Sometimes it was hard to believe, already a decade had gone by, a decade since the Asgardians had made camp on Midgard.
And oddly, Loki found that he deeply appreciated this time, sure everyone had a bit of adjusting to do but they were figuring it out together, he wasn't the only odd man out here, they were all odd men out in this realm.
Something else had also happened over time, Loki had started to care less and less about how he looked, and now he really didn't care.
He was Loki before he was a Jotnar, and people had seemed to realize that as well, not only that… People had started to show true loyalty, and even admiration.
It was nice… This place was nice.
Somehow, it felt so much less pretentious than Asgard, people were allowed to relax and that felt... Very healthy. They really needed to take that into consideration when it was time to move back to Asgard.
Loki hummed to himself as he was walking across the city, holding a book in his hands, the wind breezing, the birds singing and then suddenly a womans voice.
"Lackey?"
Loki blinked as he looked up to see a dark skinned woman wearing Asgardian armor looking wide-eyed at him. Loki frowned. "Who the hel are you?" he asked annoyed over being called such an absurd thing.
"I…" The woman gaped. "I don't understand…. How can you?"
Loki frowned, then suddenly, a sharp pain entered his skull and he shouted as he grabbed his head.
Then suddenly voices… images… He remembered.
He was holding unto Gungnir, dangling over the void… He had looked at Thor, then at Odin and… no… They would not have the last laugh! He would not do what they wanted! And he let go!
He remembered falling, falling for an eternity until… A strong presence dragged him in… THANOS!
He remembered Thanos! But he had been alone with the Titan and then, New York! He had lead and army, he remembered!
Brought back in chains, the dark elves… Revenge on Odin, Sakaar, THIS WOMAN RIGHT THERE! Fleeing Asgard, Thanos!"
And Loki grabbed his neck, feeling it, feeling the life being squished out of him and then… He halted.
What… What was Loki doing here?! Hadn't he just been grabbed by Thanos? No, he had been here… No he had been held up by Thanos… Wait… huh?
Valkyrie seemed to blink to. "Wait I was on Sakaar a second ago, but I wasn't I was here!" she exclaimed then looked around and she blinked. "Where did all those houses come from? This village was not this big a second ago!"
Then a scream sounded. "YOU'RE BACK! YOU'RE ALIVE!"
Loki and Valkyrie turned to see a woman crying in front of a man who looked confused.
The man blinked. "I..."
The woman cried. "You were killed by Hela… But you weren't… But you were!"
"YOU TURNED TO DUST!" Another one screamed from another place.
"What is going on?" Valkyrie gasped.
Lokis eyes widened. "Put the pieces together… THE REALITIES MELTED TOGETHER!" he shouted. "That's how everyone could be saved! Our two different selves are being joined as one!"
Valkyries eyes widened. "Oh my god… He did it." she gasped. "Thor, he actually did it!" she held her head. "He was traveling to another time line, he was traveling with you! And he did it!"
"HE DID!" Loki shouted. "Two realities, but only one set of infinity stones. How to get around it? Melt two realities into one! Ones they reached the same point in time, BAM!" he slammed his hands together.
"Where is Thor now?!" Valkyrie shouted.
Loki halted. "He was taking a walk at the beach." then his eyes widened. "HE WAS THE BRIDGING POINT! THOR!" he turned and ran and so did Valkyrie.
They found Thor, on the beach and in a state of utter confusion… Not to surprising, he had been the bridging point! Loki was rather nervous, Thor really seemed really out of it. Loki actually had to remind him what had happened the last ten years. Thankfully, slowly Thor seemed to remember, all though he was still in a state of utter shock and confusion.
Finally though Loki managed to get Thor back to bed, and noted that now Thor wasn't just having a useless arm, one of his eyes were mechanical. He had pulled out the damages from both time lines... The man was shaking to, clearly he was still in shock. And his mind had still to settle down.
"It's all right now, things are going to be fine." Loki assured.
