Loki oneshots

Welcome Home (Post-Love and Thunder)

Jane feels...

Okay.

Good, even.

She hasn't felt like this in a long time. Not since the cancer... But right now, she feels good. She never thought she'd feel like this again. And yet, here she is.

She looks around, taking in the sights. She's no longer lying in Thor's arms. This place, it's beautiful; far nicer than Eternity and the Shadow Realm. And her outfit, too. The Thor outfit was cool, but this one is so much softer.

"Jane Foster?"

Jane freezes. She knows that voice. It's been years since she heard it, but she would recognize it anywhere. She looks up, and, sure enough, there he is.

Loki.

Her instinct is to run. Where, she doesn't know, but she can't imagine any way for this to play out that goes well. Yes, Loki saved her life in Svartalfheim, and yes, he did kind of die for them, but he's also Loki. He tried to take over the world. He's killed over a hundred people. It doesn't matter how many cute stories Thor told her about him before they broke up. He's Loki.

And he's running right at her.

She braces herself for the worst, but when Loki reaches her, all he does is grab her arms, eyes lit with excitement. "I can't believe you're here!"

"Uh..." She stares at him blankly. This is weird.

"If you've come to Valhalla, you must have reconnected with Thor," Loki says eagerly. "Is he alright? What happened?"

Jane blinks a few times. She carefully pulls Loki's hands off of her. "He's okay," she says slowly. "He's still saving the world, so..."

Loki smiles at that. "I should have known," he says wistfully. "He's a warrior at heart."

"Mm-hmm..." Jane hums awkwardly. This is weird. She doesn't like it.

"I assume Thor is not following soon behind you," Loki says.

"You mean dying?" Jane asks uncertainly. That's what happened to her, right? She's dead? "No, he's alright."

"Then we should go," Loki says, giving her no time to argue before he rests his hand on her back, gently leading her away. "My mother will be overjoyed to see you again. She talks about you a lot: the wonderful woman who taught my brother what it means to love."

Jane smiles sheepishly. Okay, she has to admit, that's kind of cute.

"I've heard that my father was not necessarily the kindest person during your journey to Asgard," Loki continues, "but I assure you, you will be welcomed with open arms here in Valhalla."

Jane furrows her brows. "Thank you?"

"I would like to apologize in advance for all the pestering from my grandparents," Loki adds. "They did the same when I arrived. They are very eager to meet Thor. I suspect they would return to Asgard and kill him themselves if they could." He says it with a fond smile, like that's not the weirdest thing she's ever heard. "They look for any opportunity to ask about their descendants. Poor Heimdall does all he can to avoid them, lest he spend a great deal of time telling them what my brother is doing."

Jane raises her brows. That's... nice. She thinks.

He looks down at her, an uncharacteristically soft smile on his face. "You'll get along wonderfully here. Valhalla is truly a beautiful place."

Jane looks up at him uncomfortably. She doesn't speak for a few moments. She knows what she's thinking, but putting it into words — especially words that won't offend him — is a different story. Finally, she manages to say a very awkward, "This is great and all, but aren't you..." She frowns. This is hard. "I thought you didn't get along with the people of Asgard."

Fortunately, Loki doesn't seem at all offended by that. "Valhalla is a different place," he says. "The past is the past. Mistakes are forgiven; grudges are let go." He gives her a small, gentle smile. "You'll understand as you settle in here. This is a land of forgiveness, of peace."

Jane gets the feeling she's supposed to say something here, so she goes with a very awkward, "It sounds nice."

"It is," Loki says. "And I imagine it will be even more so when Thor comes." His smile begins to fade at that. "It's been so long since I've seen him. There's so much I want to say to him; so much I wish I'd told him before I died. If only he would..." He lets out a long breath. "But I hope we do not see him for a long time. After everything he's been through, he deserves a long, happy life."

"Yeah..." Jane sighs. She gently moves Loki's hand off of her back, only to take it in her own. She gives his hand a gentle squeeze. "If it's any consolation, he misses you. He has this whole big 'RIP Loki' tattoo on his back."

Loki huffs a quiet laugh. "That does help," he says. "It puts far less pressure to perfect the apology I owe him."

"I don't think he needs an apology," Jane says. "I think he'll settle for a nice, long hug."

"I would certainly prefer that," Loki says, a fond smile on his lips. He grows more serious then, and he stops walking, still holding onto Jane's hand. "I cannot imagine how you feel right now," he says. "When I arrived in Valhalla, I felt a wave of relief. I knew I had people to seek out, people to reunite with. You don't have that.

"But I want you to feel comfortable here. This is your home, from now until the end of time. And though Thor may be thousands of years from joining us here, I don't want you to feel as though you're alone. I know how important you were to Thor, and that makes you important to me. You are a part of this family now, and if there is anything I can do to help you feel more comfortable..."

"You're already doing it," Jane tells him. She already feels comfortable. She feels welcome, accepted.

Loki smiles. "Welcome home."