylvie replied.
“Even the alligator?” Scott asked. Alligator Loki growled and snapped at him.
“Especially the alligator.” Loki, Thor’s Loki, told him.
“We’re all Loki variants here”, Sylvie said. “Except Mobius. He’s too sensible to be one of us.”
“I’m just the one who has to clean up after your messes, you mean", Mobius interjected.
“We can handle ourselves.” Sylvie retorted. “Well, at least I can. But your efforts are appreciated nevertheless.” She added. Mobius chuckled, then he cleared his throat. “Well,” he said, “Since I’m apparently the sensible one, I’ll go ahead and speed things up a bit for you folks.”
“Finally”, Tony said. Mobius shot him a smile. “As Sylvie said, I’m Mobius. I’m a former agent of the TVA, the Time Variance Authority. The TVA was created to govern and protect the Sacred Timeline, which this timeline used to be. The TVA tracks down the timelines that strayed from the Sacred Timeline and corrects it and brings in the variants who have caused the disruption.”
“So you’re the time police.” Rhodey summarised. “And you’re here because our heist messed with the timeline.”
“Not quite”, Mobius said. But before he could continue, Steve stepped forward and said, “It sounds to me that the TVA is just another organisation promising peace and order while trying to seize control and power. You take away people’s freedom of choice and cut down everyone who doesn’t fall in line. Sacred Timeline or not, I don’t think I like the sound of that.”
“Sharp”, Mobius complemented. “But note that I said former TVA agent. We don’t do that anymore. Turns out it’s kind of hard to keep on working for an organisation that kidnapped and brainwashed you. We’re not here because of your ‘time heist’, as you called it. That was always supposed to happen in the Sacred Timeline. As well as Thanos showing up, with his army. If we hadn’t interfered, it would’ve been followed by an epic battle for the sake of the universe. The Avengers Assemble on the battlefield along with all the heroes that had been dusted and a huge army of sorcerers and warriors. It’s really cool, I’ve seen it play out on a big screen. Everything seems to go well at first and you do like this massive relay run while you try to keep Thanos from getting the gauntlet then bam it all goes to shit.” Everyone remained silent as the man kept rambling on about everything that should have happened. It wasn’t hard to imagine the battle they had been spared when Mobius recounted it with vivid details. He was rather talented at storytelling. “...And then it all ends when Stark snatches the stones from Thanos, looks him dead in the eyes and snaps his fingers. Real badass. The ultimate sacrifice. The once narcissistic hero putting the sake of the universe before his own happiness. It’s terribly tragic but very poetic.” Everyone’s eyes shifted towards Tony, who had gone white as a sheet. “And then of course there’s the aftermath and returning the stones.” He paused and pondered for a moment, then said, “Now that I think of it, there was actually a whole unit dedicated to the Steve Rogers variants. I don’t know much about them since I was on Loki duty, but I think they might’ve been the second most common variants. The first one being Loki of course. People used to complain that the Rogers team was a lot of work since they kept on messing with the timelines to free Barns before his time and he always put up a hell of a fight when the TVA came in. Most of the hunters came back sporting black eyes.” Mobius chuckled lightly at the memory. “But, you know, after these recent events I think I might have to applaud you for going against the TVA, albeit unknowingly.” Mobius turned to look at Steve, and it seemed that it was only then that he realised they were all looking at him with various degrees of shock and concern on their faces. “Oh. I see that I’ve gotten side-tracked.” He shot a displeased look at the Lokis. “You should’ve stopped me.”
“But where’s the fun in that?” Loki grinned. “I personally really enjoyed your retelling of the battle.”
“Yeah”, Sylvie agreed. “Those sound effects you added were really good. You should do them more often.” Mobius frowned, his cheeks slightly red. “Anyway”, he said. “The TVA has been abolished. We’re currently working on reforming the organisation. We still have to hammer out the details, but the new TVA will be more focussed on untangling conflicting timelines and preventing multidimensional wars rather than trying to force everyone into a singular universe.”
“What does any of this have to do with us?” Bruce asked. “Why couldn’t you let the multiverse branch out on its own? Why interfere?”
“The official answer is that we’re exponentially speeding up the process of branching by irreversibly changing the timeline”, Mobius said.
