Thor looked around at the vast expanse of open, beautiful land and water. "This," he said. "This is it. New Asgard stands here."
"Fine." His past self shrugged. "Seems like it will do." He paced restlessly. "Did you really just sit here for five years and do nothing?"
"I didn't do nothing," Thor corrected. "I was very busy. I was busy being who I am." He tried not to allow his past self's eye-roll to offend him. "It's all right, I've been there," he said. "Burning with the constant struggle to be all the things that Odin wanted and my people needed and that I thought I should be. But then I took a break, and realized it's much simpler, much better, to not have to be those things." He smiled indulgently, as if to a small child. "You'll learn."
Loki was standing close by his side. "Will he, though?" he murmured. "It was unimaginable defeat and tragedy that brought you to that place – something we hope that this Thor will never know."
Thor gave him a Look. "He better never know it. Not after what I sacrificed to ensure that it never happens."
"Don't be so dramatic."
"I. Climbed. Up. His. Ass." Thor tried not to remember it. "The rest of you got to fight honorably, while I had to, to, to sodomize evil. It's not funny."
"Yes, it is." Loki's smile was small and nasty. "For the rest of us. Just not for you. But don't worry." He reached out and patted Thor on his shoulder. "Once we get to the future, nobody will ever know you did it. Well… nobody except me. Hopefully I won't tell anyone."
"Loki." He could foresee an endless stream of innuendos and blackmail. It was exhausting. "Look… why don't you just stay here?" he suggested. "It's a beautiful place, and with Thanos dead, you can actually live in peace. At least until something else goes wrong on this planet." He waved that away as quickly as possible. "In the meantime you can help your people build and heal. Where I come from, all there is to look forward to is roaming around the cold blackness of space, in a scarred universe."
Loki was quiet. "They're not my people, Thor," he said at last. "For the past few years I've been watching from behind a one-way glass as they pitied and fetishized me, and I'll admit it was fun, but I can't walk among them now. I need to go." Then he laughed. "And I think the cold blackness of space will suit me better than this beauty anyway."
Thor watched the Asgardians roaming around the site, planning out where this or that building might stand. "Should we stay awhile and help them build, at least?" he asked. "I already know where everything goes."
He saw, out of the corner of his eye, that Past-Thor had turned to exchange a glance with his brother. "What?" he asked them.
Loki answered. "Thor, if you're in the mood to build, why don't you just stay? Give your suit to Eyepatch over there, and let him return with me instead. If we're going to be struggling through the chaos of a scarred universe, brother… of the two of you, he seems a little better of a fit." He looked over at Past-Thor. "Don't you think?"
Past-Thor stood tall. "My father is dead and my realm destroyed – everything I've ever fought and worked for. But I still have fight in me, if that's what you're asking." He turned to Thor. "It's your choice."
If he gave up his suit, he would never be able to go back. But why would he want to? Asgard was here – Heimdall and Stark as well – and the universe was whole, unmarred by his failure. Here, his failure had never happened.
"Let's have lunch," he said, "And a couple of beers. And I'll think about it."
His past self and his brother nodded along. "Of course," Loki said, "Think about it. Take your time."
He'd be willing to bet that all three of them knew him well enough to know that he had already decided.
But after enough beers, he supposed… who knew. He might do anything. It didn't matter too much in the end, though. The sun would shine anyway.
The End.
But there's an epilog. So we can see WTF was Loki really thinking. Hoping to post it in the next day or two.
Thanks for coming along through time with me. Sorry there was crack. (Just be glad I didn't actually kill Thanos on-screen and make you read about it!).
Hope you enjoyed!