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Chapter Text

They’d been paired off for this mission; clearing rooms in an old HYDRA base, searching for anything useful that might have been left behind. Bucky and Loki were making quick work of their assigned floor, Bucky clearing rooms of danger while Loki searched them for intel. They moved in a companionable silence, their unusual friendship allowing them to trust each other without the need for words.

This worked for a while, at least until Bucky tried one door that was dead-bolted.

After a few solid kicks from the super soldier, the door had not budged. Loki rolled her eyes and with a wisp of green magic the door unlocked. Bucky shook his head and opened it, and they walked in together. They had barely crossed the threshold when the door slammed shut behind them, and a green light flashed as a hissing sound pierced the air.

“Gas!” Bucky yelled. “Cover your—”

Whatever the gas was, it was strong. Neither had the chance to block it before passing out onto the cold floor.

Bucky was lying on the large bed, propping himself up with his forearms. His chest was bare, and only his underwear remained on the lower half. He looked up at the goddess above him with a disarming smile.

Loki was hovering over him, her knees on either side of his own, her hands pressing down to keep her at his eye level. She too was down to just her panties, the rest of her clothes strewn elsewhere.

“Should we really be doing this?” She asked, her voice dark with something almost lustful.

Bucky stared for a moment. “I have never stopped thinking about it. From the moment I stepped into your mind, I saw you in such intimate ways. I need to have you like that. I want to know all of you. I want to make love to you, doll.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Then am I a plaything to you? You wish to explore my body for your own pleasure?”

“Not just mine.” He grabbed her sides and flipped them over, pinning her to the bed.

He kissed his way downward, stopping at the remaining fabric that covered her, a question in his eyes.

“Norns, just get on with it.” Loki prompted.

“Takin’ my time to admire the view.” He caught her eye and smirked.

Loki took in a sharp breath.

“You all right there doll?”

Loki awoke with a start. That was just a dream. A dream.

A very inappropriate dream involving her fiancé’s best friend.

Something was off as she looked around the room. Mostly that she didn’t recognize the room. And next to her on the bed was not Steve.

James was lying next to her.

She sighed in relief seeing that he was fully clothed and lying on top of the blankets, as was she.

But where were they?

James was a little slower to wake, groaning as he stretched, but sitting up quickly when his metal arm hit Loki’s.

“What the fuck.” He said slowly. “Where the hell are we?”

He turned to look at Loki, his cheeks a distinct shade of red. Loki swallowed.

“Please tell me we did not have the same dream.” She said, avoiding the question to which she had no answer.

“Can that happen? Is that some kind of side effect from messin’ with my mind?”

“If you recall, that went both ways. And as such, I don’t really know. I’ve never had a two way interaction before.”

“Well that’s one way of describing my dream.”

Loki shuddered. “Let’s just figure out where we are, and how we got here. I seem to recall entering a room in the base, and the door shut between us. Then there was some kind of gas? And we woke up here.”

“Yeah, that’s about how I remember it.”

“Step one, figure out where here is. This is a bedroom, obviously, but where? And whose?”

James glanced out the window. “Brooklyn.”

Loki hummed, getting out of the bed and scanning the room, her eye landing on a photograph in a frame. She picked it up, staring at the oddity of it. It was a candid photo of three people. She recognized two of them— James and Sam were standing with a blonde woman Loki had never seen before. She wordlessly handed the photo to James.

“That’s… That’s me? I don’t remember this. Who’s that woman?” 

Loki continued to look around the room. There were few mementos or personal possessions, but they all pointed back to the same person.

“Something is very wrong. This appears to be your room. Except it obviously isn’t.”

James seemed to be having trouble processing the situation, so Loki decided to see what else was around. She opened the door slowly to reveal a rather modest apartment. This definitely seemed like his tastes, and for the first time in a while she started to wonder if her little distortion of space-time to find her lost love might have had more unintended consequences than she thought.

James had walked out of the bedroom himself, frowning at the scene around him.

“This is definitely depressed me behaviour. I look around here and think, this is what my life would look like if I lost Steve and Jane.”

“Hmm. I wonder.” Loki didn’t have a chance to elaborate before she recognized a familiar shower of orange sparks around her feet.

“Loki, what are you doing?”

“It’s Strange!”

“Yeah, so can you knock it off?”

She fell through before she could answer, landing roughly on the floor of the Sanctum Santorum. 

“Oh… Doctor Strange.” Bucky mused aloud, before taking in what just happened. “Fuck! Loki!” 

He was distracted enough not to notice the footsteps approaching the hall door, and only when the key began to turn slowly in the lock did he react, adopting a defensive position and reaching for a gun, only to come up empty. He ducked behind the chair as the door opened to reveal a man with a gun of his own. He was partially shaded, but Bucky wasn’t that stupid.

He was looking at himself. Except, definitely not himself because this guy had short hair and a five o’clock shadow. Other Bucky.

“What the fuck is this?” Other Bucky asked in a low growl.

“It’s not what it looks like!” Bucky yelled out, putting his hands in the air to signal surrender. “Or maybe it is, I don’t know what the fuck this looks like. But uh, I think I need to get to Midtown.”

The Other Bucky seemed to be sizing him up. Yeah, fair enough. The hair. Except he seemed particularly focused on his arm for some reason.

“Uhhh, you are me right? But like, more depressed me or something.”

Other Bucky stared at him for a moment before laughing and collapsing on the couch. “This is great. Wonderful. I’d ask if you were time travelling, but I’m pretty sure I never was… Well. You. Especially when I still had that arm.” He pulled up his sleeve dramatically to reveal a much sleeker metal arm, black with hints of gold.

“Holy shit.” Bucky whispered reverently. “Where’d you get that? I want one, this thing hurts like a bitch.” He waved his arm dramatically.

“Wakanda. It’s vibranium.”

“Solid. Like Stevie’s shield.”

Other Bucky’s face sobered at that. “Right. The shield.”

Bucky wrinkled his brow for a moment. “Okay, it’s not just the arm. I have no idea how I got here, or where here is, or why we landed in your apartment—”

“We?”

“Ah, yeah. So, that’s why I have to get to Midtown. You know Doctor Strange? Pretty sure he just kidnapped Loki.”

Other Bucky froze for a moment. “Okay. What the fuck. Yeah, I know who Strange is. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has something to do with you being here. But… Loki? Like the guy who attacked New York? Thor’s brother?”

“Multiverse. That’s what it’s called, right? Pretty sure she used that word before. Or maybe I picked it up when I was in her head.”

“Multiverse. Right. Different versions of ourselves. Straightforward enough.” He rolled his eyes. “But who’s she?”

“Loki. Thor’s sister. Steve’s fiancée.”

Somehow Other Bucky looked even gloomier at that. “Steve’s…” He shook his head. “I may have been lucky with this arm upgrade, but it sounds like you’re the real lucky one. How the hell are you so well adjusted? If it weren’t for the arm I’d swear HYDRA never used you like they did me…”

“Yeah. They did. But… Loki, she fixed it somehow. Used her weird glowy magic to get inside my head and kill the programming. I still remember everything. But he’s gone. The солдат is gone. Then I may have somehow got in her head too, so I’m not sure how that affects anything except maybe some wildly inappropriate dreams.”

Other Bucky hummed. “I definitely want answers. This is still weird as hell though.” He motioned to the hall closet. “Put a jacket on, let’s go for a ride.”

Loki looked up to see Stephen glaring over her.

“Was that really necessary? Now you’ve left James stuck wherever that was, and he’ll probably start panicking.”

He continued to stare. “So how did you manage it this time? Thor’s told me about the other times you’ve faked your death, but this is something else. Thanos squeezed the life out of you, leaving a cold, blue corpse. Thor became a depressed alcoholic for five years, or so I heard. Even got a tattoo. He is going to be real pissed when I tell him, and I can’t wait for that drama.”

“Stephen, what the fuck are you talking about? I’ve never faked my death!”

“Pretty sure we’re not on a first-name basis, Loki. You can drop the disguise too, you might remember from last time that the spell detects your temporal aura.”

“Last time? Last time I was here was when I passed out after rescuing James!”

Stephen frowned. “That’s the second time you’ve mentioned this James. Who’s James?”

“James Barnes? Maybe you know him as Bucky?”

“The Winter Soldier? When would you have ever met him?”

They stared at each other in confusion, before Strange spoke again.

“God damn it. This is some more multiverse bullshit, isn’t it.”

Loki groaned. “Oh, I really did break things, didn’t I. I should have known it would come back to haunt me, but I was so desperate…”

“What. What did you do?” Desperate for what?”

Loki sighed. “I hope you like a good story…”

“Putting aside the fact that you are a woman, mostly, it is clear that our universes were pretty different to begin with. And from what I’ve gathered being dragged around a few, it sounds like you rewriting your story simply… Made a new branch of your own universe. I’m not an expert, but I do wonder what became of the version of yourself that you replaced. And the universe you left behind.”

“I wasn’t exactly in my right mind when I did it, you know. Not that it’s an excuse, just a fact.”

“Obviously. Still, let’s sort out the players for a bit here. You never attacked New York, and the Avengers came together some other way. Except, you instead of Thor. Which means Thor was never banished to Earth.”

“Thor was banished? That might be the most unbelievable thing I’ve heard yet.”

“I never got the details on that one, I wasn’t a sorcerer for another five years. It sounds like I got that a little earlier in your universe, though.”

“Must have.”

“And your Spider-Man also must have come around sooner. Feels like a lot of timeline shift for some reason.”

Loki shrugged.

“And you haven’t dealt with Thanos. The mind stone was never on Earth because you never got the sceptre, and never attacked New York. So no snap. No blip.”

“By your face I would guess those were some rather serious events. The names though, my goodness. Very silly.”

“I didn’t name them. But afterwards in the battle for Earth, fighting Thanos, we lost some good people. And I’m afraid that includes some people you know in your world.”

“I’m not going to like this, am I?”

“Half of the original Avengers. Tony Stark went out a big damn hero. Natasha Romanov sacrificed herself to get the soul stone. And Steve Rogers…”

Loki squeezed her eyes shut. “You know what? Don’t tell me anything else. I don’t want to know. I just want to get back to my Steve. And bring James back too. There has to be a way. Preferably without me further damaging the universe.”

“I’d say step one is figuring out how you got here in the first place. Knockout gas doesn’t exactly scream ‘multiversal travel’ so I imagine something happened after that— or it wasn’t a gas at all. You only remember waking up in what must be the Sargent Barnes of this universe’s apartment.”

“Not much of a clue. The only connection I could see is if somehow sent us to a home base of sorts? So it matched James with his counterpart. If, as you say, mine is dead, it would explain why I didn’t end up with another Loki.”

“Certainly a plausible theory. Still leaves out a how and maybe a why.”

Loki hummed. “True. Pity about me being dead. I wonder if any other Asgardians might be able to help? I know my seiðr is rather unmatched, but—”

“Asgard was destroyed. Ragnorök.”

“Oh.”

“There are no more Avengers, not really. Barton is retired, I hear Thor is wandering around the galaxy when he’s not in New Asgard, and Banner is, well… Somewhere. Instead, we just have pockets of heroes here and there, some who have been part of the Avengers team at different points.”

