Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Loki stared as the portal closed behind James, blinking back tears. It wasn’t self-deprecation to say she had really made things worse with her reckless magic; drawing that much power could not go unpunished, and in her grief she had turned herself into a goddess with powers far beyond what anyone in the nine realms should have. Change her story? Oh, she did that all right. And now she would have to live a new one. Without the man she had changed it for.

Val had offered to let her stay in New Asgard as long as she wanted, taking the place of her counterpart with all of the privilege that entailed. Which here meant they would build her a cottage of her own, and people would probably refer to her as “your highness.” No one outside of the village need know she was here at all if she so chose, and certainly not who she both was but also wasn’t.

Thor invited her to join him and Love on their ship, but she declined. It would be awkward; she wasn’t his Loki and he wasn’t her Thor. Their lives had been too different. Perhaps she would still love to hear of their adventures, but they were best done without her.

She felt lost again. Just about everyone she had known in her universe, who she considered a friend was either dead or thought she was dead. And a villain. To see any of them would hurt; even if she wasn’t the same Loki they knew, nor were they the Avengers she knew. She wondered how they would even react: Thor was certainly willing to do anything for her, but from the sound of it, of the others who were still around, it wouldn’t go well. Clint had been mind controlled by this universe’s Loki; surely he would have a major grudge. Bruce might be more reasonable to a point; he had been on Asgard during Ragnarök. No one she had talked to seemed to know who Peter even was, although they had heard of Spider-Man. She might be able to find him, but she doubted New York would be welcoming based on Strange’s reaction to her. Although, since Loki in this universe had usually presented as male, she likely would not be recognized; Thor would be an obvious outlier in that regard.

It did give her an idea. Was Spider-Man still in Queens? She was not powerless here; just lacking power enough to leave this universe. Sending James had been the last burst she could muster; it would not have held for both of them. She again wondered if she should have told him that, but he would figure it out soon enough from what she told him about magic having a price. Surely teleporting herself on the same planet was still within her capabilities? As long as she was well-fed and rested, her seiðr thrummed as steadily as it had most of her life before her banishment. She could find Peter, maybe see if he was the same curious youth, if he needed a friend too since he wasn’t with the Avengers…

Although it seemed there were no more Avengers. Sam Wilson had taken Steve’s shield and become the new Captain America. He had a partner named Joaquín who might take over his mantle as Falcon, but there wasn’t a larger team. There were other heroes scattered around, but no team like she had known; apparently the past years in this timeline had not been kind.

A month passed with her mostly keeping to her cottage, either reading or painting the scenes out her window. Reflecting on all that had passed, and furiously writing out everything of her life these past years since her banishment in notebooks stained with ink from her fountain pen. Perhaps if she could write it, then she could remember that it had been real, that she had loved and been loved in return. She wanted to ignore her guilt. Steven had eaten one of Iðunn’s apples and had promised himself to her for a lifetime— would he be forced to spend the next several millennia alone as she had feared she would? Maybe he could move on, but somehow she doubted that. She was sure she never would, and felt more alone than ever. She hoped her theory was correct, that the earlier Loki she had replaced had taken her place again, but would that end well after all she’d done?

Finally, Loki was satisfied that she had written as much of her story as she reasonably could. She used her magic to make a copy of the notebooks, which she stored in her pocket dimension. She left the originals on the kitchen table, with a note for whoever might find them should she fail to return. Then, dressed in black jeans and a dark green tunic, she teleported herself to a familiar alley in Queens.

Patrolling the neighbourhood as Spider-Man felt different since Strange’s spell. Sure, he had been anonymous before, but he had people who knew Peter. While people would still call out to him as he swung around and did his best to help, he felt empty. Things were rough with no one to confide in.

He saw a green flash out of the corner of his eye, and figured he’d better check it out.

He swung around into the alley where the flash had been, to see only a woman with long, wavy dark hair and blue-green eyes, who was grinning at him with something like… Anticipation?

“Oh, I was hoping I’d run into you! I just didn’t think it would be so soon. The irony of meeting you in the exact same place, well… The universe sure has it in for me. Or I guess the Multiverse? Something like that.” She kept her smile the entire time, and Peter finally landed in front of her. She was a little taller than him, and looked oddly familiar, with the accent and same sort of otherworldly quality he remembered Thor having when they briefly met. Not that Thor would remember.

“Uhh, I’m sorry, I don’t remember meeting you before? And… Multiverse? Are you from another universe?” He couldn’t help but think of meeting his counterparts, and the price he’d paid for it. So the question was, did this woman just know Spider-Man in her universe, or—

“Right, silly me, always jumping in without making sure we are on the same page. You will likely recognize my name as my counterpart here seems to have been quite the ruthless bastard; but in my universe, Peter, you found me at my weakest, and that meant everything to me.”

Peter froze, and then removed his mask. “You know who I am?”

“I gather you are even less open with your identity in this timeline. No one I have talked to seemed to have heard of you. Well, of Peter Parker anyway. They all know of Spider-Man.”

“Who are you?”

“My name is Loki.”

Peter did a double-take, comparing the woman in front of him with the pictures he’d seen from the invasion all those years ago. He could certainly see the resemblance.

“Are you… Is this… Magic? Like you shape-shifted or something?”

Loki chuckled sadly. “No, in my universe I mostly present as female, although I have been known to vary on occasion. I suppose it is for the best considering the chaos my counterpart seems to have brought to Midgard.”

Peter nodded thoughtfully. “Why are you here?”

“I caused my own sort of chaos. I… Well, I made some mistakes, and I think letting grief and heartbreak control my actions was the biggest. I summoned more power than I should have been able to and ripped a hole in my universe, presumably creating a new timeline. But magic comes with a price, and the cost for my carelessness was seeing me stuck here, away from my friends and my fiancé.”

“And in your universe… I’m one of those friends?”

Loki’s smile dimmed. “Indeed you are. My first friend after I was banished, and one of the best.”

Peter was taken aback. This Loki was banished? That would certainly change things, and explain why she didn’t think she was a villain. His mind raced with other questions, but mostly he wanted to talk more to the only person who knew Peter Parker. One other thing stood out, so before he invited her to come hang out or whatever (was that a normal thing to ask a goddess?), he had to ask.

“You said you have a fiancé. Would I know them in this universe?”

Loki hummed. “Why does no one know who you are here? You’ve worked with the Avengers, haven’t you?”

He hung his head, a bit ashamed. “Same thing as you. Magic has a price, and I screwed up. I broke the multiverse, and in order for Strange to fix it, everybody had to forget Peter Parker.”

“Even your Aunt? Michelle? Assuming they existed in this timeline, too.”

Peter felt his own tears welling up. “Aunt May… She was killed. And yeah, MJ was my girlfriend, but she and Ned had to forget too. It was all or nothing.”

“Oh, Peter.” He was shocked when Loki pulled him into a tight hug. “It looks like we are both in a terrible mess.”

He huffed a low chuckle. “Yeah, I guess we are. The multiverse-breakers club.”

“Want some company with your misery?”

“That… Would be great.” When she broke the embrace he slipped his mask back on. “I can take you back to my apartment for now, talk more in private.”

She gave him a soft smile.

“Steven Rogers.”

“What? Captain America? What about him?”

“That is who I am… was… engaged to in my universe.”

“Oh. Oh. I’m sorry. After the Battle of Earth, he—“

“I know. But it does not matter, he would not be my Steven.”

Bucky was restless. His thoughts kept drifting back to his other self, the weirdness of seeing a, dare he say, happy? Well-adjusted? James Buchanan Barnes was unsettling, yet somehow also comforting.

Because maybe that could be him. Maybe he could find a girl, be madly in love, no doubts in his mind where he belonged.

Did he and Loki make it back? If they didn’t, maybe he didn’t have anything to envy after all.

But then there were his dreams.

The Steve in that other timeline was a very lucky guy. Because while Bucky had no memory of the “evil” Loki to compare her to, the Loki he met? She was incredible. Smart, funny, sarcastic, her personality was everything he’d ever imagined the perfect woman to be. Plus she was smokin’ hot. Hell, even when he’d seen the male Loki, he was still taken in by his looks; gender was not a dealbreaker. He’d thought that was a revelation of his own sexuality, or maybe Loki was just that compelling.

She must be, because she had been haunting his dreams. And they were not innocent.

Maybe he should check on them, see if they made it.

Who should he get in touch with? He didn’t have King Val’s phone number— do you just call a King? He had in Wakanda, he supposed, but that was a bit different.

What he did have was an address in Midtown, where he knew a sorcerer who might be able to help.

Chapter Text

They were companionably silent as they made their way to Peter’s small apartment. He didn’t have much, but then again, why would he? He was on his own in a world that didn’t know him.

Loki felt a bit awkward following him like this. She did wish to speak with him, find out more about what had happened to him. It did seem like he desperately needed the connection as well; she recalled so many times when her Peter had been there to drag her out of whatever downward spiral she was in. She could at least be an ear, a friendly face, someone who understood his struggles.

Because weren’t they eerily similar to hers?

Technically, she had a cottage she could return to at any point, but she bristled at the idea. Everyone in New Asgard had been kind, but clearly saw her as filling the role of another. No, that would not be, could not be her life.

At least this time she had her seiðr. And perhaps she could be useful in some way: helping Peter.

Before Bucky even had a chance to knock, the door of the Sanctum Santorum opened for him. He stepped in to see Dr. Strange standing in front of the staircase, clearly expecting him.

“Hey, Doc. I guess you know what I’m here for?”

Strange smiled, motioning to some chairs. “Take a seat. Tea?”

“I’ll take coffee, if you’ve got it.” No sooner had the words left his mouth than he had a mug of black coffee in his hands. He took a sip, nodding appreciatively.

Stephen sipped his own cup of tea, looking at Bucky expectantly.

Feeling a bit awkward, Bucky held the mug in his left hand, while his flesh hand reached up to scratch the back of his head. “Ahh, so. I guess I’ve just been wondering. Did Loki and the other me make it back okay? I just… You know, got a bit invested.”

“Oh, I know. And I do still appreciate you getting Loki out of our hair for a while; she was driving me just a bit crazy.” Strange shook his head with a chuckle.

“It was no trouble, really.” Bucky tried not to let any wayward emotions show, but the sorcerer was perceptive.

“She figured out what happened. She was able to send James back, but the price for the magic she had used before made it impossible for her to return with him. Since the Loki of this universe was killed by Thanos, well… Let’s just say there was an opening.”

“She’s stuck here?”

“As far as we can tell, yes.”

“Where is she? Is she here?” He couldn’t hold back his enthusiasm anymore. Damn it, that woman had possessed him.

Strange shook his head with a smirk. “She went back to New Asgard. King Valkyrie offered her a cottage to stay in indefinitely, and since she didn’t really have anywhere else, well— I guess that was easiest.”

Bucky nodded. “I don’t suppose you could get me there?”

“I don’t know if she’ll want to see anyone. She took it pretty hard.”

“Still, I think I’d like to try, Doc.”

Strange smiled knowingly. “Alright then, we’ll go see if the King can show us the way.”

Loki and Peter spent time talking; he was very interested in learning more about her universe, and he did his best to catch her up on what had happened in this one. She slept on his couch, as they tried to figure out where to go from there.

When she woke the next morning, Peter was already making breakfast. She stretched groggily, trying to consider her best options. She did want to stay in New York; it was similar enough to the place she had begun to consider “home” that she was far more comfortable here. She supposed that since she had her seiðr she could find a way to conjure currency or enchant her way into an apartment, but something in her bristled at that— wasn’t she claiming to be a “good guy”? It would be better to earn it somehow.

She might stay with Peter a day or two more, but as little as he had, she would be loathe to impose. She certainly planned to keep in touch, but it was looking like her best option would be taking Wong up on his offer to stay at the Sanctum.

Peter handed her a plate of scrambled eggs.

“I’m not much of a cook, but it’s edible.”

“Thank you Peter. You didn’t have to do all this.”

He shrugged. “I don’t mind. I don’t exactly have a lot of company.”

Loki hummed, and they ate their meals quietly.

When she had finished, Loki decided to continue their conversation from the night before.

“In my universe, you brought me to my first baseball game. Are you a Mets fan here, too?”

Peter grinned. “Sure am! You like baseball?”

“Oh, I was surrounded by a few passionate fans.” She winked. “I learned to love it; it makes for such a good story.”

“It really does.”

“Maybe we should go to a game? If you’re not too busy.”

“That would be great! I think they’re in town playing the Phillies this weekend.”

Loki tilted her head thoughtfully. “That’s the one with the strange green mascot, right?”

Peter laughed. “The Phanatic, yeah..”

“Then let’s go on Saturday. I think we could both use the entertainment.”

“She’s basically a recluse.” Val was walking Bucky to Loki’s cottage by the cliffside. “I hardly ever see her. It seems she only goes into town when she runs out of supplies. I think she doesn’t know how to live in the other Loki’s shadow.”

Bucky hummed. “I can understand that. Trying to be yourself when people think you’re someone else. Always quick to judge you without really knowin’ you.”

“I suppose that is a feeling you are familiar with. As are many of us here.”

“All too familiar.”

They continued walking, and before long reached the small home. Val knocked on the door.

“Loki, there’s someone here who wants to see you.”

They were met with silence.

“I don’t hear any movement.” Bucky said, his heightened senses not picking up anything. “Are you sure she’s home?”

Val thought for a moment. “No one’s seen her for a while, but that’s not unusual. Still, there’s only so many places she could go, unless…” She tried the door, finding it unlocked. “I hope you’re decent! I’m coming in!”

They walked in, finding the place still and empty. Loki could not have been gone very long, but there was no evidence of her having gone out the door.

“Maybe she teleported somewhere?”

Bucky looked up at that. “Can she do that? I thought she was stuck.”

“Stuck in this universe. She still has enough seiðr to go somewhere else on this planet.”

“Huh.” Bucky looked around, when a stack of notebooks caught his eye from the kitchen table. He went to take a look and saw a note on top of them. Scanning it quickly, he motioned Val over. “I guess she’s gone.” He handed her the note.

I am leaving my story; the Midgard I knew and cannot return to. I need to start a new story, and I cannot do that as the ghost of another. Instead I will return to what has become familiar, and see if I can find an old friend in Queens.

(don’t worry, I brought my phone.)

L

“Ugh, is being dramatic a requirement for being a Loki?” Valkyrie rolled her eyes.

Bucky chuckled to himself. “She went back to New York. Son of a bitch.”

Peter and Loki arrived at the stadium early, thinking it would be nice to have time to get some food first, maybe dessert, and of course be settled in their seats in time for the first pitch. After the obligatory hot dog, Loki went to use the washroom while Peter went to get them some ice cream.

Saturday morning rolled around, and Bucky still had no idea what he wanted to do.

He thought back to Loki’s note— she went somewhere in Queens. What was even in Queens?

Well, they had that baseball team out there. Maybe he ought to finally see a game.

There was no doubt it was her; Bucky watched her pause a moment before walking up to him. 

“James.” Loki said quietly, almost disbelieving. “I’m sorry, I mean Bucky.”

He rubbed the back of his head with his flesh hand absentmindedly. “I don’t mind you callin’ me James… It sounds better’n your voice.”

She stared at him, a hint of a smile coming to her face. Their moment was interrupted by a young man who went up to her side, holding two plastic helmets full of ice cream.

“Hey Loki, I got the…” He trailed off, looking up at Bucky like he’d seen a ghost. “Uhh, what’s going on here?”

Loki seemed to snap out of it as she turned toward the youth. “Peter. You’re back. This is—”

“I know who he is.” He seemed to be sizing Bucky up, and Bucky couldn’t help wondering what his connection to Loki was, and why he looked so familiar. “Oh crap, it’s melting.” He handed one of the sundaes to Loki, along with a spoon. She scraped at the sides of the dessert, making sure none of it spilled over the edge, before greedily attacking the swirl on top, eating enough that it no longer threatened to topple over the side. She had some of the vanilla concoction dripping down the side of her face, and Bucky’s mind wandered…

He brought his right thumb up to her cheek to wipe it off. “You’ve got some there.” Very smooth, Barnes.

Loki looked back up at him. “Oh, thanks.” She murmured shyly. They were both lost in the moment, not noticing Peter looking between the two of them incredulously.

“Uh, I’ll just go find our seats, then.”

“Sure. I’ll catch up.” Loki responded, her eyes never leaving Bucky’s. Peter walked off awkwardly, seeming to contemplate what he had just witnessed.

“Who was that?” Bucky asked, gaze unwavering.

“Oh, Peter. He was my best friend in my universe. Here… He’s been through a lot. You’ve met him though. He’s Spider-Man.”

She said it so casually. “Should you be telling me that?”

“Probably not. But… I trust you, James.”

He moved closer, his mind no longer in control of his body. “You shouldn’t.” He put his hands on her shoulders, looking at her hooded eyes, her bashful expression, and before he knew it he kissed the top of her head.

“Ah, careful.” Loki said quietly. “I don’t want to get ice cream all over you.”

He pulled away with a start. “Oh, right.”

“I should get some napkins.” She walked toward a table that held condiments and cutlery. Bucky followed close behind, watching her grab a handful of napkins and a second spoon, which she handed to him. “Help me finish?”

How could he say no to that? They moved to a less crowded area and leaned against a wall. She held the bowl as they both ate spoonfuls of soft serve in an amicable silence. When they finished, she moved to take the garbage, but before he had time to overthink it, Bucky pulled Loki flush against him, cupping her cheek with his flesh hand and pulling her in for a proper kiss.

Her eyebrows raised in surprise and he pulled back hesitantly, a question in his blue eyes, answered in her emerald ones as she leaned forward and he deepened the kiss, not caring where he was or who might see.

When they finally broke for air, Loki was flushed, and he could see a mixture of emotions across her face.

“I… should probably go. Peter will be waiting.”

“Yeah.” Bucky shifted his feet awkwardly. She reached for the spoon and napkins in his hand, but instead he grabbed the helmet and spoon out of hers. “I’ve got it. Go have fun, Loki.”

She nodded, then turned and went off in search of her seat.

Bucky watched her go, sighing. What was he thinking? He threw the spoons and napkins into a garbage can, and stared at the plastic helmet. He went into the nearest restroom, washing out the ice cream and patting it dry with a paper towel.

With the ice cream gone, he turned it over to look at the orange NY of the Mets logo. It would make a nice souvenir. A decoration in his sparse apartment.

A pleasant memory for once.

Chapter Text

Loki was in a daze as she made her way to meet Peter at their seats. It would be lying to herself to say she hadn’t been thinking about Bucky more now that she knew she was condemned to this universe, but to find him here? It had taken nearly a year before she had kissed Steven, and it had not been anywhere near so… Passionate. She was sure they had become close during their road trip, but she never really thought beyond friendship. After all, she could never have seen her James that way, so what was so different?

Then again, it seemed the Loki of this universe had been quite different, so why should Sergeant Barnes be an exception?

Her mind was racing. Never in her long life could she have imagined herself falling so hopelessly…

Wait, what? Is this… No. Not love. Is it? Maybe. But certainly… Lust.

Oh, perhaps she had a libido after all. Where did that come from?

Finally she located their section, making her way up the stairs to where Peter was seated.

He gave her a wary look, somehow sensing that something was amiss with the goddess. “How do you know the Winter Soldier? Or I guess the better question might be how does he know you?”

Loki frowned. “Hmm, I suppose I didn’t tell you much of what I was doing in this universe since I found myself here. James, well… The James in my universe was one of my colleagues and a dear friend. And when my spell caught up with me, well… He got caught up too and was sent here with me. I found a way to send him back by working with Dr. Strange, but when I was stuck on the particulars he called in this James to take me on a, uh, vacation.”

“Okay, that is… A lot. And yet basically nothing. Okay, so, this vacation? What happened? Something tells me you might have, well,” he scratched the back of his head awkwardly, “gotten pretty close. Did you already know you couldn’t go back home?”

Loki was pensive. “I figured it out on our way back to New York. But I never really thought of anything, well… This was very much unexpected.”

“I see. Somehow I get the impression he was thinking about it. The way he was looking at you? Now I know I’m not an authority on the subject or anything, but, well. He definitely doesn’t want to be just friends.” Peter shrugged, belying the awkward turn this conversation had taken.

“I think you may be right. I… Let him kiss me. I’ve never…” Loki trailed off, unsure if this was a conversation this Peter was willing to have; she didn’t really know him and he certainly didn’t know her. “Oh, never mind. I feel as though I have burdened you enough.”

Peter looked as though he might argue, but wisely kept quiet, instead focusing on the lineup being announced.

This was insane, wasn’t it?

He wasn’t the flirty, charming Bucky from the 40s anymore. Heck, he was barely functional.

What the hell was he supposed to do? He found his seat in the upper deck, mercifully far from most of the crowd.

He thought for a very brief moment about talking to Sam, but immediately shot that down. The guy would tease him mercilessly.

Well, there was someone else he could call. He might regret it just as much, if not more.

He dialled the number as he stared out at the field, trying to think of what he could even say.

“Buck! Well, this is a surprise.”

“Can it, punk. I need a sounding board.”

“Now is that any way to talk to your elders?”

“Cut the crap, Stevie. Last I checked I was born a year before you were.”

From the other end of the line Steve wheezed out a laugh. God, Bucky hated this. How many times could you find and lose someone in a lifetime? Still, it’s not like either one of them should be alive at this point anyway.

“Anyway, Steve, the thing is, I’ve got some stuff happening lately and I really don’t know what I should do.” Oh, he was so good at description.

“What’s her name?”

Curse this man. “What the hell makes you think—”

“Oh, you can’t fool me, Buck. You woulda called Sam for anything else.”

Damn, that was true. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. This is very complicated. I might have to tell you about what I’ve been doing since last summer first.”

They spent a few innings in silence, before Peter finally decided to clear the air.

“Loki, what do you plan to do now?”

“About what?”

Peter sighed, trying to decide how best to word this. “I have enjoyed talking to you— it’s nice to know someone as myself again. But I’m not the Peter you knew, and I don’t think I can be the friend you need me to be.” He looked over, searching her face. “I’m sorry.”

Loki let out a sharp breath and broke into a hint of a smile. “Don’t be. I’m the one who imposed myself on you. And I really appreciate you letting me into your space. But I think I will take Wong up on his offer, and stay at the Sanctum for now. They have more space, anyway.

Peter nodded. “You can still stay tonight and go in the morning, if that’s easier.”

“Oh, thank you. But I don’t really have anything to bring with me. It’s not like they work on a normal schedule there anyway.”

“Well, let’s just enjoy the rest of the game then.”

”That is quite the tale there, pal.”

Bucky sighed. “Shit, I know that. There are so many weird things about this whole Loki situation—”

“But you like her.”

“I… Well… I guess I do.”

“And she likes you.”

“I don’t know. Maybe?”

“It wasn’t a question, jerk. And it doesn’t matter what some alternate version of me would think about it, he’s not here. So what’s the issue?”

Bucky didn’t know how to respond to that. He thought for a moment, and realized something important. “I don’t have her number. I don’t know how to find her again.”

Steve hummed. “Well, that seems like an oversight. You really did take all the stupid.”

“Damn it. I can’t believe I’m admitting this, but you’re right. I am beyond smitten with the strangest and most unlikely person I have ever met, and I don’t even know how to tell her.”

“Strange, huh? Sounds like there’s your answer.”

Bucky paused a moment, before it sank in. “I hate you.”

“Love you too, Buck. You take care, and good luck. I need a nap.”

The game ended in the late afternoon, and Loki and Peter stopped outside of the stadium to say their goodbyes.

“I cannot thank you enough, Peter. This has been an enlightening experience.”

“No problem, Loki. It really was nice to be able to actually talk to someone as myself again, even if i’m not quite what you were looking for.”

Loki managed a wry smile. “I doubt I’ll ever find what I’m looking for, seeing as I do not know what that is.”

Peter looked knowingly at the goddess. “I think you do, you just don’t realize it yet.”

“Ah, the ever-cryptic spider. It is nice to know that some things are constant between universes.”

Peter smiled, then put a hand on Loki’s shoulder. “Take care of yourself. And if you ever need anything, you know where to find me.”

“Goodbye Peter. And good luck.”

Loki had been given some money by Val, but still didn’t relish a trip on the subway. So as one reasonably might, she found a dark alley and proceeded to teleport herself directly to the Sanctum.

“Jesus, Loki! A little warning next time!” Stephen had been reading in an armchair near the foot of the stairs in the Sanctum when Loki appeared a few feet away, startling him.

“What, like you gave me? Or are you just jealous that I don’t have to have your little circles and sparks?” Loki snarked back.

Strange rolled his eyes. “What are you doing here?”

“Wong told me I could stay here if I wanted to be in New York. And I think I do.”

Stephen grumbled. “Of course you do. Well, you can use the same room as last time. How long do you plan on staying?”

Loki hummed. “I don’t know. New Asgard is boring, but also stifling. I like the anonymity here.”

“Right. Of course. Sure there isn’t somewhere else in New York you’d rather be?” He asked pointedly.

“Well I spent the last few days in Queens, just came from a Mets game, actually. But I didn’t want to impose on my… friend there.”

“So you decided to impose on me instead.”

“I was invited by the Sorcerer Supreme himself, surely that can’t be considered an imposition?” Loki laughed as a look of annoyance crossed Strange’s features.