Thor still looked startled, in a way Loki had not seen in years. It did remind Loki of when Thor had first started to shift, and only then did he realize how much better Thor had become with time. It was funny, he hadn't become better from one day to the next... But slowly, in increments so Loki never really noticed the work he was doing, until now where he could see the major difference that yes, Thor truly had overcome such a great weakness and become so much better over the years . At this moment though, he had obviously regressed quite a bit.
Loki knew what he needed to do, he stayed in the room until Thor finally drifted off to sleep.
First when Loki was absolutely sure Thor was really sleeping did he step outside closing the door behind him only to be faced with the dark skinned warrior maiden.
For a moment they looked at each other, then finally Valkyrie reached up a hand.
"Hey."
Loki smirked lightly. "Hey."
Ones again there was awkwardness.
"So erhm." Valkyrie tried. "You're… not dead. And you're..." she looked at him. "Blue."
"Valkyrie look." Loki tried. "I… I do remember in fact, Sakaar and we were. Not exactly on good terms, how-ever. I am not just… I'm not exactly that same Loki. Well I am, but only partially." Okay this was really confusing.
Valkyrie shook her head. Then she looked up. "Look, this is what I know." she stated. "Thor needed help! I tried to help him, but it wasn't my help he needed. It was yours, and you gave him the help he needed... You helped him. If it's all right by you, I am okay with just starting over." then she stepped forward. "Hey! I'm Brunhilde, last of the Valkyries."
Loki hesitated slightly then accepted the hand. "Hello, Loki. Prince of Asgard." he informed as they shook.
Valkyrie let go as she smiled stepped back then she looked past Loki at the door. "Will he be all right?" she asked.
"I think so, he just needs rest." Loki replied. "He is kind of the center of all of this, not just the bridging point between the two realities. But also the divergence catalyst in the new timeline... Everything that is different sprung from him. Like a butterfly effect... Well not like, it is exactly a butterfly effect at work."
"Wow, that really makes you think doesn't it?" Valkyrie asked.
"Aye it does." Loki nodded now suddenly remembering two very different turn at events... Yeah it was like night and day. And the only reason things were different now was because Thor had interfered. Loki glanced up.
"So what's with the blue thing?" Valkyrie asked.
Loki shook his head. "Thor told me you were basically his second in command in the other timeline, you ought to be kept up to date. Come on, I'll catch you up." he assured.
Valkyrie smiled. "Appreciate it OH!" she halted as a man stepped out looking utterly confused. "BIG GUY!" she spread out her arms.
"Valkyrie!" Bruce gaped looking at her. "I remember you!"
Valkyrie grinned. "Nice seeing you here."
Then Lokis eyes widened, wide-eyed he looked at Bruce and Bruce looked at him... He remembered... Puny god... The smashing... Oh norns.
"You..." Bruce gasped. "You..."
"Now-now!" Loki stepped back. "That's only one version of me! We're friends right?!" he asked shaking lightly.
Bruce groaned holding his head. "Sorry I… Yes?" he sounded so confused. "Did you or didn't you attack New York?"
"I don't know!" Loki exclaimed. "Looks like who-ever is alive in just one timeline gets to still be alive in the shared timeline so we're cool right!?"
"I… I don't know." Bruce admitted. "Are we?"
"I don't know!" Loki shouted.
For a moment they looked at each other.
"This is going to be so confusing isn't it?" Bruce asked.
Loki sighed deeply running a hand through his hair. "Aye… But, I think this is the best possible outcome we could hope for. The big Oaf really did it, saved everyone. That greedy bastard." he shook his head.
"How... How come though?" Valkyrie asked. "I mean."