“New Asgard?”

“It’s in Norway. Between Ragnorök and Thanos there aren’t many Asgardians left, but they’re doing well for themselves.”

They were interrupted by the doorbell.

Strange flicked his wrist and the door opened, two very confused James Barneses walking through. Loki was taken aback by the differences; it was easy to tell which was her James. The other had short hair, only the faintest of stubble, and definitely the haunted look of someone who knew pain and loss.

“Huh.” Stephen said. “Well I suppose that confirms your story, then. Sorry about the rough entrance, Loki.”

She grumbled a bit as she finally stood, walking toward her James.

“Sargent Barneses, uh, how are we going to proceed with this? I suppose you don’t have to be involved.” Strange gestured to the short-haired one.

“Too late.”

Her James added his two cents. “So, this is confusing, right? Since Loki already calls me James, he can be Bucky. Just to keep things straight.”

Bucky grunted his assent.

“Sure. James, Bucky, are you up for a field trip? I think the King of Asgard is expecting us. Wong will be opening a portal any minute now.”

As if on cue, the shower of orange sparks that preceded the portal glowed, before revealing another scene through the circle: an idyllic cabin overlooking a cliff.

Loki steeled herself. This was going to be a very difficult day.

James and Bucky exchanged glances before nodding, and all four stepped through the portal into New Asgard.

Chapter Text

Wong watched as the quartet passed through the portal, noting the pair of Soldiers, then looked at Stephen. “Another multiverse problem? Do we need Miss Chavez?”

Strange sighed. “We’ll see.”

King Valkyrie was standing across from the portal, arms folded across her chest. “Do you mind explaining what is happening here? Wong here shows up out of nowhere, telling me that you found Loki, who, last I checked, was very dead. Before I call Thor, I would very much like to know what I’m actually dealing with.”

The door to the cottage clicked open, and a large rocky man stepped through. 

“Oh, hey Val. Heard some noise out here, wondered what was going on.” He looked over the newcomers, his eyes coming to rest on Loki. “Oh, hey Loki. I see you’re not dead anymore. Did you get a haircut?”

Several jaws dropped, Bucky furrowed his brow, and James started laughing. 

“Oh my god, Lokes, it’s like he can see through you.”

Loki scowled. “I’m sorry, I’m afraid I’m not who you think I am. Or rather, I’m a different Loki.”

“Ah, right on. That makes more sense, you didn’t look like a zombie. There’s something else different that I can’t quite place… Anyway, you all wanna come in?”

“Maybe in a minute, Korg. I’d like to talk to Loki. The rest of you can head in, though.” Valkyrie wore an expression that said ‘I am both angry and confused.’

The others took the hint, and Strange, Wong, Bucky, and James followed Korg into the cottage.

Loki turned to face Valkyrie, her expression impassive.

“This isn’t one of your infamous pranks? Because if it is, I think Thor might actually kill you. Or maybe just hug you. Nah, who am I kidding, he’d just hug you either way.”

Loki huffed, responding haughtily. “And who are you, exactly? Is Thor not King?” She took stock of the woman, having only heard her called Val. She was wearing a three piece suit, but her mannerisms were distinctly Asgardian.

“Brunnhilde. Or King Valkyrie to you. Thor left me in charge; he didn’t want the throne. He sort of spiralled into depression when Hela caused Ragnorök, you died, Thanos killed half our people, and then wiped out half the life in the universe for five years. Ringing any bells?”

Loki stared. “You’re a Valkyrie?” Val rolled her eyes. “Who’s Hela? I thought I was supposed to be the one who starts Ragnorök or something. That’s why I’ve been avoiding Asgard. Well, one of the reasons.”

Val appraised her. “That’s the part you focus on? You don’t sound like the Loki I knew. You don’t look like him either, but then I never saw him shapeshift.”

“So your Loki really was a he most of the time? I guess that would make a pretty major difference between us. I wonder if I would still have been banished if I were Prince Loki instead of Princess Loki.” She was lost in thought for a moment. “I also wonder if my male form resembles my counterpart…”

Val snorted, muttering under her breath. “My Loki.” She looked back at the goddess in front of her. “Well, only one way to find out, I guess.”

She decided to test that theory, and Val watched in amazement as she grew taller and broader, her face and hair shifting into something much more familiar.

“A few minor differences, but yeah, you’re him. I guess that explains it, although if I were you I’d stick to your other self for now. Loki is not exactly a welcome sight on Earth.”

Loki went back to her female form. “So I’ve gathered. Strange told me a few things before we came here. It seems that one of the differences between me and the Loki of this universe was that I was banished instead of Thor, and somehow it was Thor’s banishment that led to the other me attacking New York? There are probably a lot of other details in between, but I imagine they might start with our reactions to his coronation all those years ago. How moot that seems meeting you.”

Val nodded. “Loki had been controlled by Thanos to some extent, although that is still not common knowledge outside of Asgard. We recognize his sacrifice, but others would not remember him as a hero. Even here there is some debate, so long as Thor is not within earshot. He will hear nothing against his brother.”

Loki hummed thoughtfully. “So what is Thor doing then? If he’s not being King.”

“Long story, but he’s adopted a daughter and the two of them are off on a space camper being heroes most of the time.”

Loki laughed softly at the absurdity of it all. “Well maybe you ought to let him keep doing that. If he knew I was here, it might only upset him. I just want to get back to my own universe, where I get to play the hero of Midgard.”

It was Val’s turn to be amused. “I wish I could have had you here instead of the other Loki. As much as Thor always wanted to see the good in his brother, I always found it difficult to imagine him as truly reformed— he always seemed to have an ulterior motive, even when doing the right thing. Of course, I wasn’t there when he died.” She sighed. “Perhaps you can tell me more later; I doubt this will be resolved today. Let’s join the others.”

Loki nodded and followed her into the cottage.

“Loki! You’re back!” The Kronan beamed. “See, since there’s two of this guy,” he gestured at James and Bucky, “and two of you, I was about to tell them about the two Thors!”

Loki quirked an eyebrow, while Valkyrie groaned.

“Korg, these two are from another universe. The Mighty Thor was just a different person.”

“Oh, I would very much like to hear this story.” Wong said, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

“Yes, how does that work? Isn’t Thor just… Thor?” Strange added.

“It was Mjølnir.” Val explained. “Since it was broken by Hela, the pieces had been on display here. Odin’s enchantment basically said that anyone worthy to wield the hammer would have the powers of Thor. Well, Thor had also put a sort of enchantment on it; telling it to take care of Jane, keep her safe. So when she visited, it reformed and gave her its power.”

James’ eyes perked up. “Jane? Jane’s here?”

Loki stared at him. “James, we don’t know if it’s the same Jane.”

“Right. Of course. I just…”

“Jane Foster.” Korg supplied helpfully. “But she’s not here man, she’s dead.”

James’ face paled. “How?”

Bucky looked at his doppelgänger, trying to figure out what exactly he had to do with this woman that he hadn’t even met. He was pretty sure he’d heard her name somewhere, and he was guessing it must have been in relation to Thor.

“Cancer.” Valkyrie said sadly, shaking her head. “Using Thor’s power only made it faster; she was invulnerable with it but it stopped the chemotherapy from working. She was brave until the end, and used the power of Thor to help defeat the God Butcher.”

James stared off into space, deep in thought. Loki moved over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“She wasn’t your Jane. We’ll find a way to get you back to her.”

He gave a wry laugh. “Funny how we go to another universe and both of our fiancés are dead. And you’re also dead. And I’m grumpy and alone.”

Bucky shot a glance at him. “Hey! I’m right here! And I’m not grumpy!”

That got a laugh out of Strange. “Very convincing.”

Bucky then mumbled under his breath, quietly enough that only James with his enhanced hearing made out the words. “And Steve’s not dead.”

Valkyrie looked thoughtful. “You’re engaged to Jane Foster in your universe? It sounds like things are very different, and yet so many of the same players…”

“That’s multiverses for you.” Strange said like someone who knew all too well. “I have a feeling you may have brought this on yourself, Loki.”

She had the decency to look ashamed at that. “Always destined to lose. Never meant to be anything but second-best, to make Thor look better by comparison.” She closed her eyes, head hanging down.

While most of the group had no response for that, James smacked her playfully on the back of the head. “Loki! What have we said about the self-deprecating? I thought you were getting over that since Tony said you stopped running away all the time!”

She rubbed the back of her head absent-mindedly. “Sorry. But he is right. I think this has to do with my becoming Goddess of Stories. I didn’t actually fix my timeline, I just made a new one.”

Val shot her a look. “Goddess of what now? Loki, just… What have you done this time?” The King’s voice was exasperated.

Loki was about to reply, when to her surprise Bucky defended her. 

“What do you mean this time? Haven’t we already established she’s not the Loki you knew? You going to start holding people responsible for crimes they weren’t involved in?”

“Well said, man.” Korg tried to lighten the mood. I’ll go get us some drinks, yeah? Made some lemonade this morning.”

Wong excused himself to help, the tension becoming unbearable even for the Sorcerer Supreme. Strange, meanwhile, looked at Loki.

“Well, unless you two want to be stuck here permanently, we’d better figure out what exactly you did. I want to know more about this Goddess of Stories.”

Valkyrie had excused herself to deal with some of her kingly duties, and Strange and Loki’s discussion was wildly convoluted, leaving James and Bucky heading outside for some air. It was clear that they had very different experiences leaving HYDRA’s control, leaving them both curious about the other.

But since both of them were James Buchanan Barnes, they just sort of stared at each other. Finally it was Bucky that broke the silence.

“Do you have nightmares? About what we did?”

“Yeah. Not as often these days, I’ve started to have more pleasant dreams. It’s amazing what a girl can do for you…” James trailed off as he noticed Bucky wincing. “Shit, I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean to rub that in or anything, just. I’d been thinking about the future for once. Thinking that with Jane, I had one. I guess that was a lucky thing for me, too; Loki said in her original timeline I never really met Jane. Still alone. Well, I had Stevie I suppose, but that’s not the same.”

“Still better than nothing.” Bucky grunted.

“I saw a picture in your apartment. You, Sam, and some blonde dame. Who’s she?”

“Sharon Carter. Peggy’s niece.”

“No shit? Would never have expected that. Always kind of thought Steve and Peggy…”

Bucky clenched a fist, his face a mixture of anger and sadness. “Yeah, so did he. Enough to just leave me here and go back to her. The same time travel bullshit they used to save the universe, he used to go back to his girl. Looks like when we said end of the line, only one of us meant it.” His voice was tinged with bitterness as he recalled that day; feeling as alone as ever.

James’ face dropped. “So I did hear you correctly. Strange made it sound like he was dead!”

“He might as well be at this point.” Bucky laughed sullenly. “How ironic that the villain who brought the Avengers together in this universe would be the person who kept Steve in yours.”

“Loki does seem to be a force of nature, in one way or another. Her messin’ with my brain is the only thing that got the programming out of me. Although…” James looked thoughtful. “I’m startin’ to think there may have been some unintended side effects. And that me being here is one of them. She may be in love with Steve but she was inside my mind. And I saw inside of hers…” He paled. “Oh shit.”