“Technicalities.” He muttered.

She laughed again in assent, making her way to the stairs when he spoke again. “I wasn’t talking about Queens.”

“Is that right? Well, that’s good, because I like Manhattan.” She climbed up to the second floor to find her bedroom.

Stephen sighed. She is so dense.

Chapter Text

It had been a few days since Loki had arrived at the Sanctum, and Stephen could count on one hand the number of times he had seen her.

Well, she did keep out of his way, which was probably the best case scenario. But she mostly kept to her rooms, only coming out to search for food, and even then not as frequently as one might consider healthy.

She was like a ghost, haunting the Sanctum with sad eyes and pale skin. Nothing there, like she had no reason to keep going. He supposed she didn’t— why else would she have come here?

Hell if he was going to let her stay that way. Worrying about her was not in his plans.

The next time she dragged herself down the stairs toward the kitchen, sometime in the late morning, Stephen met her at the bottom.

“Go outside. Take a walk. Get a coffee. Just get out of here for a while, you’re driving me nuts.”

Loki tilted her head, as if she couldn’t conceive of such an idea. “So you want me to leave… As a favour to you?”

Strange sighed. “If that will make you feel better, yes. For what it’s worth, there are any number of places where you could sit by yourself and sulk. If you’re here, you must want to see something outside of your room. So go. Don’t come back before dinner.”

She eyed him again, before giving a mocking salute, silently heading out the front door and going to explore the village.

Bucky admitted it. He was a coward. He might not have always shown it, but Steve was the brave one, not him. He was just a bit stronger and taller when they were kids.

But even worse than that kind of cowardice was the one he was supposed to be getting over. Emotional cowardice.

He left his bike at home, opting to hop on a subway to Manhattan. He could let his mind wander a bit more, more time to consider his next move.

More chances to chicken out.

If he wanted to find Loki again, Strange was the guy to talk to. He had his ways, right? So here he was, heading for Manhattan, his heart threatening to break out of his chest.

You can do this. He repeated it to himself like a mantra, as if it would give him the little extra push he so desperately needed to have a chance for the closest thing to happiness he’d allowed himself in a very long time.

Loki walked out of the Sanctum, turning right and heading toward Chelsea Market. Wong had told her about it the first time she’d stayed with them; it seemed like a good place to get lost, and away from her thoughts. She had made it a few blocks before realizing she actually was somewhat hungry.

Perhaps a pastry and some tea to tide her over? She stepped into a café and looked over the menu.

It was too late for breakfast, but too early for lunch, so there were a few open tables around. She ordered a matcha latte and a rhubarb scone, setting herself down at a table in the back, where she was on the couch-like seat facing the door, a wooden seat across from her remaining empty.

He got off at Christopher St-Stonewall, walking the block southwest to Bleecker.

At which point that little bit of panic set in again.

He saw a coffee shop right around the corner, and thought maybe he could get a cup and steel his nerves.

He opened the door, a bell tinkling to alert the staff of his presence. He ordered a black coffee, betraying his simplicity in a world of espresso drinks. His eyes drifted around the small dining area as he waited, until they found something he’d been looking for the whole time.

His order was called and he took the mug, following some magnetic pull to the back table where she sat.

“James.” Loki grimaced. “…Bucky.”

“I told you, it’s okay. We’re not… I mean, with that accent of yours… Shit, I don’t even know what I’m trying to say.”

She gave him a gentle smile. “It’s nice to see you again. If somewhat unexpected.”

“Why?” Bucky tilted his head, his expression unreadable.

“Why is it nice?”

“Why is it unexpected?”

Loki had no clue how to answer that. Instead, she focused on something else that had bothered her. “Why did you kiss me?”

“Why did you let me?”

They stared at each other, the silence heavy between them. It was as if they were both afraid to move, lest the wrong word, the wrong motion snap the fragile thread holding them to this moment.

Did either of them really know what they wanted? Did they know what might happen next, if only they could find the right way to proceed?

No one could match Bucky’s patience, or his determined glare. Finally, Loki looked down and took a long sip of her tea. “I don’t know.”

Bucky’s expression softened, eyes wandering over Loki’s body: her dark hair, the slump of her shoulders as she leaned forward with her elbows on the table, a ceramic mug between her hands filled with the pale, green liquid she was drinking, wisps of steam escaping. He sighed, whether from resignation or determination, who could say.

“Do you regret it?”

“No!” She snapped, too quickly. “No. It was just so sudden. I am still trying to find a place for myself. I don’t know where I belong.” Loki set her mug down again, closing her eyes as she leaned back. “If I belong anywhere.”

“Sure you do. There has to be a reason you ended up here, right? And I don’t mean in this café.” Bucky lowered his voice, all too aware of the sensitive nature of this conversation. “This can’t be the only universe with a dead Loki for you to take the place of.”

She winced.

“I worded that poorly. Let me try again.”

Loki shook her head. “I know what you meant. But there doesn’t have to be a reason, does there? I thought I became a goddess of stories; what I am is the Goddess of Chaos. Why should anything make sense? Unless the Norns work on a multiversal level; if there’s an Yggdrasil that holds all others, controls fate from there?”

“My Norse mythology is a little rusty. That’s the world tree, right?”

She laughed under her breath. “Yes. I can’t imagine it works that way. Fate within fate? I can’t possibly be that important. Imagine a Loki travelling the branches of all the universes! Well, we can’t all be as reckless as I was, even if we all end up dead one way or another.”

Bucky had no reply for that; he barely understood it. What he did understand was the feeling beneath the words, the things she didn’t say. He reached his flesh hand across the table and rested it on hers.

She looked back up at him, and he felt her emerald eyes boring into his soul, seeking some deeper meaning. Did he have one?

“Look, Loki, I…” Bucky swallowed. “I get it. I get being the one to blame, the one who never gets what they want. The one who gets left behind.” He thought back to all of those months and months of therapy, letting himself want things. It’s okay to feel. You are allowed to be happy. “But we can’t live like that. It will eat away until there’s nothing left. So maybe it’s worth taking a chance.”

“A chance on what?”

This was it. This was what he wanted, right? He never stopped thinking about her. Could she possibly…?

“Us.”

The hours slipped by as their conversation lightened, turning the chance meeting into what amounted to a first date of sorts.

Finally, Loki had to ask something that had bothered her from the beginning.

“How did you find me, anyway? What were you doing in Manhattan?”

Bucky grinned and shook his head. “Would you believe that I was too scared to try to find you?”

Loki was nonplussed, but waited for him to continue.

“I realized after that ball game— I wanted, no, needed to see you again. But I didn’t know where you were. So I finally decided to go talk to Strange again, but when I got off the subway, well… I was nervous. Thought a coffee might help. And then, well— here you are.” His smile became more affectionate, more tender, the nervous energy replaced with a look only one person had ever given her before.

“Oh.” She looked down as she felt a blush creeping over her features. “I guess Stephen helped you after all, however indirectly. I have been at the Sanctum for some time, thinking I would like to stay in New York. Wong had offered, so I felt it would be fine. But then, well… I didn’t know what to do with myself. This morning Strange practically threatened me, demanding that I go outside for the day.” She laughed softly to herself. “And now I’ve hardly been outside at all.”

“We could go for a walk, maybe?” He gestured at their empty mugs, long cooled dregs the only sign they’d been used at all.

“I’m sure they would appreciate the free table.”

Not wishing to return to the Sanctum ahead of Strange’s vague “dinner” time, Loki led them to the right back on her original path to the market. Somehow as they joined the throngs of people, it was easier, almost natural to be closer to one another. She didn’t flinch when his metal hand brushed hers, and soon enough she was holding it.

They wandered through the maze of stalls, the building with its variety of small shops and food. Finding themselves hungry after so much time sitting and then walking, they decided to try the takeaway from a Korean grocery on the lower level. Ordering several rolls of Kimbap, they drifted back outside, walking until they reached 14th Street Park, settling on the grass where they could stare out at the river while they ate.

That is, when they weren’t too busy staring at each other.

Bucky felt a lump in his throat, nerves tugging at him. He just needed to know, needed to tell her. “Loki, do you like living with the sorcerers?”

She seemed thoughtful for a moment, as if the idea had never occurred to her before.

“Well, it isn’t terrible. I would rather be in New York than New Asgard, and it isn’t like I have anywhere else to go.” Her tone was that of resignation more than anything.

“What if you did? Have somewhere else to go.” Bucky was stumbling over his words now; this was it. Their chance. If she wanted it.

“James, what—”

“Loki, come home with me, sweetheart. I promise I’ll take care of you. We can go as slow as we need to. I’ll sleep on the couch. I just… I can’t lose you again.”

“Again?”

“I haven’t been able to get you out of my head, not from the moment I saw you. When we came back from that road trip, I thought— This is it, she’s leaving, you’ll never get the chance to be happy. Because, well… I was happy. For the first time in a very long time I could think about who I was before the war. Before the serum, before HYDRA, before, well, everything terrible in my life. I felt comfortable. Safe. Like I could show you these parts of myself because you wouldn’t judge me for them, you found them interesting. You pulled me out of a slump I didn’t know I was in, and now that you’re back, I’m sure that if you go, there’s no climbing out again. I don’t why, I don’t know how this happened, but… I need you, Loki.”

Loki froze for a dreadful moment, when he was sure he’d fucked it up. Again.

“I’m not sure I’ve ever heard you say so many words at once before.” The smile on her face crept past her lips into her eyes, though she still kept her gaze averted; she was processing his words.

“Norns.” Loki muttered under her breath. “I… I think… You were right. I’m not in this universe because the Loki of this universe is dead.” Her eyes caught his now; this was it. “I think I’m here because… the James Barnes of this universe needs me.” Her eyelashes fluttered, and she shyly averted her gaze again. “And… Maybe I need him.”

He stared for a moment, the implication of her words setting in. He reached across the distance between them, using the thumb and forefinger of his metal hand to grab her chin, turning her head to face him again. Loki continued her idle revelry.

“We’re just… Two broken people finding solace in each other. Our flaws fitting together like puzzle pieces, creating a whole that could be something… more. Something beautiful. I think maybe I—”

Bucky cut her off with a kiss. “You talk too much.”

She blinked her eyes, disbelief etched across her features. “And you don’t talk enough.” A mischievous grin, now. “See? Perfect match. Filling in the gaps. James, I—”

He kissed her again, deeper, like he was starved and only she could sate him.

She pulled away and stared into his icy blue eyes, narrowing her own. “Are you going to let me finish my sentence?”

“Nah. I already know what you’re going to say.” His smile lit up his face, the movement of neglected muscles almost as painful as the weight of the joy that inspired it.

“Oh, is that so?” Loki’s own smile returned, just as bright.

“Yep.” A quick kiss this time. “I love you too, Loki.”

Chapter Text

As soon as the door shut behind Loki, Bucky had her pinned against it, cupping her cheeks in his hands as he kissed her frantically. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him closer to her.

He lifted her off her feet, wrapping her legs around his waist as he carried her to his bedroom.

He laid her on the bed, and began kissing down her neck, before undoing the button on her jeans and pulling them down in a quick motion.

“James.” She moaned, before remembering where she was, and what they had agreed long before. “Or should I still call you Bucky?”

“Nah, like I said, babe, I like it when you’re moanin’ my name… So fuckin’ sexy.”

She snorted, followed by an adorable chuckle that somehow turned him on even more. “As long as you know I mean you. You you. You are not the same as the other James. You are different and that— that is good. I like this you.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yes.”

Bucky was lying on the large bed, propping himself up with his forearms. His chest was bare, and Loki was hovering over him, her knees on either side of his own, her hands pressing down to keep her at eye level.

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

Bucky stared for a moment. “I have never stopped thinking about it. From the moment I saw you, I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I want to know all of you.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Then I am 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. Bucky was done waiting.

The second time Loki woke up in James Barnes’ apartment in Brooklyn, she was completely nude, her limbs entangled with the man next to her.

She still had no idea how to feel about this situation.

She had never slept with anyone but Steven before, although she’d had more dreams featuring the man next to her recently than she’d care to admit. Well, maybe not always him exactly, but someone who looked more or less the same and acted very similarly. The only difference being that this James had never seen inside her mind.

Did that make it better or worse? She had no way of really knowing if his mind was anything like the other James’, either. He’d been deprogrammed in a different way, a process that was for all appearances far more traumatic and time-consuming, leaving him more broken than he should have been.

But then what was she now if not broken?

She couldn’t go back to either timeline she had lived in, and in this one her name was mud. She probably wouldn’t be recognized, but then she also couldn’t go back to the kind of life she knew, playing the hero and surrounded by people who both understood and loved her in their own way. Her encounter with Peter had shown the pain and loneliness of being someone alone and forgotten by people you knew; their situation was similar in so many ways, and while he wasn’t the Peter who saved her, part of her still hoped she could someday be the Loki who saved him from isolation.

The people in New Asgard had been accepting enough, but she felt out of place there, being compared to someone she had never been. Being around Thor was the same; he wanted her to be his Loki so badly that she felt unappreciated for who she was.

But James… His looks were different enough from her friend in the other timelines; shorter hair, shaved face (minus a little stubble), and a very different, very… gentle metal arm that was far less ostentatious, whose sleek dark vibranium glowed with the same golden hue reflected in her armour and favoured colours.

Loki and James were both traumatized individuals, consumed by grief for different versions of the same person; alive, yes, but unreachable to them. While he knew his Steve had had love and happiness of his own, she could only hope that her theory had been right, that the Loki she’d replaced in the park would appear where she disappeared. It would be a role reversal, but in the end even that Loki was in love with Steven, and wouldn’t have to worry about him choosing immortality because he already had.

Of course that left the Steven from the first timeline she had left; where she had been made King and might as well have been in another universe for all that he could reach her. Did that universe still exist? Had she destroyed it when she created that time door? Well, if it was still there, at least that Steven had a similarly unattached James, and she felt a spark of hope that they’d be able to get through it together. She hoped they could still find something after she ruined their lives.

Of course, the James who had Jane in his timeline wouldn’t see it that way. Perhaps at least her actions had made those two happy.

She really was the Goddess of Chaos, after all.

Bucky had propped himself up on his side, watching with interest as Loki slipped out of the bed. She made her way to his dresser, pulling out an olive green henley that she slipped over her head.

She was practically swimming in it, but Bucky had to admit the sight of her in his clothes was quite the turn on.

“Hmm. I shall have to acquire some clothing.”

Bucky laughed softly. “What, you can’t just magic something up?”

Loki frowned. “I… Do not currently have the strength to conjure anything. That portal took a great deal out of me, and conjuring is more taxing than summoning, or even teleporting.”

“Huh. Well, gotta say baby, from here you look swell.”

She smirked. “Still, there is a way I could make these fit me better.”

Bucky’s look of horror was at odds with his tone. “Oh no, don’t go shrinking my clothes.”

She flashed another smile and instead of the clothes shrinking, he watched in awe as Loki grew; the soft curves of her body becoming more muscular and defined. He looked up to Loki in his male form— and was not at all turned off by the sight of it. The last time he had seen Loki like this, in Sturgis, he was fully dressed, and even then… He raked his eyes over this new form and took it all in; the sight of him stirring some previously repressed feelings in Bucky’s core.

Damn.

“Sweetheart,” he muttered at last, “you are going to be the death of me.”

Loki’s voice was deeper, huskier, and so goddamned sexy.

“Oh dear, I certainly hope not.”

“Take that shirt off and come back here.” Bucky growled.

Loki gave a mock salute. “Yes, sir.” He slowly, seductively pulled the shirt back over his head, revealing a surprisingly toned figure for one so thin; even as a man Loki had a perfect body. What else could you expect from a god?

He crawled back into bed beside Bucky, turning on his side to face him.

“So you have enough magic for that, but not clothing?”

Loki smiled fondly at him. “Shapeshifting does not require my seiðr. This form is as naturally mine as the one you are more… intimately familiar with.”

Bucky hummed, giving his best bedroom eyes. “And what if I got intimately familiar with this one?”

Loki looked somewhat taken aback. “I have never… You would still be interested in being with me this way?”

By way of answer, Bucky moved even closer, placing his hands on the god’s shoulders.

“I have never done this before.” Loki admitted softly. “I do not even know how to—”

Bucky cut him off with a kiss. “Then we’ll figure it out together.”

Loki like this looked so vulnerable, so unsure; even more so than the woman Bucky had slept with the night before. He realized he would have to take the lead. How different could it be?

They were both panting, entangled in a passionate embrace, having discovered far more about themselves than they ever thought possible.

Loki loved men no matter how he presented, and Bucky loved both women and men. This arrangement, whatever it might be, could really only give them the best of both worlds.

“That was… incredible.” Bucky managed at last.

“I never thought… Well, that is…” His lover looked stunned, words failing him. Bucky silenced him with a kiss, putting him out of his misery.

“I could get used to waking up like this. Not a beautiful woman, or a beautiful man— but a beautiful Loki in my bed.”

“And… You really are not bothered by the change? Whether I present as male or female?”

Bucky laughed with real mirth, a sound that was almost foreign to his own ears. “I can have a god or a goddess? Who could say no to that?”

“Many people, especially in this timeline.” Loki looked down. “Especially this god.”

“Fuck that. You be whoever you want to be, as long as you’re spendin’ the night with me.” Bucky shook his head knowingly, letting his accent slip in a show of emphasizing his words. “Plenty o’ people still consider me a villain, too. Reformed enemy combatant at best. Can’t be worryin’ about that, darlin’.”

He could feel Loki start to shrink below him, and once again he gazed into the pale face of the goddess. “I mean it.” He said. “We’re a couple of lost and broken souls, we deserve each other.”

She reached up to stroke his cheek. “We have made our share of messes, have we not? I am glad that you found me again, James. Glad you looked for me again after, when I was too inside my own head to realize what I felt. I do not want it to seem like I have given up, but rather that I have accepted that I am stuck here, in this timeline, permanently. And I never thought…” She hesitated for a moment. “I never thought I would get over what I lost. But you have made me feel whole again. Given me something I did not know I needed, did not know was missing.”

“The feeling’s mutual.” He lifted himself up. “How about some breakfast?”

The smell of bacon and coffee greeted Loki as she emerged from the shower. James was standing over a cast iron pan, gripping the handle with his metal arm as he stirred the eggs with a spatula.

“Hope you like ‘em scrambled,” he said a little sheepishly, “I overestimated my ability to flip an omelet.”

Laughing, Loki sat at the kitchen island, noting that a mug of coffee had already been set out for her. She took a sip, smiling appreciatively. Now how did he know that she took it with two creams and sugar? And… was that vanilla? She stared at the mug as if it were a miracle.

Looking over his shoulder and seeing her incredulous expression, James smiled as if she were the best thing he had ever seen. “I, uh… Remembered. From the road trip. You were always complainin’ about the motel coffee, said you got spoiled by Stark’s stuff.” His cheeks took on a tinge of red as he spoke.

Loki’s face soon flushed just as red. “You… You remembered that?”

“I remember everything.”

He turned off the burner, dividing the eggs onto the two plates already loaded with bacon. He placed one in front of Loki, before settling into the seat next to her, his own mug of black coffee already waiting.

“For example, I remember that goddesses have as big of appetites as super soldiers.” James gave her a quick peck on the cheek are too much.” Loki murmured, a bit shyly.

“Oh, I think you can handle me sweetheart. At least…” Now he was the shy one, his next words lower, betraying some deep insecurities still haunting him. “I hope you want to try.”

Loki studied James’ face. “Don’t do that. We are too alike; I know where that line of thought leads.” She stole a piece of bacon from his plate with a mischievous grin, eliciting indignation from her lover’s face.

“Oh, you’re in trouble now.” James reached over and started tickling Loki’s sides until she was bursting with laughter.

“I yield!” She squeaked, before grabbing a slice of bacon from her own plate and shoving it in his mouth. She tried to pull her hand back, and found that he was holding it, suddenly staring into her eyes.

“Loki, please tell me you’ll stay.”

She blinked. “James, I—”

“Please.”

“Did you really mean what you said yesterday? In the park?” Loki couldn’t help the hopeful feeling she had, after so much fear of rejection; after the bitter sting of loss and misery. Was something finally going right in her life?

“Every word. I don’t know how it happened, didn’t even know I was still capable of it. But I’m in love with you, Loki. I want nothin’ more than a chance to prove that. Prove us miserable weirdos are better off together than alone. Because… I think you feel it too.”

She looked down, a faint smile creeping up her lips. “I do. I have no idea how I could feel it so strongly, in so short a time, but I really do. I love you, James. And right now, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

The joy, the love they both felt in this moment was only surpassed by the passion of the kiss that followed.

Chapter Text

As he was getting dressed for the day, Bucky could hear Loki singing softly in the shower. And as if that weren’t enough to melt his heart, he quickly realized he knew this song— from a film he had seen when he was a teenager.

“Heaven, I’m in heaven

And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak

And I seem to find the happiness I seek

When we’re out together dancing, cheek to cheek.”

He still couldn’t believe she was real.

Bucky was rudely interrupted from that thought by the sound of a key turning in the lock and the door creaking open.

He walked into the living room in time to see Sam making himself comfortable on the couch.

“At least text me before you break in next time.”

Sam’s annoyingly charming grin spread across his features. “It’s not breaking in if I have a key, Buck.”

“For emergencies! And you don’t seem to be in much of a hurry, so what do you want?”

The shower turned off, and Loki’s singing echoed from the hallway as she opened the bathroom door; she was giving a dramatic flourish as, he could only assume, she made her way to the bedroom.

Dance with me

I want my arm about you

The charm about you

Will carry me through to Heaven…

Hopefully she was at least wearing a towel, because Sam’s eyebrows shot up and he stretched his neck to look around the corner.

“Bucky, did you bring a girl home? Why didn’t you tell me?” Bucky scowled, but Sam was undeterred. “Afraid she wouldn’t be able to resist my charms?”

“Other way around, bird brain.”

“Ouch! But really, how long has this been going on? She must be pretty comfortable here to be singing like that.”

“Yeah, she moved in a couple weeks ago.”

Sam elbowed him jovially. “Aww, looks like the Tin Man got his heart after all. Still, a little hurt you’d hide this from me. I thought I was your best friend, man!”

“I wasn’t hiding, just haven’t gotten around to mentioning it. Not like I’ve seen you recently or anything. Besides, it’s pretty complicated. And not the way people seem to throw that word around these days for non-traditional relationships.”

“Look at you, up on your modern lingo.”

As if summoned, Loki emerged from the bedroom in search of coffee, wearing only a green silk robe, and still humming to herself. She froze when she saw Sam on the couch. She stared at Bucky, then gestured to the unexpected guest.

“Does… Does he know who I am? Have you said anything?”

Sam took a look at Loki, seeming to size her up. “Not a word, sugar.” He extended his hand. “Nice to meet you, I’m—”

“Yes, Samuel, I know who you are.” She stated, not unkindly, but ignoring his outstretched hand. Sam bristled at that, turning back to Bucky.

“Dude, you told her my full name? When?”

“I didn’t tell her anything. She just doesn’t do nicknames.” Bucky replied, a little smugly.

“Ah, I suppose I have gotten ahead of myself. You see, you and I were acquainted in another universe.”

“Wait, is this like that Spider-Man shit Strange was on about? You a wizard too?”

“Sorcerer is a better term.” She replied.

Bucky couldn’t resist calling back a little snark on Sam. “She’s not Gandalf, Sam.”

“Man, will you shut up about that? You know what I’m trying to say here. So you came from another universe? How does that work?”

“Well, usually, quite poorly. Multiverse travel seems to be a fickle thing. But conveniently, my counterpart here is, well, dead. Which means I should be okay, seeing as I cannot go back to my own universe.”

“Counterpart? Like another you who got herself killed or something? I’m sorry.” Sam’s tone was more consoling now, but it only fuelled Bucky’s sass.

“I’m not.” Sam shot his friend a glare before turning at a polite cough.

“I am afraid I have ignored my manners, but you may not disagree with James when you hear my name.”

“Wow, you really don’t do nicknames. Why does that remind me of someone?” He rested his chin on his hand as Loki took a deep breath.

“My name is Loki Odinsdottir.”

Sam’s head shot back up with a start. “Wait wait wait… Loki? Like, Thor’s brother Loki? Attack of New York Loki? Norse trickster god?”

Loki looked down and mumbled. “I told you.”

Bucky huffed out a chuckle. “See? Complicated.”

“I’ll say.” Sam shook his head, as Bucky began to explain the circumstances of Loki’s sudden arrival nearly a year ago.

Sam nodded as Bucky, with a few interjections from Loki, finished the story.

“Were you ever gonna tell me about that?”

Bucky shrugged. “Maybe. Eventually. Probably would have told you already if she’d gone back. I mean, how do you think people are going to react when they find out two villains like us are together?”

Sam narrowed his eyes at that. “Bucky, that’s not fair. You’re not a villain! People know what happened to you. And Loki… Well she’s not that Loki, so we can’t hold that against her.”

Loki scoffed, but Bucky was quick to retort. “Not everyone is as forgiving as you are, Sam. Plenty of people still blame me for what I did, and how many people are going to take the time to listen to ‘wait, not that Loki!’ when he was very notably a shapeshifter?”