“The real answer is that we fucking hate this timeline and want it burned to the ground”, Sylvie said. “We’re all variants. This ‘Sacred Timeline’ is the reason innocents get taken from their homes and are sent to die.” The rest of the variants nodded grimly. Thor’s heart ached when he saw the sadness in his brothers’ and sister’s eyes. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. “But if we’re currently on the sacred timeline, and you said that you are all variant.” Thor’s eyes raised to meet Loki’s. “Then does it mean that you’re not of this timeline?”
Loki smiled sadly at him. “Yes. I must confess that I haven’t exactly been honest with you, Thor.” He said, confirming Thor’s fears. “I am not the Loki you know. The Loki from this timeline died on the journey to Midgard. I’m the Loki who escaped with the tesseract after New York thanks to your heist.” A wave of grief washed over Thor. He had hoped that Loki had managed to fake his death and escape, like he had done oftentimes before. But alas, that was not the case. Thor took a breath to steady himself and whispered a small prayer for the brother he buried in New Asgard. “Our path may not have started at the same point, but they have conjoint nevertheless.” Thor said, looking Loki in the eyes. “From now on, you are my brother, all of you, and my sister. You will all have a place in my heart as well as a home in New Asgard. If you will have me.”
The bright smile Loki offered him warmed Thor’s heart. “Of course, brother. I would love to.” Thor turned his gaze upon Sylvie expectantly, who averted her eyes in a manner that if Thor didn’t know better, he might describe as shyly. “I don’t remember much of my brother,” she said, “but I think I wouldn’t mind relearning how to be a sister.” Thor’s mouth split into a wide grin as he crossed the distance to pull Sylvie into a tight hug. “I forgot he likes to do that.” Sylvie said breathlessly, and Thor realised that he might’ve hugged her a bit too hard. “You’ll get used to it”, Loki told her. Thor then turned his attention to the younger Loki and alligator version of his brother. Alligator Loki wagged his tail and snapped once. The lack of hissing meant that Thor was taking it as a good sign. What he didn’t expect was for the younger Loki to scowl at him. “I don’t want your hospitality and I certainly don’t want your pity.” Young Loki spat. “I killed my Thor. That’s what got me into this mess in the first place. I don’t need a lousy, ale-breathed replacement for the one I offed.” Thor was shocked by those words, and if the gasps he heard around him were anything to go by, he wasn’t the only one. He knew he hadn’t always been the kindest to his brother, but he couldn’t imagine a time where the situation could’ve escalated to fratricide. There must’ve been more to the story, Thor was sure of it. Thor refused to believe that any version of them was capable of killing each other. He studied the boy in front of him momentarily. Thor could see the way the boy’s shoulders were slightly hunched and how he was holding on to Alligator Loki just a bit too tight even as he tried to stand tall and unmoving. Thor also caught the hints of guilt and regret in his eyes even when he’d schooled his expression to be as neutral as possible. Thor knelt down in front of the boy so he had to look up at him. “Well, if you have already managed to best one version of me”, he said, “I believe you’ll have no troubles ending another.” The boys eyes widened slightly, surprised by what Thor was offering.
“Brother.” The older Loki protested. But Thor cut him off with a look. “Go on then”, he said, daring the boy to do it. The boy chose to stare intensely at his feet instead. “I know you’re carrying daggers on you. I’ve seen you use them.” The boy remained silent and didn’t move. “I don’t believe you killed your brother.” Thor said softly. “But I might as well have.” The boy muttered. Ah, Thor thought. Here it comes. Thor shot a quick glance at his other brother and sister, and by the look on their faces, it seemed that they hadn’t heard this story before. “If I hadn’t snuck out of the palace that night, Thor wouldn’t have followed. It’s all my fault. I was the one who wanted to find and defeat the beast in the woods Fandral and Volstagg were talking about. I was the one who didn’t pay enough attention to our surroundings, and I was the one who froze when the bandits attacked.” Thor remembered the night Loki was talking about. The day before, Fandral and Volstagg had been telling them about the great beast that was rumoured to have nested in the woods nearby. People and horses had been disappearing without a trace. Odin had planned on setting out with the knights to resolve the issue. It was back when both Thor and Loki had just reached the age where they were both competing for Odin’s praise. Thor realised now that Loki had always had to work harder to prove his worth as a warrior as he relied mostly on his magic and daggers rather than a blade or axe. Perhaps that’s why he had planned to sneak out that night. Of course, Thor, unwilling to miss out on an adventure had insisted to join the moment he heard Loki sneak out of his room. What happened that night was the result of a youthful mistake. They had planned to trap a monster but were instead met with a large group of bandits without a trace of loyalty to the crown. They had been captured and the bandits planned to hold them ransom. Thor and Loki had tried to fight their way free when the bandits realised Odin chose to attack rather than to pay the ransom, but even with Odin’s rigorous training, they were no match for a dozen angry grown men. Thor vividly recalled a moment in the fight, when he had just fought off one of the bandits and turned to look for his brother, only to find him frozen in fear, surrounded by men towering over him. One of them had kicked Loki down while another raised his sword, ready to strike down. Thor had sprinted with all his might to reach his brother and had thrown himself over Loki as he prepared for a blow that never came. Odin and his men had arrived just in time to shoot down their attackers. It seems that his other self had not been as lucky. “Little Brother”, Thor said, placing a hand on the boy’s shoulder. Loki flinched slightly, but he did not move away. “I know of the event you speak of, and I can assure you, on my honour as the King of Asgard, that your Thor leapt in front of the blade willingly and without a doubt, knowing the risks. But above all, he leapt without regret, because his sacrifice meant you lived to see another day.”