“What?”

“Look, Loki is like a brother to me, but she’s Stevie’s gal, ya know? And I know she’s attractive, but she ain’t my type, and I’ve got a good thing going with Jane. And I guess because of that whole mind-fuck thing I could understand her better’n most, and I know she trusts me. But when we got hit with that gas and woke up here? Stuff got real weird.”

Bucky repeated his first statement in wonder. “Like a brother?” He was starting to get a bit impatient. “Weird how?”

“Dreams! Nightmares! What do you call it when you have a very graphic dream involving your best friend’s fiancée, and it turns out maybe your minds are still linked because she had the exact same dream and that is really fucking awkward when you then proceed to wake up in bed next to each other?”

“I’d call it crazy. Which I think we both are.  Way I see it though, Loki is definitely a dish, I’ll give you that. I doubt I’d mind waking up next to her.” Bucky said with an air of certainty.

“Not helping.” James was pacing, trying to square up all of these thoughts.

“Not trying to.” Bucky smirked.

Bucky followed the wizards back to New York, leaving James and Loki in New Asgard for the time being. Loki had hoped to consult any magic users still around to see what she could learn, and Korg helpfully offered Thor’s old room for them to stay in at least for the night, seeing as he wasn’t using it. Korg didn’t seem to be a full-time resident himself; although she hadn’t asked him about that.

Of course, there was only the one open bedroom. James offered to sleep on the couch, but Loki thought the bed was large enough they could take opposite sides. She couldn’t deny that it was still awkward, but she would feel guilty relegating him to the living room.

Loki decided to walk into the village, awed at the sight of it all. Part fishing village, part tourist trap. The people of Asgard, exiles, without a planet of their own. She wondered if she would find familiar faces, and whether they would know her for who she was— would they think she was their lost Prince? Would the people be upset, thinking he had once again faked his death? She didn’t know how she could possibly explain herself if questioned on the subject, but she needed answers. Well, as long as Thor was away, she should be fine. No one else would be too terribly upset, she was sure of it.

The universe, on the other hand, was really upset with Loki.

As she crossed a hill, she could hear Valkyrie’s voice, heated in argument. And the booming voice arguing back.

“You are trying to keep me from returning to my home here, and you cannot give me a reason?”

“I’m trying to explain, Thor! If you would just let me—”

Loki only realized how close she had gotten when she noticed Thor staring at her, completely dumbfounded. This Thor was only superficially her brother; she could see the scars of battle and grief that had so completely hardened and changed him. For better or for worse, she could not say.

“No. It cannot be. You were dead. And not like before, I held your body, the life was gone. How can you be here?” Valkyrie whirled around to face her, looking a little sheepish

Yeah, okay, he recognized Loki. Did her counterpart have a female form that looked like her?

“I’m not who you think I am, Thor. I’m… from a different universe. One where I was your sister, not your brother.”

His face softened, a plethora of expressions crossing his features. “But you are Loki. You are my sister.” With that he crossed the short distance between them and enveloped her in a strong, possessive hug, as though afraid she might vanish.

“Let go of me! I’m not your Loki! You don’t know me at all!”

“Of course I do. I see it in your face, you are not really so different as you think. Every Loki in every universe must have some spark, the mischief that makes you you.”

Loki blushed, but said nothing further, allowing the thunderer to make his peace with his brother’s memory.

They made their way to a quiet corner of the square they had been in, Thor eager to learn more about Loki.

“So, Sister, tell me more of your world. Are we close?” Thor looked hopeful.

Loki took a deep breath. “Well, I think we were. And then we weren’t. But I misjudged him. He is far more accepting of my oddities than I would have imagined, and has tried to reconcile how he and his… friends treated me when we were younger with how he remembered it.”

Thor’s smile faded somewhat, seemingly remembering his brother, and the similarities in their own relationship. If only he had given Loki the attention he so craved!

“It seems we also had a different path to our own downfall, from what I’ve heard.”

Thor paled, remembering the haunted face of his brother all those years ago, broken by Thanos. That this Loki did not have the same fate was a blessing, but… “But you did suffer.”

She let out a small laugh, shaking her head. “Well, that’s very subjective. I was banished, stripped of my powers. But I became all the better for it. I became an Avenger, I made friends, I even fell in love…” She blushed, averting her gaze as she lost herself in the memory.

“You are an Avenger?” Thor could not keep the incredulous tone out of his voice. “In this world, it was my brother’s invasion that led to the Avengers forming. I take it that was not the case in yours.”

“Not as such, no. I hear you were the one banished here.”

“Aye. I did learn much from that experience. I fell in love, but did not have long to see it through, and it was two years before we were reunited. It was only for a short time before we realized it was perhaps not meant to be. And when we finally were reunited again, well…”

Loki hummed. “How long did your banishment last? I would assume that you also needed to prove yourself worthy to Odin somehow.”

“Indeed, he judged that I was not yet ready to take the throne due to my… Impulsiveness. I was on Midgard for three days before I could call Mjølnir to me.”

“Three days?” Loki spat. “It took me three years to get my seiðr back! How could you possibly have proven yourself worthy and fallen in love in three days?”

“Well, Jane was… Special.”

Suddenly Loki’s posture changed. “Wait. Jane. Jane Foster?”

“You know her in your universe?”

Loki nodded. “I should have realized when your friend mentioned she wielded Mjølnir. She has become a friend to me in my timeline.”

Thor grunted his approval. “I never knew my brother to have a lover of his own. Would I be familiar with yours? Even if they are different here?’

“Oh, I am certain you knew him. After all, he was one of your Avenger friends from the sound of it.” Thor looked at her expectantly. “Steven. Captain Rogers.”

“Really, Loki? Rogers? He was a good man.”

“You say that like it means he is too good for me.”

“It is only surprise. You may resemble my brother in many ways, but it is clear you are not the same.” He shook his head. “You are your own Loki, and I am sure your brother is proud.”

Loki sighed, hanging her head. “I wonder.”

“Oh, hey Thor! I got in a few days ago. I thought you weren’t going to be back until tomorrow?” Korg waved from the couch, where he and James were playing some sort of video game. The latter looked up when he heard the door open.

“Oh, dang. You’re looking kinda rough there, buddy.” He said to Thor as he looked him over. His eyes then found Loki’s, looking rather sheepish.

“It is good to see you, Korg. And you must be James; I confess I do not know your counterpart in this universe well.” Thor strode into the room, Loki trailing behind him.

“Where’s Love?” Korg asked.

“She is training with Sif. That is the main reason for our early arrival; she was very anxious to spend time with… Well, someone who is not me.”

“Ah, getting to that age already. What do the humans call it— Girl stuff?”

James snorted at the directness of the comment, Thor flushing slightly. “I do not know. If it is that she requires information that is the domain of women… That is not a conversation I look forward to having.”

This time it was Loki snickering behind him. Thor turned to her, having seemingly forgotten that this Loki was not his brother. “This is why I am grateful to be friends with such powerful women as King Valkyrie and Sif.”

“How fortunate for you.” Loki muttered. She wondered what had become of the Warriors Three here. No one had mentioned them. Had they survived Ragnorök? Well, they weren’t exactly people she wanted to dwell on, especially a certain blond. She also had a feeling this Sif wasn’t any friendlier to the other Loki than her Sif was to her, and was in no hurry to find out.

“So I guess I’m sleeping on the couch after all?” James asked, breaking the tense silence.

“Ah. Right. I’d offered your room for tonight Thor, since I thought you’d still be gone and all.” Korg said hesitantly. “I guess we could see if there’s room at the inn?” 

Thor considered for a moment. “It seemed rather busy in town today. Love and I can stay on our ship for the night, and we can make other arrangements for Loki and James from tomorrow.”

James looked like he might argue, but seeing as Thor was probably one of the few people who could take him down, he thought better of it.

Chapter Text

Thor, having once been King, of course had a King-sized bed to match. Loki and James had no trouble taking opposite sides, with a wide chasm between them. Both feeling awkward from their last stay in a bed, they ended up building a wall of pillows, and using two separate sets of blankets. It was overkill, but they were both on edge, and not just because of their shared dream. After years of pain, both of them had finally found happiness; they were engaged to people they loved and wanted so desperately to return to, without having any idea as to how.

It was hardly a surprise that both were suffering from insomnia.

“Hey.” James whispered. “You awake?” 

Loki grunted in assent.

“This is weird. We’re friends, ain’t we?”

“Of course.” Loki’s voice seemed a little gruff, probably the lack of sleep.

“I’m taking these pillows down. This is stupid.”

“James, please, isn’t it—”

He had already pulled away the pillows at the top and found himself staring at Loki’s face.

His face. Loki apparently had decided to shift male at some point, which explained the voice. Maybe he thought it would make him more comfortable or something.

“Oh uh, okay then. It’s just a sleepover, like when Stevie and I were kids. Those beds were a lot smaller though.”

Loki sighed, and moved to help remove the barrier. “Happy?”

James had one of his signature grins, the hint of mischief that reminded Loki why he did treasure the man as a friend.

“I get restless sometimes. And I still have nightmares every once in a while. It’s… easier just to know someone is nearby. You don’t have to do anything. I’m sorry if I roll over onto you though. I don’t sleepwalk, but I do sleep-cuddle.” James figured he might as well get it all out there, no surprises.

”Just…  Don’t touch me below the waist.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, your highness.”

Loki let out an exasperated noise before turning onto his side, his back toward James.

Loki woke up to James spooning him, still out like a light. It was surprisingly cosy; Loki had a deep, dreamless sleep and felt more awake than he would have imagined. As promised, this was just platonic cuddling, but with the anxiety rushing through him it was very comforting; like a weighted blanket.

He could hear Thor’s booming voice from the living room, and supposed he ought to get up and greet him.

It was just so difficult when James was pinning him down with his metal arm.

This didn’t have the same startling intimacy of their nightmare, but Loki didn’t want to consider just what might have happened overnight.

Before he had time to think about it, James rolled over, letting him go. Loki was sure the soldier was awake, but let him pretend anyway. He walked out toward the kitchen, feeling like there might be something important he’d forgotten.

“Loki! You’re looking much more like yourself today, man.” Korg raised a hand in greeting, and Loki remembered what it was as soon as Thor turned around.

He looked like he had seen a ghost, and Loki supposed he had. Val did say this form looked just like their Loki, didn’t she?

“Brother…” Thor said, Loki’s appearance registering as shock. Embarrassed, Loki quickly shifted back to her smaller, female form.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking. I had been trying to make things less awkward sharing a bed with James, but I see it only made…” She gestured vaguely. “this more awkward.”

Thor looked down, ashamed of his own reaction. “No, Loki, it is not your fault. It was only unexpected. I assume you are more comfortable changing your… gender than my brother was. He had no problem with illusions, taking the form of others, but rarely did I see another face of his own.”

Loki grimaced. “It is only recently that I have been willing to show anyone but Mother. I… had been burned by the poor reaction of another, and would only change form when travelling between branches of Yggdrasil, to keep myself less conspicuous.”

Thor looked at her thoughtfully. “I think I understand. It cannot have been easy for you.”

She let out a sharp breath. “It never is.”

