Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Things moved too quickly and too slowly all at once. Bucky didn’t feel like he got his footing until he had been on Asgard for at least 3 years, and even then he struggled to accept his new reality. Everything he grew up reading about in science fiction turned out to be very much real in both beautiful and horrific ways; having experienced both first hand. After he lost Steve and fell from the train he was under the thumb of HYDRA for almost a decade - at least he thinks it was a decade. He had no sense of time between torture, memory loss, and being frozen. He had accepted that as his fate despite all attempts to end things in the beginning, but he was thwarted at each turn. Then, the scientists began to experiment with time travel as well as attempting to teleport people or items. Ultimately, they were unsuccessful. However, they did manage, a single time, to open a wormhole when attempting to manipulate space and time. Bucky was not intended to be anywhere near this event but HYDRa has never been particularly careful with their assets; paradoxically both valuable and disposable depending on their goals. The wormhole opened on the side of the building and chaos ensued. Bucky, along with 2 lab techs and a large portion of a room, disappeared before everyone and the wormhole was gone.

For a second, Bucky thought he had died and perhaps all pain would be done with. Everything around him was bright and quiet until it was too bright and extremely loud. He lost consciousness and did not awake until much later. He then found himself, along with the now-dead lab techs and debris, on a field with at least 8 other people looking over him and everything around him. He moved to attack but was immediately disarmed and subdued and promptly passed out. It would take a few weeks before he learned the truth of what happened. He was on another planet, which should have surprised Bucky a bit more than it did, but he had seen enough unbelievable things up until that point. 

He was still highly programmed by HYDRA but the healers on this planet were more than apt to essentially reset him. They gave him a new arm that was not painful, he trained with the warriors within the city and formed friendships with men that turned out to be royalty. Thor was friendly and sometimes overbearing, also a bit reckless. Eventually, he earned rank and was stationed within the castle, often guarding those closest to Frigga. This led to him becoming close with her son Loki. He would play pranks and was nice enough if not aloof most of the time. Even though he had found some ounce of happiness where he was, he ached for what he lost. He missed his family and wondered how his sisters were. He missed Steve in a way he did not know how to put words to. He often thought about asking to be sent back only to stop himself. Who he was now and everything he had done made him feel unworthy of anything left behind. Besides, with his sense of time gone he had no idea how he would be received when showing up, likely more than 20 years later virtually unaged. Once he asked Heimdall to check on Steve only to be told he had perished in a plane crash shortly after Bucky had fallen from the train. He never really stopped grieving. 

Frigga provided comfort from time to time, she seemed to understand the darkness that he wrapped himself with. Loki often got the sense of his despair more often than not; providing him with quiet support and distraction. He even managed to replicate the cigarettes he used to smoke, giving him a touch of something to cling to. The smoke would float about his head and he could pretend as nothing changed. 

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

On earth it was 2011 and apparently that was where Thor was being sent. Punishment for his arrogance he was essentially being cast out with nothing but his hammer that he would likely not be able to wield. Bucky was both surprised and not at Odin’s choice. Thor was not ready to rule anyone. His vision was too narrow. It was so narrow that Bucky often forgot that Thor was centuries older than him in how he approached conflict. It sometimes reminded him of how Steve would charge into things without thinking very far ahead. 

Once Thor was gone things quickly became dark and chaotic on Asgard. Sif, Hogun, Fandral, and Volstagg all became very concerned with Loki’s increasingly strange behavior. They were apprehensive at the thought of Odin seeming to be in a weakened state even though Frigga often reminded them that all was well. But all was not well. Bucky watched as everything unraveled. He could not have predicted, but rightly should have, that Loki would essentially suffer from a mental breakdown. He was not sure how, but Loki discovered his parentage - not being Odin or Frigga - and suddenly being so distraught he became vindictive and cruel. Odin fell into Odinsleep and it seemed like Loki was going to become unhinged, but then Laufey threatened Frigga. She might not have been his mother, but Loki loved her so deeply that he would rip the universe open for her. He knew they needed Thor. Leave=ing the warriors behind to help Frigga they went to earth to find Thor, only to realize they were unable to locate him since he was nowhere near where he had been expected to land. 

