Meant To Be (Loki x reader)

Chapter eighty four - New Asgard

You followed Steve outside and found him sitting on a bench, staring at the floor despondently.

Before you'd even had a chance to sit down, let alone open your mouth, the sound of an engine broke the silence for you. You and Steve both looked up to see a shiny Audi R8 racing up the drive towards you.

"Tony." you said, looking at the fast approaching car. Steve stood up, the beginnings of a smile on his face.

Tony pulled up in front of you and rolled down his window to talk to you both.

"Why the long face Cap? Let me guess, he turned into a baby?"

"Among other things, yeah. What are you doing here?" Steve asked, watching him as Tony got out of the car and walked around it to get to the back. There was something weighing heavily on his mind; you couldn't decide whether to peek inside his head or not.

"That's the EPR paradox," Tony said, ignoring Steve's question completely, "Instead of pushing Lang through time, you might've wound up pushing time through Lang. It's tricky. Dangerous. Somebody should've cautioned you against it."

You couldn't help it, you smiled, looking away across the lawn.

"You did." Steve said reluctantly, playing his game.

"Oh, did I? Thank God I'm here. Regardless, I fixed it." Tony said, holding up a tiny device to show you both, "A fully functioning Time-Space GPS. I just want peace. Turns out, resentment is corrosive, and I hate it." he finished, throwing a peace sign. Your mouth was open. He'd cracked time travel.

"Me too." Steve said, finally smiling properly.

"Tony... just to double check, you- you worked out a safe way to time travel?" you emphasized in disbelief.

"I guess so. This is it." he told you. The gravity of the situation hit you, right there. This was it.

"We got a shot at getting those stones, but I gotta tell you my priorities. Bring back what we lost? I hope, yes. Keep what I got? I have to, at all costs. And... maybe not die trying would be nice." Tony told the two of you. You nodded in agreement, your mouth still open slightly.

"Sounds like a deal." Steve said, looking back towards you and frowning, "Hey, you alright?"

You nodded again, swallowing hard.

"I just... this is really it, huh? After all this time." you said, a large lump rising in your throat. Steve put an arm around you as Tony popped the trunk of his car.

"I know. But this is good news." he told you firmly, faltering when he saw what Tony had pulled from the trunk. It was his shield.

"Tony..."

"Why? He made it for you. Plus, honestly I have to get it out of the garage before Morgan takes it sledding."

The thought of Morgan sledding on Steve's shield made you laugh; Steve fit his arm into the shield.

"Thank you, Tony."

"Will you keep that a little quiet? Didn't bring one for the whole team." Tony asked him, before hesitating, "We are... getting the whole team, yeah?"

Steve looked at you uneasily, and you nodded at Tony unconvincingly. He sighed.

"We're working on it!" you said defensively, smiling.

"Alright. Good. Where's Lang, is he okay?"

...

Early the next day you were on a private jet with Rocket and Bruce on your way to Norway. Rocket and Nebula had arrived hours previously on the Benatar (you couldn't believe you'd only just learned the name of the ship you'd nearly died on five years ago), along with Rhodey.