Chapter 1
Some mornings are normal. And some mornings, when Tony is trying to drink his goddamn coffee and Steve is eating a super-human serving of pancakes and Thor is once again stealing from Clint’s pop-tart stash, Loki feels the need to suddenly appear in the common room.
Well, they think it’s Loki. He’s a good foot shorter than the megalomaniac they know and hate, his body willowy instead of frail. His face is softer - younger, even - than when they fought. If they didn’t know him better, they’d say he looks confused.
Thor, as the only one who feels the need to cart his weapons around the penthouse, is swinging mjolnir before Tony’s even able to get his nanotech to suit him up.
Weirdly-young-Loki actually brightens up when he sees Thor, in the seconds before the thunderer swings. Loki’s eyebrows raise as he dodges to the side.
“Really, Thor, what a welcome.” Loki snaps, sidestepping another swing. By now, Tony’s repulsers are powered up and Steve looks ready to fight.
Loki dodges another blow with ease, feet barely touching the ground. Steve and Tony don’t engage - Loki is too close to Thor for either of them to do much good. Later, when their adrenaline rush is gone, they might consider the fact that Loki dodged the entire fight.
Loki sighs. “Are you still angry about the trip to Vanaheim?” He dodges another swing. “Because it really was Sif’s fault.”
“Cease your tricks, brother,” Thor growls. Loki cocks his head and then sidesteps a particularly close blow.
“Tricks?” Loki raises an eyebrow. “I don’t know what tricks you speak of. You’re the one glamoured to look different - nice haircut, by the way.”
Thor just continues his attack.
“Would you be able to tell me how I got here?” Loki asks, glancing around the penthouse. “Wherever here is.”
“Don’t play dumb with me.” Thor growls.
“I’m not the dumb one in this relationship.” Loki dodges again and looks back at Steve and Tony, both still ready to fight.
Loki has the audacity to look confused. “Are we on Midgard? Why would we be on Midgard?”
“You shouldn’t be here.” Thor yells, voice almost mournful.
“Really, if you want me gone that badly, call for Heimdall.” Loki shrugs. “I could find my way home, but I don’t exactly come to this backwater planet often enough to know a direct route.”
Tony’s protests at Earth being called a “backwater planet” are cut off by Thor’s voice becoming grave. “Heimdall is dead.”
Loki stills at that, and Mjolnir almost hits him, before he shakes his head and steps aside.
“That is… unfortunate.” Loki says, strangely quiet. “May the norns guide him to Valhalla.”
The only noise for the next few seconds is the swing of Thor’s hammer and Loki’s bare feet against the floor.
“It has to be possible, though,” Loki says, his brows furrowed like he’s trying to work out a particularly hard math problem. “For father to man the bifrost. Even mother’s sorcery might do.”
Thor winces. “Stop this, Loki,” he snarls. “Asgard is gone!”
“That’s - that’s not possible.” Loki argues. Tony tries to ignore how young, how scared Loki sounds. He’s a genocidal maniac, no matter how good of an actor he is.
“Asgard is gone, brother.” Thor repeats, still swinging. “And so are father and - ”
“Don’t finish that sentence, Thor.” Loki says it like a threat, but there’s just enough fear in there to dull the effect.
“Mother’s dead, Loki.”
And then Loki stops dodging. He just stands there staring at Thor, something like devastation in his eyes, while Tony has some nanobots restrain Loki. They aren’t exactly magic-proof, but Loki doesn’t look like he’s going to be fighting anytime soon.