Both Sam and Loki were stunned to silence by that outburst, before finally Sam gave a soft reply. “Damn man, you really do love her.” Loki flushed at that but Bucky was even firmer in his assertion.

“Yeah. I do. More than I ever thought I could love anyone after… Well.”

“I get it, man. I don’t hold it against you or anything. Gotta ask though, I remember you talking about maybe running for office, right? You know how the press is, especially when it comes to politicians. So if you’re still gonna do that, you two are going to have to figure out a way to make it clear she is not that guy.”

Bucky shook his head incredulously. “Bullshit, man. They don’t get to dig into my private life like that.”

Loki, having had a bit of negative press experience in her other timelines, was quick to disagree. “It doesn’t matter what they should do, like it or not, you’re already a public figure. And for whatever reason, that means the public feels entitled to know everything about you. I would think it’s only because you haven’t been very visible in the superhero business lately that there haven’t already been speculations about us.”

Bucky was nonplussed, and Sam let out a small cough. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” Two heads whipped around to meet his eyes, and he held up his phone sheepishly. “There’s all kinds of meme and fan accounts out there. I don’t make a habit of looking at them, but I just did a search here.”

Sure enough, there were a few pictures of them at Chelsea Market, and random ones in Brooklyn when they had gone out to Prospect Park or just around the neighbourhood.

“Now, obviously nobody here has any idea who she is, although man have you got some rabid fangirls.” That earned a glare from Bucky and a small laugh from Loki.

“Oh no, do I have competition for your affections, James?”

In response he pulled her down onto his lap and snuggled his face into her shoulder. “Not a chance, kiddo.”

Sam rolled his eyes. “Jeez, get a room.”

“You’re the one who broke into our apartment. We got a bit sidetracked, you never told me why you’re here.”

“Right, right… Sorry. I was just shocked to find out you’re still capable of such emotions.”

“Very capable.” Loki muttered under her breath, earning her a squeeze on her sides.

“Look, here it is, man. I’ve been back down in Louisiana more often than not lately. And while I certainly have a lot of missions handed to me, you know, being Captain America and all now, commuting is a bitch. I was hoping to convince you to help out with some of the ones that are more local around here or DC, ones that don’t need me specifically.”

Bucky sighed. “I was looking to get out of that, ya know? Make a difference a better way, that’s why I’d been thinkin’ about congress.”

“I’d get Joaquín to coordinate with you, wouldn’t have to be that often, just… As a favour. If not for me, then for Sarah and the boys.”

Bucky still hesitated, and both men were startled when Loki spoke up.

“I could help.” She looked at Sam, not feeling Bucky’s eyes boring a hole in her neck. “I mean, if you want. I do have… Useful skills, after all.”

“No way.”

“That’s not a bad idea, actually.”

“Wilson, you just said—”

“Right, so what better way to prove she’s not the villain Loki than by having her be a hero?”

Loki wriggled her way out of Bucky’s protective grasp and turned to face him. “All I wanted was to be useful in some way. This is a perfect chance. Then you don’t have to get involved, and Samuel can still get some reprieve.”

Bucky was conflicted. “I… Just don’t want anything to happen to you, Lokes. Not after everything we’ve been through.”

She gave him a gentle smile. “I think I can take care of myself.” She turned to Sam. “Maybe we should start with me meeting this friend of yours? If he’s willing to give me a chance, that should be a good sign.”

Sam laughed. “Yeah, you’ll be fine. If you’re real worried, we could always give you a secret identity, change your name or something.”

Loki frowned at that. “I don’t want to hide who I am.”

Bucky’s face lit up mischievously. “Well, we could always change your last name.”

Sam raised his eyebrows at the insinuation, while Loki searched his face. “Is that your idea of a proposal, Sergeant Barnes?”

“Loki Barnes. A little clunky, but we could make it work.”

Sam just grinned, shaking his head. “I get to be best man, right?”

Bucky wasn’t about to let his fiancée (did she really just agree to that?) commit to Sam’s half-witted plan on her own, so the three of them were going to DC together to chat with Torres and set up some kind of mission triage system— when they’d be called, and when Sam would be. And maybe if things got real bad, all three of them.

He was reluctant to admit it, but he did miss the camaraderie, the purpose, the fulfillment of just… Doing the right thing. Helping people. Maybe it was selfishness, wanting to make up for his past, or maybe… It’s going back to his real past, his life before the war. After all, wasn’t that how he met Stevie? Helping him get out of trouble? Maybe it was just instinct. Taking care of people. That was who he was meant to be, however he had to do it.

And now he had another person he was going to take extra care of. Whatever trouble she got herself into. Because she was his gal. For now, and for always.

And nothing had ever felt more right.

Chapter Text

The three of them had taken a train to DC, thinking the ride might give them some time to chat, and for Sam to get to know Loki better. Loki supposed it would be reciprocal; after all, this Sam would be different than the man she had known.

May as well start at the beginning. “How did you get involved with all of this, Samuel? It must be quite different from how we met in my timeline, since… Well, I wouldn’t have been involved.”

Sam gave her an appraising look. “I’m going to have to break you of that no-nickname habit.” He chuckled softly. “Well, it was Steve I met first. We had the same jogging route, kept passing me like the showoff he was. He had an apartment when he was working for SHIELD, before everything with HYDRA being outed. Actually…” He stole a glance at Bucky. “That was also when we found this guy. Since Steve and Nat couldn’t trust SHIELD anymore, they came to my place, I put ‘em up, then offered to help. Kind of just went from there, really.”

Bucky had started to shift a bit uncomfortably in his seat. “I think you’re leaving out a few important details there, like me trying to kill you all. Several times.”

“You mean HYDRA trying to kill us.”

“Sam…”

Loki interrupted before it got further out of hand. “I get the gist of it, yes. None of that happened for me, partly because we found James before that. Also, Steven never worked for SHIELD, never lived in DC. He only met you on his runs there because…” Loki let out a long breath. “Because of me.”

The two men turned and looked at her expectantly.

“So it turns out that alien gods might be a threat to national security? At least to the people who forced the Avengers Initiative’s hands, leading to me being called in for ‘questioning.’ More like interrogation by committee. We were put up in a hotel while we were there, a few times. And that’s when Steven met you, Samuel. While I was with your congress, defending myself.”

Bucky scoffed. “Good to know politicians are a universal constant. Never anyone with any sense on them committees.”

Sam gave him a pointed look. “Well maybe someone sensible should run for office. Change things from the inside.”

At first, Bucky looked a bit incredulous at that statement, but his expression soon turned thoughtful. “Not the worst idea you’ve had.”

“Anyway,” Loki turned to Sam, trying to steer the conversation back, “I was put on what was essentially house arrest at the tower until they came to a decision. It was a brutal, bureaucratic mess. It did manage to get you invited to Tony’s bachelor party, though.”

Sam let out a hearty laugh after that. “Imagine! The I barely even worked with Stark here; and Bucky, up until that last battle where he… Well, we were mostly on opposing sides, what with the big fight over the accords.”

Bucky lowered his head, speaking a bit softer. “He still blamed me for killin’ his folks. ‘S probably why I still struggle with separatin’ me from the soldier sometimes.”

“Buck.”

“I see. I cannot imagine how that must have hurt. Tony did avoid James for some time once that information was revealed, but eventually forgave him. I wonder if it was the circumstances.” Loki was a bit pensive after that.

Sam looked at her with mild indignation. “Wait, that’s twice now. Why does he get to be Tony, and not Anthony?”

Loki was startled by that observation. Looking back, she had only addressed him by his full name once; when she had first crossed to her second timeline as Goddess of Stories. There really wasn’t a good explanation for that, or why she had always referred to Virginia as Pepper. Perhaps it had to do with them taking her in when she was most vulnerable? After Peter, the two of them plus Bruce had been the first people she’d met on Midgard, and had done so much to help her adjust to life there.

And honestly, Tony with his penchant for odd nicknames would have been aghast if she had called him Anthony. Come to think of it, he very much was the only time she had.

“He was a better father to me than Odin ever was.” Loki finally replied, surprised to realize just how much she meant that.

When they arrived in DC, Joaquín was already waiting for them at the station. Bucky greeted him with a nod of the head, while Sam introduced Loki to him.

“So you’re from another universe? What’s that like? I mean, since the Loki from back in the day is supposedly dead this must be pretty weird for you.”

Bucky rolled his eyes at that. “Back in the day? How young are you, Torres?”

“Compared to who? It’s been well over a decade since the battle of New York, gramps.”

“Settle down, now.” Sam said placatingly.

Loki smiled at the scene, the friendly jibes feeling more familiar than anything. “Oh, surely you all realize you are but a blink of my eye, yes? Let’s not squabble over such insignificant numbers. It is a pleasure to meet you, Joaquín. And to be honest? It’s a bit strange knowing that my name is associated with someone who was both completely different and somehow very alike to myself.” She pursed her lips, twisting them sideways as she contemplated. “It is reassuring that there are no standards set out for me here; no one to tell me I am not doing the right thing with my life. I look forward to being of use.”

Joaquín blinked at her, before his face slid back into an easy grin. “Aw, man, this is going to be so fun.”

They ate lunch at a nearby diner, keeping the conversation light over burgers and milkshakes. Loki was happy to indulge Joaquín’s torrent of questions, finding his genuine curiosity refreshing. She could see why Samuel had chosen to trust the young man. His enthusiasm was contagious, and even James laughed more than she had ever seen before.

It was a good look on him.

She started to contemplate everything that had lead her life to this point. She had long berated her own selfishness and idiocy, mourning all that she had lost. But looking into the steely blue eyes of the man next to her, she could not help wondering if she should instead be grateful for what she had gained.

When they finished eating, they began to outline details for an initial ‘emergency response’ protocol; this would let Joaquín contact Loki if Samuel was otherwise unavailable for an urgent mission. They decided that with some trial and error they could find something that worked out well for all of them, and soon they were saying their goodbyes; Samuel staying in DC while James and Loki would return to New York.

Or at least that had been the plan.

James turned to face Loki once they were alone. “Why don’t we get a hotel, spend a night here? You ever been before?”

Loki shook her head. “Apart from our road trip, the only places I’ve seen outside New York are New Asgard and Niagara Falls.”

James hummed, the wheels turning in his mind. “There’s a lot of nice museums here. I bet you still have some Earth history to catch up on.” He smirked, hardly subtle.

“There is an exhibit with you in it, isn’t there.” Loki smiled back indulgently.

He feigned offence. “What? Now why would I suggest something like that?”

She grabbed his shoulders, pulling him down to her height. “It’s a good idea. We can go see pictures of you while you were still handsome.”

Before he could manage an indignant reply, she swallowed his thoughts with a lingering kiss.

They strolled through the Smithsonian exhibit, admiring the footage of the Howling Commandos, neither one mentioning their leader. Bucky was soon holding Loki’s hand in his flesh one, pointing out things he remembered with the vibranium arm. She leaned in to some of the photos where he was smiling, wishing she could have known this carefree young man, yet glad of the man with her. When she glanced back up at him, he gave her a peck on the cheek and they kept walking.

He stopped suddenly in front of a video reel. They were interviewing Steve, but Bucky was close behind. The look on his face, both in the film and in reality, was more than pride or admiration for his friend.

It looked a little more like longing.

Bucky snapped out of his reverie, tugging her hand. “C’mon, let’s go get a coffee or somethin’.”

They made their way to the closest café, Bucky ordering a black coffee, while Loki chose a matcha latte. They settled into a table in the corner, Bucky keeping an eye on the exits as he had grown accustomed to. They sat in companionable silence for a time, before Bucky summoned up the nerve to ask the question preying on his mind all day.

“Loki, were you serious? About getting married? I mean, I don’t even have a ring or anything. I don’t want you to feel pressured, I mean, it’s so soon and all.” His nerves were evident on his face; something about these stolen moments with Loki made him feel more reckless than he had ever been. But it just felt right.

She hummed, running her fingers through his hair. He’d been letting it grow out again, and it was a decent length. Loki dug into her pocket, pulling out a utility knife. She cut a lock of her own hair, and started braiding it into his.

“Rings are just a Midgardian custom, and not they are not even universal here. Many cultures have different ways of signifying the bond between two people. It is the intention that matters.” She looked into his eyes, smiling fondly. Emerald green tinged with blue, like the ocean he was sinking into. If she was a siren, he’d gladly drown. He would follow her to the ends of the earth, and any other planet she’d drag him to. This woman was intoxicating, blocking all of his good sense; assuming he still had any. The things she could do! The things she could be— for him. The best of everything he could ever ask for in a partner.

And she wanted him.

Bucky had decided to splurge on a proper hotel this time— they weren’t hiding anymore, this was a big city, and damned if he didn’t want to treat his best girl to a jacuzzi tub and room service.

They sat in the large bath facing each other, glasses of champagne in hand. Of course, neither of them felt the alcohol, but it still seemed right for the occasion.

Loki raised her glass in a toast. “The future, whatever it may bring us.”

“Sláinte.” He clinked his glass against hers, and they both took a sip, smiling like idiots at each other. As they set them down, Bucky reached for a plate of fruit, grabbing a large strawberry. He scooted closer to Loki, dangling the berry in front of her mouth. She fluttered her eyelashes at him, and he could feel his insides start to light up in anticipation. Loki dove forward, trying to take a bite of the fruit, managing just the tip as he pulled it away. Momentum kept her going and suddenly her head was buried in his chest; giggling like a maniac. Bucky couldn’t help chuckling himself, a huge grin breaking out as she tilted her head up to look at him. He cupped her cheek with his metal hand, and she shivered slightly at the temperature change before he pulled her to him and kissed her; starting gently, but soon they both were greedily indulging in the position the water afforded them, hands fumbling for purchase as they scrambled to touch as much of each other as they could.

Bucky held her face with both hands, pulling back slightly to look into her eyes again. “I love you so much. God, the amount of pain and suffering we both endured just to get here… I finally feel like something has gone right for once. That maybe I can still be happy, can gain something instead of losing it.”

Loki’s cheeks, already tinged pink from the heat of the water, flushed an even darker red. “James, I hope you are right. I tried so hard to control my own fate, but it has only been since I’ve let go, since I’ve just followed what seemed right, that it truly has been. And it has been you, ever since I arrived in your universe. I saw something different in you right away, like I was pulled to you even before I knew I was fated to stay here. I never thought I could get over…” She hesitated a moment, clearly thinking about the man she had left behind. “I am so grateful to the Norns for bringing me to this moment. I love you, more than I ever thought possible.”

He pulled her back in for a deeper kiss, before they were splashing around, playfully making love in the water, the noise of the bathroom fan only helping to drown out any sounds from outside of their romantic liaison.

And with that distraction, even with senses far more attuned than that of an ordinary human, neither of them heard the creak of a door opening, nor the click of the lock as it shut.

Chapter Text

He hesitated for a moment just outside the door. He had sworn he was retired, but word had still gotten to him; years on the job meant he had many contacts still in the game.

And this was a sighting he couldn’t pass up.

Was it really revenge at this point? He wasn’t sure if he really wanted to kill the guy, maybe just… Hurt him. Or maybe just even talk to him.

Sure, it had been well over a decade, but it still haunted him. If he could really get some closure after all this time, it would be worth it.

He made his way inside the door of the hotel room.

The bedside lamps illuminated a king-sized bed, and he could hear the fan humming in the bathroom. He’d wait.

He was a bit startled when the door opened, and a dark-haired woman emerged, wearing only a towel. He quickly regained his composure at the glint of recognition in her eyes.

He knew those eyes.

He loosed the tranquilizer just as she opened her mouth to speak, genuine surprise crossing her features before she crumpled to the floor.

“Clint…?”

The water pressure in the shower here was much stronger than back in their Brooklyn apartment, and Bucky was loathe to get out from under the warm spray. Now that his hair was longer again, he resolved to take better care of it— meticulously rinsing out the conditioner he had used so it wouldn’t be the greasy mess it had been when he wasn’t taking care of it before. The short haircut had been a way to simplify his routines, but the longer hair paired with a more deliberate beard was a look he had come to appreciate. It didn’t hurt that Loki agreed.

He was trying to find the motivation to turn off the water when a distinctive thunk from the main room jolted him out of it. He quickly turned off the taps, wiped off the excess water with a towel, and reached for one of his guns in the pocket of his jeans, slung over the side of the sink.

He paused, listening for other noises, before silently entering the hallway, senses alert. Someone was in the room, and Loki was in danger.

It was almost funny, really. Was Loki trying to hide, shapeshifting like that? Clint knew it had to be too good to be true when Thor told them Loki had died at the hands of Thanos. How many times was it now that he had faked his death?

One thing that did bother him though— he’d never heard Loki use his first name before. It was always some combination of “Agent” and “Barton” belying the whole mind control hierarchy thing.

He was debating his next move when he realized the shower had turned off. Loki obviously wasn’t here alone. Clint wondered what kind of person would be keeping the trickster god company— Hell, did they even know who he really was, or just think Loki was some pretty girl they were shacking up with?

He put his years of training to work, pulling out a knife and pressing up against the wall, inside of the open hall leading to the ensuite bath. He may have been out of practice, but whoever it was would have to be damned good to get the drop on him.

Needless to say he was not prepared to come face to face with a buck-naked Bucky Barnes.

It was a damn good thing that the man in question had developed a bit of the self-restraint the Winter Soldier had lacked, or Clint knew he would for sure be dead.

“Barton? What the fuck do you think you’re doing? What did you do to her?” Barnes had his gun pointed at Clint’s temple.

Clint was at a bit of a loss, not expecting one of his former comrades to be here. That was definitely not in the intel he’d gotten.

Barnes sensed his hesitation, his stare becoming more intense. Clint tried to avoid looking at him in all his super-soldier chiseled glory (seriously, not fair). “Uh, maybe you want to at least put some pants on? Then I’m happy to talk.”

Bucky grunted, lowering the gun, and walking toward the dresser, pulling out a pair of boxers and stepping into them. He then walked to where Loki lay prone on the floor, assessing the damage and removing the tranq dart. He shook his head, muttering. “What did this asshole do to you, dollface?”

Well, at least his, er, impressive manhood was covered, but he was still mostly nude, and Clint couldn’t help thinking he might have cocked this one up.

Heh.

Proceed with caution, Hawkeye.

“Feels a little silly to ask at this point, but you do know who that is, right?”

The soldier didn’t bother turning around. “Better’n you do, I’d say.”

“Right… And what exactly is your relationship with Loki? How long have you known he was alive?”

“She is not who you think she is. Just what the hell is your problem anyway? I get you have an old grudge from New York, but whatever intel you got is half-baked at best. Besides, ain’t you retired?”

Clint sighed, plopping down on the bed. “This one was personal. Or at least, I thought it was. So is she Loki or isn’t she?”

“Her name is Loki, but she ain’t that Loki. You can get Strange to explain it if you want, but she came from another universe with a different version of me. They sent him back, but she’s stuck here.”

“You don’t seem too upset by that.”

“I’m making the best of it. But she wasn’t a villain in her timeline, either. Look, dipshit, I’ll let you off the hook for now if you get the hell out of here before I change my mind.”

Clint didn’t need to be told twice.

Bucky placed Loki on the bed carefully. That moron hadn’t used anything too strong; probably was just looking to subdue quickly. She’d probably come around soon enough.

What the hell was Barton doing? More importantly— how did he find Loki? The fact that he knew she was here, but not him? Someone had to have been tracking her since she left New Asgard to even know who she was. Maybe it would be worth asking Val if there was someone who had enough of a grudge against Loki to be feeding this information; who would even know that there was a very much alive Loki, but not that it was a different one?

Goddamn it. Why did he let him leave without finding out his source? Well, it would probably be easy enough to find him again, but in the meantime… How far did this go? How was he going to keep her safe?

He went to grab some pyjamas, when he heard her gasp.

“I’m fine!”

Loki struggled to sit up, before collapsing back down. Bucky was at her side in moments, cradling her head.

“James, it’s okay, I just need a moment.” She tried again.

“For Pete’s sake, Loki! Will you just stop tryna move! You’re hurt!” She looked up at him, her mischievous smirk only slightly pained.

“I’ve got this.” She groaned. “Was I imagining that? Did Clint shoot me?”

Bucky sighed. “Fuckin’ hell, I have a type don’t I. Why am I always fallin’ for oblivious idiots who don’t know when to just take it easy? You and—“ He clapped his right hand to his mouth before he could finish that particular observation, one he’d kept to himself for close to a century.

Loki’s expression softened, and she spoke as if reciting facts. “You were in love with Steven. That’s why you were so hurt when he left. Did… Did he know?”

“Wouldna made a damn bit of difference if he did. He was in love with Peggy, so that’s where he went. I don’t think I was his type.” He shook his head then turned away, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. He’d never actually broached the subject with Steve; it wasn’t something you talked about back in the day, and they never exactly had a chance later on. If Steve was attracted to men at all, he never showed it. He knew that Bucky could go either way, but of course stepping out in society meant dancing with dames, and he was happy to flirt with anyone back then. No matter how much he was pining for someone who never seemed to notice.

Loki hummed. “I don’t know, but then I don’t know your Steven. Mine was… Far more open-minded than I would have expected. I don’t know if I was an exception, though, seeing as… Well, he kissed my male form, but really never anything more than that.” Given her surprise when Bucky had taken her male form to bed, that seemed fairly obvious.

Bucky laughed. “What the hell are we even discussin’? None of that matters— we have each other, right? Steve Rogers in any universe be damned. If that’s the heartbreak it took to get you, well… I’ll take it anytime.” Bucky knelt over Loki, reaching out to cup her cheek. “But you are still a little shit, and I need you to stop moving until you sleep off that sedative. God or not you can still get hurt, and I ain’t about to lose you too.”

Loki smiled, reaching up to brush the tears off his cheek. “You couldn’t get rid of me if you tried.”

Whatever she had been hit with must’ve been pretty strong after all, because Loki fell back asleep soon enough, her soft snoring only somewhat easing Bucky’s anxiety.

Not that he would be sleeping anytime soon.

He was on alert, sitting next to her, but above the blankets. He needed information, but couldn’t risk anything happening while she was unconscious. Barton may not have been shooting to kill, but there was no way of knowing who the next assailant would be.

Besides, he was going to be polite and wait until morning to call Torres and put him to work.

Times like this it was kind of shit not having a real team at hand. Maybe Sam had a point.

And maybe he ought to introduce Loki to someone who used to have some pull. Always had a plan.

How she might react was anyone’s guess.

Or what he might have to say, for that matter.

Well, if he was gonna marry this girl, he’d have to tell Steve sooner or later. Wouldn’t want the punk to feel left out.

What the actual fuck?

He had clearly been out of the game too long; the networks of information weren’t reliable, he hadn’t even thought to check with anyone; with Nat gone he…

Well, no excuses. Time to crawl home and beg forgiveness. And if he slips something along to some young blood, maybe she investigates, gets ahold of that wizard asshole— well, can’t really blame him if something happens.

Chapter Text

“James, I have a very important question.”

Bucky looked across at Loki’s face, her serious tone accompanied by furrowed brows and narrowed eyes that did not quite meet his.

“Of course, anything sweetheart.”

“Why do waffles taste better than pancakes? It does not make any sense. They’re the same batter, aren’t they?”

He stared at her in disbelief, but there was no sign of humour in her expression.

“Yet somehow the shape seems to make a difference! I cannot understand it.”

He had to wonder if the tranquilizer had actually worn off or not. They were having breakfast at a diner near the hotel, nursing coffee while waiting on their food and on Torres, hoping to get him apprised on the situation with Barton and sussing out how exactly Loki’s presence had become more widely known.

Finally, a smirk cracked Bucky’s features. “It’s the little pockets. They hold more syrup.” Loki’s sweet tooth meant she always preferred the breakfast options that seemed more dessert-like to him. She seemed to consider this as the chime above the door signalled a new customer, and he caught Joaquín’s eye. The waitress arrived with their food moments later, and Torres slid into the booth next to Loki, and ordered a coffee for himself, saying he had already eaten.

“I’m guessing this must be something pretty serious, since you wanted to meet again in person so soon.” Joaquín thanked the waitress as she set the mug in front of him.

“Someone’s been tracking Loki.” Torres’ eyes went wide. Loki chimed in.

“Clint shot me.”

“Whoa, hold on. Clint Barton? Like, Hawkeye? I thought he was retired! How would he even—”

“That’s what we want to know.” Bucky growled. “Someone knew he had a grudge and fed him that. Lucky for us, he only shot her with a tranquilizer. They’re gonna know he didn’t finish the job; they probably do already. I doubt whoever comes next is going to hold back.”

“Well, shit. Cap’s gonna have a conniption.” Loki shifted uncomfortably next to him.

“Perhaps it would be better to leave Samuel out of this for now.” Joaquín’s eyes flicked between her and Bucky, who nodded.

“I want to go on the record as being against that idea, but,” he sighed, “okay. I’ll see what I can do. What about you? If they tracked you here, they must already know where you live in New York.”

Bucky seemed to consider that for a moment. “Clint didn’t expect me to be there. Whoever saw her either didn’t recognize me or didn’t think I was invested in her safety. Of course, if that idiot spilled the beans…” Bucky shook his head. “I think we’ll be okay.”

“If you say so.” Torres finished up his coffee, then stood, leaving a few bills on the table. “I’ll get to it, let you know when I have something.”

