Chapter Text
Loki is sitting on his throne in the void. It's silent, so very silent. He feels at peace. So many things have happened, but now he could finally protect his friends.
But he is lonely. Alone on a throne he didn't want. A throne that was forced onto him. The birthright he had always talked about. Its ironic, as soon as he didn't lust after a throne anymore, he got one.
He looks at a timeline. There is Mobius, in his yard, sitting in the sun and smilling a solemn smile. His Mobius... Oh, how he wished he could be by his side right now. He missed him dearly. He was his best friend, the reason he holds the Multiverse, and the reason he still believes this is the right thing.
He looked over at another branch. There was Sylvie. She was still working her shift in the McDonald's. The beeping of the machines threatens to drive her crazy one day. But she looked content and happy to finally have a normal life after many millennia on the run. She deserved her freedom from all this pain.
He slowly turns away from the timeline and is back on his quiet throne in the middle of the multiverse. He pounders. So many things have happened. The TVA has changed completely, and he now protects the timelines. His sacrifice brought on real change. He should be happier, but there are still some things he wishes would be different.
He wishes he could be there. For Sylvie, for Mobius and for his brother. He missed him... For all it was worth, his brother always loved him, even though he had a thick head.
Loki smiled to himself. He had finally realised how much his presence had always meant to him. How he had always looked at Loki full of love, even if he was a bad brother. He had always chased Odin's approval, but the person who really loved him was Thor.
He closes his eyes for just a second-
As he slowly opens them again, a stinging pain creeps up his back. It feels like he has been run over by a truck. Something is very wrong...
His eyes, fighting the bright light that shines at him, threaten to blind him. This is not the void... It's too bright for that.
A second wave of pains hits him. Not just up his back but now also in his head. Why is he hurting so much?
He slowly realises that he's lying on a hard ground. The floor has the shape of himself carved in it. As he tries to orientate himself, a worrying thought crosses his mind. Could it be...
His eyes finally adjusted to the bright light, darted around and- Fuck... He was in the Stark Tower. On the floor where the Hulk had smashed him in.
He still remembered it like it happened yesterday, even though it had been years at this point since he attacked New York. He had changed a lot since that time.
This couldn't be good... If this was truly the time where he just attacked New York, this would not have a good ending for him in mind.
Suddenly he felt dizziness coming over him. His head pounded again. He knew that he didn't have enough strength to use his sedir, but he still tried to conquer a fake of himself in the pit. But it didn't work. Halfway through his illusion, it disappeared back into the green light.
He heard the footsteps of the Avengers come closer. There was no getting out of here now. He let himself fall into the dizziness of his head. It offered little comfort to his worrying mind.
The Avengers positioned themselves in front of him, just like the last time. But unlike last time, he didn't make a sneaky remark. His head was bothering him too much to muster much of anything.
Thor came forward and took his brother by the shoulder. Putting him back on his feet with ease.
His brother he had longed to see was now the person he wanted to see the least.
That's when it finally hit Loki. If he was here, why was the timeline not unraveling by now? Who was holding them? How did he even end up here in the first place?
He had no answer for that... His confusion showed on his face for just a second, his perfect mask gone for such a short time that nobody should have seen it, but Thor noticed it, even if he didn't understand it.
He looked closely at Loki, battered and bruised from the hits of the Hulk. And something else was noticed by Thor. Lokis's eyes... they looked bright green, like his sedir. But they shouldn't have... Unless his power grew... but it couldn't have, not in a year. Not by this amount. Something else was going on.
"Since when are your eyes that green?" asked Thor. He knew he probably wouldn't get a straight answer from his brother, but he had to try.
Loki finally met Thor's eyes. Darting between telling the truth or saying that it's none of his business. He chose the latter.
"A lot can happen in a year, brother." He smirked at him. Clearly amused that his brother noticed this, but not his personality change from the time in Asgard to where he attacked New York. His brother always chose when to look closely, and when he was just a big olf.
As expected, thought Thor to himself. Loki still would rather rely on his lies and tricks than tell him the truth. But he still wanted to find out what happened to Lokis sedir. Why did it become so strong that his eyes glowed...
Another wave of the dizziness hit Loki. But this time it is much worse. His head screams at him. His senses dulled. He lets his mask slip completely now. Pain, written on his face.
This was the last straw... He felt himself slip away, slowly letting his strength go that was holding him up on both feet, and fell on the ground.