They heard James wandering out of the bedroom at that point, wearing loose lounge pants and a tank-top he had scrounged up somewhere, his metal arm gleaming in the morning sun as he yawned and stretched.

“What’s for breakfast? I’m famished.”

Thor turned his attention to the soldier. “That is why I have come, to invite you to the banquet hall for a morning meal. I would like you to meet Love, and you will also be able to discuss your options with King Valkyrie.”

James and Loki exchanged a look, before James replied. “Swell. Just let me get decent.”

Loki looked at her own sleep clothes, a t-shirt and underwear she had borrowed from Thor’s dresser; it had been loose on her male form, but she was positively swimming in it now. “I’m afraid I do not really have any appropriate attire. We did not exactly pack for this unexpected journey.”

Thor hummed thoughtfully. “But surely you can conjure something?”

She sighed. “Conjuring is more difficult than summoning or teleporting; creating matter from nothing takes a great deal of energy. But you have given me an idea.”

She flexed her hand, and tested whether she could summon her pocket dimension here. To her great satisfaction, it appeared, and when she reached into it she confirmed it was really hers, despite being in another universe. She rummaged around, finally finding a passable set of clothing— a dark green, loose fitting tunic, along with a long, black skirt that widened at the base, giving it an airier look. She realized why the skirt was there in the first place; she hated wearing skirts and had likely taken the first chance to swap it out for trousers when she had last worn it. Still, it would be better than putting on her dirty armour again.

She excused herself, going to change in the washroom.

When James and Loki had both emerged more or less dressed for the day, the group exited the cottage to walk towards the village centre and its large banquet hall.

Without any formal event taking place, the hall itself was rather empty; unlike most parts of the town, it was not open to tourists. Loki, James, Thor, and Korg walked in and saw only a single long table set for a meal, with three people already sat on one end of the table waiting for them.

Val, of course, they recognized from the day before. She was seated regally at the head of the table. Loki immediately identified the woman to her left as Sif; she resembled her counterpart exactly— except that she was missing an arm. There had to be a story there. The third occupant of the table she guessed must be Love, Thor’s adopted daughter.

Korg and James wasted no time finding seats, joining Sif on her side of the table. Loki was a little unsure, until Thor grabbed her elbow to steady her, and gave her a knowing look. He then took it upon himself to make introductions. Pulling Loki toward the table, he first looked at James. “Friends, I am glad we are all able to break our fast together this morning. I would like to introduce you to each other. James Barnes, meet Lady Sif. And this is my adopted daughter, Love.”

James put on his biggest grin. “Pleased to meetcha.” He waved at them. Seeing Sif’s missing limb, he pointed to his metal one. “Hey, look at that, we match!”

Sif’s mouth twitched into what almost could be described as a smirk.

Thor continued. “James arrived here from another universe, along with my sister.” He motioned to Loki, who couldn’t help but notice Sif’s jaw drop.

“Loki?” she finally gasped out.

Loki struggled to stop herself from rolling her eyes. “I can see we also got along well in this universe.” She deadpanned.

“Yes, incredible how roaches always manage to stay alive.” Sif retorted.

“Sif.” Thor said with a hint of warning in his voice.

Before she could respond, Love decided to interrupt.

“I thought you said Loki was my uncle.”

Thor hummed. “Well, he would have been. But my brother died when Thanos attacked us. This Loki is from a different universe.”

“So Thanos didn’t kill you, Aunt Loki?”

Loki stifled a laugh. What a charming, nonchalant child. “Fortunately not, I never encountered him. It does appear I have had quite a different life than your Uncle Loki.” She sobered for a moment. “I still have to find a way to return to my home.”

“You mean you aren’t going to stay with us?” Love looked almost put out by this news.

“I am sure we will be here for some time while we try to figure out our options. I would enjoy getting to know you while I do.” Loki smiled at the girl.

Thor clapped Loki on the shoulder, making her flinch. “I am glad to hear it.” He motioned for her to sit next to Love, before he sat on her other side. “Let us eat, and then we shall begin discussing our plans.”

As was typical of an Asgardian meal, the food was impressive in both quality and quantity. On top of their super-soldier and godly appetites, James and Loki had not had much chance to eat the previous day, so the meal stretched on with light chatter as they made the best of it.

When everyone had finally had their fill, the conversation turned to discussing their options.

“So, Loki,” Val began, “Do you have any ideas as to how to fix this problem of yours?”

Loki hummed thoughtfully. “It’s becoming clearer to me that whatever triggered it, we were sent her through some kind of powerful magic. I admit I am having trouble identifying the spell exactly, so I am really hoping there are still some vǫlur around I could talk to…? I suppose most of the useful tomes would have been destroyed along with the library.”

“I think there may be a few folks I can ask. I doubt much has survived in written form from Asgard, but as we once again have access to the Bifröst, we could send a message to Vanaheim.”

Loki nodded. Seiðr was more the domain of the Vanir, after all; if anyone had knowledge that could aid her search, it would be them. “I would appreciate that.”

Val then looked between Loki and James. “You are both welcome to stay here as long as you need to. We can find lodgings for you—”

“Nonsense!” Thor boomed. “They will stay with me.”

“But you don’t really have the space—”

“Uh, yeah, about that,” Korg piped up, “I’m actually leaving today. Had a few things come up back home. They can take my room.”

“It is settled then!” Thor said cheerfully, clapping Loki forcefully on the shoulder once again.

Later that day, Loki went to meet with a trio of vǫlur, all of whom seemed unsurprised to learn who she was.

Ragnheiðr was the eldest of the three, with her white hair in a long French braid. “It was unfortunate that being a seiðrmaðr led to Loki being called ergi here, when Odin himself wielded it. I hope you were treated better in your universe.”

Loki winced at that. “Obviously I didn’t have that particular accusation, but then I had plenty of others.”

Hrefna was the tallest, with hazel eyes and dark hair in a neat bun. “It is obvious that your power once exceeded even his.”

Loki furrowed her brows. “Once? Is it gone?”

Guðrún, the last of the witches, had wavy red hair hanging loosely. “You tried to hold more than you could carry, to use more than you had. The Norns only know what becomes of such arrogance.”

Loki couldn’t deny that. “Is there anything I can do? Beg the Norns for forgiveness? Beg the universe?”

The vǫlur exchanged glances, before Ragnheiðr spoke again.

“Loki, you realize that you have three universes that have been affected by your carelessness? It is not so easy to atone for that. Fixing it, well— The universe knows best how to repair itself.”

“Three?”

“Yes,” Hrefna said, “the one you were born in, the one you created, and now this one.”

Loki pondered that. “The one I created - by changing the timeline?”

Guðrún nodded. “You cannot change a branch, you simply create a new one, that divides at the point you returned. But the first universe is missing a Loki, and the second had an extra. So you had to go somewhere with no Loki in order for her to return.”

Loki felt like her head might explode. Wait, an extra Loki? Did that mean… “When I went back, I wasn’t starting over. I was replacing the earlier version of myself. And so that had to be corrected?” She looked up to see all three women nodding encouragingly at her. “So the point when I left my original timeline, there would be nothing left. So that universe has no Loki. So I sent the one I replaced forward in time to the moment I left.”

Hrefna prompted her. “But you removed Loki from that universe. She could not take your place as you did hers.”

“So instead of sending her to the universe I left, I… sent her to the time I left. In the new branch.”

“And when did that happen?” Guðrún asked, the answer already providing itself unbidden to Loki’s mind.

“Yesterday.” She buried her face in her hands. “So what, I can’t go back to my original timeline, and the other me just popped forward a few years? But why did that send me here? And why did it send James with me?”

The three women looked at her with sorrowful expressions. Ragnheiðr tried to console her. “Even at your weakest, you possess magic far stronger than anyone in this realm. What you lack is the focus and wisdom needed to wield it the way you wish to. I cannot say why your soul was linked to this universe, or why your friend was pulled along. You will need to seek the answers for yourself— but be warned Loki, you have upset the balance of things. Your friend will need to return to his universe, but you might not have the option for yourself.”

Loki tried to stop the unbidden tears that gathered around her eyes from falling, but it was no use.

James certainly didn’t want to get lost in more magic talk, so he decided to accompany Sif and Love down to the training area. After watching them go a few rounds, he decided to ask something he’d been wondering about.

“Hey Sif. You ever think about getting one of these?” He patted his metal arm.

She looked at him for a moment, before deadpanning. “Did you?”

She had him there. He never asked for this thing. “Can I have a go?”

Love stepped off to the side, grinning. “She’s going to destroy you, mortal.”

James could have sworn he saw some unreal glint in the girl’s eye. “Well, I’m pretty tough for a mortal. Although I don’t have much practice with swords.”

Sif sized him up. “Well then, to make it fair, I shall battle one-handed.”

James groaned, wondering if he would ever live this down. “Fine, but no complaining if I win.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

They seemed pretty evenly matched at first, but it wasn’t long before James realized Sif was going easy on him.

She grinned before knocking him to the ground like it was nothing.

He stared up in disbelief. “At least buy me dinner first.”

Sif rolled her eyes, while Love laughed. “I told you!”

Thor joined them before long, and after Sif excused herself, Thor invited James along for lunch.

They made their way to a café in the village with no small difficulty; to say Thor was famous here was an understatement. He was the former King, a hero, and Avenger, and probably the biggest tourist attraction when he was in town. Down by the harbour, there was a gigantic statue of Thor, for chrissakes! Except maybe that Thor looked just a little different. He filed that away as something to ask about later.

It was easy to see why Thor chose that particular café as they were brought to a private dining room after entering— even gods needed time away from their worshippers, he reasoned.

Love seemed to to be appraising James as he and Thor conversed. They regaled each other with stories of their respective universes, especially when it came to friends they had in common. They discussed similarities and differences, and as their meal was winding down Love seemed to have decided he was okay, and grinned at him.

“Do you have a girlfriend?” She asked him, all too innocently.

He coughed, taking a sip of water. “Well, I have a fiancée, actually. It’s why I’m really hopin’ Loki can get us back.”

“Loki is a powerful sorcerer. If anyone can return you, I know my sister can.”

“Thanks for the support, Thor.”

Love was undeterred. “What’s her name?” She drawled.

Ah. This might be awkward. “Uh. Jane.”

Love looked almost disappointed. “Oh.”

Thor, on the other hand, now had his full attention. “Jane? Loki mentioned she knew Jane Foster in your universe. Are you…?”

James couldn’t help blushing. “Yeah. She’s… Incredible.”

Thor looked wistful. “Aye, that she was. I suppose if I was not the one banished to Midgard in your universe, we would never have met.”

“Well, you have by now, but that was later. After we were together.”

“Then you are a lucky man, James Barnes.”

“Don’t I know it.”

Loki returned to the cottage just as Korg was making his farewells.

“Oh hey Loki! It was good seeing you again, man!”

“Ah, yes, nice to meet you, Korg.”

“Anyway,” he said, looking at Thor again, “Can’t keep the kiddo waiting. You know.”

“Indeed. Safe travels, old friend.”

“Bye everyone!” He waved and walked off.

Back inside, Loki related as much of what she had learned as she felt she honestly could; there were still so many things she wanted to try, she refused to believe that there was no way out.

