Summary: It's time to go.

Chapter XVI—Welcome Here

Home (noun): The place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household.

Loki stood on the shore, water lapping at his boots. Wind blew strands of hair into his face, and he pushed it away. On the horizon, the sky was barely beginning to brighten as a new day stirred, and a fresh, salty smell hung in the air, filling Loki's lungs as he inhaled.

Sometimes he wondered where the enormous mass of water disappeared to after it had tumbled over the edge. The abyss could swallow it up effortlessly, every last drop of it. Or did some ancient magic draw it back to its source so that Asgard's rivers would never run dry? Idun should know…

His gaze followed the water to the edge. In his mind, he could see a boat carried by the flow, one among many, as if they were some kind of twisted reflections of the stars. He could see fingers intertwined on the finest fabric Aesir could spin, though it should have been the breastplate of her armour. She'd died a warrior's death, from what he'd heard. When he'd still been a boy, he'd seen her fight off bandits, and she'd been beautiful and terrifying in a way nobody ever spoke about, with her hair undone and droplets of blood on her cheeks.

Hopefully they'd left her hair undone for the funeral. How could somebody bear to braid them when she was dead?

A burning sensation spread through his chest, and he felt wetness on his cheeks.

She was gone. If he could go back to his childhood and climb onto her lap just once more—

If he could go back and tell her she'd always been his mother and always would be, the only family member he'd never been able to deny, the only one who'd never rejected him—

His vision blurred. Wind brushed against his face, cold on his wet skin. His lips moved, trembling, and the song came out in broken murmurs. His mother would sing it to him when they sat in the gardens and sometimes at night, and he'd sung it to Tony that morning that seemed so long ago. Note after note until his voice cracked, and he sank to his knees, blinded and deaf to the world as grief made him scream.

She'd been his mother, and she was gone, and after a while, so were his tears. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and cupped his hands. She was gone, and yet.

Magic carried warmth down his arms, through his hands and fingertips until it took form as a ball of light, small at first but growing until in it filled his hands. With one more breath, he released it and watched it rise until he could no longer tell it from the sky.

It took him a long time to move again, and even then it was more because he heard gravel shift beneath boots than because he'd want to. He knew the sound of those footsteps, heavy and even. They stopped a few feet away. Loki waited, but Thor said nothing.

"Do you need anything from me?"

"No. Merely desire if you will ever be willing to give it, and I've something to offer if you'll be willing to accept it."

"Go on."

"You were saying goodbye to Mother, were you not?"

He frowned but didn't turn; red eyes would give him away, and he had no desire to use a glamour. Perhaps because he was honest in his pain, but that pain was private, and Thor didn't need to know.

"Yes."

"Well, she seemed to have approved of Anthony. Anthony and you. Together. I tried to see her reasons, and while I don't understand what all of them could be, I talked to Jane as well… I'm sorry, Loki, that I judged you for being with Anthony. If it means anything to you, even though you have no need for it, you have my blessing."

Loki stood still. Deep breath in. Deep breath out. "I approve of Jane as well." She had a talent for making Thor realise things. As much as it was maddening that he listened to her where he had repeatedly refused to listen to Loki, it was also good for both Thor and Asgard.

"Thank you. You don't know how much that means." A short pause. "Mother never stopped believing in you. She told me once when I… When I was full of doubt. She said to have hope. And she was right, wasn't she? You saved us all." He took a deep breath. " Loki, I'm sorry for doubting. For failing you when you needed help."

"You should look forward. Asgard is still standing and you'll have much to do."

"I would love nothing more than take her to the future with you by my side. But that is not to be, is it?" Thor shifted; the gravel crunched. "Perhaps somewhere in the future you'll return?"

"Perhaps," he said, and he meant it.

~*oO*o*Oo*~

Eight legs! The horse actually had eight legs! Sure, Loki had told him, but... Well, Tony may or may not have rubbed his eyes. Twice, although the second time was totally because the horse's mane was so shiny.

Sleipnir. Loki's son.

It had saddened Tony to hear that this particular myth was based on the truth. Enough bad had happened to Loki already, no need to add to that another rape and the shame that had driven him to lie and offer Sleipnir to Odin as an apology that shouldn't have been needed in the first place.

On the hand hand, Tony was pretty damn proud of his partner right now. He'd gotten the chance to watch as Loki stepped towards Odin, drew himself to his full height, and demanded all that was rightfully his. Way to find a loophole in being owned a single favour.

It had taken some bargaining, but in the end, he'd walked away with Sleipnir, the Casket, and his status as a prince of Asgard safe for the future, consequently granting him access to the golden apples. Without Idun's magic, they weren't quite powerful enough to noticeably elongate Tony's life, but Loki was sure they'd keep him in good health until he could win Idun over (which was probably a reasonable assumption; saving the world should have gotten him in Idun's good graces and she seemed to tolerate Tony as well).

Right now, his primary concern was more along the lines of what the hell he was supposed to do with an eight-legged horse on Earth? Buy a top secret property for him? Loki had better be able to put glamour on some of those extra appendages.

The thought of Earth made him drum his fingers against his thigh. So close to going home… He only needed Loki to show up, and sure, Loki should take his time saying goodbye, but Tony had the right to be a little impatient. After the week in Asgard, he really deserved some of the best New York pizza and a movie marathon. Or perhaps a series… It was high time he introduced Loki to the horror that was waiting for a new season.

Finally, a silhouette appeared on the bridge and split in two, and after a while Tony could discern Loki and, next to him, Thor.

A little strange perhaps. But not…necessarily bad.

"Ready?" he asked when the two gods stopped in front of him. The both nodded.

"This is where I leave you," Thor said. "Loki. Friend Tony." He looked both of them in the eyes and nodded in his strangely solemn way. "You're welcome here anytime." He held out his hand.

"Thanks." Eyeing the hand with suspicion (he liked all his fingers attached, thank you very much), he slowly accepted it. As expected, all circulation in his fingers was cut off for a moment, but Thor smiled and nothing broke, so it was probably fine.

Thor and Loki shared another nod, then the latter turned on his heel, waved for Tony to follow, and walked towards the sun nestled behind the observatory. Tony caught up in a few steps. He could hear the sound of hooves behind them and feel the warmth on his skin and inside his chest.

They were finally going home.

A/N: This is it. I hope you enjoyed the story. One last time: thank you for sticking with it. Stay awesome. :)

~shades