Chapter Text
Loki looked away hurriedly as Thor's blue eye met his own green ones. He fought to keep his discomfort off his face; Thor had caught him staring again. Loki had no idea what his brother might think about the occasions where he turned his attention to Loki and found his little brother gazing searchingly at him. He likely believed Loki was plotting some mischief. He might believe that Loki was weighing past slights. He probably believed Loki was debating leaving. None of this was actually true. More often than not, Loki was just thanking the Norns that his brother was alive. Was looking at him in wonder because they were actually here, working together.
He could just tell Thor. There was no reason he shouldn't. Thor would be far less suspicious and infinitely grateful, which could only be beneficial to Loki. But he couldn't.
It was a fallacy to believe that the unofficial God of Lies hates the truth, in reality it was much the opposite. Loki coveted the truth. He hoarded it greedily for himself. Like a dragon with the gold that he took from whomever he could; he rarely doled it out in turn.
Of course, there was also the awkwardness of how to bring the topic up. Hey Thor! Did I ever tell you about the time Thanos attacked the ship because I was crazy enough to take the Tesseract from Asgard? It was quite sad. Everyone died, except for me and Bruce. I had to team up with your Avengers; they didn't like that so much. Well, Stark seemed to like it fine in the end.
Loki chased thoughts of Iron Man out of his head. He wasn't sure why his little infatuation hadn't dissipated yet, but he wasn't going to give it any more thought than he already had. That ‘Yes’ that was Stark’s last words to him was certainly not nagging at him from the back of his mind at the most inconvenient points of the day. Even if it was, as long as he ignored it, it would go away, and he could get back to his life. Back to sanity or at least the barest bit of it he possessed.
Back to the problem at hand, which was that Thor would never believe him. And that was before he got to the part where he went back in time and ended up screwing everything up royally, well for pretty much everyone but himself. Thor had stayed banished, New York had been wiped out, Iron Man was dead, Banner was trapped for years in his berserker form. But Loki had been king, he had his mother back, for all he refused to acknowledge her. The Tesseract had been destroyed and he had nothing to fear from Thanos as he hadn’t ever failed the Titan. He should have been completely, selfishly on board for this alternate future.
Thor would never believe that it hadn't felt right. That the idea of him being King instead of Thor, of Tony Stark being dead, of Bruce Banner's loss, had been so wrong that Loki had gone right back and fixed it all over again. Loki sighed. He knew he would have to tell the story eventually. The Tesseract's destruction had delayed Thanos, had ensured that he would never wield the full might of the Infinity Gauntlet, but it hadn't eliminated the threat.
The Asgardians had been on Earth for months now and the royal brothers had been busy. Norway had granted their petition to settle in some of their unoccupied country. They were all honorary citizens of Earth now. But there was still the work in building their civilization back up from nothing. That would be work enough for any man, but Loki had his separate, secret mission as well.
In the original timeline Dr. Strange, for all his claims to protect their reality, had been woefully unprepared. Fortunately, but just this time, Dr. Strange had been their welcome party. They hadn’t been in Norway for more than a day before Strange appeared demanding to know what Loki was doing back on Earth. Loki, as promised, responded with a deep, passionate kiss right on Strange’s lips. He wasn’t sure who looked more surprised, Strange or Thor. Both stared at him, mouths gaped wide in shock. Loki wondered if Strange was often speechless; he suspected not. The mute surprise gave him time to explain about why they were on Earth and, more importantly, Thanos. Strange walked away with the information he needed to start preparing and a promise from Thor to keep Loki in line. Loki allowed it, for now.
More significant was the nudge he had given Dr. Banner as to how Vision might be separated from the Mind Stone. This information had come from Bruce's hypothesis in the first place, Loki just made sure the scientist’s brain got on track before the threat of Thanos was too close. Loki smiled, remembering Bruce's flattered confusion when Loki had sat down with him companionably to have a drink and talk of science and magic.
Loki had become rather fond of Bruce, both in this timeline and the original. He had been saddened by Banner's departure to the Avenger's compound, even as he was relieved that the plan was going forward. It was not even a month later that Bruce had reported to Loki, knowing Loki would be intrigued, that with the help of a Wakandan scientist, their Princess no less, they had been able to successfully separate the Mind Stone from Vision and that he was remarkably unchanged.
What was more, Vision had apparently been romantically involved with the Scarlet Witch, something Loki had suspected but hadn't had confirmed. Between the two of them, due to the Witch's powers coming from the Mind Stone, they had been able to destroy it. So that was two Infinity Stones that would be forever out of Thanos’ reach. Not too bad for only a few months' worth of work.
"Feeling guilty about something, Brother?" Thor's question drew Loki out of his reverie.