Then a surprise for her— apparently Thor had taken James shopping, as he handed her a bag of clothes while motioning to what he was now wearing. “I had to guess your size, but I figure we’ll both be more comfortable while we’re here. Since it seems like this won’t be an overnight thing.” He was trying to sound encouraging, but the fear was evident in his mannerisms.

Loki tried to sound more confident than she was. “We’ll figure it out.”

As the evening wound down, the discussion of sleeping arrangements was brought up. Loki just assumed she and James would move to Korg’s bedroom, but Thor would not hear of it. 

“James is our guest. He can have the room to himself.” 

Loki looked at Thor incredulously. “What am I, then?”

“Family!” Love shouted before Thor could respond. 

Loki stared at the girl for a moment, before looking back up at Thor. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you don’t know me. I am as much as stranger here as James is.”

“Nonsense! Besides, you should not feel like you have to change yourself to keep another comfortable.” 

Loki looked at James. “That wasn’t—”

“I would have been fine either way.” James shrugged.

Love’s eyes seemed to glow as she stared at them.

“What is Uncle Thor talking about? What does he mean change yourself?”

Thor started to bluster, and Loki rolled her eyes. “I’m a shapeshifter, Love.”

“Oh, cool. Can you turn into a snake?”

Both Thor and James seemed to wince at that question, remembering perhaps different versions of the same incident.

Loki, as answer, transformed into a green garter snake and made her way up Love’s thigh, while she giggled. “That tickles!”

Loki slithered up to Love’s shoulders, before curling up against her neck. The girl gave her a little squeeze, then set her gently on the floor where she became herself once again.

“That was so cool!”

“I am glad you think so. However, I think the change he was referring to was this one.”

Once again Loki took on his male form, causing Thor to step back and turn away. 

“Oh, now you’re Uncle Loki!”

“Indeed I am,” he said, “but I think I know now who was really bothered by this.”

Thor pretended not to hear.

“So you can be Aunt Loki or Uncle Loki?”

“Sure can. Which one do you want me to be?”

Love seemed to think about it for a moment. “Aunt Loki. Uncle Thor gets sad when we talk about Uncle Loki.

Loki shifted back and fell into deep thought, until another offhand comment from Love broke her out of it. 

“So why isn’t James marrying you?”

Three jaws dropped, but Thor was the first to react. “Love, you can’t just say things like that! He told you already he’s engaged to Jane!”

“But Jane’s dead.” She shrugged.

James looked like he might faint, while Loki tried to figure out what could have possibly made the girl ask that.

“Love, Aunt Loki and James come from a different timeline. That’s why Loki is still alive. And Jane is alive there too, and James is in love with her. Loki is also engaged to another man there.”

“Well why isn’t he here? What’s his name?”

Loki sighed. “We don’t even know why we’re here. It’s just that when it happened, we were on a mission together. And his name is Steven.”

“Wait, Uncle Thor, wasn’t that the wizard’s name? Are you marrying the wizard?” Loki laughed.

“No, the wizard’s name is Stephen, pronounced the same but spelled differently. If Uncle Thor has ever talked about his friend Captain America, that is the Steven I promised to marry.”

“Oh. Well, what if you don’t go back? Then will you marry each other?”

James tried to stop himself from laughing. “This kid is something else.”

Thor had enough, scooping Love up and slinging her over his shoulder. “It is not the time for pessimism, Love. It is time for bed.

Loki didn’t remember agreeing, exactly, but James indeed got a room to himself while she shared the king-sized bed with Thor and Love, the latter in between them. Love seemed to ingratiate herself to Loki, curling up close and whispering. 

“I wish you could stay, Aunt Loki.”

Loki was a little taken aback, but responded only by stroking the girl’s hair.

“This is the happiest Uncle Thor has ever been. He missed you a lot.”

“No, dear, he misses his brother. As much as Thor would like to pretend, I can never replace him. And I have my own Thor who would miss me just as much.”

Love was fighting sleep, but just pressed herself further into Loki’s arms. “I would miss you too.”

Loki smiled sadly, wondering if this is what the vǫlur had warned her about.

Chapter Text

The next few weeks fell into an almost domestic routine. Thor had extended his stay indefinitely, determined to remain until Loki found a solution. She spent most of her time experimenting, trying to make sense of both the advice she had been given as well as the circumstances of their arrival. She had bounced around so many different ideas, and was going through seemingly endless parchment with notes and ideas written in her delicate cursive.

Through it all it seemed Love had decided to stick close to her, apparently attached at the hip, like she was afraid Loki might disappear at any moment; like she was afraid she wasn’t real. With the work she was putting upon herself Loki had to admit she hadn’t gone out of her way to learn much about how Thor came to adopt her, other than that Jane Foster and a trip to eternity were involved.

She supposed perhaps Korg’s insinuation of “girl stuff” might not be far off, but maybe not the way he was implying. She still spent time with Val and Sif, but they had many of their own responsibilities to attend to, while the work Loki was doing kept her entirely at the cottage.

Even just companionable silence seemed enough. Loki had never really thought about children as more than a theoretical future; even when her mother had startled Steven with her offhand comment about being the goddess of childbirth, she knew she had been alluding to Pepper’s pregnancy; her and Tony were expecting rather soon. She supposed that gave her extra motivation to get back.

But what if she failed?

Loki already had a guilty conscience, and James had hardly been the first to scold her for her habit of self-depreciation. The thought especially of letting him down, getting him stuck here leaving Jane heartbroken was somehow worse than her own pain— she who had ripped a hole in time to see Steven again, to have another chance.

Steven. She had learned what he did in this universe, thinking bitterly how alike they were after all. But in his case, there was no magic involved, no promise of eternal life: just another chance to live a life he dreamed of, consequences be damned.

There were consequences, of course, and none seemed affected more than the Sam and James— Bucky— of this universe. Did his reckless quest for love also create another universe, another timeline?

It didn’t really matter, the circumstances weren’t the same.

The more failures she encountered, the worse she felt. Was there any universe where Loki got a happy ending?

Calling it a breakthrough might have been a stretch. More accurate would be a slightly more focused idea. One which, she reluctantly admitted, would require help.

The more difficult part, of course, would be going to get it. Which meant leaving.

She decided to tackle it over dinner. No point putting it off; time was, she assumed, of the essence. Still, it was easier said than done.

“I must return to the Sanctum. Strange’s library may hold the tomes I need to perform this kind of spell.”

A hush fell over the table, and James was first to break it.

“When do we leave?”

“Ah, yes, about that.” Loki hesitated a moment. “I’m going alone.”

His eyes widened. “What? Lokes, you can’t leave me behind now!”

Love also fixed her with a glare. “I want to go too, Aunt Loki!”

Loki sighed. “Love, I need you to take care of James for me, okay? This will be much faster if I go alone. Strange may be able to help somewhat, but I will need to focus so I can come back sooner.”

Thor fixed her with that older brother stare that he excelled at. “Then you shall leave in the morning. We will see to it that James is taken care of in your absence.”

Loki nodded gratefully. “Thank you, Thor.”

“Anything for you, Sister.”

The morning came soon enough, and as tempted as Loki was to just teleport away without preamble, she restrained herself for once to give a proper goodbye. Besides, there was a six hour time difference to consider. 

She waited until they finished lunch, using the morning to gather the relevant notes into her pocket dimension while Love sat sulking nearby.

The girl was very good at that. She probably learned it from Thor if he was anything like her brother.

And because her brother loved to sulk when he wanted to guilt trip her, she was immune to it.

Mostly.

Thor didn’t have the advantage of being a little girl, however well he managed that kicked puppy look.

Damn.

“Look, Love. I am sorry. It is far easier for me to teleport than open a portal.”

“Why can’t the wizard open a portal then?”

Loki grimaced. “I’m not sure he will be happy with even just me coming.”

“Wait, you didn’t tell him?”

“It is far easier for him to say no from afar.”

“Then don’t go!”

“Love.” Loki found herself crouching down to the girl’s eye level without thinking. “The sooner I go and figure this out, the sooner I come back, yeah?”

Love pouted even more. “But then you’ll leave forever.”

Loki had no response to that, so instead she pulled her in for a tight hug.

“I don’t like this, Lokes. You shouldn’t be goin’ alone.”

“You mean I should not be leaving you alone.” She gave James a half-hearted smirk, before turning to Thor. “I expect it may take a few weeks, hopefully not more than a month.”

“A month?” James shouted incredulously, but Loki kept her focus.

“It will seem longer to him than us. Keep him out of trouble please? And I’m sure you can call Strange if it’s urgent.” She turned her focus to Love. “And you,” the girl looked on the verge of tears, “keep both of them out of trouble. You know how boys are.” She winked conspiratorially, eliciting a small giggle from the girl.

Thor sighed, before pulling Loki in for a hug. She contemplated resisting, but instead returned the embrace. “Take care, sister. We will be waiting.”

Loki nodded, and disappeared in a flash of green.

Loki might have had slightly more powerful magic, but she should not have been surprised to see Strange waiting for her when she appeared in the front hall of the Sanctum.

“What do you want, Loki?”

“What, I can’t just drop in to say hello to an old friend?” Loki tried in vain to sound light-hearted.

Strange just stared at her in response.

“Ugh, fine. I need help.”

Strange smirked at that. “Wow. Loki admitting to needing help. You must really be desperate.”

She huffed. “Well excuse me for thinking that if anyone on this backwater planet had the skill to help me narrow down a solution it would be the Sorcerer Supreme.”

Strange looked down, like his feet were the most interesting thing he’d ever seen. “I’m not the Sorcerer Supreme.”

Loki just stared. “You… What?”

“Wong got the job after I was dusted. Technicality, really.”

“Unbelievable. So you’re saying I should go get help from Wong then? Where is he these days?” Loki tried not to laugh.

“No! I mean, no, that’s not necessary. I can help. What do you need?”

Loki paused for a moment. “I think first I’ll need to look through your library.”

James couldn’t help it. He was bored.

Not that New Asgard wasn’t an incredible place. It absolutely was. It just… Was so calm. Not at all like the life he was used to.

Thor was trying his best, but they had very little to talk about. James found himself taking long walks, clearing his head in the sea air.

He finally decided to just trample over his awkwardness and talk to Thor once he truly took in the large statue of the Mighty Thor by the harbour: that is, Jane.

“Tell me about her. She must have been amazing.”

“Aye, that she was. We had many adventures together, perhaps none so meaningful as our failed relationship. I take much of the blame for that; I never truly had the patience to live as a mortal and be what she needed me to be.” Thor had a faraway look.

“It’s hard for me to imagine, you know? None of us had even met you when she came to work at the tower— except Loki, obviously. Right from the first time I saw her, I was smitten. I guess you must have been the same way with your Jane.”

“She was unlike anyone I had ever met. She did so much good for the universe; I am sure she is in Valhalla now.”

James nodded. “I miss her. My Jane.”

“She is waiting for you.” Thor fixed him with a serious gaze. “If anyone can send you back, it is my sister. Loki is the most powerful sorcerer in the nine realms.”

“I hope you’re right.”