“Thank you, Joaquín.” Loki smiled appreciatively. “You don’t even know me, and yet—”

“You’re Bucky’s girl. Gotta help my boy out, right?” He grinned and walked out of the diner, leaving Bucky shaking his head with an expression somewhere between fondness and annoyance.

The soldier is hiding something valuable, and the wizards are in on it.

Kate kept staring at the message. She read it over and over, trying to make it make sense, but it didn’t. Why couldn’t Clint just use an actual code or something instead of this vague bullshit?

She sighed. Well, easy enough to guess who the “wizards” were, so maybe she should start there.

“We should split up.”

“Loki, no way. I’m not leaving you alone when you’re in danger.” Bucky squeezed her hand as they walked back to check out of the hotel.

“James. You said they hadn’t connected us, that the apartment should be safe for now, right? But even if it isn’t, you should go there yourself to be sure.”

“And then what will you do?”

“Unless they have magic of their own, they won’t be able to track me if I teleport, right?” She grinned with that hint of mischief he so loved. “I’ll go check in on Peter, then I can take the subway from Queens. It should get them off my trail for a time, and if it doesn’t then we’ll have more information, won’t we?”

He stopped, pulling her into a tight embrace and kissing her hair, inhaling the sharp scent of the hotel shampoo. “You make me crazy. But you’re probably right.” He sighed, propping his chin on top of her head. “Before we leave, I think there’s one more stop we should make.” He pulled away reluctantly, grabbing her hand and hailing a taxi.

It was a retirement home, not a nursing home. There were employees, of course, but nothing so invasive. He wasn’t sick, just… old. But since he had some years left in him, it was easier to hide in plain sight.

He didn’t go out much; it was hard to see things from this side. Like coming back from the dead again, but this time to a world too familiar to feel comfortable in; he wasn’t that man anymore.

Bucky knew, of course. Sam, too, but he kept more of a respectful distance, despite living in the same city most of the time. He’d get a call from Sam maybe once a month or so, keeping him up to date with the latest news. He’d visited once or twice, but seemed to have a hard time coming to terms with it.

It was different with Bucky, though. He called and visited more often, but it felt more like it was out of obligation— either to make up for the years apart or because he needed the old routine of taking care of Steve in order to feel human again. Once a week, same day and time unless something else came up, he’d call to check up on him. He joined him for dinner every so often, but it had been some time since he’d come in person. Not that Steve really blamed him: whatever he said about it, Bucky’s face was an open book. Never mind the physical distance between Brooklyn and DC; a feeling of betrayal like that, after everything? It was undoubtedly hard to get over. But Bucky’s sense of time didn’t include those five years that turned Steve into someone even he had hardly recognized, and he knew he couldn’t be the friend Bucky needed anymore. Still, being here again now, lending an ear and an understanding that Bucky couldn’t find anywhere else was the least Steve could do for his oldest pal.

The first time he had mentioned a girl unprompted, Steve wondered what kind of dame could get his friend to open up again. Since getting out of HYDRA’s grasp, Bucky hadn’t been close with anyone. He had a hard enough time even getting on friendly terms with Sam, and while he claimed to have gone on a few dates, nothing became of them.

But then he told Steve about going to the motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota. One they had read about when they were young, the first time they looked at the popular motorcycles of their day, dreaming of being able to afford one.

He went on a road trip, rode all the way out there with this girl. But he couldn’t talk about her, he said. He owed Strange a favour, so he helped her out. If people knew who she was… He couldn’t risk even telling Steve, he claimed.

So nine months later, when Bucky called to talk on a different day than his usual calls, Steve had a feeling something had changed. Suddenly he opened up about the entire situation, which was how he found out that a Loki from another timeline was the girl in question, the one who seemed to bring out the old Buck in a way he hadn’t seen in 80 years. Well, chronologically, anyway. For all Steve had seen of sorcerers, gods, and aliens, the idea of a multiverse wasn’t out of the question— hell, hadn’t he spent more than half a lifetime in a different timeline before returning to this one? Still, this had to be a very distinct Loki from the one he had fought right after waking up from the ice, no matter how highly Thor always praised his brother.

But when Bucky showed up at the home unannounced with Loki in tow, Steve couldn’t help entering interrogation mode. He had to look out for the jerk, didn’t he?

“So, obviously this other me that you knew is different, but let’s assume we’re the same. Tell me something about me that you think the other Loki wouldn’t have known about me, something I would have told you as a friend.” Steve was sure whatever she had to say would reveal her personality, and he would be able to tell whether she was genuinely her own Loki.

Loki hummed, lost in thought for a moment. “You were a Brooklyn Dodgers fan, but you listened to the Yankees broadcast on your 21st birthday to hear Lou Gehrig’s speech.”

Steve stared at the goddess, and immediately understood why Bucky was taken with her. He chuckled in a knowing way while he tried to regain his composure. “You know, when Bucky said he ran into you at a baseball game, I couldn’t believe it. A demigod watching America’s pastime? It’s so antithetical to the Loki I fought. But you like baseball, don’t you?”

“It makes for good stories. There’s an art to the game that is lost in faster-paced sports. And there’s nothing I like better than a good story.”

Steve leaned back in his recliner, nodding sagely.

Bucky, who had been silently pacing behind her place on the love seat, finally stopped and looked down at her. “So Stevie took you to ballgames in your timeline?”

She nodded. “We watched them on television as well. He claimed to still be a Dodgers fan even though they had moved to Los Angeles, but I supported the Mets because of—” She hesitated. “My friend.”

Bucky nodded, seeming to understand who she meant.

Steve looked between them, wise enough not to press them on it. “You know, Bucky said you’re stuck here now, but that you’d been in love with another version of me. I guess I couldn’t quite believe it.”

“It seems we had something in common.” She murmured, causing Bucky’s ears to turn red, while Steve tilted his head, unsure what she could have meant by that cryptic statement.

“You two look good together, though. Never thought this jerk would find someone who could keep up with him.”

Bucky scoffed. “I’m the one who can hardly keep up.” That caused Loki to smile gently, eyes cast downward.

“So when’s the wedding?”

Kate handed Strange her phone, and he scoffed as he read Clint’s message. “And people say I’m dramatic.”

“So you know what he’s talking about?”

Strange seemed to be calculating his answer. “Look, if ‘The Soldier’ is who I think it is, it’s really not my place to tell anything. I can see why Agent Barton might consider what they have to be valuable, but I confess I don’t know that you would feel the same, Miss—”

“Kate Bishop.”

“Right. And you’re the new Hawkeye, hmm? Although, someone apparently doesn’t like retirement very much. But considering how much trouble I went through, I really want to know how he found out about her.”

“The soldier is a her?” Kate was incredulous.

“Ah, no. I can see where that would be the obvious conclusion to what I said, though. In any case, you’ve given me no reason to believe we’re on the same side here, so I think we’re done.”

“What does he mean you’re in on it, though?”

“Because when it comes to the multiverse, it seems I’m always involved.”

Kate thanked him for his time, heading back out into the streets of the Village. She had hardly walked half a block when a name popped into her head unbidden. She ran back to the Sanctum, pounding on the door.

“The soldier. It’s the Winter Soldier, isn’t it.” Strange paused. “So when Clint says you were in on it…?”

Stephen rolled his eyes. “I think that’s who he means, but saying we’re ‘in on it’ is a bit of a stretch. More like I not so subtly shoved her out the door when her sulking was starting to drive me a bit crazy.”

Kate blinked. “The valuable thing is a her?”

“Well, assuming he is referring to the Winter Soldier, the only thing he might be hiding is his girlfriend. At least, I assume that’s what they are, awfully quick to move in otherwise.”

“And why would he need to hide her? You obviously know.”

Stephen deliberated for a moment. “It’s complicated. Like I said, multiverse stuff. She’s from another timeline, but while her counterpart here is deceased, they were also a pretty significant villain. One that I’m sure Agent Barton in particular has a bit of a grudge against.”

Fucking wizards. Just as vague as—

“So when you referred to her counterpart as they, I don’t suppose it’s because said counterpart was a shapeshifting demigod?”

“You catch on quick. So you see why maybe Barnes wouldn't want to go around advertising who he’s undoubtedly sleeping with?”

Kate considered it for a moment. “So… She’s like a girl Loki? Mostly? Guessing shapeshifting is still an option. And I assume she… Isn't a supervillain?”

“Not unless you’re scared of angst. My god, with her here it was like the early 2000s again. All we needed was the Hot Topic wardrobe and emo music.”

Kate coughed. “I was born in 2002.”

Almost on instinct Strange’s palm smacked against his face.

Chapter Text

I probably should have warned Peter I was coming. Loki thought to herself belatedly as she appeared in his apartment. She shrugged her shoulders, seeing he wasn’t around. Probably off doing his Spider-thing. Well, she could at least stick around and say hello.

When Peter came home, he was startled to see Loki sitting on a bean bag chair, a spoon in a pint of raspberry sorbetto as she stared off into the distance. He cursed his spider-senses and their definition of a threat as he cleared his throat, grabbing her attention.

“Oh! Sorry, you weren’t here yet, so I hope you don’t mind. I didn’t want to attract attention by walking here, so I teleported straight in.”

Well, that made sense. A little. “What’s going on, Loki? Everything okay?” He tactfully left out that he had been saving that frozen dessert for later.

“Someone’s been tracking me. Do you know Clint Barton?”

“Hawkeye? I only ever met him a few times.” Peter frowned. “Why would he be tracking you?”

“That’s just it, he wasn’t— but someone who was told him where to find me. I understand that he might have had a personal grudge against the other Loki…”

“Oh yeah, mind control.”

“Right.” She paused. “But luckily he didn’t try to kill me, just knock me out. Whoever gave him the info didn’t mention that I’m a different Loki.”

“Maybe they don’t know either?”

Loki was thoughtful a moment. “If that’s the case, I really do wonder how they found me. I have been careful not to wear my male form outside, and anyone in New Asgard would know the truth. What really confuses me though is that it was only when we arrived in Washington that anything happened, as if they only found out when…” Loki trailed off, an awful thought crossing her mind.

“What is it?”

“In the morning before we left, Samuel learned who I was. And the only other person who was told after that was Joaquín, but when we told him about the attack he was genuinely shocked.”

“Wait, you think Captain America ratted you out? I didn’t know him very well either but he doesn’t seem like that kind of guy.”

“I don’t think he is. But it’s the only thing that changed. I hate to even mention that thought to James because they are such good friends— and there might be another explanation.”

Peter hummed, mulling it over. “What if it’s not about you? What if someone’s trying to use you to ruin Sergeant Barnes’ reputation?”

Loki started. “He did mention considering running for office. Are politics so involved here?”

Peter let out a short breath. “That doesn’t even begin to describe it.”

There was certainly a lot to think about.

Peter glanced back over at Loki, who suddenly was furiously tapping at her phone. “Wait, are you playing Pokémon GO?”

“Maybe.” She admitted sheepishly.

Just when he thought the multiverse couldn’t get any weirder.

Stupid freaking unhelpful wizards and so-called mentors.

So the Winter Soldier had a girlfriend. Who cares? Sure, she just so happened to be another version of a villain who may or may not have been responsible to a degree for her father’s death, but…

Yeah, okay. She could see why Clint might have been upset, especially if he didn’t know she was a different Loki.

Still, she wasn’t crazy enough to go break into an ex-assassin’s apartment.

Not without help, anyway.

All of those instincts that could never truly be removed from his HYDRA programming took over as Bucky returned to the apartment in Brooklyn. No signs of forced entry. Sweep for bugs was clean. Nothing out of place.

Which means the only person who had been inside since Loki moved in was Sam, and he had a key.

Bucky didn’t care for the implications of that, so he considered the possibilities.

One. Sam was the one who told Barton.

They had both been involved in Germany and brought to the raft, so they knew each other well enough. If Barton had been complaining enough about what happened with Loki, maybe Sam would have let him know as a favour— which would imply he didn’t believe she was a different Loki. Also that he didn’t really care for Bucky’s opinion on the matter, which would be a bit out of character.

Two. Someone had managed to get a bug on Sam.

If someone who had it out for the new Cap was looking to dig up some dirt, it would be a smart play. Sam being Sam wouldn’t even think to check. Discovering Loki was probably just a bonus in their mind.

Three. Someone was tailing Sam.

He wasn’t as naïve as he used to be, but someone as trusting as Sam Wilson could be at times might not be paranoid enough to notice being followed the way Bucky was— there were only a handful who had ever managed it, and most of them were dead.

Four. The wrong person overheard us on the train or at the diner.

If someone had noticed her since she’d been in Brooklyn he doubted they would have waited so long.

And who knows who people like this would even be working for.

That settled it. Time to submit some paperwork, and make the Barnes for Congress campaign official.

He knew Brooklyn. He’d go around and campaign the old-fashioned way— talking with voters, not just making speeches. Canvass the town, truly finding out what his neighbours wanted and needed in their lives, not just made a good soundbite. Letting them judge him as a person, without believing everything terrible they hear about him. If you can convince someone face-to-face that you’re on their side, and not the side of some big faceless political group? That was how he could make a difference.

That was how the Winter Soldier would atone.

Papers in hand, he headed out to start the next chapter in his unnaturally long life.

“Kate! Why did you wait so long to call me? Did I upset you? Was it the breaking and entering?”

As always, Yelena Belova sounded unnaturally cheery for someone so dangerous.

“That’s actually what I need your help with.”

“Ooh, tell me more. Actually, don’t. Let’s talk in person.”

Loki could have teleported back to the apartment, but decided to take the subway back, even though it meant changing trains in Manhattan. It gave her time to think, in a way she would struggle with if she were completely alone.

Peter of course was always a great source of wisdom for her— somehow he could simplify the things she had yet to understand about Midgard, whatever universe she happened to be in. The idea that this could be about James? Well, if that was the case she would certainly have to learn more about what these politics would entail.

She entered the apartment building, fishing her key from her pocket. She sighed, her mind elsewhere as she opened the door, not noticing the shadowy figure next to her until it was too late.

“Is this really a good plan?” Kate whispered as she secured the ropes around Loki’s wrists behind the chair. “If this is Loki, will it be enough?”

“It’s more about the image of it.” Yelena responds, finishing the knots holding Loki’s ankles to the legs of the chair. “She wakes up restrained, knows she’s been overpowered. You wait here.” Yelena stands up. “I have to check the rest of the apartment.” She starts walking toward the bedroom, leaving Kate to sit on the couch across from Loki, just taking the image of the goddess in.

She doesn’t seem like a bad guy. Kate thinks to herself while trying to form a plan. She had every reason to hate the villain of New York, but she was not convinced this was him. She just seemed so… soft.

Kate jumped when Loki began to stir, her head lolling to the side. A low groan escaped her throat, and she lifted her eyes up to face Kate. Her face was twisted in confusion, but before Kate could say anything Loki started talking.

“Oh, I could really do without this headache. At least the sedative didn’t hurt. Did they run out of professionals? Had to send a child for me?”

Kate blinked at her a few times, unsure what to say. “I’m in my twenties.”

“And I’m over 1000, but I’m probably no more grown up than you are. So it doesn’t really mean much in the grand scheme of things.” Loki sighed. “And just what do you plan to do with me?”

“I… Well, I’m not entirely sure. I just know Clint was a bit upset that you were still alive, and if you are that Loki, I’m not your biggest fan either. But I’m not really convinced you are.”

“Ah, so you’re a friend of Barton’s?”

“More like… A protégé? He’s retired, so I’m Hawkeye now. My name is Kate Bishop”

Loki hummed. “Well, you at least have the sense to not make hasty assumptions on incomplete information, that’s certainly an improvement from the Clint I knew. I am rather impressed that you managed to subdue me, as well.”

Kate was a bit embarrassed, knowing full well it was all Yelena.

Satisfied with how the day had gone so far, Bucky headed home. Loki was probably back by now, and he hated to leave her alone after everything.

He knew something was off as he approached the building, seeing a flicker through the window that was definitely not Loki.

Clenching his teeth, he made his way to the fire escape, silently ascending while keeping out of sight. Once he confirmed it was clear, he opened the window, quietly closing it behind him as he crawled in.

He managed to catch a glimpse of the intruder, enough to know he would have to up his game if he wanted to get the drop on a Widow.

This was Natalia’s sister, he was pretty sure, what was her name again?

It didn’t matter, she was in his apartment, therefore a threat. Now that he had someone he cared about enough to protect with his life again, there was no chance of him screwing this up.

He’s there as she sneaks out of the bathroom, immediately ready for a fight.

Both Kate and Loki’s heads snap up at the noise, Kate startled, while Loki starts to smirk and roll her eyes. “Ugh. he never gives me enough time for a proper interrogation.” Kate cocked her head in question, before a flash of green light caused Kate and Loki to switch places, ropes and all. “Apologies, Katherine. It seems I need to bail my fiancé out.”

Kate tried not to let her jaw drop as Loki stalked off to the back of the apartment with a heavy sigh.

Headed toward the commotion, Loki can hear the sounds of banter amidst combat. So James knew the other attacker, then.

“You’re so much mouthier than Natalia.”

“Leave my sister out of this!”

“Not as stealthy either.” He caught Loki’s eye as he blocked a kick with his metal arm. “You planning on helping at all, doll?”

Loki grinned. “You just look like you’re enjoying yourself, dear.”

James grunted, but the woman was startled enough at her appearance to break concentration for one vital moment, just enough for an opening.

“Well, if you insist.” With a flick of her wrist, more for show than necessity, she used her magic to place restraints on the spy, who promptly fell soundly on her behind.

James had the audacity to wink at Loki, who simply rolled her eyes. He crouched down. “Let’s all have a chat, shall we, Yelena?”

The blonde growled, snapping at him. “I’m trying to help you, asshole!”

“You sure have a funny way of showing it.” James unceremoniously slung Yelena over his shoulder, at which point Loki knew he was just showing off. She bit her tongue as he led the way back into the living room. “Oh, you brought a friend, I see.” He assessed Kate as he tossed Yelena onto the couch. “Alright kids, I’d like some explanations, please. Maybe some introductions first.” He looked pointedly at Kate.

“Apparently she’s Hawkeye now.” Loki said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Kate Bishop.” She squeaked out. “I know who you are.” She added, looking at Bucky quickly before lowering her eyes in what seemed more like embarrassment than fear.

He gave an almost amused snort, before turning back to Yelena. “She’s a Widow. Like Natasha.” Loki’s eyes went wide at that revelation.

Yelena looks back to the goddess, with some shock of her own. “You knew my sister?”

Loki stammered for a moment. “Well, not exactly. I knew Natasha Romanov. But not in this universe. I don’t know if my friend had a sister— she never mentioned one, anyway.”

Yelena scoffed. “”Well that’s no different.” Her brain seemed to catch up after a moment. “Wait, friend?”

“Is that so surprising?”

Yelena exchanged a look with Kate, who shrugged. “So, was my sister still working for the Red Room in your universe? Although, friendship wasn’t exactly encouraged there.”

Loki regarded the petite woman for a moment, trying to gauge the situation. “No, we were both Avengers.”

Silence hung in the air for a moment, as Yelena seemed to be searching for something in Loki’s face. Loki knew if she were trained in reading people as Natasha had been, she would be looking for a tell. She seemed to find none, then turned back to James. “So this is serious. You were telling the truth, about this being a different Loki? She’s not Thor’s brother?”

“I am Thor’s sister.” Loki replied indignantly, annoyed that she was being ignored.

“But not the Thor from our universe. Asgard still exists in hers, and Thor never joined the Avengers. He was never banished to Earth.” James added helpfully.

“Because I was.” Loki grumbled.

Kate was looking a bit like a fish out of water, as Yelena continued to address Bucky. “Even if that’s all true, she’s still a liability for you.”

Loki, James, and even Kate all turned to her expectantly, wondering what she might mean by that.

“What is this about then? Who’s been tracking her?”

Yelena actually laughed at that. “You should know better than anyone, Зимний Солдат. The heroes are gone. We’re realists now. And some would love to see someone with your background disrupting things in Congress.”

Bucky tensed at that. “Wait, this is about me? Who would even know I was gonna run? I just submitted the paperwork today!” He gave Loki a sheepish look. “I probably should have told you beforehand, sweetheart.”

She dismissed it with a movement of her hand. “I assumed you would go through with it. You never give up a fight.”

He chuckled at that, turning back to Yelena, waiting for her to elaborate.

She rolled her eyes. “Ears are everywhere. The people I work for apparently have a vested interest, and had simply been looking for any major… complications. Other than you being who you are, obviously.”

He put his right hand to his forehead as he leaned down, rubbing it in frustration. “So, what, someone picks up dirt on my personal life, and thinks I’m too stupid to know who I’m sharing a bed with?”

Yelena shrugged. “You’ve got too much baggage to get elected.”

“Then what were you sent to do?”

“Figure out what baggage to eliminate.”

Chapter Text

Bucky just kept staring at Yelena. “You’re really not going to give me anything else?”

“Nope.”

“Alright, fuck this. Nobody gets to decide things for me.” He stood up, looking back at Loki, who gave him an encouraging nod. He turned and gestured at Yelena and Kate. “You two are going to be witnesses.”

“Witnesses?” Kate whimpered.

Yelena just stared.

Bucky spoke to Loki again. “You didn’t want anything fancy, right?”

She shrugged.

Yelena finally laughed. “Doesn’t she need some kind of ID for you to get married in New York? Unless you didn’t want everything above board.”

“Shit.” Bucky swore.

A worried expression crossed Loki’s face. “If I conjure one, that will only cause problems later.’ She sighed. “I… have to go see someone.”

Bucky groaned, knowing where this was going. “Damn it. We have to be completely above board. Which means…”

“Legal immigration.” Yelena supplied helpfully.

Bucky rubbed his temple, and then squeezed Loki’s hand. Okay, we’ll go to New Asgard together. Can we get married there?”

Loki looked a bit stunned “Well, I don’t see why not, but…”

“You’ll still have to apply for a green card. And I have to be here to campaign.”

Loki gave a mirthless laugh. “A temporary separation. And me back in that dreadful cottage.”

Kate looked around the room in confusion. “So… Any chance you can let us go?”

Not wanting to go to Strange for help again, Loki pulled together enough of her seiðr to create a portal for the two of them to travel to New Asgard together.

They arrived outside Loki’s cottage, the idea being not to cause too much of a scene by arriving somewhere more public.

They went inside, Loki glancing around before casting a quick spell to remove all the dust that had gathered in her absence.

She dropped down onto the couch, Bucky sitting beside her.

“Well, that escalated quickly.” Loki said with a sardonic laugh.

Bucky reached his arm around her shoulder, pulling her in close. She soon rested her head on his bicep, sighing.

“We don’t have to do this, sweetheart. We can find another way.”

“No, James, it’s… It’s fine. I know this is important to you, and I refuse to be the reason you cannot succeed.”

“You’re important to me.”

Loki tilted her head back to look at him properly. “Have we lost our minds? Is this real?”

Bucky stared at her for a moment, searching her face. He leaned in and kissed her softly on the top of the head. “I sure hope it is.”

They walked into town hand in hand, making their way to Val’s office, more than a few interested glances pointed their way, which they were both accustomed to ignoring.

Loki had assumed they’d have to wait to meet with Val, but as soon as the receptionist caught sight of her she was ushered in without a word. She supposed it was something that was afforded by her status, but she still didn’t feel comfortable with that.

King Valkyrie was already out of her seat when they entered. “Loki! You’re back! I was starting to wonder if we’d ever see you again.” She nodded at Bucky. “And I see you brought James back, too. Did he tell you he came here looking for you?” He looked down, embarrassed, causing Val to stage whisper to Loki. “I think he likes you.”

Loki let out an amused chuckle. “Well, I should certainly hope so. That’s part of why we’re here.”

“Oh?” Val’s eyebrow quirked up as she gestured to the chairs in front of her desk. Loki and Bucky sat, and Val took her seat across from them. “Do tell.”

“I…” Loki started, then looked down to hide her sheepish expression. “I need legal identification. A passport.”

“Well, you are a citizen of New Asgard, you can apply through the statistics office like anyone else. You don’t need me for that.”

Loki coughed quietly. “Right, of course. But there’s a bit more to it than that.”

“Such as the reason why you suddenly want proper identification?”

“We’re getting married.” Bucky cut in.

Suddenly Val was the one sputtering. “Oh? And did you want… To do it here?”

“It’s very important that it’s all done openly.” Loki explained. “James is getting into politics.”

Val gave him a pointed look. “Oh, I hope you don’t regret that. I admit, dealing with the multitude of governments on this planet has not been my… favourite part of being King, that’s for certain. And I know there is a lot of scrutiny in your country, especially recently.”

Bucky nodded. “I know. That’s why I’m doing this. There’s too much rot, too much sediment. Someone needs to shake things up.”

“And nothing says ‘fresh blood’ like a centenarian, hmm?”

Bucky gave a self-deprecating smile. “I’ll let that go, but only because you’re older.”

“Right, it’s not like either of us can talk about age.” Val smirked at Loki. “So you two do realize this isn’t going to be easy, right? We can get your passport, get your marriage license, easy. But then Loki has to apply for immigrant status, and won’t be allowed to enter the United States until it’s granted. Which could honestly take ages. Even for spouses of citizens, there’s a hell of a backlog there from what I hear.”