"You know that I find guilt to be a pointless endeavor." Loki responded with a smirk.
"That I do," Thor answered, far more seriously than Loki felt his comment warranted. So, this timeline wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. It was a far better situation than the last, but there would always be conflict. Even when Loki had been king, it had been at the expense of his and Thor's relationship. It seemed that Loki just couldn't stop betraying his brother. As proud as he was that Thor had grown enough to stop trusting Loki implicitly, he couldn't deny that it hurt when Thor suspected him undeservedly.
Thor went back to scanning the plans for the first school building that were currently awaiting his approval. Thor actually had a desk, which made Loki giggle every time he really thought about it. In stark contrast to the unassuming, Midgardian furniture Thor stood in full armor. All black and silver with his typical red cape. Instead of any sort of writing instruments, Stormbreaker lay heavy and intimidating on the wood.
That was a result of what had probably been Loki's best idea. He had managed to talk Thor into delaying their arrival on Earth to go to Nidavellir. While Thor was immensely powerful in his own right, Loki knew he missed the feel of his hammer. The dwarves were the only beings capable of making a weapon worthy to be wielded by Thor. It had taken some serious convincing, as Thor had believed that now that he had fully tapped into his lightning powers, a weapon was no longer needed as a channel.
Eventually, Loki had to reveal some of his hidden truths. Loki had told Thor of the threat that Thanos posed. It wasn't an entirely unselfish move. Knowing that Thanos had been behind Loki's actions on Earth had helped Thor to understand how his brother had gone so astray. It didn't excuse his actions, but he knew that it had helped Thor forgive.
He hadn't told Thor about the tortures he had endured at the hands of the Chitauri and the Other before Thanos had gotten to him. It would have only saddened and enraged Thor to know that when he had fought his brother on Earth, it had been as he had been suffering in madness, pain and hunger. He didn't reveal the marks that pain had left on his body. Didn't share the nightmares that had returned since Thanos attacked the ship. He didn't have them every night, but often enough that he had soundproofed his quarters to ensure no one would hear. His time travel had erased many mistakes; no one would know about those weaknesses; he would never reveal that vulnerability again.
In the end, he had told Thor enough that they had gone to Nidavellir. When they got to the dying star, Loki had felt the first wisps of dread curl around his heart. The star had gone out. Its gleaming brightness darkened and hollow. Given Loki’s unfortunate history with Eitri, the head of the dwarves, he had stayed behind to man the Statesman while Thor, Heimdall, Valkyrie, Korg and Meik had gone to the rings.
They had returned to the ship with a formidable weapon, but dire news as well. Eitri had made the Infinity Gauntlet for Thanos, answering a question Loki hadn’t even thought to ask previously. It had probably been for the better that Loki had stayed behind, he might have killed Eitri before he had a chance to make Stormbreaker. The dwarf had been an idiot to believe that Thanos would have spared his people. But Loki supposed being forced to live with that was punishment enough.
Loki hadn't known about Stormbreaker beforehand, but as soon as Thor heard about Thanos, he had known that the weapon was needed. It was formidable. Loki could feel it hum with power from the chair he was lounging in across the room. He had always felt Mjolnir's power too, but it had been a drop in a bucket compared to the ocean that was this weapon. Stormbreaker also didn't hold that air of disapproval Loki had always felt from Mjolnir, though Loki hadn't tested that by trying to actually hold the thing. Nope, he would stick to his daggers thank you very much. He had all the power he needed, no need to go chasing down that particular rabbit hole again.
Thor inevitably, finished scanning the plans and looked around for a pen to sign his approval. Loki conjured a pen to his hand and got up from his chair to bring it to his brother. At Loki's movement, Thor looked over in time to catch the hitch in his little brother's step. He frowned.
"Are you hurt, Brother?"
"Just a little training, Thor. It's been a while." Loki assured him.
"That's what happens when you masquerade as king for two years. You get soft.” Thor chided, but it wasn't entirely unkind. It was a far cry from the Thor with blame and murder in his eyes after they watched Odin pass.
"Indeed. Well I'm certainly paying the price." Loki said casually. He handed the pen to Thor who acknowledged him with a nod. Thor scratched out a hasty signature and then collapsed in his own chair with a sigh.
"This is the last of the major construction projects," He said, as if Loki didn't already know.
"We've still got to fill all these buildings with furniture and resources. There’s also that problem with the power requirements I’ve yet to solve, but yes, it does feel like we can finally breathe." Loki agreed. If there was any good time to bring this up it was now. "Thor, Brother, I would ask a favor of you."
Thor's blue eye was on him, instantly suspicious. "What would you have of me?" He asked cautiously.