It started with Loki pulling tomes from the shelves of the Sanctum’s library; quickly scanning through them and putting them back when they didn’t have anything of use. The handful of books with something she deemed “possibly useful” were piled up on a table, and Strange found himself perusing them, seeing if he could glean anything.

Soon enough he was pulled in, and the two of them searched in companionable silence, the days and nights blending together.

Loki took to contemplating aloud as more books were added to the pile. “This was not a typical jaunt through the multiverse. Something pulled me here.”

Stephen scoffed. “A jaunt? Believe me Loki, it is not fun jumping around different universes.”

Loki hummed. “Well, in any case, there was something like a magnet. What we assumed was a gas because of the sound was clearly something else altogether. The question remains how James was attached and pulled along. I have theories as to why I was pushed out; most of them have to do with my carelessness in rewriting my story. I am starting to think those vǫlur might have been on the right track.”

“Have you thought about how this might work, then? If it is your story, can you go back?” Stephen gave her a curious glance. He wasn’t sure when it happened, but he no longer thought of this Loki as the same Loki he knew before— she was definitely her own person.

“I have to fix this. I have to send James home, I owe him at least that much.”

“And you?”

Loki winced. “Of course, both of us. We both have left people behind that we need to return to.”

Stephen looked at her sympathetically. He had listened to the details of her journey; he’d read the same books and had drawn many of the same conclusions.

“I think we need to take a break. Step away for a few days, come back with fresh eyes.”

“We can’t! I am so close to figuring this out! I cannot stop now!”

“Loki…”

“No.” She said forcefully. “I have to keep going.”

“Lady Darcy! It is good to see you again. This is James.” Thor gestured to the man standing awkwardly beside him. 

Of course she knew who he was; the Winter Soldier was pretty famous, even without her connections. What she didn’t expect was that he knew her. 

“Darcy! Hi!”

Thor glanced at him, something seeming to click. “Of course, you would know her in your universe.”

Darcy looked between the two of them. “I have a feeling I am going to need one heck of an explanation. I was trying to figure out how the hell you two would know each other more than in passing.”

Thor looked slightly abashed. “Of course, I should have started with that. I had not expected to meet with you so soon.”

Beside him, James smirked. “You seem to be doing a lot of that lately, pal.”

Darcy stared a bit. She had heard plenty about Bucky Barnes, and this man seemed a lot more like the one in her history textbook than the one who had been through hell and back courtesy of HYDRA. 

Yeah, this was pretty weird. She had to admit she wasn’t expecting Thor to invite her for a visit, but it wasn’t unwelcome. She knew he wasn’t around much these days, and she could use the time off to relax and reminisce. 

“James, perhaps you would like to tell Lady Darcy yourself how you came to be here.”

James coughed. “Right. The ‘heck of an explanation.’ Well, obviously I’m from from another universe…”

Darcy nodded. “Got that much.”

“Uh, yeah. You know much about the multiverse?”

Darcy thought about some of the weird shit she’d seen recently. “A bit, I guess.”

“Right so… Not entirely sure how, but I was on a mission with Loki, and all of the sudden we’re knocked out, wake up in the other Bucky’s apartment.”

“Loki?”

“Oh, right, I keep forgetting that Loki is dead here.” James looked at Thor apologetically. “Well, anyway, we woke up here, and suddenly Loki falls through a portal, ends up at Strange’s. Me an’ the other Bucky head out there, talk to him, and he brings us here. So we’ve been here a while now, ‘cept Loki’s back with Strange trying to find us a way back home.”

“Wow.” Darcy was a bit taken aback. “That is a lot. How are you always mixed up with this kind of thing, Thor?”

Thor shrugged.

“So, how did you two meet?” James asked, gesturing between Thor and Darcy.

“Oh, you know, he fell out of the sky, I tasered him, the usual.”

“Darcy was Jane’s assistant.” Thor added.

“Intern.” she corrected.

James’ face fell at that. “Oh,” he mumbled, “so that’s the same.”

Darcy cocked her head at that. “Which part?”

“You workin’ with Jane.” He was still quiet, his eyes finding the floor.

This was getting a little awkward, so she tried to lighten her tone, not noticing the look Thor was giving her.

“Oh, do you know Jane well in your universe?”

James was quiet for a moment, before finally responding. “She’s my fiancée.”

Argh, Darcy, you and your big mouth! She instinctively patted him on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get back there. If your Loki is anything like…”

Thor’s glare was murderous.

“Well, he was a pain in the ass but he was also wicked smart.” She gave a sheepish grin.

That got a chuckle out of James. “She is definitely both of those things.”

“She?”

Thor let out one of his signature laughs at that. “Oh yes, I forgot to mention. In their universe, Loki is my sister.”

Darcy tried not to let her jaw drop to the floor as James made it even worse. “Oh, she’s also an Avenger.” His smirk was more like when they first met, now.

“Are you kidding me?” She managed. “Did Thor attack New York?”

James looked a bit taken aback. “No? No one attacked New York.” Then looking like he’d been slapped, he continued. “Oh, right, Loki did here.”

Darcy looked down. “I’m sorry, that was rude of me. This Loki is your friend, I’m sure she’s great.”

James laughed. “She can be, when she wants to.”

“Well,” Darcy said, “I want to hear more about your universe.”

Chapter Text

Loki rubbed the bridge of her nose, staring at the same line over and over again. She felt so tired, but also as if she were so close to figuring it out. Suddenly she felt a tall, dark, distraction cast a shadow over her.

“Hey.”

“James, I thought I told you to stay—“

“It’s Bucky.” She turned around then, taking in the short-haired version of her friend, the one native to this universe.

“Ah. What are you doing here?”

“Kidnapping you. Strange said you needed a break, gotta clear your head so you can work your magic.”

“No. No, I am almost there, the answer is right there.”

By way of response, he handed her a helmet and leather jacket. “The longer you stare at it, the worse it will get. Let’s go for a ride.”

Loki sighed. 

“It’s not goin’ anywhere. You’ll figure it out. C’mon.”

She stood reluctantly, slipping the jacket on and carrying the helmet as they walked outside to see a motorcycle parked in front of the Sanctum. Bucky walked over and straddled it, motioning for her to sit behind him. She just stared.

“What is this? Where are you taking me?”

Bucky grinned over the handlebars. “You ever been to Sturgis?”

Apparently motorcycles were still very popular, and this event was very well attended. Bucky admitted to Loki that he had never been, but had always wanted to— ever since he’d heard about the first one back in 1938. It had a different name back then, but it was still the same place, the same kinds of people. People who loved the freedom of riding with the wind rushing around them, people who had the hearts of mechanics and loved the engines and the grease and the beauty of it all. 

It was an assortment of people that might not have anything else in common, but they shared a love of the open road, and that had between an innate part of Bucky long before the war and HYDRA and everything else that threatened to take that away from him. Steve had shared that passion to a point…

Nope, he wasn’t here. Bucky wasn’t going to think about him. He instead was going to think about the present moment, and the gal with her arms around his waist as they rode through the Black Hills, even if she was probably thinking about Steve. Loki was inscrutable at the best of times, but she still had agreed to join him on a cross-country motorcycle ride at the spur of the moment. He really had expected her to decline, and then he would just take her for a day trip upstate or something. But no, they had spent the better part of the last five days on the road, stopping for gas, food, and the occasionally tacky tourist site, the kind that he was sure he’d have been enthralled by if he had been able to have a normal life in the 1950s.

They had avoided the freeways and tollways, sticking to the backroad highways to avoid attention; but he had to admit, he also did it to drag this out. Truthfully, if Loki had any real objections he knew she could easily summon a portal and return to Bleecker Street and the wizards. She didn’t.

The lower speed limits made the ride more satisfying, and there was actually scenery to enjoy. The first night found them in southern Pennsylvania, where they were able to visit Fallingwater— a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in the late ‘30s. At that time it was a private vacation home, but Bucky remembered seeing pictures of it in the paper and being fascinated. Maybe this trip was starting to be as much about exploring his past as anything.

Staying in out of the way motels also helped avoid attention— Bucky would never be comfortable being called a hero, and like it or not, he was a bit of a celebrity. Whether it was fame or infamy, he wasn’t interested. They spent the night in small place outside of Mill Run, paying cash for a double room before, exhausted from the journey, they each promptly fell asleep.

The second day they didn’t ride quite as far. They made it to Fort Wayne, Indiana, and at the spur of the moment Bucky decided to buy tickets to see a baseball game— the Fort Wayne TinCaps were a minor league team with an apple for a mascot. Bucky had been born in Indiana, and remembered visiting there in the summer as a kid, but baseball to him had always been Ebbets Field and the Dodgers. The idea of seeing a ballgame in person again was one he had kept putting off, but this seemed like as good an opportunity as any— besides, a High-A team in a small town was unlikely to have enough of a crowd to notice him more than anyone else.

He assumed that being an alien goddess meant Loki wouldn’t know anything about baseball, so he admitted that might have been part of the decision too. He could impress her by talking about how the game worked, leaning in close to describe the action…

Needless to say he was floored when after they found their seats and he asked if she had ever seen a game before, she responded by saying she was a Mets fan.

So much for that plan.

The next day they stopped first just north of Fort Wayne in Auburn, where they went through a classic car museum. A lot of them were contemporary to Bucky’s teenage years, and he again found himself lost in memories.

They hit the road again and rode as far as Rockford, Illinois, where they took a walk through a beautiful Japanese garden. Bucky had to stop himself from the temptation to hold her hand, shoving his hands into his pockets as they followed the paths.

Damn. What had he been thinking? Strange had asked him to distract Loki for a while, get her out of her head. Now she was the one distracting him, invading his every thought; he simply couldn’t get enough of her. Maybe it was because he never encountered the Loki from this universe, but she could ask him to kneel and he would gladly do so.

He was so far gone.

It was day four when they arrived in Austin, Minnesota, and stepped into the SPAM Museum.

The stuff had been revolutionary back in the late 30s, and was a not insignificant portion of meals during the war. It was ubiquitous; canned meat that lasted forever, perfect when you couldn’t make a fire, even better if you could. This had to be the weirdest nostalgia trip Bucky had been on so far— enough to get him out of his own head and maybe bring back a few more comfortable memories.

Loki was fascinated by the history of it. Bucky had the feeling that she didn’t eat a whole lot of canned food, so this would be something unusual. Maybe he could finally get a reaction out of her.

“You ever try SPAM before? I hear it’s real popular in Hawaii.”

Loki looked at him with those emerald eyes, and Bucky felt his insides melt. “No, I have not had the opportunity. It seems so interesting.”

“Well, we’ll make sure to grab a sample before we go then.”

“Lovely.” She said, turning back to the exhibit.

They rode as far as Pipestone before stopping for the night; within a comfortable distance to arrive in Sturgis the next day. They settled into their beds in the motel, and while he heard Loki lightly snoring, Bucky found he couldn’t sleep. His mind kept filling with thoughts of her— hands around his waist for hours on end, nothing but the wind for noise. Her soft breasts squeezed against his back, her chin resting on his shoulder…

He bolted out of bed and ran to the shower, finally giving in and relieving himself of the pressure that had been building in his groin. He rested the top of his head against the wall as he finished, letting the water fall over him and send the evidence of his inappropriate thoughts down the drain.

