fiction | Part of the journey is the end

4. Whatever it takes

Bruce and Rocket travelled to New Asgard in Norway.

Thor and Loki looked at their new home interestingly. It was... different.

"I bet Norway loved having the Asgardians there," Clint realized. "Shared history and all."

The two got down as Rocket looked at the people and commented this was a step down from the palaces.

"Asgard's not a place; it's a people," Thor said firmly.

Loki shifted uncomfortably. He was happy that their people had a home, but New Asgard would take time to get used to.

Bruce told him to have compassion as they had lost Asgard and half their people, so they were just happy to have a home.

Thor shook his head bitterly. "We didn't just lose Asgard and half our people. First, Hela slaughtered our army, then Ragnarok killed thousands more, then Thanos killed half of who were left, and then the Snap killed half of that."

There was an uncomfortable silence as everyone stared at Thor in shock, not knowing what to say.

Then Valkyrie approached them, saying they shouldn't have come, and Bruce happily called her 'angry girl.'

"Val!" shouted Thor, Loki, and Bruce. "She survived!"

"Who's she?" asked Steve.

"She's our friend. A member of the Revengers," answered Thor.

Loki snorted while the Avengers raised their eyebrows.

"The Revengers?" said Tony, incredulously. "Who's a part of the Revengers?"

"Loki, Bruce, Val, and me."

"Angry girl?" questioned Clint.

Bruce nodded. "We were friends on Sakaar," Bruce paused, "Well, she was friends with the Hulk, but we became friends later too."

Valkyrie said she liked him better either of the other ways.

Many people agreed, but they were happy for Bruce.

Bruce introduced Rocket, and she said he wouldn't see him, so they shouldn't have come.

A look of puzzlement crossed Thor's face. Why wouldn't he see his friends?

They only saw him once a month when he came for supplies.

"Supplies?" Thor and Loki asked at the same time.

She pointed at some empty crates of beer as Bruce realized it was that bad.

A pit formed at the bottom of Thor's stomach. What was he doing?

Rocket later knocked on his door, and the two went inside with Rocket joking something had died in here.

Loki winced.

They called out to Thor, and his voice was heard asking if they were here about the cable as the Cinemax had run out two weeks ago, so sports were all kind of fuzzy. They turned to look at Thor, and he turned to look at them. He was fat now with long hair and a dirty beard.

Everyone's jaw dropped. That was Thor?

"Ho—how did this happen?" said Thor, pale.

Loki's eyes were wide as he gaped at the screen. He never thought he would see his brother like this or ever imagined it in his wildest dreams. It didn't bring him any joy seeing him like this.