Loki sighed. "Thor was the one wielding the infinity stones. For just the briefest amount of time, he were at a place where literately nothing existed. Nothing but himself and the stones which are the building blocks of the universe. As he was the only living being there, his will controlled the stones. His will alone... For a brief moment, he truly was a god in every sense of the word. He could literately create what-ever world or reality he wanted... " the young god smiled lightly slipping a strain of renegade hair behind his ear. "It really speaks for Thors character doesn't it? He could have created any idealized world he wanted... Any versions of us he wanted. But he put it all back together, the greedy bastard wished for one thing. For everyone to be saved, everyone." he empathized. "So here we are." he spread out his arms.
"Wow." Bruce blinked. "I... I am pretty glad it was Thor and not someone else." he admitted. "I wouldn't even trust myself which such power."
"Me neither." Valkyrie admitted.
"Aye... It probably wouldn't be a good idea to put me in that situation." Loki admitted rubbing his neck. "And well, I think the thing is. Even if someone tried to make an idealized world it probably wouldn't work. There is no existence without suffering, the more you try to avoid it the worse it is going to get."
Bruce took in a deep breath but nodded. He did look mildly shell shocked... Loki couldn't blame him, he felt the same.
"So..." Loki turned to Bruce. "We're good, yes?" he asked.
Bruce nodded. "Yeah.. Yeah I think we are." he stated. "Erhm, I got one more question." he held up a hand. "In the two different timelines, I were different. One I was like this, like I've been for years. The other, I had finally... Finally found a solution! Why am I back like this?!" he asked.
Loki shrugged. "Seems like any injuries sustained in one timeline carries to the other. In my own case, the price for the soul stone was my Aisir skin. That cannot be changed! Even in a melted timeline."
"But shouldn't I then..." Bruce tried.
"NO!" Valkyrie shouted and Bruce turned to her. "I hated it! I like the big guy, he's my friend! He's sweet! And I actually also like you, you're weird but kind of cool. But that weird hybrid thing. Put it to rest. PLEASE!"
Wide-eyed Bruce looked at her.
"Well, if that is the case." Loki smirked. "Thor was the one creating this new world, if he subconsciously liked you better like this. That's probably why that's what you got."
Bruce sighed deeply. "Okay... Fine... I get the message." he ran a hand through his hair. Then groaned as he rubbed his face.
"Wait Bruce... Why are you here?" Valkyrie asked. "Aren't you supposed to be in New York."
"Well, in one timeline I am!" Bruce informed. "In the other. Well, I live here! I lived here for almost ten years." he admitted fixing his glasses.
"Really?" Valkyrie asked. "AWESOME!"
"And I'm friends with Tony Stark." Loki murmured. "How in the world did that happen?!" he asked remembering one timeline where he had only been to happy to throw that annoying human out of a window, and another one where they had spend days worth of research over the cause of the last decade. Tony eagerly asking so many questions, and Loki actually finding it quite stimulating that he had to figure out ways to answer.
Tony had even brought machines to measure Lokis magic, and they had started to work on a few projects combining earth science and Asgardian magic.
Bruce smiled warmly. "Wow, I am friends with them both timelines." he remarked, remembering how Tony had called him in for favors and he had joined a strange team on missions saving the earth. Thor and Loki to.
Lokis eyes widened, his mouth, then he grabbed his pocket and pulled out... An Avengers card. Complete with photo and name. "Loki Odinson, Avenger."
"You got to be kidding me." Loki murmured astounded looking at the card. Then he looked up. "Jack Frost." he muttered.
"Huh?" Valkyrie asked.
"That's what Tony calls me on missions, Jack Frost." Loki closed his eyes.
"Well, it's better than Reindeer games right?" Bruce asked and Loki shot him a look.
Valkyrie shrugged. "Seems like we are doing pretty good right?" she asked. "So… Let's just start on a fresh? Right boys?" She asked.
"Sounds good to me." Loki sighed.
"Agreed." Bruce admitted. "Honestly Prince Loki, I do prefer you as a friend."
"Believe me, likewise!" Loki exclaimed and then, the three just sort of smiled, then chuckled. Things were going to be fine.
End.