"I would like a vacation." Loki said, and Thor frowned at him, not understanding. "A vacation is a mortal concept here on Earth. They take several days away from their tasks for leisure."
Thor brightened at this, taking to the concept immediately. "Ah, would you like to go hunting as we used to?"
How did he do it? How did this oaf manage to make him feel guilty and overjoyed in equal turns? The fact that Thor actually considered spending time alone with Loki for something other than duty hadn't happened since long before Loki fell. He had been firmly entrenched with Lady Sif and the Warrior's Three for centuries, Loki being the tagalong on those occasions. It made Loki reconsider his plans briefly. But no, he needed to get this out of his system. It would be better for him, for Thor, for New Asgard, in the long run.
"Actually, Thor, as fun as that sounds. I was hoping for time alone." There was the suspicion again. When they had landed on Earth, Thor, Bruce and Loki had all agreed that Loki's presence should be kept a secret. As long as Loki stayed in New Asgard and didn't cause any trouble, there was no reason why anyone, especially the Avengers, needed to know that Loki was around. Of course, that had meant that Loki had been effectively trapped here for months, something his wanderlust-driven heart didn't care for.
"You know you can't do that, Loki. You agreed that it was for the best that you stay here, and your presence remain a secret."
"I know, Thor. I do still agree that it is the best course of action, but..." He trailed off wistfully, looking mournfully in the distance.
"But what?" Thor asked, not being able to stem his concern completely with suspicion.
"Being cooped up here for so long, it's been hard to curb my desire for mischief. I feel like I'm going to burst." Loki said. He loved when he could tell the truth but be completely misleading of his true intentions at the same time.
"Considering I woke this morning to find that all my boots had shrunk so that they could only properly fit infants, I don't believe you are trying too hard, Brother." Thor wiggled his unclad toes under the desk as he hadn't been able to find any footwear. Loki smirked, it wasn't the most creative, but still, a king forced to rule in bare feet was amusing.
"That's not the same; that's little stuff and it's you. I know you won't hate me for it. Admit it, it amuses you too." Thor fought the slight curling of his lips, but he didn't deny it. "I've been playing small, harmless pranks on you to curb the impulse, but I've still been restless."
"So, we're going to call my leg swelling to three times its size from a snake that shouldn't have had venom, harmless?"
"You lived, didn't you?" Loki pointed out. "And no one made you pick up that snake. I would have thought you had already learned your lesson on that one." Loki had made it especially good by making sure he was next to Thor when he saw the snake, so Thor knew it wasn’t Loki. Loki had even warned him not to touch it. Really, it was Thor’s own fault.
Thor glared at him. "I still don't see why these pranks combined with all the work that we've needed to put in to rebuilding Asgard isn't enough to divert you. I collapse in bed every night in exhaustion."
Loki nodded, so did he. The problem came from the fact that on the nights where he was lucky enough not to be plagued by nightmares, he was haunted by big brown eyes, a wicked tongue and searing kisses.
"I wish I could provide you with a better explanation beyond my being the God of Mischief, but I can't." Loki sighed, this was not going how he would have wished. Thor was being far more stubborn than he had anticipated. Time for some more truth. "I'm really trying, Brother. I want to help our people, help you. I want to stay. But if I stay here without any creative outlet I am going to take it out on the city. It will be something I intend to be completely harmless, just a bit of fun, but it will spiral into chaos. Then everyone will pay, including myself. What's more, they will blame you just as much as they blame me, and you know that. That is something that I really don't want to do to my brother, the new King of Asgard."
Loki could see Thor's resolve cracking when the doors burst open and Valkyrie came striding in. Loki sighed, this was really the last thing he needed right now. But the Valkyrie, in her traditional armor as always, didn't appear to be angry, so Loki might have a chance.
"Are you busy, your Majesty?" She asked, completely ignoring Loki, which was for the best really.
"Yes, hello, Val. Loki and I were actually just wrapping up a conversation. Do you mind?" Thor asked politely, giving her his traditional friendly grin that may have been just a bit wider for her than most.
"Not at all," She said, but instead of leaving them alone, she continued to where they were standing next to the desk. She faux-casually moved to lean her elbow on Loki's shoulder, a bit of a trick considering how much taller Loki was than she.
When Loki flinched away, she laughed. "Still hurting from the ass-kicking you got this morning?"
Actually, he was. Loki wasn't a particularly good healer and he had been wanting to save his magic for his intended vacation. As such, he was still sore; hence the hitch in his step that he had written off to Thor as training.
"Ass-kicking?" Thor asked, frowning between the two of them.
"As I told you, Brother. Training." Loki said, hoping that the Valkyrie would keep it between them.