Finally, Loki looked him in the eye. There was a newfound fierceness in his eyes as he spoke, his voice rising with his anger. “You say that, but what good will it do? My Thor’s still dead. He didn’t get to grow up and old and into whatever one-eyed Odin replica you are now. And it’s my fault. Thor died because of my incompetence and father thinks so too.” Thor started to protest, but the boy cut him off. “I know, because the last thing I remember is the fury in father’s eyes before the TVA dragged me away.” Thor’s heart broke at the certainty with which he spoke. The Loki in front of him truly believed he was the subject of his father’s ire.
“His anger was born out of worry and panic.” The older Loki said softly. Thor and the younger Loki both looked up at him. “And it was not directed at you, but rather the brainless bandits that were bold enough to capture the princes of Asgard.” It was quiet for a moment. “He didn’t even make it to his two-hundredth birthday”, the younger Loki said eventually, his voice cracking at the end. Tears started to pool in the corner of the boy’s eyes. Alligator Loki shifted in his arms to wrap his tail around the boy. “But you will”, Thor told him.
“I’m four hundred and fifty.” The boy muttered. “People don’t age in The Void.” In the background Thor briefly heard an incredulous. “Did that kid just say four hundred and fifty?” followed by a “shut up, ant guy” from Rocket. “It seems to me, brother”, Thor said, “that you have unnecessarily punished yourself with this guilt for too long. Your Thor wouldn’t have wanted that for you. He died a death worthy of Valhalla. And I can say without a doubt in my mind that he is happy there. He has earned his place among the warriors and Valkyries.”
“Thor has always wanted to be a Valkyrie.” Loki said with a small smile pulling at his lips. Thor chuckled. “And perhaps one day he and I will be. I’ve had the honour to meet one. She’s a real kickass lady, as the Midgardians say. I’m sure she’ll love to meet you too.” The boy seemed to perk up slightly at the prospect, but the sadness returned a second later. “I miss him.” He confessed. “I know.” Thor said. “And while I know that I will never be able to replace the brother you have lost, I promise that I will always be there for you when you need me.” Loki remained quiet for a moment, then nodded. “All right”, he said. “I’ll allow it.” With a big smile, Thor pulled the younger Loki into a big hug, squishing Alligator Loki between them.
“As much as I hate to ruin this little family moment”, Tony said, after Thor had released his brothers. “There are still some things that aren’t adding up. You-” Tony pointed a finger at Sylvie-“just said that all of you hated this timeline, and you-” He shifted his finger at the older Loki- “are a variant because you shouldn’t have picked up the Tesseract we dropped. And since this was the Sacred Timeline, it means that everything that happened up to the point you guys showed up was scripted and had to happen. So in reality, Loki was always meant to pick up the Tesseract and his timeline was essentially set up for him to die the moment he outlived his purpose.” Thor frowned at the idea. “And let’s be honest,” Tony continued, “2012 Loki wasn’t exactly our biggest fan. Which brings me to the point I was trying to make, none of you have a reason to like any of us- except Thor. You could’ve chosen any other method to destroy this timeline. You could’ve nuked this planet to the ground, but you didn’t. Instead, you chose to fight our battles for us. Why? And how does Natasha fit in all this? How did we even get the soul stone if no one paid the price?”