“Where are we exactly?” Loki grunted in frustration. 

“Not sure if you’re aware, but I have not been on this planet in literal decades. I assume nothing drastic has changed, but without a map, I can’t exactly help,” Bucky rolled his eyes.

“Everything is so, bloody hot,” Loki complained as they traipsed through the desert. This Bucky had never experienced on his own. He only read of places like this and knew there were deserts on nearly every continent, which did not help him narrow anything down. 

“You could put us in some different clothes,” Bucky suggested, “Maybe not leather fucking armor.” Loki hummed in agreement and swept his arm across both of them. Now they were in simple, cotton shirts and pants. Bucky’s were a darker blue color with Loki in black and green. Bucky’s arm was disguised to look normal as well. 

“I wish I knew how t o help you understand earth fashion because this isn’t gonna fly,” Bucky looked himself over.

“Oh? You suspect nothing about clothing has changed in the past 80 years?” the god teased.

“I’m sure it has, but certain things gotta be timeless. Like a white pressed shirt and a nice pair of slacks. Those things are simple and all class,” Bucky recalled.

“Describe them to me,” Loki cocked his head to the side, trying to imagine what Bucky spoke of. He did his best to provide a mental picture and Loki managed to magick them something very similar to what Bucky would have worn before the war.

In their new clothes they continued to walk, water having been supplied by Loki as well. After about 45 minutes of walking they found a town. After talking to a few people in town he discovered they were in New Mexico. At least its America and Bucky could, in theory, manage to get around, but everything was so different. He had expected technological advances and everything he was seeing paled compared to Asgard, but he was still impressed. No flying cars, disappointedly enough. 

“How do we find Thor from here? Can’t we use magic to track him?” Bucky pressed. They were sitting outside a gas station as Bucky read a newspaper.

“Odin seemed to have thought ahead and I cannot use magic. I’m afraid we will have to rely on the people here reporting a large man falling from the sky,” he droned.

“Well, seems like they did. Sort of,” Bucky showed Loki an article about a lightning storm, a large crater, and the area being swarmed with what appeared to be federal agents. 

“Alright, how do we get there?” Loki arched a brow.

“Might need to rely on some of your magic to get a better grasp on how to talk to people here. And get some money. We will need that to pay for travel and bribe people if we need to,” Bucky began.

“I can use my magic to avoid bridging anyone. Just get me a map and we’ll get there,” he gave. 

They did find a map and apparently all it took was Loki using magic to get them there. He needed a point of reference and a destination to anchor them. Lucky for Bucky, they were only 2 hours north of where they needed to be and the trip was short. Bucky had an aversion to traveling by magic, it always left him dizzy. Besides, he knew it would still be difficult to find Thor in a city neither of them knew with nowhere to begin. Hunger got the best of them and they needed food before they searched any further. 

Bucky led them to a diner that looked like something familiar to him. Everything looked as old as he was and smelled strongly of coffee and grease. Bucky salivated as he remembered the bitter beverage warming his throat and hands during the cold, Brooklyn winters. They slid into a booth and a waitress gave them both a wave before sauntering over to the table. Bucky was out of practice, but he knew how to smile and compliment a pretty face.

“Welcome, you two,” she placed menus in front of them. Loki hesitantly picked up the greasy menu and looked at it like it would hurt him to touch it. Bucky, somewhat unfamiliar with the presentation, figured out quickly enough what to do.

“Coffee would be swell, sweetheart,” Bucky began.

“Coffee?” Loki questioned.

“Two coffees, and some sugar. If you’d be so kind,” he gave her a wide smile. She blushed slightly and nodded before heading back to the counter. 

“God, I love the smell in here,” Bucky sighed as he looked over the menu only for his stomach to drop when he saw the prices.

“I don’t know what half of this is, at least some looks familiar from the pictures,” Loki hummed.

“Geez. These fuckin’ prices,” Bucky whispered. 

“You know we don’t need to worry about that,” Loki reminded him.

“No. Its - money was hard to come by back in the day and these prices are through the roof. What the hell happened?” he continued to stare at his menu.