This was a mistake. But damn, if it wasn’t the best mistake he’d made in years.

So here they were, finally making it to Sturgis, the Black Hills of South Dakota, and the infamous motorcycle rally. Which he probably should have done more research on, because the place was absolutely mobbed. They were progressing slowly toward the town, when he heard Loki murmuring behind him.

“This is both thrilling and horrifying.” He chuckled at that.

There were no vacancies anywhere they looked, from the most to least expensive of hotels and motels. Bucky mentally kicked himself for not realizing, but then this had all been so spur of the moment.

They finally found a motel with a vacancy thanks to a last minute cancellation, and Bucky didn’t even ask for details before slapping cash enough for three nights on the counter and gratefully taking the key.

They were both exhausted by the time he opened the door, turning on the light to reveal a single queen bed. Shit.

“Well,” Loki said, “It’s hardly the first time I’ve had to share.”

Bucky groaned internally, his mind racing. Given how much he had been feeling already in a separate bed…

“If it would make you more comfortable, I could shift to another form. I have both a male and an androgynous form that I often use.”

Bucky thought about that for a second, wondering if it would make much of a difference. As if reading his mind, he watched Loki start to change, until he looked like a slightly more well-fed and groomed version of the villain who attacked New York.

The incredibly hot villain who attacked New York.

Bucky felt like he had just had a second sexual awakening.

“Uhh… Not sure that’s the best idea.”

Loki frowned for a moment, before seeming to come to a slightly different conclusion. “Ah right, in case I forget and someone sees.” Loki shifted once more, finding a height somewhere in between the two, with a flat chest, nondescript face, and much shorter hair than either their male or female self. “I’m a little harder to pin down this way.” They said, before grabbing their nightclothes from the bag and going to change.

Oh, he wanted to pin them down, alright. Bucky was so fucked. Just not the way he wanted to be.

He supposed Loki must have been exhausted, because almost as soon as their head hit the pillow, they were asleep. He tried not to think about the cute snoring, the messy hair, the way they made the exact same expressions however their face was arranged. He was sure he’d never fall asleep, but knew he had when he woke up from a very lewd dream starring Loki’s female self.

“I want you to fall apart for me.”

She did.

After so much time in the quiet comfort of the open road, Loki was surprised that this crowded event was really something Bucky would enjoy. They watched rallies, races, parades through the little town— listening to him describe the different motorcycles was as much talking as he had ever done around her. Most of the trip he had simply grunted while she babbled, marvelling at the places they’d stopped. Since she had arrived on Midgard— that is, her version of it, she hadn’t left New York except on missions. Her world had been so small before, and if nothing else this trip with Bucky was letting her expand it.

He might not have said much, but she had to think there was deliberate choice in all of the places they’d visited, something as much about exploring his past as getting her out of her head. She could have left at any point, but something about that felt wrong, as if she’d be disappointing him. It was silly; she hardly knew this man, however much he resembled her friend. But she could see the loneliness in him, something she was all too familiar with. And however little, him showing these places to her must have helped, because he was opening up.

She was glad Strange insisted she needed a break. She knew she was close to the answer.

By the third day in Sturgis, the last before the trip back, something seemed to have shifted in his behaviour. He wasn’t frowning as much. He might even have looked happy. And while she stared out at the events, she had the distinct feeling he was staring at her. Except every time she looked back his eyes were focused outward, just giving her a smirk when he saw her head turn.

Well, it would be another five days back to New York. Did he have more stops planned? Or would they revert back to the silence she had expected before? Would this more open, vibrant Bucky stay? If nothing else, perhaps her landing in this universe would have a positive benefit for someone.

Bucky was feeling a little bolder as they packed to return eastward. Maybe they could stop in some of the big cities on the way; he’d never really been able to travel the country like this before. Loki even mentioned she could use some magic to make them less obvious; not invisible or anything but rather just “not worth looking at.” Whatever that meant. He was a little hesitant, but decided to hell with it and let her do it as they pulled away from the motel. 

They left early enough to have breakfast at a diner in Rapid City, and he thought about going to Mount Rushmore. It probably wouldn’t mean much to Loki, though. Then he remembered one of their stops on the way out as they finished their coffee.

He watched Loki add a third creamer to her coffee, and decided to chance it.

“Hey, you said ya like baseball, right?”

Loki looked up at him. “Well yes, that is why we went to that game before, was it not?”

He chuckled. “I didn’t know then. Thought I was gonna show off, but here you know just as much as I do.”

Loki looked down. “Well, that… I mean, Peter and… James…” she stammered.

“The other me?” She blushed. Bucky thought maybe he should drop it. “Ah, it’s okay, you don’t hafta tell me.”

“No, it isn’t that. Well, in my original timeline, Peter invited me to see the Mets, because he’s from Queens and he said he wanted to show me a Midgardian pastime. What I didn’t realize was that James had also invited Steven. It was a setup. Our… first date, I suppose.” She paused for a moment. “But now I am the only one who remembers.”

Bucky didn’t know what to say to that. She knew Stevie was a sore subject for him, so maybe that’s why…? Aw hell. This was not going his way. He decided to focus on something else. “Who’s Peter?”

“Peter Parker?” Bucky shrugged. “Oh, you don’t know him in this universe? I guess that makes sense; when I first got here Strange did say something about Spider-Man showing up earlier in my timeline.”

“Spider-Man? The little shit Stark brought to the airport?”

“Oh. I guess things really are different. He was the one who first found me when I was banished; the first friend I had, really.”

“Oh. Wow. So that’s why you like the Mets then, huh?”

She blushed. “Yes, I suppose so. Do you have a team? Still a Dodgers fan?”

Bucky scoffed. “Those traitors moved to LA! Ridiculous. Still better’n cheerin’ for the Yankees, though.”

Loki smiled knowingly at that.

“Stevie started following the Nationals when he lived in DC, so I heard about them some. They’re a new team though, Washington had the Senators when we were kids.”

Loki nodded. “They were another team that moved, right?”

Perfect opening. “They sure did. Wanna go see them?”

Bucky may have broken a few speed limits, but they arrived at the ballpark in Minneapolis about half an hour before the first pitch.

The Washington Senators had moved and become the Minnesota Twins in 1961, and Bucky was of the opinion that this was certainly a case where changing the name of the team was warranted. LA was still the Dodgers, San Francisco still the Giants, heck, the Athletics and Braves had both kept their names through multiple moves. Minnesota Senators would just have sounded ridiculous though, and he could appreciate that a team representing a state instead of a single city would choose a name to reflect that fact— since Minneapolis and Saint Paul were known as the Twin Cities.

They settled into their seats behind third base, giving them an incredible view of the Minneapolis skyline as the sun was beginning its journey down in hues of pink and orange. Despite both of them having higher than average stamina, the long days of riding had started to catch up. Bucky flagged down a vendor and bought a couple of beers, handing one to Loki and clinking the cans together.

“Cheers.”

He tried not to stare too hard as Loki’s lips curved up into a soft smile. “Skål.”

He laughed at her toast; of course Asgardian would sound Scandinavian.

“Pretty sure that’s the other team here, sweetheart.” When she simply looked at him in confusion, he kept on. “The Vikings. I’ve been catching up on football, too.”

“Is that supposed to be funny? I know Stark used to make jokes like that, he called my brother a Space Viking.”

“What? No! I’m serious! Their football team is called the Minnesota Vikings!” She kept glaring, so he decided, hell with it, and asked for back up, turning to someone in the row behind him. “Hey, can you tell my gal here what your local football team is called? She doesn’t believe me.”

The guy looked a bit startled at the sudden question, but answered quick enough. “Uh, do you mean the Gophers? Or the Vikings?”

Bucky raised his arms in triumph. “Thank you! See?”

“You bet.” He replied, and Loki let out a sigh of defeat. Soon the man let curiosity get the better of him. “Where you guys from? Obviously not locals, hey?”

Bucky thought quickly. “Ah, she’s Swedish. Thought I was makin’ fun of her. I’m a Brooklyn guy.”

“Oh wow, that’s a long trip, huh. What’re you doin’ in Minny, then? I’m guessing you’re not Twins fans, and somehow I get the impression you guys aren’t rootin’ for the other team, either.”

Damn. Bucky suddenly remembered hearing that people in the Midwest were chatty, and the words “Minnesota Nice” floated to his mind like a weird aphorism. He had clocked that the visiting team was from Toronto, so that did seem unlikely. Half truth, then— hopefully Loki’s magic was still keeping them from being recognized. “Oh we’re just passin’ through on a road trip, thought we’d check out this nice ballpark of yours.” He tried to use a tone of finality as he turned back around to look out at the game.

“Oh, neat. Hope you enjoy it. Try to avoid the ol’ state bird, August can get real muggy.”

Loki shifted next to Bucky, turning to face the man. “Bird?”

“Mosquitoes.” The man said with a chuckle. “Ah, that’s our little joke here. Land o’ ten thousand lakes and ten billion mosquitoes.”

Loki frowned, a little pout that made Bucky’s heart race traitorously. “What does that have to do with birds?”

“Fåglar, myggor, de flyger båda två.” Bucky froze for a moment, cursing himself. The man spoke Swedish? Why did he have to say that Loki was…?

“Åh. Det är roligt.” She replied, cool as a cucumber, before turning back around. Bucky tried to aim his shock at the man instead of Loki.

He shrugged. “My ma’s ma is Swedish. I took a course at the U, I’m not fluent or anything, ya know? Just rarely get a chance to use it.”

Bucky nodded and let the conversation drop there. He looked back at Loki, wondering how she knew Swedish, but before he could ask, she dropped a question of her own.

“Did… You call me your gal?”

God bless Wisconsin and its overabundance of dive bars. 

They stopped near Tomah for lunch, indulging in the deep fried monstrosity the menu called cheese curds while sipping the cheapest beer Bucky had seen in decades. When their burgers arrived, Bruce Springsteen was singing a line that made Bucky freeze.

Now these memories come back to haunt me
They haunt me like a curse
Is a dream a lie if it don’t come true
Or is it something worse

He made sure they had separate beds the rest of the way, and this time Bucky didn’t avoid the freeways, opting to end this before it got any further out of hand. If Loki was upset by the sudden change in pace she didn’t show it; he was half tempted to just tell her to portal back, but thought it might be even more suspicious to just cut it off entirely.

Damn it. Steve got everything in every universe. He wondered if he would ever meet another woman who had thrilled him as much as Loki did these past two weeks. Hell, from the moment he saw her. That’s why he didn’t hesitate when Strange asked him for a favour.

When they finally got back to Manhattan, Loki was in much better spirits, and as soon as they walked in to the Sanctum she started regaling Strange with the ideas she had come up with; a breakthrough on the horizon.

So that was it. She’d go back to her universe, back to her Steve, and these two weeks would just be another bittersweet memory for Bucky to live with.

Maybe he should ask Thor for some of that Asgardian mead so he could actually get drunk.

“Well, I guess this is goodbye then.” Loki turned around then, a bit startled.

“Oh, Bucky! I am so sorry, I just…” She looked at him for a moment, seeming to study his eyes.

“You’d better get back to Stevie, Loke. The man has been known to do irrational things to get his girl back.”

