In Another Life • A Loki/Fixing Marvel FanFic

Chapter 1 : Mirandas Life

Original Post: September 18, 2021
Edited: August 24, 2024
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"You don't understand how unfair this is!" I shouted, frustration boiling over as I glared at Alex, my best friend since I was seven.

"You really think you need to tell me that? I know!" she shot back, her voice edged with exasperation. "I get that Iron Man had to stop Thanos, but come on—couldn't Marvel have found some crazy way to keep Tony alive?"

"I know!... Did you see how Pepper, Peter, and Morgan reacted? It was gut-wrenching!" I was practically tearing my hair out as Alex navigated us through the city streets, heading back to our apartment. "Morgan just wanted a frickin' cheeseburger! And 'I love you 3000!' Ugh!"

Alex and I met in foster care when I was seven, and she was ten. We've been inseparable ever since, even after she was adopted by a kind but extremely religious couple. Now, we're 19 and 22, living together in a small but cozy apartment. I work as a mechanic, while Alex is juggling college life, majoring in nursing. She's the brainiac between us. I mean, I'm no slouch, but college just wasn't in the cards for me financially. I excelled in school, even got accepted into a few colleges, but the scholarships were never enough to stop me from worrying about money.

"I just don't get how they could kill off Loki, then Iron Man, AND make Cap old. PLUS Nat!" Alex ranted, her words tumbling out in a passionate rush. "And Thor as a fat man! The horror!"

I love watching Marvel movies, but I usually keep my feet planted firmly in reality. Still, this—this hit me hard. It was like they lined up all my favorite characters just to knock them down one by one.

"You know what's worse?" I added, my voice thick with resignation. "Marvel movies are basically over for the Avengers now. Everyone's either dead or no longer an Avenger. There's no one left."

"I don't even want to think about that. The only silver lining is that the Spider-Man movie is next. If they mess that up, I'm suing Marvel!" Alex declared, her face set in determination. For as long as I've known her, she's never been able to pick a favorite character—she loves them all with the same intensity.

"What if he dies?" I teased, a half-smirk on my face. She shot me a glare that could melt steel. "Kidding, kidding. He probably won't die. I just wonder how he'll cope now that Tony's gone." I bet Tony left him something; he treated him like his own son.

"He's probably devastated," Alex sighed as we pulled into the parking spot in front of our apartment. "By the way, James is coming over later if that's okay."

James is Alex's boyfriend of four years. Their parents introduced them, and they've been inseparable ever since.

"No problem. I've got to head to work anyway. One of the newbies called in 'sick' again," I grumbled, rolling my eyes.

Alex chuckled. "They always do. But you're ten times better than them anyway! You could be the next Tony Stark!" Her optimism was infectious, but sometimes I wondered if she was a little too imaginative.

"Yeah, right. I'm about to go whip up an Iron Woman suit and fly around," I joked, rolling my eyes. I mean, I'm a damn good mechanic, but nowhere near the level of engineering genius Tony Stark was. And even if I had the skills, the materials to make a suit like his don't exist in our reality. I would know—I tried drawing up plans for one after watching Iron Man in high school.

"Cool, make me one too!" Alex laughed. I love her so much... as a friend. That's all we could ever be; I wouldn't risk our friendship. "What time do you have to be at work?"

"I need to leave in 20 minutes to make it on time. I probably won't be back until close, unless by some miracle the guy gets cured from his mysterious illness."