The Visit

Peace

4 Months Later

Loki sat out on the Compound's balcony, leaning on the railing as the winter wind blew through his hair. He closed his eyes and breathed it in and let out a contented sigh.

He could hear the muffled dance music in the background from the New Year's Eve party that Tony was throwing. He came out here a bit ago to catch a breath from the crowded room.

Behind him, he heard the music get louder . He turned around to see Bucky in a suit much like his own standing in the doorway. "Couldn't find ya in there, wanted to make sure you were okay."

Loki smiled. "I'm fine. I was just taking a second to get away the crowd and enjoy the weather."

Bucky snorted. "Snow bunny. It's fucking freezing out here."

Loki chuckled right back. "Guess you're just cold-blooded."

"Out of the two of us, which one consistantly turns into a snake?" Bucky said with mock-confusion written on his face.

They laughed together. "I suppose you're right," Loki conceded.

Bucky went over and wrapped his arms around Loki from the back and rested his chin on Loki's shoulder. They stood there for a minute, just enjoying each other's company.

Bucky pecked Loki on the cheek. "Why don't we go inside; the countdown's gonna start soon."

"We're going to watch the ball drop?" Loki said, a hint of amusement in his voice. Bucky sighed and rolled his eyes at the bad joke as Loki chuckled. "Yes, James, I would be most glad to do so."

"You're a pain."

"I know."

When the went back inside they party had crowding around the gigantic TV on the mini stage that had been set up. The two edged their way through the crowd to where the avengers stood.

A long time ago, when Loki had been on Midgard and he had first heard about New Year's, he was very confused. It's just the planet completing its orbit around the sun, why is that something to celebrate?

But now he understood it was much more. It was about remembering the good and not-so-good times. It was about reflecting on how far you have come by yourself and a race as a whole. It was about acknowledging your past, but looking forward to the future. It was a chance for a clean slate with new promises and chances for adventure.

And, while the past few years had been hard, as Bucky's arm rested on his shoulder, as the Avengers, his friends, stood around him, as the snow fell softly outside, he knew that it was going to be okay. Sure, some days were gonna suck. Hell, there might be a few weeks that just completely take him out, and while in the moment he might feel alone, he wasn't. He has people who will help him through thick and thin, and that was a beautiful thing.

He watched the screen, with the live feed of the glittering orb slowly descending and the timer hit 15 seconds and everyone started to scream the countdown.

"10! 9! 8! 7! 6! 5! 4!"

"3!"

"2!"

"1!"

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

Streamers fell around them all and the room filled with sounds of cheers, noise makers, and glasses clinking in cheers.

Loki raised his glass of champagne in salute with the rest of the Avengers and took a sip.

Life wasn't perfect, but in that moment, he knew peace.

The End

A/N: Yayyy! I know this was a kindof short chapter for the end of the fic, but I really think that it wrapped it up nicely. I hope you all enjoyed this!