They both nodded warily.

“And Loki, that means no teleporting back there! Any sniff that you’ve dodged the rules, and you can forget them ever granting you status.”

Loki grimaced. “Yes, I… I understand.”

“And you,” She turned to Bucky, “You’re obviously welcome here anytime. But if I understand American politics correctly, you’re going to want to avoid leaving too often while campaigning. And you probably want to avoid having Strange’s portals sending you back and forth, at least too often, if you plan to maintain an image of someone who is down to Earth. And, you know, from Earth.”

He swallowed, then nodded.

“Okay then. If you’re sure about this… When do you want the ceremony?”

They exchanged glances, and Bucky responded. “As soon as possible, please.”

Val shrugged. “As long as you wanted to do this either way, I suppose that’s fair. We’ll just grab a couple of witnesses and we can do the legal documents here. But there are a couple of conditions I’m going to have to impose, I’m afraid.”

“Conditions?” Loki croaked out.

“Whatever it is, we’ll do it.” Bucky replied with a bit more confidence than he felt.

Val sniggered. “Well, first is the legal definition of marriage here. You’ll have to spend the night together to ensure it is consummated.”

He flushed, but nodded. “Of course.” His reaction elicited and embarrassed giggle from Loki.

“We’ll even arrange a flight home for you afterwards. Second thing…” This time she locked eyes with Loki. “Once everything has been settled, you two will have to come back for a proper Asgardian ceremony.”

Loki’s eyes went wide. “What? Why?”

Val laughed more openly now. “Because otherwise Thor will kill me. Besides, when was the last time the people had a royal wedding to look forward to? Have to properly welcome the new Prince Consort.” She winked at Bucky, who cringed at the title.

Loki began to protest. “This is ridiculous, I’m not even—”

“Fine.” Bucky said firmly. “We’ll do it.”

Loki looked at him incredulously, but when he looked back at her, the love in his face was enough to melt her on the spot.

The King rolled her eyes. “You two are disgusting. Wait here.”

Val returned a few minutes later, with the receptionist and another clerk, presumably to serve as witnesses. “This is hardly the most romantic of settings, but legally all we need are some vows and signatures. Do you have rings you’d like to use?”

Bucky frowned, but with a flash of green Loki had produced two matching silver rings, plain bands perfectly sized to their left ring fingers— even on Bucky’s vibranium arm.

“Well then. Let’s get this show on the road.”

Back at the cottage, they were sitting on a porch swing, overlooking the water as the sun set.

“I can’t believe I have a husband.” Loki grinned.

“I can’t believe I have a spouse.” Bucky smiled back. “A wife right now, sometimes a husband…”

“Mmm…” Loki sighed contentedly, holding his hand. Suddenly she stilled. “Oh, no.”

He looked at her with a hint of worry. “What is it?”

“If… If people see me when I’m presenting as male…” She looked on the verge of panic.

He started to rub his hand on her back. “Hey, no. Don’t do that. You just be you.”

“But…”

He clasped her hands in-between his own, turning to face her. “I told you, I’m not hiding you. If people are too bigoted to accept you as you are, well… That’s too bad. You are not responsible for anything the other Loki did.”

Loki’s eyes started to water. “But James, if they—”

He tucked a strand of hair behind her ears, then gazed into her eyes. “You matter more than anything else.” He then took her chin with his right hand, and pulled her into a deep kiss, her eyes fluttering.

“I love you, James.”

“I love you, Loki.” Bucky’s lips curled up into his familiar boyish grin. “Now how about we get started on consummating this marriage?”

After sleeping with his wife, Bucky had a go at another round with his husband, knowing it could be some time before they had another chance. No one could argue that they hadn’t consummated it properly.

As he lay in the wood-framed bed, staring at Loki’s face, he swore to himself he would never compromise his morals. He would never let Loki be hurt for his own political gain. Nothing was more important than this. His spouse. His partner. His family.

He had something to fight for now. Someone to fight for. Something that was his. Something that had only been a dream for so long.

With the sun filtering in through the window, Loki slowly blinked his eyes, looking up sleepily at Bucky.

“Good morning, husband.” Loki said with a soft smile.

Bucky couldn’t help his massive grin. “Good morning to you, husband.” He leaned in for a kiss, dreading leaving the comfort of his marital bed.

Loki seemed to sense his trepidation, staring at him with an affectionate, yet serious expression.

“Are you sure about this? Everything has happened so quickly. I certainly never would have foreseen…”

Bucky cut him off with another kiss. “I’m tired of waiting for things to go right. My whole life, it always seemed like one thing after another going wrong, and it went from bad to worse when I fell off that train. I started to believe that I would never… That I didn’t deserve to have a life where I was happy.”

“James—”

“I know we both keep sayin’ the same thing, over and over, but I mean it. I knew it as soon as I met you, you’re it for me, sweetheart. And it’s going to be tough, waitin’ for you, livin’ without you again. But you’re worth it. And if it means I can make a difference and have you, well… We can do this. I know it.”

Loki had tears in his eyes, trying to avoid sobbing with each word that Bucky spoke. Bucky cupped his cheek in his right hand, blue eyes meeting green.

“It’s okay, let it out, darlin’. I’ve got you.”

Loki broke down and curled into Bucky’s chest. Bucky wrapped his arms around his love, making soothing noises and comforting him as best as he could.

“It’ll be okay. You can’t get rid of me for long, Lokes.”

That got him a laugh at last. “Why would I ever want to?”

Chapter Text

Putting together a small staff and renting out an office was easier than Bucky had anticipated. They took care of all of the little details: found volunteers, helped him set up town halls, arrange meet and greets, all of those little annoying parts of running for office. Hell, the only person he hired himself was his campaign manager, then he left the rest in her incredibly capable hands.

He put out an ad for hiring a campaign manager, and Amber Martinez was the only candidate. Which was just as well, because Bucky was ready to hire her immediately.

Her grandparents had moved to Brooklyn from Puerto Rico. She had rapport with the sizeable Hispanic community, who were a significant bloc of the borough’s undecided voters. She had experience with smaller campaigns, more grassroots canvassing, working or volunteering for progressive candidates for city council and the like.

Exactly what Bucky was looking for, and she was just the gal for the job.

She hired a few other part-time staffers; a social media manager, volunteer coordinator, and communications director. They also recruited an intern, who was primarily there to earn college credits along with his small stipend. Unless they managed quite a bit of fundraising, they wouldn’t be able to add anyone else to the payroll, which meant everyone was pulling double duty to some extent. He was already paying all of their (admittedly generous) salaries from his own savings.

Honestly, having a motivated group of twenty and thirty-somethings working for a 109-year old man was already weird, but for whatever reason these kids seemed to latch on to his message, and were determined to help him succeed.

Which was good, because he certainly needed all the help he could get. Politics was politics, but Brooklyn was a lot bigger than it used to be.

Bucky really was trying his best, but he couldn’t help zoning out a bit when Amber was going over campaign details.

“…The town hall is scheduled for Saturday, and I think we should aim to get— Uh, Sergeant Barnes?”

He started. “Huh?”

She levelled a glare at him. “Did you hear anything I just said?”

“…Yes?”

She sighed, closing her laptop. “Take a break. Go call your wife. Mack and I will finish this up.” Mack was his communications director, Olivia Garcia, who, like Bucky, had a nickname based on her middle name: McKenzie. She was a first-generation Filipina-American, whose parents apparently took the name from an old Canadian TV show to sound “more English.”

Bucky never quite figured out how that was supposed to work.

The two women waved at him as he stood and walked out of the conference room, to the closet he used as his “office.” It was hardly large enough for a desk, but it was all they could afford at the moment. He checked the time— just after four, which would make it 11:00 pm in New Asgard. Loki would still be awake, they’d always been a night owl.

The video call rang twice before connecting.

“James! Oh, I was wondering if you would have time for me today.”

“I always have time for you, sweetheart.” His usual grin was tinged with a hint of the fatigue, the grind that had marked every day since they had been forced to separate.

She smiled sweetly back at him. “You seem tired, dearest. How is your campaign going? Don’t tell me that manager of yours is working you too hard again.”

“Oh, they’re fine. Amber’s already sent everyone but Mack home, so it shouldn’t be too late today.”

“I do hope you’re still eating and sleeping enough, darling.”

Bucky let out a half-hearted chuckle. “It’s hard to sleep as well without you, but I’m trying. Besides, look who’s talking.”

That earned him a heartfelt smile from his wife. He saw a little fatigue in her eyes as well, but chalked it up to the time difference. The time apart had been trying on both of them, but the election was still over four months away, and there had been no update on Loki’s immigration application. That wasn’t surprising, given how long these things often took, especially post-blip, but it was still frustrating after being inseparable for the weeks before their certainly hasty marriage.

“Are you keeping yourself busy? Anything new over there?”

“I’m learning how to knit. Perhaps I’ll make you a scarf— I might even finish by the time the weather cools again.”

“I have faith in you, sweetheart.” Bucky smiled as best as he could manage. “I’ll look forward to it. Take care of yourself, please?”

“I will. I love you, James.”

“I love you, too.”

As Loki hung up, she let out a deep sigh. She wasn’t lying to James per se; although that wouldn’t exactly be out of character for the Goddess of Lies, as much as she despaired that title. It was a lie of omission more than anything.

As worried she had been about the matter of her male form, she found herself only wanting to present as female since James had left. It would be difficult to explain; gender fluidity on Midgard as she understood it was not well known; and those who identify as such couldn’t do much more than alter their clothing or superficial appearance to match their inner gender. Loki, on the other hand, was able to shapeshift completely; the change was all-encompassing. Yet somehow, the usual urge to change how she presented herself to the world every so often hadn’t come since James left.

And the past few weeks, well… Easy enough to chalk her fatigue up to stress, boredom, the complete inability to be helpful to the struggles of her new husband.

And what a word that was. Something she thought she had denied herself after the mess she had caused with Steven. She did find herself still wondering every so often what became of those other timelines.

No point in dwelling on things she couldn’t change. No, she would just have to be useful here, prove to the world she was her own Loki. Prove it to Brunnhilde’s skepticism. Prove it to anyone who would look down on or judge James for his association with her.

And maybe just prove it to herself that this timeline could be somewhere she belongs.

“So I’m thinking for the town hall ad, we need to show that you’re relatable.” Bucky’s social media director, Andre, was trying to go over different photos with him to promote the town hall he was planning to hold in a few days time. Bucky forced himself to suppress a groan; social media was one of those modern necessities that he felt far too old to understand. He supposed it was right up there with his wardrobe in the list of things people might latch on to and use to criticize him. It was better to start off on the right foot, anyway. Still, it was way more thought than he ever wanted to put into his appearance, much less how people perceived it.

Well, except when it came to his arm. He was resigned to the idea of gloves and long sleeves even in the summer, so he wouldn’t be showcasing the weapon he still was. He had a feeling he knew where this was going.

“If you go with just a button-down shirt and roll up the sleeves, we can put your prothesis on display. This really appeals to the veterans, and others with artificial limbs for whatever reason. Show that you’re not ashamed of who you are— it’s good for others who are building confidence in their limb differences to have a strong role model.”

Wait, what?

Bucky narrowed his eyes, trying to determine if he heard that correctly. He trusted Andre’s ideas on this; he was quite active on social media himself, promoting his various causes and showcasing his experiences as a young, gay black man in New York to a legion of followers. So if he thought it would work, well…

“Besides, this way we’ll make sure your wedding ring is visible. If people start asking about it, which of course they will since you haven’t exactly been public before about your relationship status, it’s a perfect segue into immigration issues. I think that’s somewhere we can pick up a lot of votes; use your personal story to show how invested you are in reform.”

It was true; he hadn’t really talked about Loki yet. He hadn’t hidden anything, it just hadn’t come up yet. Of course his staff had to be informed, but… Well, he’d have to talk about her sooner or later. It was going to be a complicated issue either way.

“You gonna be okay there, Sarge?”

“Yeah. Let’s get this over with.”

“Well, Loki, you’re out of your cave at last!” Val’s cheerful sarcasm rang through the square, making Loki wince. She still didn’t relish the stares or attention from the people in the village, but perhaps making herself more of a fixture would change that in some ways; if she left her own mark, they wouldn't keep seeing her as the other Loki.

“Hello. I thought I’d see if there’s anything I can help out with.”

Val’s eyes looked ready to burst from how wide they’d gotten; clearly this was about the last thing she expected. “Oh. Well. Anything in particular you’re looking to do? Just out for a stroll?”

Loki gave a melancholy grin. “I just… I thought since I am going to be here for some time, I ought to make myself useful.”

“I see.” Val looked a bit taken aback, she’d obviously not been expecting Loki to do… Well, anything but sulk, really. “If you’re looking for something reoccurring, there’s a few different things we can start with. Plenty of places always looking for volunteers.”

Loki hummed. “I do so love being useful.”

“Right…” With another disbelieving look, Val spoke with a lower tone of voice as she stood next to Loki. “So, is this just a way to stave off boredom, or?”

Loki sighed. “I admit, that is a part of it. But if I am to be here until this… Bureaucracy deems me fit to live in the same land as my husband, I wish to prove myself to be someone worthy of that.”

“I have to admit, I was skeptical when the two of you came to me with your plan. But you’re serious, aren’t you? You really are trying to improve yourself.”

Loki scrunched her eyes, rubbing her forehead with her thumb and index finger. “I feel I should be offended by that. You still judge me by the standards you used for him.”

Val was nonplussed. “You’re right. I suppose I haven’t really gotten to know you.”

“And that is my own fault for hiding away.”

Val placed a hand on Loki’s shoulder. “I shouldn’t have assumed either. I’m sorry.” She was pensive for a moment. “Loki, how would you feel about volunteering in the library? I seem to recall they’ve been looking for someone to help shelve books.”

Loki’s face lit up at the idea. “That sounds perfect. Do you have time to bring me there now?”

“Should do. This way.” Val gestured in the general direction of the library, turning back when she heard Loki stumble. She ran back to grab her arm. “Are you okay?”

Loki waved her hand dismissively. “It’s nothing. Just a little lightheaded. Probably from spending too much time in one place.”

“All the better we start keeping you busy, then.”

Chapter Text

Jenny Moua was the first to the town hall venue; she would be waiting for all of the volunteers to check in. They’d take care of the superficial parts today— taking tickets, handing out literature, working as ushers and so on. She moved to Brooklyn from Eau Claire, Wisconsin after college, dreams of making it in the big city soon became grad school, politics, public relations… Well, it was certainly different from the Midwest.

If she had to pick a favourite part of living here, it was definitely the subway. That might seem weird to a lot of people, but Jenny hated driving. When you’re stuck in a smaller city in a largely rural state, there aren’t really any other options. In Brooklyn? She never had to drive at all. It was wonderful.

The campaign’s intern showed up not long after her; Jihoon Choi was her other Midwestern colleague, being from Chicago. He was in his third year at Brooklyn College, meaning he was quite a bit younger than the rest of the staff. His enthusiasm more than made up for the lack of experience, and he was usually helping Jenny out more than anyone else.

By the time Sergeant Barnes and the rest of the campaign staff showed up to the venue, all of the volunteers were at their posts, and Jenny sat tapping her pen on a clipboard, making sure everything was ready for the town hall. Jihoon was roped into drink duty, making sure there was coffee before and water during. Jenny would be staying in the front of the venue in case any volunteers had questions. Amber stopped to check in with her on the way back to the green room.

“We good to go out here?”

“Yep, all set.” Jenny replied.

“Great. We’re looking to do an hour live-streamed, but Sarge will probably stay to talk one on one if people still have questions. You can send the volunteers home once the crowd thins out, though.” Amber gave her a grin. “First of many, I hope!”

“Let’s hope so.” Jenny returned the smile, hoping that the people of Brooklyn would see how much James Barnes cared about them.

The elderly librarian was very happy to have Loki come in a few times a week to help shelve and organize the growing collection of books at the village library. There had not been much to salvage from Asgard, so most of the books were Midgardian. Still, Loki enjoyed the quiet of the library, and found the work fulfilling. Here she felt she was at least contributing in a way that suited her.

Saturday had passed fairly quickly; the library still had few visitors, and those who came to browse did not seem the least bit interested in Loki’s presence.

As it came close to closing time, Loki stood to stretch, only for a sudden rush of vertigo to overcome her. She quickly put her hands on the desk to brace herself, willing her stomach to stay still.

Ingrid, the librarian, glanced over at Loki’s groan. “Are you all right, dear? You know you can take breaks during the day.”

Loki nodded, moving to stand again, when suddenly her legs gave out, and her hands scrambled to find purchase on the edge of the desk so she wouldn’t hit the ground.

“Loki!” The librarian moved toward her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Oh, my, you’re out of breath. Perhaps you ought to sit a while longer.”

“No, no, I’m fine. I’m not sure why—”

The librarian seemed to be saying her name again as Loki’s vision went black.

Andre held up his fingers to count down before beginning the live coverage of the town hall. Reaching one, Bucky swallowed at his signal to begin. His nerves were shot; somehow this was harder than any mission he’d ever done. It was so much more important in some ways, too.

“Many of you know who I am— or who I was. My goal here today is to show you who I really am, who I am now, beneath all the stories and rumours.

I was raised here in Brooklyn, and I care deeply about this city and the people in it. I have seen people from all walks of life, all backgrounds; people struggling through no fault of their own. I lived through depression and war, and I know what it’s like to have to work an extra job to keep food on the table. I’ve seen the impact of inequality. So what I want is to make things better for all Brooklynites.

I look at this country— we need serious reform to help all of our people, and I am not afraid to fight for it. I won’t be working for corporate interests, or for a party line. I intend to work for all of you. My name is James ‘Bucky’ Barnes, and I’m running for Congress.”

“What happened?”

“I don’t know! She was standing up to stretch, seemed a bit dizzy. Said she was fine. Next thing I knew, she passed out!”

“Okay, we’ll see what we can do. Does she have an emergency contact?”

“Her husband’s in America.”

“I see. We can call him, at least. Any other family?”

“Well…”

“Immigration isn’t just a talking point for me. It’s personal.

Since the blip, countries around the world have started to return to restrictive immigration policies— including our own. I saw firsthand the damage the GRC caused, intentionally or not. But now? The broken, bureaucratic immigration system this country has reinstated means my wife cannot be here with me during this campaign. She has to wait for her immigration application to be approved from outside of the US. There’s no special line or preferential treatment, and I would never ask for that. But it means we are in the same boat as countless other families waiting to be reunited with their loved ones.”

Mack waved to get Bucky’s attention, gesturing to someone with a question.

“Yes, go ahead.”

“Um hi. So I’m just wondering, what country is your wife from? I know there’s restrictions on immigration from some countries.”

“Oh, yes. Good point. Loki’s from New Asgard.”

Murmurs filled the room, and a few confused shouts came from the crowd.

“You’re married to an alien?”

“Is this because you’re one of them Avengers?”

“Isn’t that the guy from the attack? You’re both villains!”

“I thought he was dead! And a he!”

“Human women not good enough for you?”

Amber and Mack did their best to get the crowd back under control.

Bucky pushed everything he really wanted to say down, and tried to keep a neutral tone. “Let me be clear. I was never an Avenger. The only team I was part of was the Howling Commandos. You have to understand, I was born in 1917. I can’t really find a girl my age outside of a cemetery. Besides that, it’s hard to find anyone willing to put up with my trauma; someone who can relate to my experiences. And, well, I met Loki when she seemed to fall out of the sky and into my life, and I can honestly say I’ve never been happier. She’s not the Loki who attacked New York. Thor’s brother is dead, as far as I know. She just has the same name.”

“Is Steve Rogers on the moon?”

“What? No.”

As Loki blinked her eyes open, she was confused by her surroundings. It was too bright. There seemed to be.. An IV? She was in a hospital? But why?

“You are awake, Sister!”

Oh, come on, please, no.

“Aunt Loki! We weren’t far away, so when the doctor called we came to see you!”

Loki turned her head to face Thor and Love, both grinning over her bedside.

“And why would they call you? What happened?”

“Nothing too terrible I think.” Thor recounted what he had been told. “You were dehydrated, and lost consciousness. They said they will run tests, but I think I may know already what is happening.”

Loki furrowed her brows. “You do?”

“First, I want to clear something up that has troubled me. Did you really marry Sergeant Barnes?”

Loki looked a bit guilty. “Well, yes, but we—”

“Does this mean I have another uncle?” Love asked hopefully.

“I suppose it does.”

“Why did you not tell me that you remained in this universe? I hear you sent the other Barnes back, but you were not able to return. And suddenly here you are married? And with child?”

Loki had been grimacing, knowing she shouldn’t have left him out. But with that last comment, she spluttered, eyes wide. “What?!”

Thor smiled at her. “Have you forgotten that I am also the god of fertility?”

“So when you said you knew…”

He continued giving that enigmatic smile. “Where is your husband?”

“What, so Val told you of our marriage but not why we did it so hastily?” Loki sighed. “We’re trying to stay within the legal framework of this world as he campaigns to enter politics in New York. That means I need to apply as an immigrant, but that requires me to wait here.”

“And he cannot wait with you?”

“Not if he hopes to continue his campaign. It would be seen as poor form to not be among his potential constituents. I certainly never imagined…”

“That you would be in this situation? So this wasn’t planned?”

Loki scoffed. “Hardly. Although it does explain a few things.”

Love had been silent, seeming to take in the conversation around her. “So… I’m getting a baby cousin?”

Loki’s eyes glazed over. “I think I would like to hear from the doctor. And then… Talk to James. Things may become quite difficult for us.”

“Then you will have us to help you.” Thor assured her.

Amber had Sergeant Barnes’ phone while he was on stage. He was still discussing the immigration issue when she silenced yet another incoming call.

“We’re getting away from the point here, folks. The issue may be personal for me, but I know there are so many people in Brooklyn who are in the same boat, and I want to fight for change for all of them. I want to show that I am just as capable of fighting for people with words, and I want to prove my determination. I know I can’t make up for what I did under HYDRA’s control, but I am not their asset anymore. I care about the people of this city, this country. And I intend to go to Congress and fight to make things better.”

The same number was ringing again, and Amber finally decided to walk back into the hallway and answer it.

“This is James Barnes’ phone, he is unavailable at the moment, can I take a message?”

Amber was a little intimidated by the voice on the other end. “Who are you? I demand you make him available! This is of the utmost importance!”

She rolled her eyes. “This is his campaign manager. If you leave your name and number I can have him call you back—”

“Lady Campaign Manager! I am Thor, God of Thunder, his brother-in-law! I am calling from the hospital in New Asgard where his wife, my sister, is under observation! THIS CANNOT WAIT.”

Holy shit. Holy shit. Was this really happening? This was definitely not a scenario they’d prepared for! “Okay, okay, your highness, can I get you to hold for a few minutes while I go find him?” She didn’t wait for a reply before putting the phone down and motioning for Jihoon to come over.

“Something wrong?”

“Many, many things! Apparently! Can you talk down a thunder god while I try to wrap this up?”

She shoved the phone in his hand without waiting, heading back into the town hall, walking up and whispering to Mack, who nodded, eyes wide. She then ran back to Andre, letting him know they would have to wrap the broadcast up; luckily it was only ten minutes ahead of schedule. They would just have to send out a press release once they knew what the situation was.

She ran back down, grabbing the microphone from Mack, catching Barnes’ eye. Having finished his point, she took over. “Thank you so much for joining us here today. I apologize that we won’t have time for any more questions. We will be holding another event in two weeks, and of course you are always welcome to reach out through our social media. Have a wonderful day, Brooklyn!”

Bucky waved to the crowd before leaving the stage and assessing her expression. “What’s going on, Amber? I thought we still had time.”

“Emergency.” She said shortly, gesturing that he should follow. Mack took the microphone and fielded any further questions so they could make their escape.

She wasn’t sure what to expect from Jihoon after passing the phone off to him, but it definitely wasn’t finding him in what seemed like a heartfelt conversation.

“…technically I’m from a town called Niles. We have a pretty big Korean population, that’s why my parents moved there. There’s also a leaning tower like the one in Pisa. I did go into the city a lot, tons to do in the Loop. I don’t know if you’ve had the chance to visit other— Oh, he’s here.” Jihoon handed the phone over to Bucky, who took it with a confused look.

“Hello?”

Chapter Text

Loki woke up in her own bed, which surprised her. She didn’t remember leaving the hospital. She supposed Thor must have carried her…

Except she realized the bed was a bit warmer than it should be.

And there was an arm around her.

“James?”

He squeezed her bicep. “Hello, beautiful.”

She turned to face him. “What— I thought you had an event! Should you be here? How did you—”

“Slow down, doll. One thing at a time. Thor called me. Told me you were in the hospital, that you fainted. So I went to Manhattan and Wong did me a solid. When I got there you were out again, but they said you could be discharged once you were up. I figured it’s more comfortable for you to sleep here, so I convinced them to let me take you home. Well, mostly Thor convinced them, I just carried you.”

She smiled at him affectionately. “I’m sorry to make you worry. I knew this would be difficult. Are you sure you should be here? Not that I’m not glad to see you…”

“Loke, there is nothing in this world I care about more than you. If caring about my wife makes me a terrible candidate for office, well, that’s just more proof the system’s broken.” He stroked her hair, returning her smile with one of his own.

