Loki blinked his eyes. He stared up at a high ceiling that was painted on in fine detail beautiful artwork he had never seen before. In the corners were torches that lighted the room in a calming luminous glow. He moved his head on a pillow made of fine silk that caressed his skin. He looked down at himself and noticed the clothing he was wearing that was unlike anything he had worn before. Then reality grabbed hold of his hand and he remembered. He remembered in graphic detail and he sat upright quickly and a hand held him back. He turned and looked at Odin.
"Easy there child." Odin instructed with a smile on his face.
"Where am I?" Loki asked taking in the room that looked elaborate and regal.
"In a healing room in Asgard." Loki allowed Odin to push him down against the pillows again.
"I'm in Asgard?" Loki asked and he felt the weakness in him. He wasn't feeling okay.
"You have been here for weeks now and I have had the best healers in all the realms take care of you and now you are returned to us, my son." Odin reached out and squeezed Loki's hand and Loki squeezed it back with what little strength he had.
"The tablet?" Loki asked.
"Is locked up safely in the bowels of Asgard."
"And earth? What about earth?" He asked urgently.
"Earth is safe. All the nine realms are safe now because of your deeds." Loki heard footsteps and he turned towards it to look at Thor and his mother. And there was nothing that was going to stop him from sitting up now to embrace his brother. Loki began to sob as he held onto Thor.
"Everything is okay brother." Thor whispered running a hand across Loki's hair and kissing his forehead.
'I thought I would never see you again." Loki admitted.
"Then thank the God's that we were both wrong." Thor stepped aside and Frigga took his face in her hands.
"I knew you could do it." She whispered kissing his face and then she held him tightly this child who had been returned to her now again.
"Is he gone?" Loki asked. He couldn't hear is older self. He could not feel him but he was afraid and weary.
"Yes he is. You made sure of that." Frigga said.
"Where is everyone else?" Loki wanted to know.
"Back on earth awaiting your arrival.' Thor said with a smile.
Days later when Loki was stronger for the journey to earth he left with Thor and walked into a new Avengers headquarters one that did not advertise where it was. It was kept hidden and on a need to know business.
Thor and Loki watched them the rest of the Avengers sitting around the TV and it was Thor who cleared his throat. And their heads turned simultaneously.
"So this is what you guys do now just hang around watching TV?' Loki asked and they were all off from the couch and running towards him as they all took turns hugging him, holding him like they were never going to let him go ever again.
"You scared the crap out of us." Clint said putting an arm around Loki's neck and pulling him tightly to his side.
"I scared myself too." Loki admitted.
"Is he okay?" Bruce asked unable to hide his smile. It was like he was never going to stop smiling again.
'He is still a bit weak but the All Father says he'll be his self in a couple of days." Thor answered.
"I watched your antics on the news quite the hero." Tony said.
"Fury made me an Avenger." Loki informed him.
"Yeah we heard about that and it's been declared a stupid decision so you're not an Avenger." Steve said.
"That isn't fair and Fury's rule stands. I am an Avenger I earned it." Loki told them.
"You're right about that, you earned it." Natasha came forward and held out a newspaper that had his face on it. Earth's Newest Hero. It said in bold print and Loki found himself caught between wanting to cry and wanting to laugh. He had done it. He had avenged his past. He felt a lump in his throat.
"Well done kiddo. We're very proud of you." Tony said and he held out an Iron Man bracelet that he slipped on Loki's wrist. "New and improved so nobody can track you via it except us. And it has a mini missile launcher on the sides."
"Tony." Steve said with a shake of his head.
"I said mini Steven.'
"I might not need it." Loki said with a smile and with one thought he sent six Loki's running through the room that they watched in amazement.
"I thought your father was going to temporarily take his abilities away till his old enough and responsible enough.' Steve said.
"My dad said I was responsible enough.' Loki said and the other Loki's disappeared and he felt weak.