He had no such luck as she burst out laughing again. "Training, huh? Maybe training you not to mess with my stuff." She didn't seem as furious about it as she had this morning, so there was that.
"What did he do?" Thor asked resignedly.
"He turned my sword to glass. When I went to train with one of the new guards it shattered. We were both covered in scratches and I thought my weapon had been destroyed."
"I didn't turn it to glass, I replaced it with a glass copy. Your sword is fine." Loki responded, mostly for Thor's benefit. That had been the reason for most of his beating. Valkyrie had been concerned that he had intentionally destroyed the only remaining Dragonfang. Her lack of anger now must mean that she had found where he had hidden the real one.
"And here I thought I was special." Thor bemoaned, and Loki laughed. "What was that you said about not wreaking mischief on anyone but me?" Thor asked him.
"Valkyrie doesn't count. She'll just whip me in the training yards. She won't blame you for not being able to keep me under control," Loki said.
"As if anyone could," Valkyrie responded with a snort. Loki took that as a compliment and grinned at her.
Thor sighed and turned to Valkyrie. "Loki has been feeling the need to wreak havoc somewhere and is trying to convince me I should allow him the freedom to do so outside of New Asgard, unaccompanied."
Loki grunted. Well, it had been a noble effort, but the battle was lost. When Thor phrased it like that and sought Valkyrie's council, Loki would be stuck here for centuries yet. Stark would be long gone by the time Loki was allowed free.
He tried to tamp down the feeling of panic that thought inspired. Trapped. He had felt it while in the Chitauri's clutches, again while in Asgard's dungeons, less so while on Sakaar, but it had been present. While he chose to be with Thor in New Asgard, it was no less a cage as circumstances currently stood. Large, comfortable, and distracting, but a cage nonetheless.
"What kind of havoc do you plan on wreaking?" Valkyrie asked, turning to Loki. Well, that was unexpected.
"It wouldn't be any fun if I told you." Loki answered.
Valkyrie seemed to consider this for a moment. "Would you be willing to submit to conditions?" She asked. Thor and Loki looked at her with matching expressions of shock.
"You don't seriously intend me to consider this?" Thor asked her. Secretly, Loki had the exact same question, but he could almost feel the shackles lightening.
"If it keeps him from causing trouble here, when everything is already so fragile and if he doesn't cause any major, lasting harm. Why not? I know I could use some time where I can be certain that all of my possessions will remain as intended." Loki could have kissed Valkyrie for what she said, but he'd leave that to Thor. Eventually. When they stopped stubbornly ignoring their feelings. Maybe in a hundred years or so.
Thor turned to Loki, "Would you be willing to agree to that?"
"It depends upon the conditions," Loki hedged.
Thor thought about it for a moment. "You wouldn't be able to look like yourself in order to keep your presence here a secret."
That was an easy one, Loki had already intended to shapeshift. He nodded. "Done. I will also swear to no murder or large-scale destruction." He said, rather magnanimously he thought.
"You will swear to no property damage and no harm to anyone." Thor commanded. Loki had a sudden image of biting Stark's throat in the heat of passion. No, he couldn't agree to absolutely no form of harm.
"I will swear to no damages that the person cannot afford and no permanent physical harm." Loki countered, enjoying the back and forth. He could see Thor's wheels turning as he debated if this was enough of a promise to keep Loki from seriously hurting someone while still sating his desire for troublemaking.
Thor looked over to Valkyrie, who shrugged. The gesture seemed to indicate that it was the best they could hope for.
"All right," Thor said. "Three days, Loki."
"Thank you, Brother. I swear will be back in three days having followed all your conditions." Loki agreed.
"Which are?" Thor prodded. He had very rarely gotten Loki to swear an oath, but he knew that Loki wouldn't break it. Which was, of course, why Loki swore them so infrequently; where was the fun in doing exactly as you were told? However, Thor also knew that Loki was excellent with following the letter of the oath, as opposed to the intent.
"I vow that for the next three days, I will not appear in my current shape anywhere outside of New Asgard. I further swear that I will not cause any property damage that would be either monetarily or emotionally damaging to any mortal. I swear that I will not cause any permanent physical damage to any mortal unless it is in defense of my own life." At the last moment he was thankful he had thought to add that condition. If everything went terribly wrong and he was put into danger, there was no way he was just going to lie down and take it just because he swore to Thor.
Thor seemed to accept the wording of his oath as well as the qualifier and nodded his agreement. "If you don't..."
"Then you will come after me personally, I know Thor. Don't worry, Brother." Loki assured him with a grin.
"Actually, I won't. I'll send Valkyrie." Thor said with a smile, which made Loki's smirk fall off his face. Valkyrie was smiling as well and damn if it wasn’t the scariest thing he had ever seen.
"Understood."