“Did they… Did Thor… Tell you what happened?” She asked hesitantly. This was news she would much rather break to him herself.

“Only that you were dehydrated and passed out at the library. I get the impression there’s more to it than that.”

Loki hummed, then grabbed his hand as she sat up, pulling her husband up along with her. “James, I…” She stared into his clear blue eyes, hoping that this news wouldn’t change the way they looked into her soul. “I’m pregnant.”

Those blue eyes grew wide, his face contorting from an expression of shock to one of pure elation. “We’re gonna have a kid? I’m gonna be a dad?” He cupped his hands around her cheeks and pulled her in for a kiss. “Oh, sweetheart, that is…”

Loki’s face remained impassive; she had never been sure about having children. It was always something that would be assumed if she were heir to the throne, but nothing more than a vague idea in her head. But this was real. And starting a family was a conversation they’d never actually had; certainly hadn’t planned for this to happen while they were forced to live apart from each other.

James searched Loki’s face for a moment, freezing above her. “Is this… Something you want?”

Loki looked down. “I don’t know. I think so. And seeing how happy it makes you, well… It’s just the timing of it all, darling. I can’t ask you to give up your work, but doing this alone seems all too daunting.”

“Loki, I said it before. There is nothing more important to me. You,” he placed his right hand gently on her stomach, “and our family. If we keep waiting for the right time, there’s never going to be one.” He moved his vibranium arm up to her shoulder, squeezing gently. “We both know that better than most, don’t we?”

Loki nodded slowly. “It is just so very overwhelming.”

“It’s okay to be scared, doll. But you won’t be alone. I know Val will help you out, and I have a feeling you aren’t getting rid of Thor anytime soon. And I’ll come as much as I can— Any time you need me, just call. I can’t promise I can be here right away, but I will do whatever I can to make sure you’re okay. If it costs me the campaign, so be it. You’re worth it.”

Tears were streaming down Loki’s face, and she choked back a sob. “What did I do to deserve you, James?”

He held her chin to face him, before giving her another kiss. “I ask myself that every day, sweetheart.”

They were jolted out of that tender moment by the sound of his phone ringing. He sighed, resting his forehead against hers. “It’s Amber.”

“You’d better answer it then. You can tell her.” Loki pulled away and leaned back on the headboard as he smiled, picking up the phone and putting it to his ear.

“Hello? Well, what did you want me to do? No, I get that— She’s fine. More than fine. We’re having a baby. You can’t be serious, that’s where your mind goes? Okay. Yes, okay. Okay! Jeez. Can I at least spend the day with my pregnant wife? Yeah, I get it. Yes, yes I know this is part of the package. Just… I’ll be back tomorrow. No! Do not let Andre post anything yet! We’ll discuss it when I get back. Okay. Great. Thanks, Amber. Bye.” He shook his head as he hung up the phone.

“Boss giving you trouble?” Loki asked with a smirk.

“Ha ha. We all know you’re the boss of me.”

“Is that so? Well then, Mr. Barnes…”

“Yes, Mrs. Barnes?”

“I think you’d better get up here and give me a back massage.”

“Since my sister is with child, Love and I will stay here for the time being. She insists that your work is too important for you to abandon, although I can’t say I understand why that means you can’t live here as well, James.”

Loki rolled her eyes. “Thor, for the last time, Midgard is much bigger than Asgard was! You cannot take the Bifröst to commute to New York! He will have a lot of obligations in Brooklyn that he must attend to personally, and because we are trying to keep things honest, I have to stay here until they process my immigration. Gods may be able to roam free without consequence elsewhere in the nine, but I am not trying to live the life of a God anymore.” Loki was a bit flushed and short of breath after her little rant, which caused Bucky to wrap an arm around her waist to steady her.

“Easy, doll. Let’s sit on the couch.” He guided her to the living room, Thor following after. “Look, we didn’t plan this. But the election cycle can’t be changed, so it’s now or wait another two years, at which point it may all be moot anyway. And now that we’re havin’ a kid, I want them to grow up in a better world— and this is how I can do that.”

Loki leaned her head on his shoulder and looked up at him adoringly. “With sincerity like that, I cannot imagine the people will vote against you.” Bucky chuckled in response.

“Still, it does not change the fact that you will be away while Loki—”

“Thor, have you ever been around a pregnant woman before?” Loki asked sharply.

He spluttered. “I am the god of fertility! Of course I—”

“I don’t mean at conception, you oaf! Mother was the goddess of childbirth. And it seems to me there were never any men around as she practiced that duty.” Loki sighed. “It is not a pleasant sight, and far too painful and emotional for men to handle. You are fragile creatures. James and I will stay in contact, and he will visit as time allows. But I support his decision to run for office, and that means sacrifice. For both of us. And if that means I have to put up with your hovering… So be it.”

Thor creased his brows. “I admit, I am perhaps not as attentive as I ought to be. Had I known you had returned to New Asgard, I would have come back sooner. And to think, that you should be married, and to Barnes? After I spent so much time with his counterpart, I find it difficult to separate them. And to see you changed so completely. I wish to be a better brother to you than I was—”

“But that’s just it, Thor. I’m not that Loki. I can never replace him, no matter how much you want me to. I appreciate your support, but you are no more my brother than I am yours.”

Thor frowned. “As I see it, we have both lost too much family to reject what we have found.”

Bucky leaned his forehead against Loki’s. “He’s got a point, sweetheart.”

“I thank you, James. For in you I have gained another brother, and while I may not understand what it is you are doing, you will have my support.”

“I appreciate that. But the best support you can give me is to make sure Loki’s okay.”

“I can take care of myself.” She grumbled.

“I know you can, it’s more of the will. We don’t need your anxiety running things around here. You don’t know what could happen, you’ve never been pregnant before!”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “If you believe half of the tales Midgard has written about me, I gave birth to a horse.”

Silence swept the room for a brief moment, before all three burst into laughter, relieving the tension that had been building as Bucky’s departure drew nearer.

“Bucky, you know I can’t be seen to endorse any political candidates.” Sam said with a sigh through Bucky’s phone screen. “Captain America is supposed to stand for everyone.”

“And I ain’t askin’ you to. You don’t have to associate with me at all, if you don’t want to. Just… Go on a diplomatic visit to New Asgard? I know you don’t know Thor all that well, but at least you met the guy. I just need to make sure they’re taking care of my girl while I’m away.”

“I still can’t believe you eloped. I was so looking forward to throwing you a bachelor party, renting a tux, cheesing it up with an embarrassing speech… Seems like things progressed awfully quick.”

Bucky smirked. “That was pretty standard practice when I was young. Hell, most people I knew back then were married right out of high school. Anyway, don’t worry about all that. We had to promise Val we would have a second wedding, since Loki’s, ya know, royalty and all.”

“Oh, that’s not intimidating or anything.” Sam shook his head. “And you, going to be a dad! It’s surreal. Seems like just yesterday you were punching a hole in the roof of my car.”

“Screw you, Sam. I think I got the dad thing down, I’m great with kids.”

“What, ‘cause you let them climb you like a jungle gym?”

“Your nephews loved that shit.”

“Hah, yeah, they did. You’ll be all right.” Sam shook his head, a faint grin spreading across his face. “Don’t worry, I’ll check in every so often on your girl.” He paused a moment. “Wait, how does this all work? I mean, she’s obviously got human… compatible… parts. But does pregnancy last the same amount of time? When is she due?”

“Shit. I didn’t even think of that. I mean, it’s got to be similar, right? If I can get her pregnant, it can’t be all that different.”

Sam gave him a pointed look. “She’s a goddess. She makes you look young.”

“Makes me feel young, too.” Bucky huffed. “I’ll find out, I guess. Maybe I should ask your sister for help instead, since she’s actually had kids.”

“You leave Sarah out of your mess, Buck. She’s got enough going on right now.”

“Fine.” Bucky’s expression softened. “Thanks, Sam. I really owe you.”

“Hey, anything for my best friend.” Sam said with a grin, ending the call.

Chapter Text

Loki stood at the counter, picking at the remains of a roasted chicken with a fork.

Cravings were something she was unpleasantly surprised to discover, especially having lost the energy to cook. The damned parasite inside of her seemed to be affecting her seiðr as well, making eating an all-around irksome chore. Thor, of course, volunteered himself to help obtain anything she should desire, but Loki wasn’t quite ready to take him up on that offer at 3:00 am.

At least at this hour she was fairly certain she could hear a comforting voice, seeing as it was 8:00 pm in New York.

She let her fingers hover over the phone screen for a few moments before finally pressing ‘call.’ It was less than one ring before James’ face filled her screen, his expression looking downright worried.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart? Do you need me to come there? Are you in pain?”

Loki blinked. “Why does something have to be wrong? Can’t I just want to talk to my husband?”

He was quiet a moment, so she took in his face. His hair had gotten longer, and he had it slicked back neatly. His beard had grown in quite nicely and really suited his face, making his blue eyes stand out all the more… It was a good thing she was already in love with him, or she’d probably be falling for him again.

“Loki. What time is it there?” He said with the air of someone who damn well knew the answer, but didn’t want to ask the obvious follow-up question.

“I couldn’t sleep. The only thing I could do was feed it chicken. I hate this.”

“It?”

“Well, it isn’t developed enough for me to call it an infant. The fetus? Do you prefer I use a different term?”

“You know I love you, right?” His voice was slightly strained.

“I am causing you undue stress. I apologize. I did not mean to worry you, my darling.”

“Now don’t be like that, doll. You’re never a burden. I guess… Hearing you talk like that? Well, it’s a little jarring. And I don’t know if it’s a cultural thing or a you thing. You’re not exactly the standard for normal in any society.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“You kiddin’? It’s the best thing. Wouldn’t want you any other way.”

“Well, if it isn’t my favourite Midwesterners.”

Jenny and Jihoon exchanged glances. Any conversation that starts like that was sure to be interesting. “Is there something we can help you with?” Jenny squeaked out.

“I’m actually hoping you can find something for me.”

Jihoon’s expression was oddly panicked. “I put ketchup on my hot dogs!” He blurted out. Jenny shot him an incredulous look.

Bucky quirked up an eyebrow. “Okay...”

“I don’t like deep dish pizza.” Jihoon added in a near whisper.

“Is that relevant somehow?” Bucky turned to Jenny, who was equally perplexed.

“I think he’s trying to communicate with us.” She deadpanned.

Jihoon schooled his expression for a moment. “For legal reasons I will not give my opinion on Malört.”

Bucky pinched his nose in confusion. “I have no idea what that even is.”

Jenny stared for a second. “Are you just saying things that are Chicago references or something? Like we expect you to be all those stereotypes?” She furrowed her brows. “You do realize we’re both Asian, right?”

Bucky looked up at that assertion. “You were born in America, weren’t you? You’re American.”

Jihoon huffed. “But my parents were born in Korea, so our fridge always smells like kimchi. Doesn’t exactly scream ‘Chicago.’”

Jenny shrugged. “I’m Hmong. My parents were refugees from Laos.”

“And Steve’s folks were from Ireland, and yet they still let him be Captain America. You two are from that mysterious place that us folks on the coasts like to call ‘flyover country,’ but I’d say if anything that’s even more what people think of when they think ‘America,’ don’t you?”

“I don’t know what things were like in the old days—” Jenny paused a moment, thinking better of continuing that line of thought. “What exactly did you want to know, anyway, Sergeant Barnes?”

“First, I don’t know how many times I have to tell you kids to just call me Bucky. You can’t pull that respecting your elders thing on me, otherwise the only people I’d have to respect are in New Asgard. And that brings me to the thing I wanted to know. Are you baseball fans?”

Bucky was somehow unaffected by the stares from his staffers as they tried to process this seeming non sequitur.

“You know,” Jihoon started slowly, almost patronizing. “When I was in middle school, we took a field trip to the Museum of Science and Industry. They have this huge model train there, with scale models of downtown Chicago and Seattle.”

Bucky looked at him expectantly. “And?”

“I just wonder if those tracks are long enough to hold your train of thought, since it’s gone off the rails here.”

Jenny had to stifle a laugh as Bucky’s expression went through several stages, from flabbergasted to impressed. He finally just shook his head. “I remember now, Chicago is where all the good comedians come from. How’d you end up here?”

“I’m just in this for the credits. And, of course, all of the prestige of an unpaid internship.”

Bucky creased his brows. “I’m pretty sure we pay you.”

Jihoon shrugged. “Doesn’t make it any more prestigious.”

Bucky chuckled. “You’re right, though. I did sort of miss an important middle of that question. That part being my lovely wife, who called me at three in the morning her time while picking cold chicken off a carcass, which I really hope is pregnancy related.”

“I am so lost.” Jenny shook her head.

“Look, the two most important moments of my life with Loki involved a baseball game. One was in Queens, when I ran into her at a Mets game after I thought she was gone, and realized I had to find her again. But the first one, the moment I realized I fell for her even though I thought she’d never feel the same, well— that happened in Minneapolis.”

“Oh, you went to a Twins game?” Jenny asked.

Jihoon rolled his eyes and made a motion to excuse himself. “Yeah, I’m not a sports guy. Sorry.”

Bucky nodded, dismissing him, then turned back to Jenny. “Yeah. You a fan?”

“I’ve been to a few games. I have cousins in St. Paul. Plus, I’m a lot closer to Minnesota than Milwaukee, so we usually get their games on TV even though it’s a different state.”

“I see.” Bucky bit his lower lip in thought, trying to decide how to phrase this. “You know, when I was a kid, baseball was everything, especially in New York. We had the Brooklyn Dodgers. Steve and I were such huge fans… Ah, anyway, it was a disappointment to learn they’d moved out west. I thought I’d try to like the Mets, especially after what happened there, but it’s not quite the same, you know? So I thought about it, about that game Loki and I went to in Minnesota, and I, well, maybe— I’d like to get some kinda clothes for the baby with the Twins logo on it. Just as a… Well.” He trailed off, feeling very self-conscious all of the sudden.

Jenny’s face lit up with a huge grin. “Oh, wow, that is so romantic. Yeah, I can help you out. I’ll call up my cousins, maybe they can look around, see what’s out there.”

“I’ll send the money. Just let me know what it costs.” He looked as serious as Jenny had ever seen him.

“Will do, boss.”

“Thank you. For doing this. I know it’s not in your job description. And…” He sighed. “For not thinking I’m crazy.”

She waved her hand dismissively. “It’s no trouble, I love a good love story. For the record though? You are crazy.”

He huffed out a laugh. “I suppose I am.”

“That’s not a bad thing.”

Okay, time to rip off that bandage.

Bucky couldn’t very well go off telling the world that his wife was with child when he hadn’t told his best friend.

Sure you have— At least one of them. Sam would certainly think so.

Well, who was he to argue with his own mind?

You’re kind of the expert at that, jerk.

That he was.

He held his phone and stared at Steve’s contact. It felt like something too intimate to say over the phone to his oldest friend. He should really go in person. He just… Didn’t have much time these days.

Then make time, you idiot. This is important.

Sighing, he instead flipped to Sam’s contact and pressed call.

“Well, if it isn’t my favourite cyborg. To what do I owe the pleasure this time?” Sam’s rich voice laughed over the phone. “Is it twins?”

Bucky was glad this wasn’t a video call, because Sam’s joke was unknowingly bringing to mind his little baseball plan.

“Nah, don’t think so. Still just a blob.” He paused. “Do you have free time today?”

“Why, you finally gonna take me on that date?”

“You’re insufferable. It would never work out.”

“I am a delight. But I am also not risking the wrath of a pregnant woman, I know better. What do you need, Buck?”

Never could put anything past Sam. “I was hopin’… Well, I think I need to tell Steve in person.”

“And you want me to come with.”

Bucky sighed. “Never mind, this was a bad idea.”

“Hold on, man. I get it. This is heavy stuff. And… He’s not the same, right? It’s hard to deal with conflicting emotions like that. I got your back. I can be there by noon.”

Bucky was silent for a minute, but Sam didn’t press him. “Yeah. Thanks.”

“Can’t let my best guy down.”

“Jeez, Buck, try not to look like someone’s dying. I’m not dying yet.” Steve squinted. “Oh, hey Sam. Both of you at once? Am I dying?”

Sam let out a heartfelt laugh. “You’re going to outlive the rest of us, old man.”

Steve grinned at that, before once more casting a worried look at Bucky. Steve had once thought he could read every expression on his best friend’s face, tell exactly what was on his mind. Hell, even after… But it was different now. Steve had lived an entire lifetime without Bucky, and whatever he once thought he knew about him was shrouded in the mysteries of faded memory.

Of course, it hadn’t been that long for Bucky, so he could still see right through Steve. He looked over at Sam, who nodded at him. “I’ll go see if I can track down some coffee.” He walked out, quietly but firmly shutting the door behind him.

Bucky quickly moved to pull up a chair beside Steve, who was propped up on an armchair by the window.

A pang of nostalgia washed through Steve as a memory resurfaced of a much smaller man, seated next to a Bucky who had seemed so much bigger, staring through the apartment window into Brooklyn. The days when their biggest worries were their next meal, or if Steve would last through a harsh winter.

He didn’t regret his choice. He had a wonderful life. Still, though he knew Bucky would never admit it, he had been hurt. Even as the Blip made Steve age five years while Bucky was gone, he would always try to play the role of Steve’s big brother, his protector. Bucky would never stand in the way of Steve’s happiness, even if it meant sacrificing his own.

And though he was sure Bucky had written him off as oblivious long ago, it was his wife who helped him realize just why Bucky had been so self-sacrificing to him. Well, it only took him… Time travel was too confusing. He reckoned he’d been around fifty by that point. Still, Bucky wasn’t even that old yet, at least in appearance. If he had stayed, would Bucky have ever said anything? Or would he have kept wallowing in his own misery for the rest of his life, just for the chance to be around him?

They were still products of their time. Some things would never be said aloud. At least not by him.

Bucky seemed to be collecting his thoughts, the fingers of his right hand curling and uncurling while his vibranium hand remained clenched in a fist on his knee. Steve didn’t press, he knew he’d let it out when he was ready.

“Did you… Did you have kids, Stevie? In your other timeline?”

That certainly wasn’t what Steve was expecting. “No. We weren’t opposed to them. We just… Never got around to it, I guess.”

Bucky nodded. “I suppose, you bein’ an only child an’ all.” He sighed. “I was always surrounded by people to look after, ya know? Becca, ‘till she was old enough to help Ma out herself, and then some blond punk who kept getting beat up in alleys.”

Steve managed a half-hearted chuckle at that.

“I guess when we were young it was always assumed that was part of the whole package. You find a gal, settle down, have kids. That was life. Until it wasn’t.”

“I doubt I woulda had that kind of life, even if the war hadn’t come.”

Bucky looked up sharply at that statement, eyes more focused. “Don’t be so sure of that, punk. I think you had more admirers than you realize.” He hung his head back down, looking almost ashamed.

“Yeah, but back then we couldn’t get married.” Steve kept his tone light, but heard Bucky’s sharp inhale, causing him to regret saying anything.

“But you’re the one who got it, in the end. Even if you didn’t have ankle biters, you still had a home. A life. Someone you settled down with.”

“You miss Loki, is that it? Long distance ain’t exactly the picture of a marriage we had back when, is it?”

Bucky huffed; a humourless chuckle. “Weird to think that immigrants had an easier time back then in some ways, huh? Not all of them, of course.” He added the last part hastily, making Steve think there was a little more to that statement than he was letting on. Just how much had freely living in the 21st century for the past few years changed Bucky Barnes?

“You’ll get her here. I’ve been following your campaign, Buck. I never thought you’d be so good at politics, but really, I should have known better. You’ve always been a good advocate for others. Honestly, you’re too damned selfless if anything.”

He didn’t deny it, knowing that was how this mess had started for him in the first place— trying to be everything for everyone.

“It’s been hard, but at least with these video phone things I can see her face. Now though, I’m not sure I can do this anymore.”

Steve gave his friend a worried look. “Why not? What’s changed?”

Bucky buried his face in his hands and mumbled low enough that it was only Steve’s still serum-enhanced hearing that picked it up. “She’s pregnant.”

“Holy shit. You’re gonna be a dad, jerk? That’s great news!”

Bucky managed to look up with a smile that seemed only half-forced. With his hair and beard growing back out, anyone else might miss that hint of a grimace behind it, but it couldn’t fool Steve for a second. “Yeah. Just what I always dreamed of.”

“But not like this.”

“Not like this.”

“Well, since when do things turn out the way we imagine them? If there’s anything I’ve learned about your Loki it’s that she’s as self-sacrificing as you, to a fault. If it didn’t happen unexpectedly, would it have happened at all?”

Bucky snorted. “Says the ‘Man with a Plan.’ You’re right though, she’d never ask me to give up anything, but all that means is I’m giving up being there for her, when she needs me most. Hell, you’re probably the only one who can even come close to understanding her, seeing as you spent so much time in another universe yourself. Difference is, she can’t go back. She already made the ultimate sacrifice in a way, and now she’s wastin’ her time on me. Except she ain’t, because I’m not there. She’s wastin’ it being tied down to me.”

“And that hurts, right? But does she see it that way?”

“What?” Bucky snapped out of whatever brooding he’d been doing, as if that never occurred to him.

“She chose you. After everything. Do you think she sees you as a waste of her time? If she’s half as powerful as that other Loki, she could go anywhere she wanted. But she chose to be somewhere she didn’t want to be, just to be able to stay with you. I hate to say it Buck, but I think your wife might be in love with you.”

Bucky’s mouth twitched, but before he could reply they heard a knock on the door, and Sam returning with the promised coffee. “So, you tell him yet?”

“That I finally get to be Uncle Steve and spoil his kids rotten?”

Bucky rolled his eyes. “More like Grandpa Steve now.”

Steve put a hand to his chest feigning offence. “But I’m younger than you!”

“Only when it’s convenient.”

“Will you two relax?” Sam looked between them. “We all know I’m the cool uncle. I’ve got experience.” He winked at Steve. “Besides, he’s not old enough to be their Grandpa. No matter how you slice it, he’s still younger than their actual Uncle Thor.”

Steve let out a strangled sound at that. “It completely escaped my mind that Thor is your brother-in-law now.”

“Well, not really, she ain’t his Loki.”

“You think that bothers him any?” Sam gave him a stern look. “Dude has already been referring to you as his brother, you’d best believe he considers Loki his sister.”

“Thor’s never been great with secrets, either. Better make sure you don’t tell him about me.”

“Don’t worry Stevie, I sure as hell don’t plan on it.”

Chapter Text

Loki’s phone screen lit up, and she answered it without looking. She only realized it was a video call when it stayed bright, and then it took another minute to register who was calling.

“Steven?”

“Hey there, Loki. I thought I should check and see how you were doing. Hanging in there alright?”

“I take it James told you.”

He chuckled. “That he did. I’m happy for you both, really. I don’t think you realize how good you are for him.”

She frowned. “I think you might have that backwards. I would not have survived this existence without him. The most difficult part of this whole… Pregnancy thing is not having James with me.”

Steve hummed. “You two really are meant for each other. I never thought I’d live to see it, but after everything you’ve both been through, you deserve to be happy. To have a life. I only hope other people can see that, and you can come home.”

Loki allowed herself a smile at that. “Home? Now where would that be?”

“Wherever Bucky is.”

“That… Thank you, Steven. I’m grateful you called.”

Admittedly the best part of running as an independent was not having to survive a primary election. Getting his name out there right away gave Bucky a slight edge over the candidates that did— and stopped any opponents from criticizing him for leaving the country again during his campaign. He had convinced Amber to hold off on the announcement of his impending fatherhood until after he returned; he would be there for Loki’s ultrasound, and get a photo to share. He had to admit, the idea that he would have no privacy as he started his family irked him, but he supposed that would be the case even if he weren’t running for office; he had been a hero, hadn’t he? Or so everyone kept saying. Unless they were calling him a villain.

Loki was sitting on a chair in the waiting room, humming to herself. Bucky, on the other hand, was pacing nervously.

“You’re going to wear a path in the floor, darling. Come sit.” She patted the chair next to her. Bucky obeyed, resting his right hand on her knee as her head lay on his shoulder.

“It’s going to be okay, right? We’re having a kid, this is just… A confirmation?”

She laughed, an altogether pleasant sound that Bucky had been dearly missing. “James, I wonder how you pass your days without me. We’re here to see the progress. And if we want, they can tell us what we are having.”

“What we’re having.”

“My guess is a baby, but who knows. Did you know there is a myth where I give birth to an eight-legged horse?”

Bucky froze for a moment. “Was the horse part spider?”

She laughed again, poking him in the nose with her index finger.

Just then her name was called, and they walked in together to finally see the beginnings of the family they were creating.

“Oh.” The ultrasound technician sounded surprised, which to Bucky seemed like the kind of thing you didn’t want from a medical professional.

“What is it? Is everything okay?” Bucky couldn’t help his voice sounding a bit frantic.

“Well,” the technician looked first to Bucky, before setting her gaze on Loki with a smile. “I hope you wanted a big family.” She pointed to the screen; vague shapes that barely made sense at first, but soon it was clear what she was pointing at. “You’re having twins.”