“What, like time travel? Or like… Breaking an entire universe.” She reddened a bit, as if something more was bothering her about it.

Bucky let out a humourless laugh. “The both of ya are pretty reckless. Guess you punks really deserve each other.”

“Oh come on, James, thats why you love us.” Loki playfully tapped his shoulder, but her tone belied another emotion.

He looked down at her face, trying not to let the effect of her words show on his.

Loki seemed to realize her word choice, looked down, and started biting her bottom lip. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—“

“Good luck, sweetheart.’

He turned around and walked away, full of unspoken feelings that he would never get to have. “Thank you!” Loki called after him. “I had a wonderful time.”

“So did I.” He tried to keep the emotion out of his voice. “Bye, Doc.” He waved at Strange, who was standing with arms crossed, seeming to scrutinize him.

“Goodbye, Sargent Barnes.”

He walked out, afraid he’d lose his resolve if he stopped.

Chapter Text

The road trip with Bucky did exactly what it was meant to— got her mind off her work, let her come back with fresh eyes and the solution half-formed. 

What Loki didn’t count on was the strange rush of emotions it brought. 

She and James were good friends. One awkward dream aside, that was all they had ever been; they got along well, but both were very attached to their significant others.

But Bucky… They may have been superficially the same, but if she had learned anything about multiverses, it was that people could be very different, no matter how they looked. After all, hadn’t her counterpart in this universe been a villain? Yet when they shared that bed in Sturgis, the dream she had shared with James had plagued her again, only this time it was undoubtedly Bucky.

Putting aside the short hair and seemingly permanent five o’clock shadow, this Bucky also had the pain of loss and a different path to healing. His vibranium arm was a sharp contrast to the silver one James sported, and the anger and despair still simmered at the surface. If the Steven in this universe had left him, he must have been different too. Would she have…

Loki shook her head. This was a train of thought best left at the station.

Stephen had done some digging of his own while they were away, and with a newfound determination they pored through the spell books until finding what they needed.

Loki held a book open and pointed to a diagram.

“So, those little portal rings of yours…”

“Sling rings.” He corrected.

“Yeah, those.” She drummed her fingers on the table. “In theory, you can open a portal anywhere, so long as you can visualize it.”

Strange hummed. “That last part is key. I’ve never seen your universe, and I’m not sure I could distinguish it. ”

“Right. Now, my magic works a bit differently. I can in theory open such a portal, but the power it requires is even more than I used when I… well, split my own timeline.”

“And you think that might be related?”

Loki sighed. “Stephen, I was desperate. I felt trapped by responsibility I should never have been given, and it boiled over into power I never should have had. I never considered what would happen, that I could not truly change things, I could not change my past. I created a new one, and in the process sent another version of myself into a void. I had no idea! In all of my centuries, I had never encountered such magic as I summoned in my pain and rage. I have been told many times since that I may be the most powerful sorcerer in all the nine realms…”

Strange raised an eyebrow at this, as if he wanted to object.

“Oh, do not be jealous. It is not as if it helped me! I came out of that looking like some kind of space hobo with an accent I could not even place. I was arrogant and aloof, and—” Strange smirked. “Shut up, I know, but this was different. It felt as though I existed outside of the universe, that I had control of the narrative. But the Goddess of Stories that I became was separate from myself. Like an outsider looking in. I only realized it now, looking through these.” She pointed at the book again. “I did not create stories, or control them. I collected them. And my mistake was thinking I could reenter one without consequences.”

Strange looked thoughtful, analyzing the diagram on the page.

“I wondered what became of my other self… We switched places in time, not space. I can send James back, but the me from his timeline will already be there. Confused as Hel, I am certain.” Loki looked down, cheeks flushed in shame. “Oh, Steven…” At Strange’s glance up, she amended. “My Steven. I have made him suffer so much out of selfishness, my own fear of losing him. And now I have guaranteed it for myself; he is forever lost to me.”

“So you’ll just send Barnes through. What happens to you?”

“I do not think I will ever be able to open another portal. I am not sure my original timeline survived my meddling, so even if I could… I think I might be stuck here.”

Strange nodded. “This is going to take a lot of power. Even with our help, you’re only going to be able to do this once.” Strange stared at her thoughtfully.

“I know. So we have to do it right.”

Stephen hummed.

“I have to send James back, Stephen. I owe it to him. I do not want to be guilty of ruining his life, too.”

He nodded knowingly, his mind drifting to other versions of himself out in the multiverse who had been in similar situations.

“This is the best vacation I’ve had in ages.” Darcy was sitting on the couch playing Mario Kart with James and Love, while Thor was making lunch in the kitchen. “There really is something to be said for just letting go and being lazy.”

Thor laughed. “I am glad you were able to make time for us, Darcy. It has been wonderful seeing you again, and you have been a great comfort to Love. I fear I do not always offer sufficient companionship.”

“Aww, I’m sure you’re great. And I might be a little more comforting if she would STOP CHEATING!” Darcy’s character was hit with a blast of lightning, causing Love to giggle.

“I’m not cheating! I can’t help it if you’re not very good at this game!”

“I’ll have you know I was a Mario Kart champion back in college!”

“Hey, you’re still doing better than me.” James chipped in.

“Only because you’re like, 200 years old, gramps.” Darcy smirked.

“I’m not even 110 yet…” he pouted, his avatar falling into last place.

“Lunch is almost ready!” Thor called out. “Turn that off after this race.”

He was greeted with three synchronous whines.

“No video games while we eat! We will have a civil meal together. This is Darcy’s last day with us, after all.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me. It’s going to be hard to go back.”

James, having given up entirely, shot her a grin. “For what it’s worth, it’s been swell having you here. You make a great distraction.”

She cocked an eyebrow, her attention still on the game. “Swell? Are you sure you’re only 110?”

“Lunch is ready!”

“Essentially, I will be borrowing power from both of you, with your portals amplifying the focus of mine. It will require me to stay on this side of it, but James should be able to get through.” Loki looked between Strange and Wong, who nodded in understanding.

Wong spoke first, confirming the obvious yet most important detail. “So you are certain there is no way for you to return with him?”

“Yes. As far as I can tell, there is another me who will have appeared just as we left. James was collateral damage. I had to be removed from that universe to make room for her. I will not have him be the victim of my rash behaviour; The price is mine alone to pay. And since there is no Loki in this universe, I believe I am able to stay here. I do not think there is anywhere else I could go now, in fact.”

Wong nodded sagely, but Stephen was still somewhat worried.

“What will you do, then? Will you stay with Thor?”

“I am not sure.” Loki admitted. “I do not particularly relish the thought of going on more of his noble quests. While I am fond of the girl, I fear I would simply be a ghost made real.”

“Thor was oddly defensive of his brother.” Stephen replied.

“Indeed. And I do not wish to live in a shadow I can never live up to. I may stay in New Asgard for now, but I do not believe I would like to stay there long term.”

“You are welcome to stay here if you wish to return to New York.” Wong offered, earning him a glare from Strange.

Loki let out a small snort. “I have infringed upon your hospitality quite enough, although I appreciate the offer. I think I must take time to decide on what my next course of action will be. If my identity were to become public, whatever the circumstances, it is unlikely that the truth of my origins will be believed from what I have gathered.”

“Well, there’s always a place in Brooklyn where I’m sure you’d be very welcome to stay.” Strange deadpanned.

Loki looked at him for a moment, unable to read his expression. “I am not sure I know what you mean by that. In any case, I will keep in touch. I spoke with King Valkyrie, and she has agreed to obtain a mobile phone for me.”

“How thoughtful.” Wong said.

“Indeed.” Stephen looked back to Loki. “When do we start?”

Just outside a cottage on a seaside cliff, a shower of orange sparks grew until the portal was large enough for Stephen and Loki to walk through. James, Thor, and Love were already waiting for them.

“Well,” James said, “this has been a nice little vacation, but I am more than ready to go home.”

Loki smiled sadly. “I hope it has not been too taxing on you, being left here.”

“We were happy for your company, James.” Thor beamed.

“Thank you for taking care of him.”

Thor fixed Loki with a sincere gaze. “Anything for you, Sister.”

Love moved towards Loki, wrapping her arms around her waist in a tight hug. “I missed you. Do you have to leave again so soon?”

“Oh, Love. You will be having such grand adventures, you will not have time to miss me.”

Love sniffed, but said nothing.

“James, you can return with Strange. I would like to speak with Thor before I leave.” Loki avoided eye contact, trying to hold back what she was feeling.

“Lokes, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I will be there presently.”

James said his goodbyes, and followed Stephen through the portal. Thor’s intense gaze met Loki’s emerald eyes.

“You are not going with him.”

Loki hung her head, shaking it sadly.

“Are you going to stay with us? Are you going to come on our adventures?” Love was practically bursting with newfound excitement.

“I have not decided what I will do, but I will be staying on Midgard. I have no desire to return to a life of combat.” Love’s somber expression returned. “We will still have chances to see each other when you are around. I… Will not be leaving your universe after all.” Loki attempted a smile, but found her throat tightened as she once again admitted the truth aloud.

They would need time to prepare everything, so Loki took the chance to speak with James one last time. Of course, she wasn’t about to tell him that.

“There are some things I need to tell you. Just in case.”

He stared back at her. “In case of what, Lokes?”

“If… This does not work. There is no guarantee that we will both make it back.” She grimaced slightly, hating the need to deceive him. But wasn’t she called the goddess of lies?

“Loki, don’t—”

“Just let me finish.” She implored. “Please.” James nodded solemnly. “All magic has a price; the more powerful the magic, the higher the price.” She paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. “I know how we got here. Not why here specifically, although I have a few ideas on that too. It was not a gas at the base. I should have recognized the colour, but we passed out too soon for it to register.”

James furrowed his brows. “So what are we talking about, a price?”

Loki sighed. “The spell that I used to go back in time— the timeframe matches it. The moment I left my original timeline, and the moment we left our universe.”

James was thoughtful, and the silence lasted a moment before he finally spoke again. “So that’s how we ended up here? But why this universe?”

“Well… I think we ended up in this universe because there is no Loki here, but I suppose it could have been any such universe, really. My guess is you were only dragged in by proximity, or perhaps because of the mental connection we shared.”

“Lucky me.” He mumbled.

“Are you ready for this? I cannot promise it will work, but I could not find another way.”

“Ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s go home.”

Wong and Strange had set up around an area filled with spells and runes, emanating magic from all sides. James and Loki entered the room, James saying goodbye to the two sorcerers while Loki set herself up to create a triangle.

“I guess this is it.” James said, letting out a sigh.

Loki suddenly rushed up to hug her friend. She gave him a tight squeeze, so he didn’t notice her slipping something in his pocket.

“Come on Loki, what’s that for?”

“Just in case.” She kissed him affectionately on the cheek, causing him to blush a little and shake his head.

She stepped back to open the portal, drawing some power from Wong and Strange. It glowed with a mixture of orange and green, and the basement of the HYDRA facility they had been in was visible through it. James looked at Loki, who attempted a reassuring smile.

He stepped back into his universe and the portal collapsed, leaving Loki staring into nothing as tears streamed down her face.