"Yeah very responsible you just exhausted yourself what part of rest didn't you understand?" Clint demanded.
'The rest part.' Loki said and he yawned. "I have so much to tell you saving the world is hard work."
"And we want to hear it all about it but you look like you need a nap buddy." Steve said giving Loki's hair a quick tussle.
"I'm a superhero I don't need a nap." Loki yawned to prove it.
"That is an excellent argument right there." Natasha said.
"Fear me.' Loki said and they all laughed.
"Do you want me to tuck you in?" Tony asked.
"I am too old to be tucked in. Too powerful." Loki said and he leaned against Tony. "Can you tuck me in?"
They laughed and Tony led Loki to his new room. Loki looked at the blank halls.
"We thought we'd wait for you to come home and decorate it with your posters.' Tony said.
"I will and my mom and dad said they would come visit me now and I can come see them any time I want.' Loki said kicking his shoes off.
"That's good news buddy. I have never been to Asgard you should take me.' Tony said picking up a blanket as Loki laid down on his bed.
"I will." Tony threw the blanket over Loki and tucked it firmly around him.
"That feel good?" Tony asked.
"Snug as a bug.' Loki replied.
"Hey the last time when we saw each other…" Tony sat down on the bed by Loki's side and brushed the hair from Loki's eyes.
"You said you'd come find me.' Loki whispered.
'And I couldn't do that." Tony said with deep seated guilted that had been haunting him now since the day they had been taken.
"It wasn't your fault. I know you would have come if you could. And you were right about one thing.' Loki said.
"What was that?"
"You said everything would be okay, and look it is.'
"Well define okay, you are more powerful than me how is that okay?' Tony dug a finger in Loki's sides and he giggled curling a ball. And Tony continued the tickling until Loki begged him to stop.
"I'm proud of you." Tony said dropping a kiss on Loki's head.
'That's what you get when you're raised by the earth's mightiest chickens.' Loki said feeling his eyes drop, sleep was ready to carry him away.
"Damn straight, now rest.' Tony said pulling the blanket up to Loki's chin.
"Will you sit with me till I fall asleep.' Loki asked thinking this was all he had wanted as the world fell apart around him. All he had wanted was his home and his family. Now he had it.
"I can do that.' Tony said brushing a hand over Loki's hair.
"The next mission can I come with?" Loki asked.
'We'll think about it.'
"But I am a God." Loki said with another yawn and Tony smiled.
"Yeah I can see that an all powerful sleepy God very cute and terrifying." There was no reply from Loki he was slipping away to sleep and Tony turned around to look at Thor who was standing in the doorway.
"When we were being held by Thanos.' Tony began to say as he looked down at Loki. "I started to think we would never have this again."
'So did I Stark.' Thor admitted.
'His going to want to go on missions and we won't be able to stop him.' Tony whispered stroking Loki's fine skin with the back of his hand.
"Right now he has the entire power of the cosmic tablet inside him and he doesn't know that. My father and mother never told him it consumed him and nearly destroyed him.' Tony looked down at the sleeping boy.
"We have the most powerful God only second to your father. Are we going to tell him about that?" Tony said wanting to mention that he was sick of lies and the tension it brought.
'We'll tell him." Thor decided without having to think. "And then we will never hear the end of it.' Tony and Thor shared a laugh and then fell into mutual silence as they watched Loki sleeping. Life for the moment felt normal and it was all they had wanted.
THE END (kind of)
A/N And that's it! I finished it! This is officially the longest fanfiction story I have ever written. And to finally finish it means the world to me right now. As you notice I am saying the end kind of. I'd like to write a fic that's a spinoff from this. Especially since I just left that little gem there that Loki is a lot more powerful after the tablet released its energy into Loki. So that should be fun…
I want to say thank you for those who have sent me messages, who have left reviews, liked this story and followed it and made it their favorites. Thank you. I know I haven't been the most consistent writer so thank you for sticking around.
Take care till we meet again.