Part of Bucky wanted to burst out laughing, remembering Sam’s comment, as well as the surprise he had been planning. Of course, that would ruin it, so instead he stared incredulously at his wife.

“Oh, how convenient.” Loki said dryly. “Two children for the price of one.”

The technician looked a bit taken aback by that comment, leaving Bucky smiling apologetically for Loki’s lack of tact. He of course, would expect nothing else.

“Did you want to know the sex of the babies?”

Bucky looked down at Loki, who shrugged. “I’m fine either way. Do you want to know, James?”

He thought about it. He had a feeling that his staff might use that information to make him seem more down to earth when they made their announcement. Make him more relatable or whatever they thought best.

“Can you write it down and put it in an envelope or something? I want to think about it.”

“Sure, we can do that.”

“Twins.” Loki murmured. Bucky squeezed her hand, looking with awe at the screen.

“We’ll make a video.” Andre said matter-of-factly, wheels turning in his head about how he could maximize positive coverage of this announcement— That James ‘Bucky’ Barnes was going to be a father, and he’d fight as hard for the families of Brooklyn as he would for his own.

Bucky would rather avoid using the word ‘fight’ since that was all people thought he was good for, but he reluctantly agreed it was a good strategy.

Andre continued his pitch. “We can have Amber open the envelope and tell you what you’re having while we film; that way the reaction will be genuine, really endear you. We could have you doing a video call with Loki so you find out together, do some kind of mash up of the video feeds so we can really humanize the two of you."

Bucky seethed at the choice of words, even though he knew Andre meant nothing by it; Mack must have picked up on his discomfort as she pointed it out.

“Uh, seeing as his wife isn’t human, maybe not the best thing to say? And certainly enough people have used Bucky’s prosthetic to imply he’s not entirely human…”

“Ugh.” Andre scoffed. “You know what I mean. Relatable. Capable of emotions. That sort of thing."

“It isn’t the worst plan.” Amber conceded. She turned to Bucky. “We don’t have to stream it live or anything; you can give the final approval.”

“Fine.” Bucky scowled. “If you really think it will help.”

When he called Loki to tell her the plan, she was the picture of domesticity; sitting in a rocking chair, embroidering a pillowcase with vines.

“And you really think it will help you? If your public… Sees me? Knows my name?”

“They’ll have to eventually, sweetheart. May as well get ahead of it, let them warm up to you. I’m not letting anyone make me choose between you and my campaign; you will always come first.”

Loki shook her head. “I do not know where you get this protective nature from, but I suppose I should not complain; it is the sort of instinct that is ideal in a father.”

He heard Jenny and Amber whispering behind him, snapping him back to reality.

“Is she always like this?”

“No, usually she’s worse.”

Amber’s tone was light-hearted enough, and Bucky let it go. Still, the idea that this intimate moment would potentially be seen by millions of people? He just had to concentrate on Loki, they could get through this together.

Andre finished setting up the cameras, motioning for Amber to grab the envelope and prepare.

Loki seemed to be looking around for something.

“Everything alright there, sweetheart?”

“Hmm? Oh yes. I’m just wondering if I should find a better background.”

She was in the master bedroom of the cottage, with the window behind her leaving her face somewhat shadowed.

“Can you find somewhere with better lighting?” Andre suggested. “We want to be able to see your reactions.”

Loki hummed, standing up with a slight groan. “Why does no one ever talk about the potential for unrelenting backaches when you have unprotected sex?”

Bucky could almost hear the jaws of his staff dropping simultaneously. He just chuckled. “Loki, maybe we need a little more of your silver tongue and a little less of the acid.”

“Fine. But I’m making hot chocolate.”

She kept one hand flat against her back as the other carried the phone, eventually making her way into the kitchen where she put on the kettle before setting up the phone on the table, allowing her to see without having to hold it.

“Is this better light?”

“Perfect.” Andre replied. “We’re ready whenever you are.”

“As soon as the water’s boiled.” Bucky found himself inspecting his clothing; they’d opted to keep him in a casual look for this, a blue henley and jeans. Perfect dad vibes, so they claimed.

He heard the click of the kettle reaching temperature, and Loki stood, pouring water into a mug she had set aside before stirring it and returning to the table.

“Ready.” She said.

After Andre started filming, Amber walked over to Bucky, entering the frame with an envelope in hand. “Are you two ready to find out what you’re having? I’ve got it right here.”

They both nodded anxiously, murmuring their assent.

She opened the envelope, staring at the paper a moment with her own eyes widening. “Wow.” She broke into a grin as she turned to Bucky, Loki’s face inched closer to the screen as she tried to catch a glimpse.

“Twins. One boy, one girl.”

Right on cue, both Bucky and Loki’s emotions rose to the surface. For two people who had spent most of their life concealing their feelings, it was as if they were making up for lost time. Loki was squealing with delight; Bucky was on the verge of joyous tears.

“I can’t believe it.” He managed at last. “One of each. Our family.”

“We’re having children, James. We’re going to be parents.”

He couldn’t help the giggle that left his mouth. “Loki, you’re the one who’s pregnant.”

“I know, but somehow it didn’t quite feel real before. Like it was just a particularly bad stomachache or bout of nausea. But this… This means something. I love you so much. I can’t wait to meet Jameson and Jamesdottir. Our children.”

“Not Lokison and Lokidottir?”

“It would be ‘Lokadottir’. But you know how it is. The mother does all the hard work, and the father gets the credit.”

Bucky guffawed. “I miss you, sweetheart. You have no idea how much it’s killing me not to be there for you, for our family. I love you more than I ever thought I could. I never thought—” He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. “I never thought I would ever have this. After everything I went through, everything I did. I don’t deserve you, I don’t deserve this, but I’m so glad you came crashing into my life.”

“So am I, James. And none of that belittling yourself; you deserve all of this, and more. Now stop being so sentimental, or I won’t be able to sleep tonight.”

“Well, we can’t have that, can we? Have a good night, sweetheart. I’ll talk to you again tomorrow.”

“I’m counting on it.”

Loki hung up the phone, and Bucky suddenly remembered where he was as Andre motioned to cut the video there.

“Wow.” Mack said incredulously. “You two are perfect for each other. If anyone sees this and still thinks you’re a cold-blooded killer, then I really have to wonder what’s wrong with them.”

“I’ll send you the edited version for approval by the end of the day.” Andre said, disassembling the tripod that held the camera.

Bucky nodded, still coming down from the raw emotions in his heart.

Chapter Text

jbbarnesforcongress

[video.mp4]

Sergeant and Mrs. Barnes have a big announcement to make!

>Who knew the Winter Soldier was such a romantic?

>umm is his wife really named loki? like… THAT loki?

>this is so sweet! bucky barnes deserves this after everything he’s been through

>whaaat he’s married?! so much for my fantasy life

>why isn’t his wife with him? shouldn’t a politician know better?

>>dude that’s part of his platform. she can’t be, she’s waiting for a visa. pretty fucked up to keep the pregnant wife of a citizen out if you ask me.

>DO THEY REALLY EXPECT US TO BELIEVE THIS? HE SHOULD BE LOCKED UP, NOT SHOWING OFF.

>is this supposed to convince me to vote for him? anyone can have a baby.

>OMG twins! How adorable are they going to be??

“Well,” Andre said with a frown, “the comments are not as bad as they could have been, I suppose. And there are more positive than negative ones.”

“Hooray.” Bucky deadpanned.

“I’d venture a guess that most of the negative comments aren’t even from potential voters, just your run of the mill internet trolls.” Andre continued. “Overall, I think this is a step in the right direction for the campaign.”

“Well, I’m so glad I could time impregnating my wife to help the campaign.”

“Aren’t you overdoing the sarcasm a little, boss?” Jenny chimed in from across the room.

“Me? Never.”

Loki woke up slowly, feeling warm and comfortable in a way she hadn’t been in a while.

A arm was draped around her middle, while her head was resting against a firm shoulder. She heard a light snore and sighed in contentment.

Wait. If I’m leaning against his right shoulder, then shouldn’t the left arm be…

Her eyes snapped open and she took in the man beside her.

“Thor! What the Hel are you doing here?”

Thor snorted and rolled over. “Ah, sister. Feeling better?”

“Better?” Loki asked quietly, suddenly unsure how long she’d been out.

“Do you not remember? You had a fever, which can be quite dangerous when you are with child. You were chilled, and having nightmares. Val and I have done everything we could to keep you warm and fed.”

“I— No, I don’t remember. Does James…”

“You begged us not to tell him. He has much to worry about already, important things for his campaign, you did not wish to have him drop it for you.”

Loki groaned. “Well, that sounds like something a self-sacrificing idiot would say.”

Thor beamed at that. “That is what Val told you yesterday.”

“Ugh.”

“Well, it appears you are at least through the worst of it. Let me make you breakfast. I have improved my skills at panflaps of late.”

Loki didn’t question it, just laid back on her side and propped herself up with the curved pillow that was supposed to help with pregnancy pain.

This was going to be the first town hall Bucky held since revealing Loki’s pregnancy, and while he certainly planned to focus on the issues, Mack and Amber were trying to coach him on the inevitable slew of questions about his wife. It was easy enough to brush off reporters when they veered away from the actual campaign, but potential voters were an entirely different matter.

“I know you’re great at hiding it,” Mack said gently, “But if the topic comes up, you have to let your emotions through. Sentiment is going to win average people over to you. They have to know you really are still human under that whole broody tough guy act.”

“I’m not broody.” Bucky argued weakly.

“Tell that to your fangirls.” Amber huffed in amusement.

“Fangirls? Do I even want to know what you mean by that?”

“Probably not.” Mack replied. “Anyway, don’t be afraid to show people how you really feel. Let your passion for your wife spill over into your responses, and you’ll seem like you’re just another guy, one of them. That when they send you to congress, you’re going to care about the same things they care about, be a true representative of Brooklyn.”

Bucky nodded, but paced the floor restlessly.

“We still have about twenty minutes.” Amber was looking at her watch. “Why don’t you give her a quick call? You’ll feel better after you check in.”

Bucky nodded, before stepping into the hall and dialling the number.

After a few rings, the screen finally changed— to reveal Thor.

“Oh! Brother! Loki is resting. Should I wake her?”

“Uh, hey, Thor. What’s going on? What are you doing there?”

He could sense Thor’s hesitation even through the screen.

“What’s wrong? Is she sick? I should be there. I can leave—”

“No. That is precisely why I am here. She had a fever, though she is much improved and simply resting now. She knew you would worry, and,” he cleared his throat, trying and failing to do an impression of Loki, “‘overreact and do something stupid.’”

Bucky shook his head. “You know, I get the feeling stubbornness is something those kids are going to have in spades.”

“Prepare for your meetings. I will take care of your wife, until she is well enough to send me away.”

“Thor, thank you. I really… Well, this is so much harder than I could ever have imagined. I haven’t even known Loki for two years yet, and the fact that we’re in this position is still boggling my mind. I just, well, I love her. I don’t know what I would do if anything happened.”

“I am glad she has made her way here. I miss my brother dearly, but she had carved her own place in my heart. And you are better for her than anything. Good luck, James. We will speak again soon.” Thor disconnected the call.

Bucky shook his head as he walked back to where the others were waiting.

“Feel better?” Amber asked.

“You know, it’s pretty handy having the God of Thunder for a brother-in-law.”

“Oh yeah!” Mack squealed. “Maybe you should mention that.”

“After everything this planet has been through in the past decade or so, I don’t know why this is so hard to believe. New Asgard has been established for years, they have formal relations with most countries, including the US. Half of us were gone for five years because an alien snapped his fingers, and there are countless supernatural threats out there. Hell, half of the crazy shit that happens is in New York, and still I can’t convince you that there are other timelines out there? I’d bring in an expert, but I don’t want to owe Strange any more favours.” Bucky was doing his best to stay calm, but it hadn’t taken long for the questions about his family to start.

“Yeah, but how do we know? We’re just supposed to take your word for it?” A particularly aggressive man was shouting over the din, and enough people were recording this, not to mention the official live stream, that Bucky felt he couldn’t just ignore it, however frantically Amber was trying to steer his focus elsewhere.

“Look, pal, you know my story, right? It’s why I have to prove myself every single day. I wasn’t here in 2012, I didn’t witness anything. But that Loki is gone. Dead. My wife, when I met her, had been pulled from her own universe. She was scared, tried everything to get back, but she’s stuck. So she made the most of it. Thor adopted her as his sister; he knows she’s not the same, but he still considered her family. And after everything he lost? I’m not gonna argue with him. It was months before I saw her again, meeting up by coincidence. I thought she had gone back. We reconnected, and, well… I fell for her. She was misunderstood, but never a villain in her timeline. And it kills me every day that we’re apart, but we are trying to do the right thing. To follow the laws I’m running to help write. To make things easier for all of the families in a similar situation— not the being married to a goddess thing, but the having loved ones overseas, stuck in an endless mountain of immigration paperwork and red tape that does nothing to make our citizens any safer; it only tears families apart. I should be with her. She’s having my child. My children. And I can only watch through a screen while the King of New Asgard takes her to medical appointments, and the God of Thunder himself makes her lingonberry pancakes when she has trouble sleeping.

I don’t want this campaign to be about me. I especially don’t want it to be about my past; hell, I’d rather we didn’t have to focus on my present. I want to talk about the future. For all of us. We can’t keep ignoring how much the world has changed. How different things were not all that long ago. And how important it is that we make things better, that we improve people’s lives. That we make families safe and whole. That instead of focusing on insignificant red tape that does nothing to actually keep this country safe, we streamline the process. Prioritize families, and the immigrants who keep this country running. After all, when it comes down to it, isn’t that what we all are? We’re just schmucks trying to make a living, and make the best of what we have. There’s no special privilege just because your family immigrated sooner than someone else’s.

You want the cold, hard truth? You think my wife might be a problem for me? I was born in 1917. I grew up during the great depression, and a pretty significant chunk of you read about me in history books as the only Howling Commando killed in action. Sometimes I wished I had died falling off that train. Or back in the HYDRA prison before my best friend showed up looking all muscled and strong and broke me out. You know, the whole reason you think of Steve Rogers as a hero, and not a propaganda tool, which is all Captain America was supposed to be. But Steve Rogers before that? The skinny asthmatic kid who kept getting beat up in alleys because he never backed down from a fight? Well, that ‘All-American’ hero was the son of Irish immigrants, raised by a single mother after his Pa died in the Great War. We were poor as hell, but we had each other. Back then, that’s all anyone had— your family, friends, neighbours, we all had to look out for each other. Share what we had, help who we could. You didn’t know when it would be you who was laid off, who got too sick, who had their hours cut back. So you helped when you could and folks would do the same for you. If they hadn’t, Steve would’ve died in the ‘30s and I sure as hell wouldn’t be here now to talk about all of this. So I want to make it very clear. This platform I’m running on? It’s very personal to me. Not just because of my present, but because I have seen what things could be when people work together instead of against each other. When people embrace their differences because they’re all hurtin’ the same. Instead of focusing on what someone did wrong, focusing on what they could do right. So I want everyone here to know, yeah, I’m selfish. Fighting for my family. But I still want to do the same for everyone else, because just maybe, they’ll still be around to do something great.”

The audience was stunned silent for a bit. He caught sight of Jihoon somewhere in the back mouthing holy shit. If Bucky were honest with himself, he had no idea where that passionate rant had come from, but it seemed to have gotten his point across better than any prepared speech could have.

But there’s always gotta be a heckler.

“So why didn’t you become Captain America after he disappeared? Wouldn’t that have been a better plan?”

Bucky seethed at that idea. “Are you kidding me right now? Steve… Well, he wasn’t what everyone thought he was. But he tried to help people, stand up to bullies. Because he cared. But the world we have now is not the one he left. I didn’t have the luxury of a 70 year nap like he did; I saw all too much of how corrupt things were after our war ended. So yeah, all of the threats he faced with the Avengers made the guy a little jaded, and I can’t blame him. But he never lost faith in people. I’m not Steve. I’ve been low, I’ve done things I can’t take back. I know he’d argue with me, tell me I’m loyal, that I care too much, that I just want to protect people like I did for him when we were young. And maybe that’s true, maybe that’s what I’m tryna do now. But even he knew that Captain America needed to be someone who still has faith in people. He made the right call when he left his shield to Sam Wilson.” Bucky rolled his eyes. “Please don’t tell Sam I said that, his ego’s big enough already. But while he isn’t Steve Rogers, I couldn’t think of a better man to represent what this country is now. Steve was the past, and he’s gone. I’m another relic, and while maybe I’m still a few years older than your average congressperson, I know I can be far more effective changing things for the better from Washington than trying to continue the same fight I’ve been losing for a century with my fists.”

Another hush, followed by applause— far more than Bucky would have expected, and he didn’t miss the impressed grin and thumbs up his staff gave him. Maybe there was something to this passion thing after all.

Chapter Text

“Loki, you have to eat.”

“Noooooo,” she whined, “everything makes me want to vomit.”

Bucky sighed, wishing he could just reach through the phone and hold her close until she felt better. “Please don’t make me call Thor, sweetheart. He will force-feed you.”

“You’re so mean, James. You want me to suffer.” Loki attempted to give him a sort of pitiful look, which she’d never quite got right.

Bucky, on the other hand, gave her that stare that he’d perfected, the one Sam would always gave him shit for. Finally, she relented with a frustrated moan.

“Fine. I’ll make some toast.”

“And you’re going to eat it in front of me.”

Loki groaned as she carefully stood from where she had been sprawled on the couch. Evenings like this were rare— well, it was a Sunday afternoon for Bucky, but still. They tried to make time at least once a week for an extended video call while they watched a baseball game together. 1:00 pm in New York was 8:00 pm in New Asgard, so they realistically could only do this when there were day games that happened to match a gap in Bucky’s schedule. Still, he cherished every moment of it. It was one of the few things they could agree to watch in the background while they talked about their mundane lives, or just watch the same thing at the same time to give the illusion of each other’s presence. And of course, it was always a precious reminder of how Bucky had fallen in love with Loki, and how they had found each other once again.

Loki returned to the living room holding a plate with two slices of toast, covered in red jam.

“Is that strawberry?” Bucky asked.

“Lingonberry.” Loki replied, licking some off of her fingers.

“That seems to be popular there, you’re always talking about it. I’ll have to try it next time I get the chance. What’s it taste like?”

Loki tilted her head in thought for a moment. “It is rather tart. Perhaps the closest you may have had is cranberry?”

Bucky hummed. “Sounds great. Now eat it.”

Name recognition was never going to be an issue for Bucky, but interest in his campaign picked up significantly after the birth announcement post managed to go viral. A few likes from verified accounts with huge followings was enough to garner views far beyond Brooklyn. Probably one that Bucky expected least but certainly helped more than most was from Pepper Potts— Bucky had only met her briefly in the aftermath of the battle and Stark’s funeral, and could only assume she was fully aware of what he had done as the Winter Solider to her daughter’s grandparents. Yet there she was, CEO of Stark Industries, liking the post and commenting with a heart emoji.

“Well think about it,” Mack was trying to explain the finer points of internet fame to a 109 year old man, and it couldn’t be more obvious. “When was the last time an Avenger had a kid?”

“I’m not an Avenger.” Bucky grumbled.

“Former Avenger then. I’m pretty sure the last time I heard about one was hers— and half the world wasn’t here for that. Including you.”

“I was never an Avenger.” He mumbled, to himself more than her at this point.

“So of course they’re going to support you. You were all on the same team once.” Bucky made to argue again, but Mack put a hand up. “Did you, or did you not fight against Thanos together?”

He let out a defeated sigh. “Yes.”

“Plus she was friends with Steve, right? She’d want to support you, I’m sure after everything you and Cap went through last year—”

“Fine. I get it. The whole world knows my wife is pregnant with twins. I’m sure the comments are nothing but positive.” He said sardonically.

“Well…” Mack shifted uncomfortably.

Andre walked in at that moment, buzzing with excitement.

“Don’t worry boss, that’s why you hired me. I can handle the haters and trolls, but I think there’s a post you’re going to want to see, and then probably get Jenny one hell of a gift.”

Bucky’s brows knit in confusion as Andre held his phone out. Bucky took it, reading the post before breaking out into a huge grin.

“Is this serious?”

“Verified and all. They sent us a dm to get contact and delivery info and everything.”

Bucky returned his gaze to the screen, shaking his head in disbelief.

twins√

[photo.jpg]

We heard @jbbarnesforcongress and his wife are expecting twins, and @jennymoua93 also let slip that their first date was at Target Field— It’s kismet!

The picture showed a bear mascot holding up a pair of onesies with the Minnesota Twins logo on the front. If only he had known when he’d asked Jenny for that favour just how far it would go. He wondered idly if this media circus he now found himself in would ever slow down.

“Aunt Loki, they’re talking about you and Uncle Bucky a lot. Uncle Thor doesn’t know how to use these things, but it’s so easy. You should make your own account to talk to people!”

“Love,” Loki said carefully, “please tell me you’re not making posts on these awful sites.”

“They’re not awful! Look!” Love turned the screen around to show an animated image of a capybara immersed in a hot spring bath. “Isn’t that the best thing you’ve ever seen?”

Loki struggled to hide a smile. “It is… Adorable. But still, that doesn’t stop the fact that many people use this platform for dreadful gossip, saying terrible things about people they’ve never met simply because they are deemed ‘celebrities’ on the basis of their work.”

“People say bad things in real life too, Aunt Loki.” Love gave her as serious a stare as she could manage. She was more or less a teenager by Midgard standards now, and was starting to behave like it.

“But they usually at least have tact enough not to say it to my face. The anonymity these devices provide only leads to cruelty.”

“Don’t let them be cruel, then. Speak for yourself. You’re famous enough to get verified.”

Loki cringed at that assessment, knowing just how true it was. She did not particularly relish the idea, but the girl had a point.

“Uncle Bucky should probably make one too. He obviously doesn’t write these campaign posts.”

Loki snickered. “That is because James is somehow even more technologically inept than I am. He hires people for that kind of work.”

“Still.” Love went back to scrolling mindlessly on her phone. “He should put his voice out there too. Separate from the campaign stuff. That way people know he’s a person and not just what they read about him.”

Loki eyed her warily. “How much longer are you and Thor planning on staying?”

Love shrugged. “Dunno. I’m excited to have a cousin, and I know Uncle Thor isn’t going anywhere until you can live with Uncle Bucky again.” She leaned forward, whispering conspiratorially. “He’s really worried about you, you know. He’s a big softie.”

Loki sighed, trying not to roll her eyes. “Of course he is. Well, show me how this works, then.”

notthatloki√

[photo.jpg]

I am eating.

Bucky did a double take; the picture of waffles doused in syrup and what he could only assume was lingonberry sauce was apparently Loki’s first attempt at a post. A mild huff of amusement escaped him as he handed the phone back to Andre, who clearly had some opinions about the content.

“Either your wife is an incredibly adorable old lady, or she is secretly a surrealist Gen Z shitposter.”

“Hey, I feel like I need to object on behalf of all Gen Z shitposters. Don’t put this on us.” Jihoon was by far the youngest in the office, and it was hard to tell whether or not he was being sarcastic.

“Honestly, and I’m guessing at the meaning of shitposting here, I wouldn’t put either option past her.” Bucky sniggered.

“Well, I think if she’s going to be on there, you ought to have a personal account too. Keep the serious campaign stuff separate, and give people a chance to see your lighter side.” Andre was completely in advisor mode. “Don’t try to pretend you’re always Mr. Broody McGrumpypants either because we all know better.”

“Are we still speaking English?” Bucky tried to frown but found he was still too amused by Loki’s post. Maybe she was having a good effect on him after all— certainly he wasn’t dwelling on his past nearly as much as he had been when they’d met. For once he really had a future to look forward to, one not tainted by war and grief.

A family. His family.

The moment of introspection shattered when Amber burst into the room. “Get ready people, major event news!”

Bucky groaned. “How much am I going to hate this?”

She flashed him an enigmatic smile. “Oh, you’d be surprised.” She pulled out her phone and began reading a list of scheduled appearances before pausing dramatically. “Okay. Big ones now. Party primaries are over, and we have enough of a presence in the polls that we are invited to the first debate. Three candidates is pretty rare in this district guys, so we must be doing something right. But before that…” She looked straight at Bucky now. “I hope you’re prepared to be blown away, because our little viral moment is about to get you some real positive publicity again.”

Bucky looked at her skeptically, bracing for the worst.

“I hope you don’t mind, I took the liberty of saying yes to the invitation already, and the cat is really out of the bag now because they just posted about it.”

“Quit with the riddles, Martinez.”

She simply passed over her phone, and he was definitely not expecting what he saw on the screen.

mets√

[photo.jpg]

It’s official! Come join us next Saturday at Citi Field as the @mets take on the @marlins. @jbbarnesforcongress will be throwing out the first pitch! Game time is 6:07 p.m.

Bucky blinked a few times, still stunned. Andre took the phone out of his hand, scanning the post and humming approvingly.

“See? This is why you need your own handle. The fun stuff. I won’t force you to use it, but we’re setting up a personal account right now. You still have that box of old-ass pictures in your office? I think I have a perfect idea for your first post.”

“Please don’t embarrass me, Andre. I am old and frail, I can’t handle it.” Bucky deadpanned.

That got assorted snorts of laughter from around the room.