“The answer”, Mobius said, “is very simple. Despite the whole cool and smart guy act he has going on, Loki is really a just bleeding heart who wants his brother and his friends to be happy.” Loki gasped dramatically. “Slander!” He called.
“Nope. That is definitely true.” Sylvie said. “And, in true Loki fashion, he did it in the most dramatic way possible. He planned just about every second up to the beheading.”
“She’s not kidding”, Natasha said. “I spent about three days listening to him about when and where we had to stand and the timing and placement of the portals. His parents should’ve just let him become a stage director. It would’ve saved all of us a whole lot of trouble.”
“I can’t believe this”, Loki cried. “Betrayed, even after all we’ve been through.” He narrowed his eyes at Natasha. “See if I include you in my plan next time.” Natasha just smiled.
“As for the question of how”, Mobius continued, paying no mind to Loki. “It was just a simple distract and switch. Barton was too high up to see the bottom of the ravine, so he didn’t see the portal that brought Natasha to the TVA. And while he was pulling himself up from the edge, we shoved the guardian behind a rock and tied him up. Loki played the part of the guardian and handed Barton the stone.” To demonstrate, Loki shapeshifted into a hooded figure.
“But how did you guys get the stone?” Clint asked.
“That was the easiest part, actually”, Mobius said. He grabbed a small pouch that was hanging from his belt. Thor was stunned when he opened it for them to see. Inside, the bag was filled with infinity stones. “We get a lot of these at the TVA. They’re pretty useless up there, so the analysts mostly just use them as paperweights or doorstops.” Everyone was speechless. None of them knew what to say. Rhodey was the first one to break the silence. “Are you kidding me?” He exclaimed. “We had through all that effort just to find five stones. Tony even invented freaking time travel. Now this guy just shows up with a bag full of them and calls them paperweights. Fuck it, man. I give up. I don’t get paid enough for this shit.”
“Me too.” Tony announced. “I’m done. I didn’t die today so I’m counting that as a win.” “you’re welcome”, Loki said. “Yeah, thanks.” Tony replied. “I’m going back to retirement. Anything, and I mean anything that happens starting tomorrow is no longer any of my business. So, if there’s anything any one of you would like to share, this is the time to do it.” The moment the words left his mouth, large circular wizard portals started to appear behind the ruins. “Oh, for fucks sake.” Tony cursed exasperatedly. “What now?”
“That must be the chivalry!” Loki said cheerfully, with a broad grin on his face and a mischievous glint in his eyes. “It’s quite a shame no one told them they’re not needed anymore.” A second later, a smaller portal appeared in their midst. Thor took a step back as the cloaked wizard appeared. “This was not supposed to happen.” He said as a matter of greeting. He turned to fix his attention on Loki. “You’re not supposed to be here.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, this must be so embarrassing for you.” Loki replied with false sympathy. “You show up with your plans and army only to find out that you’re too late! Everything’s already over. You’re not needed anymore. So, you can just tell everyone to pack up and go home again.” Sylvie and Young Loki cackled softly as the wizard glared intensely at Loki with irritation and disdain. Even Thor couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle. This was exactly the type of mischief Thor remembered Loki loving. The god was unaffected by the wizard’s glare and just smiled at him. “Off you go now”, Loki said with a wiggle of his fingers. “I’ll accept the change of events this once.” The wizard said eventually. “But only because the outcome is better than the alternative. Stay out of my business and don’t make a habit out of this.” The wizard’s cloak hit Loki in the face when he turned to leave, causing Young Loki and Sylvie’s cackling to turn into full-blown laughter. “Well, that was unnecessarily rude of him”, Loki said, running a hand through his hair to tidy it. For the first time in years, Thor let out a full belly laugh. “It’s good to have you back, brother.” He said.
STARK CABIN
- Hours after the final battle -
Thor sat at the edge of the lake near Tony’s house. His brothers and sister sat beside him in the soft grass. When he closed his eyes, he could hear his friends chatter around the barbecue and the sounds of jet ski motors racing over the water. The sun was shining. It had taken them a long time to reach this point, but Thor wouldn’t have it any other way.