“Trust me boss, this is going to be great. Then it’s all on you.”

realbuckybarnes√

[photo.jpg]

We’ve come a long way.

A photo of a smiling teenaged Bucky in front of Ebbets Field in the early 1930s got him a mention from yet another baseball team.

dodgers√

[photo.jpg]

.@realbuckybarnes You should check out our new digs!

He had to admit, Dodger Stadium, with its Southern California charm, was an awfully beautiful sight.

But he knew there was no chance of him going to a game there until he could bring Loki with him.

Chapter Text

“This is too much, Joaquín. I could just watch it on the television.”

Joaquín was fiddling with a device that would project James' first pitch as a 3D hologram, no extra equipment necessary. “C’mon Loki, I know how much this means to both of you. If you can’t be there in person, this is the next best thing. Bucky’s gotta know his lady’s keeping an eye on him. Seeing him do his thing.”

Loki laughed. “He’s just throwing a baseball, Joaquín.”

“Yeah, but like, in front of a huge crowd. That’s big time.” A few more adjustments and a projection of the pitching mound took up most of the small living room. “Here we go! He’s coming up in a few.” Joaquín grinned, clearly proud of putting this together, and Loki tried not to roll her eyes at his over-enthusiasm. Still, she did appreciate the effort he had gone through; coming all the way to New Asgard just to make sure she could witness this occasion.

As James’ figure reached the mound, she held her breath as he wound up and threw the pitch. Just a bit outside, but far better than most ceremonial pitches she’d seen. She found herself smiling as she held her stomach, feeling proud of the man she’d married and all he had accomplished these past few years.

“Alright, let’s go over the opposition.” Amber was reading from a binder that was thick with notes and various articles. “The incumbent is Miriam Klein. This has been a pretty safe district for her, so she’s never had any extreme promises or radical policies. Easier to avoid scrutiny I guess, but the last few years have been rough, and a lot of people are itching for change. That’s where you come in— the things that just aren’t working anymore, the shift from the status quo. Get her to start being specific with policy, and her façade of liberalism will fall apart.”

“Right. Challenge the status quo.” Bucky’s tone was a bit monotonous, but he was trying to absorb the information.

“Our right-winger is Leonard Harris. He’s trying to double down on safety and the need to protect the middle-class post blip, conveniently forgetting that as many of them are struggling with jobs and housing as everyone else. He’s definitely going to challenge us on immigration and security; he’s the most likely to try and use your history against you. You just have to make everyone realize that you aren’t a villain, but you were shaped by your experiences. That you understand the common struggle, because you’ve been through it.”

“Still going through it.” He grumbled. “I don’t really care what they have to say about me, I’ve heard it all before. But if they start attacking Loki—”

“You won’t give them any soundbites they can take out of context.” Mack cut in.

“I think she needs to stay off the socials for at least a day after.” Andre suggested. “As adorable as her breakfasts are, she certainly hasn’t been afraid to leave comments with her… Opinions. Your wife is very protective, but she might get both of you in trouble.

Bucky hummed. “Yeah, she’s certainly good at trouble. She wasn’t the goddess of mischief for nothin’.”

“Okay, then.” Amber slid the binder across the table to Bucky. “The debate is Sunday afternoon. If all goes well, we may have a few fundraisers set up next week.”

“Not Wednesday though. I need to keep my schedule clear.”

“For what?”

“Loki’s ultrasound. This is the first real look at the twins. I have to be there.”

Amber frowned, and Mack was quick to speak up. “Look, I’m not sure that’s going to be our best optics right after the debate, especially if they attack you for your superhero connections…”

Bucky glared right back. “Optics be damned. 80 years ago this moment slipped away from the imaginable for me. I am finally getting the chance to start a family, and I am going to be there for my wife.”

“Did they have ultrasounds in the forties?” Andre questioned, earning him Bucky’s unforgiving glare.

Mack just sighed.

“We can spin this.” Amber looked thoughtful. “Yeah, he’s leaning on Strange for a favour, but what father wouldn’t do everything in their power to be there? It means he’s fighting that much harder for the families in Brooklyn who aren’t that lucky, because they should all have that same chance.”

Bucky finally grinned. “I’m so glad I hired you, kiddo.”

“Obviously as my opponent here was not present after the Snap, he has no frame of reference for the difficulties people were facing. With half of Brooklyn gone, it wasn’t as if everyone just spread out into vacant homes. Buildings were abandoned, landlords gone so there was no upkeep on apartments. People were more isolated, commuting became a problem. So everyone made do with what they could— then when the Blip brought back the rest of the tenants, people reappearing into crumbling infrastructure, housing was an entirely new issue. Now where there had been a surplus, we faced a shortage of housing in livable conditions. I’m proud of the progress we have made, but the fight isn’t done yet.” Representative Klein smirked as she finished her monologue.

“Mr. Barnes, do you have a rebuttal?”

“I can’t pretend to know what it was like to have a surplus of housing. I was dusted like so many others, and the Brooklyn I grew up in was full of crammed tenements and multi-generational families barely hanging on. Immigration was never the problem— the problem was, is, the greed of those who have never been one lost paycheck away from eviction. Who don’t know what it’s like to skip a meal so your kids don’t have to. It seems to me this prioritization of people who acquired, legally or not, larger homes when half the world was gone is indicative of government priorities as a whole: if we can’t see it, we don’t have to do anything about it. Who’s going to call their representative when they’re working three jobs to make rent? It’s not a sustainable system, to lean on the poor in the name of helping the so-called ordinary middle class.

It’s a fiction that we’re running out of space. The problem is people believing they’re entitled to more space than others, and that’s what they’re afraid of compromising on. Like somehow being in the lucky half means they earned it, as if anyone had control over who was still around after the Snap. That’s no way for anyone to think, not if we want our society, our government to work for everyone, and not just those who have the time to complain the loudest. Because it’s the quiet people who keep us all moving, and if we keep trying to shove them out in the name of a few more dollars in some undeserving pockets, it shouldn’t come as a shock when things start to crumble around us.” Bucky let out a deep breath as he finished speaking, his nerves fraying as he tried to stay on topic.

“Isn’t that a bit idealistic?” Harris butted in smugly. “It’s all well and good for you to come in here with your tales of the depression, but that was a hundred years ago! Things have changed, and you can’t expect to change them back with your fists. That may have worked for your—”

The moderator cut him off. “If you don’t have a policy rebuttal, Mr. Harris, we’ll move on to the next topic.” The man in question was only mildly peeved, seemingly content that his point had reached the audience.

“Mr. Barnes, this next question comes from a voter. Many in Brooklyn question your eligibility to run, as well as your rather unexpected appearance as an independent candidate so far into the race. They also point out that your campaign has gotten a significant amount of attention from outside the borough in recent weeks. What can you tell voters to reassure them that this is not a publicity stunt to increase your favourability among the public?”

Bucky blinked. “A publicity stunt? Anyone who goes into politics thinking it will improve their reputation is a damned fool. I’m here because I believe in the people of Brooklyn, and I want to make things better for all of us. Of course the things I’m campaigning for affect me too; it’s why I’m so passionate about the reforms this country needs to make things better for everyone. My war ended a long time ago, and I am more than ready to stop fighting with my fists,” he gave a sidelong glance at Harris, “and start fighting with policy. With real, lasting change.”

“So you deny that name recognition and fixing your reputation have a place in your campaign?”

“I won’t pretend being a known entity hasn’t helped my campaign get off the ground, but my reputation, good or bad, was never a consideration when I started this.” Bucky closed his eyes a moment to compose himself. “The only thing I have to wonder is why my opponent’s reputations are not a concern. Everything I’ve done, good and bad, is public record. I have no secrets, and I only hope the people of Brooklyn can look past who I was and see who I am— someone who wants to make their lives better.”

The ‘spin room’ ought to have gotten its name from how much Bucky’s head was spinning. He desperately wanted to talk to his wife, but Amber was not-so-gently guiding him from reporter to reporter asking the same inane questions that had nothing to do with his policies and everything to do with his character.

“Stay calm. Be polite. Short answers. Do not treat them as hostile.” Amber had coached him on the way from the stage. It was all much easier said than done, but so far he’d given nothing that could be turned on him. As far as he knew, anyway, and Amber didn’t have that ‘you are in so much trouble’ look that he’d become a bit too familiar with.

When the interviews blessedly ended, he finally turned his phone back on only to be bombarded with messages from Loki.

Loki [11:44 am]: Good luck with the debate. Tell Andre I promise not to do anything stupid for at least 24 hours.

[12:48 pm]: I may have a bit of a situation here.

[12:48 pm]: Don’t worry though I can handle it

[1:15 pm]: ok some of this is going to be hard to explain

[2:33 pm]: you’re still coming here wednesday right? probably better to talk about it in person.

[3:01 pm]: you might want to drop in on Strange when you have a chance

[3:42 pm]: i love you

Bucky checked the time. Just after four. She’d only sent that last message about twenty minutes ago.

Something was going on, but he had a feeling calling her wasn’t going to be the way to get the information he needed— the way the messages grew less polished and coherent told him plenty.

Instead he excused himself from the room as he scrolled through his contacts, finding Stephen Strange’s number and pressing ‘call.’

Chapter Text

If Bucky never heard the word ‘multiverse’ again, it would be too soon. 

But he was willing to forget all of that now as he and Loki waited patiently for her appointment. He was going to see them. His children. Their children. Suddenly nothing else mattered.

Loki looked up at him with a smile. “Why is it that you are always the nervous one, James?”

He chuckled. “You’re doing the hard part, darlin’. Ain’t nothing I can do but support you. And I’m too far away from you most of the time. It’s tough. I just want to take care of you like a man ought to.”

Loki raised her eyebrows in response. “I’ll chalk that up to some primitive hormonal reaction, the need to protect one’s mate and offspring. Certainly not that you’ve forgotten to whom you are wed.”

“Yeah, I’m real primitive compared to the deity I married, I know. Call it my base instincts then.” He put an arm around her, pulling her close. “But even if you’re stronger than me, I still want to protect you. This world might want to hurt you in other ways, and I won’t let ‘em. You’re mine, doll. I think we’ve settled that, haven’t we?”

“That we have.” She murmured in reply. “But you’re going to be in so much trouble with your other woman when you go back.”

He cringed a bit, realizing she meant Amber. “Well, if they can’t spin it, then I guess it’s just not meant to be.”

In truth, Amber had been messaging him constantly; they’d called his sudden absence a ‘family emergency’ and threatened that he’d better have a big story to put out when he came back, or he was done for.

“I think there might only be one thing we can give them to distract from it.” Bucky frowned as he leaned his head against Loki’s.

“And what might that be?”

jbbarnesforcongress🦾

[image.jpeg]

Hello, world! @realbuckybarnes and @notthatloki would like to introduce you to George Lokison and Samantha Lokadottir, expected in December 👶🏼👶🏻

“Well, if you thought the announcement video had a lot of likes, boss, this is definitely blowing it out of the water. It was a good call, pretty much any talk about your unscheduled absence has been drowned out now.”

Bucky hummed, only half listening to Andre. If you had gone up to a young Bucky Barnes, told him that when he had kids not only would he know ahead of time what sex they were, but have pictures and names picked out, he would have been beyond shocked. Forget the fact that practically the whole world knew who he was now— and would see his children when even his mother never would.

“So how did you come up with those names? People will be asking, you know.”

“Not really any of their business.” Bucky grumbled.

“Still,” Andre continued, “They will ask. And it might be better to have a solid answer.”

Bucky frowned, knowing damn well he was right, but hating it all the same. Loki probably wouldn’t mind, considering how they had come up with them.

We’re gonna have to give them names, sweetheart.

Before birth? That seems unlucky somehow.

Yeah, can’t say I’m a fan of more than just coming up with ideas, but it might be the only thing to get people off our backs.

I see. Perhaps we should give them names to honour someone? They will have your surname as is tradition for you, but I believe the Asgardian tradition of a patronymic could fit as middle names. Jameson and Jamesdottir.

Not a chance, doll. They’re getting your name.

Matronymics are not unheard of, I suppose…

That’s settled then. Now I know one person we both should probably avoid naming them after…

What, no little Steven? Or Stephanie?

You know that’s a terrible idea.

Yes, it is. Perhaps named for your parents?

Hmm. George is a good, classic name. But Winifred felt old-fashioned even when I was young.

Perhaps we name her for someone else? Someone who has been important to both of us.

That doesn’t really leave us with any girl’s names, does it? Unless you use Stephanie for Strange.

I was thinking more of Samuel.

Sam? Oh. Samantha? That’s a nice name, but the last thing I need is him getting all smug about it…

Oh, come now, James. It would be a lovely gesture.

I suppose you’re right, as always, darling.

I know. But it’s nice to hear you say it.

Bucky’s attention snapped back to the present. “Well, George was my father’s name. But is it really a good idea to tell people I’m naming my daughter after Captain America?”

Andre smirked. “I think that’s the best idea.”

There had been mixed reactions to the debate: plenty of people who agreed with Bucky, but plenty who found reasons to disagree with him. Disappearing for several days immediately after certainly had not helped his case. His opponents took the opportunity to slam him for various imagined slights— depending on their agenda, he was either a traitorous criminal who won’t even stay in the country, or an elitist enhanced individual exploiting his contacts to travel overseas instead of answering to the people.

Once the ultrasound photo had been released, suddenly the public seemed far more sympathetic, even if the other candidates still found ways to make it seem unpatriotic or the like.

So when the first poll came out and Bucky was in a statistical tie for second, there was some cause for celebration. A third party making this kind of traction was unheard of here.

The staff went out for drinks after work the day the polls came out, cautiously optimistic.

Amber felt the need to temper expectations a bit, though.

“This is a good thing, but keep in mind— we were only a blip on their radar before. You can expect attack ads and debate topics to be more frequent and more personal.”

Bucky took a sip of his beer, lost in thought. It felt like ages ago, when Yelena had broken into the apartment. Hadn’t she said something like that? Who could she have even been working for that wanted to see Bucky elected, anyway? The idea of someone trying to manipulate an election, even in his favour, rankled him. Could it be the same person who passed the information to Barton about Loki?

“Hellooooo, Earth to Bucky.” Mack was waving a hand in front of his face.

“Sorry, just thinking.” He shook his head, trying to get back into the present.

“Wow, you really are an old man, spacing out like that.” Jihoon deadpanned, and Bucky responded with a glare that had no real malice behind it.

“You wish you’ll look that good when you hit a century.” Jenny chided.

“Too bad he won’t be around to find out.”

“Anyway,” Amber tried to regain control, “we need to start doing fundraisers. If we’re going to be taken seriously, we have to be able to keep up with the advertising and social media campaigns. Besides, finding some rich folks willing to back our cause will improve our optics.”

“I thought we were against that sort of thing.” Bucky muttered. “What good is wining and dining people for their money?”

“So they get to meet you, take a photo, it’s good press. If our name isn’t out there, we lose the war of information. Our opponents won’t hesitate to exploit that. So we need TV and radio ads too. Which means we need money. And grassroots contributions are great, but fundraisers are more efficient.”

“I won’t authorize attack ads. Whatever they want to say about me, so be it. But I’m not stooping to that level.” Bucky was firm in his rebuke of such tactics.

“Well, we can work with that.” Mack said tentatively. Especially since Andre has gotten us such good buzz on socials.”

Andre lifted his cocktail and gave a mock bow.

“We’re really doing this, folks. We’ve made it this far, it’s time to go the rest of the way.” Amber offered a toast and everyone clinked glasses, the little group having every reason to be proud of how far they’ve come.

The attack ads didn’t take long to pop up, and as much as Bucky tried to keep Loki from seeing them, it was only a matter of time.

And she was livid.

“How dare they speak of you this way, James! I think I know a few things about lies, and those aren’t even well-crafted!”

Even through the tiny phone screen, her expression was unmistakable.

“Loki, sweetheart, that’s just the way politics goes, or so they keep telling me. There’s no way to avoid it, but the fact they’re already putting them out there just proves we’re making an impact. They’re scared of us, of the support we’re getting. Just… Don’t lash out. Please.”

Loki harrumphed.

“Maybe focus on the positives? They’re not even born yet and our children are beloved celebrities.”

“As if being royalty weren’t bad enough?”

“Seems to me that’s not much of a difference. Famous either way.”

“Poor dears, they never stood a chance with parents like us.”

“We probably should have warned Sam before we released the names— I don’t know if he wants to thank us or kill us.”

“Oh, he’s flattered, especially now he gets a ‘niece’ to spoil.”

Bucky laughed in agreement, the best he’d felt all day.

Chapter Text

“It’s sparkling apple juice, James.” Loki said petulantly, scrutinizing her husband’s frown through the phone screen. “Not champagne."

“I just need to make sure you’re taking care of yourself, sweetheart. I don’t like you being alone, so far away from me.”

“Oh, I am far from alone. Thor has seen to that.”

Bucky hummed. “Maybe you should also avoid looking too closely at any news articles or opinion pieces about my campaign for a while?”

“What happened now? You know if I don’t look myself Love is bound to come show me.”

“Uh, well, there, uh… May have been a negative piece about my leaving for a few days to be with you? It’s from a well-known conservative journalist who is probably just trying to use it as a scare tactic since I’m tied with their guy, but…”

“James. Is that all? That’s hardly new.”

“His following is a bit bigger, and a little more, ah… Vocal.”

“Then let them expose themselves for the imbeciles they are.” Loki’s mouth quirked up in a mischievous grin. “Hoist them by their own petard, I believe the saying goes?”

That earned a low chuckle. “That it does, doll.”

Call it morbid curiosity, but Loki couldn’t help checking social media anyway.

posts mentioning @realbuckybarnes

>Has anyone seen those commercials attacking @realbuckybarnes? Guy was a POW for 70 years and they act like him being married to a “foreigner” is a cardinal sin.

>oh no @realbuckybarnes wanted to be there for his wife’s ultrasound THE HORROR

>pretty terrible how these politicians love to kick a guy when he’s down. i’m not saying he’s a saint, there are plenty of things to go after @realbuckybarnes for but taking time off to be with his family isn’t one. it’s a real bad look.

>@realbuckybarnes IS A TRAITOR AND MURDERER AND SHOULD BE LOCKED UP NOT RUNNING FOR OFFICE

>steve rogers didn’t die for @realbuckybarnes to be slandered like this

Loki knew she probably shouldn’t be reading these posts, but that last one made her chuckle. “You’re right,” she mused aloud, “Steve Rogers didn’t die.”

@jbbarnesforcongress

[video.mp4]

Sergeant Barnes sat down for an interview with @ceverhart to talk about his vision for Brooklyn.

“How do I look?” Bucky straightened his bowtie for about the tenth time, and Loki seemed to have trouble holding her laughter in.

“You’ll never get an honest answer from me, James, so I don’t know why you keep asking.”

“You should be here. I should be going into this fundraiser with my girl on my arm, showing her off to the world.”

“Oh, please. You just want me there to deflect questions. Listen to your staff, dear, they have plenty of the social awareness you lack.”

“That’s very funny, coming from you.”

“Good luck, my love.”

Bucky ended the call, then turned to Amber, who was seated next to him in the back of the car.

“Your wife is very intelligent.” She remarked.

“Because she told me to listen to you?”

“Exactly. Now here’s the deal: everyone here has an agenda, and they want to feel like you’ve heard it. So what you do is smile, nod, give non-committal answers. It’s just the dance around these things. Don’t outright mock them, don’t make promises. Manage that, and everything’ll work out fine.”

Bucky attempted a smile, making Amber laugh.

“Okay, maybe just… Don’t scowl. Or stare. Make jokes, but nothing too dark or self-deprecating. You’ve got this, Bucky.”

He took a deep breath. “Yeah. I got this.”

Although the fundraiser was for his campaign, Bucky wasn’t technically the host. He just had to sit through the dinner, sharing a table with the highest contributing donors, while a few people said flattering things about him and his ideas. He kept to the script, nodding along politely while the people around him had their say, giving no definite answers. As the dinner made its way into a reception, he wandered through the crowd, drink in hand, giving his attention to whoever commanded it. Amber stuck close to him after the dinner, ready to pull him out of any particularly difficult encounters.

Difficult encounters such as Yelena Belova.

“Yasha…” She drawled, placing a hand on his arm. “Look at you. Despite my misgivings about your… Liabilities, you seem to be doing well.”

“What are you doing here, Yelena?” He growled.

“Checking in! I told you, my employer is quite keen on seeing you elected.” Her smile was almost venomous as she eyed Amber trying to pull Bucky away. “Oh, you must be his campaign manager? I know you have to be the one behind all of this.” She gestured vaguely around the room.

Amber was startled, but quickly regained composure. “Ah, yep, that would be me.” She held out her hand. “Amber Martinez, nice to meet you. You two know each other already?”

“We’ve met.” Bucky responded dryly.

“He knew my sister.” Yelena said with another acerbic grin.

“I see. And who are you representing tonight?” Amber looked ready to throw down; Bucky knew too well what Yelena was capable of to allow it to come to that.

“An anonymous donor. I’ll let you go back to sweet-talking, Bucky.” And with that she just about flounced off.

Amber had a baffled look on her face, while Bucky just sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. “I honestly forgot about her.”

“She doesn’t seem all that forgettable.” Amber countered.

“Maybe not. Where to next?”

Loki had to admit, pregnancy was starting to become far more of a hindrance than she expected. Having twins meant they took up more space, and even at six months along she felt like she was carrying a watermelon under her shirt.

It certainly turned things like lifting and reaching into strenuous activities.

And so as loathe as she was to admit it, she was grateful for Thor’s presence, however overbearing at times. It seemed as though caring for Love had made him more eager to practice cooking, which he was all too happy to share. So soon enough Loki found herself hosting the pair for dinner almost every night.

It was better than living off of toast and lingonberry jam, she supposed. Especially with the parasites leeching off all the nutrients she consumed.

Two children had better be enough for James. Loki vowed she would never go through this again. If ever she had more children, it would be as the father.

Thor’s booming voice startled her out of her thoughts. “I think it would be better, perhaps, for us to move in with you temporarily. Since you seem to require my assistance more often.”

Her thoughts did seem to drift a lot recently. That nesting instinct seemed to be something her husband had in spades, while she was stuck here alone, doing the heavy lifting. Or… Not. As it were.

What was Thor talking about?

“Whatever you think best, brother.” Loki said demurely, pushing potatoes around with her fork, her head resting on her other hand.

“Splendid! I shall make all of the necessary arrangements.”

“You do that.”

“When were you planning on mentioning that your brother was moving in with you, sweetheart?”

Loki blinked as she answered James’ call. “He’s doing what now?”

“He sent me a message, said you’d agreed he and Love should move in since you need more help these days.”

“He did?”

“Loki.” James gave her one of his trademark stares. “Are you feeling okay? Should I come?”

“No! No, not when you’re doing so well. You have another debate soon, right? I think it’s just… What did they call it…” She frowned. “Pregnancy brain.”

“Making excuses, are we?” He asked with a smirk.

“No! It’s a real thing! I read about it somewhere.”

“Sure you did, doll.” He drawled. “Well, I think if it’s this bad, it’ll be good to have Thor there with you. You’ve got so much to do just growing some tiny people, any weight that can be taken off your shoulders makes me feel better.”

“Oh, well, I guess as long as you feel better.” Loki rolled her eyes.

“You’d better behave, I’ll get Love to give me the scoop. She won’t hold anything back from Uncle Bucky.”

Loki groaned. “Haven’t you got anything better to do than harass me?”

“Lokes, nothing is better than harassing you.”

“I love you too, James.”

Bucky was taken a little more seriously as a candidate by the second debate, given how the first one had led to an unexpected showing in the polls. So it was no surprise when both of his opponents chose to attack him and his policies instead of each other— he was the real threat, drawing voters away from both sides.

But once again Amber and Mack had coached him well, and he managed to maintain his calm through all of the major issues.

But then Harris hit him a little too close to home, and despite his resolve to stay focused, he found himself losing his cool.

“How can the people really trust Sergeant Barnes has their best interests in mind? He may have been pardoned of his actions as the Winter Soldier, but he still committed them. What assurance do we have he won’t end up attacking innocent people again? And then after everything, he reveals he is married to the alien who led the attack on New York all those years ago! Now I don’t know about the rest of you—”

“Enough! I know what I did. I don’t hide that, I make no secret of my past. I can’t ask people for more than a chance. But this is a debate about campaign issues! Do not bring my wife into this. You are slandering her, she is not the same person you are talking about, and my personal life has nothing to do with this campaign!”

“It does when it threatens the safety of our citizens! Do you really expect us to believe—”

“Gentlemen!” The moderator cut in. “Please, stay on topic. Mr. Harris, you were asked about public safety, not your opponent.”

“That is on topic, if he himself presents a threat.”

Bucky clenched his fists, but remained silent, knowing he may already have blown it with that outburst.

“Holy shit.” Amber muttered.

“That bad, huh.” Bucky said with a sigh.

“No! Look!”

She flipped her phone around to show Bucky the most recent polls.

He wasn’t tied anymore. He was ahead of Harris, and not that far behind the incumbent.

“What? But I thought…”

“Turns out Brooklynites can smell bullshit.”

“Wow.” Bucky’s face managed a dazed smile. “We might actually do this.”