By the time the waitress returned with the coffee and water Bucky was still aghast at the prices. Loki simply pointed to a menu item picture and asked for 2 of them. She nodded and retreated with the menus.

“I suppose the local economy has changed a lot since you’ve been away,” Loki suggested as he eyed the coffee in front of him. He brought it to his face and sniffed it before wrinkling his nose. “Why did you order this? It smells wretched.”

“It’s one of the best drinks to ever exist,” Bucky pressed, remembering drinking, albeit gritty, coffee before working the docks. Steve would sip it slowly on their threadbare couch and usually fall asleep before finishing it. Bucky would polish it off. He brought it straight to his lips and found himself immediately awash in nostalgia, though this was the smoothest coffee he’d ever had. “Almost just like I remembered.” He smiled to himself and Loki looked on, somewhat untrusting of the cup before him. 

“Where do we start, Odinson?” Bucky relaxed into the booth as he drank the coffee.

“Need I remind you that I’m not an Odinson?” Loki growled quietly.

“I ain’t calling you by the other guy’s name,” he replied and reached for the pot left on the side of the table to refill his cup.

“It's no matter right now. We need to figure out how to locate Thor and hope he is still in the vicinity,” the god mumbled as he watched people move around outside. 

“I planned to ask the waitress about the article. We can pretend to just be some curious fellas lookin’ to see something weird. Seems reasonable, right?” Bucky explained.

“I could also just take the information I want,” Loki reminded him. 

“You need to play nice,” Bucky let his head fall back on the seat. It got a bit darker outside and the clouds circled the town. It looked like rain. He saw people scatter into buildings to escape the incoming storm. He hadn’t seen a storm this calm in decades. Storms in Asgard were nothing like this. There was no slow creep or gradual rain. They had crackling lightning followed by thunderous downpours. This he missed, much like everything else. 

“Never thought I’d come back here,” Bucky said softly.

“After we find Thor maybe we can see where you came from,” Loki wondered.

“Maybe. But there’s no one in Brooklyn for me anymore. Great nieces and nephews maybe, everyone else would be dead or at the end of their lives. I don’t need to show back up,” the younger man reminded him. They had this conversation before, years ago, “Let’s find Thor. Everything else is extra.”

Chapter Text

The waitress returns to the table with the check that Loki will magically pay once she leaves and Bucky decides to fish for more information that might lead them to Thor.

“Hey, uh, we’re both researchers that headed this way after we saw the incident with the crater in the news. Would you happen to know anyone in the area we could talk to?” he asked somewhat sheepishly, hoping they would pass as anything close to researchers. He was not sure what a researcher looked like, exactly, but thought no one else did either. 

“Yea, actually. Dr. Foster and her assistant come in here a lot. They would be the people to talk to. They were in here the other day with this big blonde guy, I think he was a researcher too. Strange fella,” she snickered. Loki and Bucky both reigned in their excitement as they were certain the ‘big blonde guy’ was none other than Thor. 

“Oh! That’s fantastic,” Bucky beamed, “Would you happen to know a way to get in contact with her? We ain’t exactly from the area. Sorta came here on a whim.” He smiled in a way he had normally reserved for flirting back before the war.

“Well, her assistant normally pops in here around lunch time so you can probably catch her if you stick around in here or outside when the rain stops. They have an order to pick up,” she informs.

“Thanks so much, doll. We appreciate the help. Could we bother you for some more coffee while we wait?” he leaned over a bit as he stared up at her. She gave a shy smile and nodded that she would grab them some coffee.

“I find it astounding that you have flirted with her several times now yet never so much as glanced at a woman in Asgard. I was beginning to think you were a monk of some sort,” Loki observed.

“It's an old habit. I haven’t wanted to flirt, I’m only flirting for information,” he confessed. Truth be told, he never really wanted to flirt back before the war either. That was what was expected of him.

“It was quite a show regardless,” Loki grinned, “So, we wait for this Doctor’s assistant to show up and I watch you drink more of this bitter concoction.” 

“At least its quiet and the rain looks nice,” Bucky hummed. The pot of fresh coffee was left at the table after Loki covered the bill. They people watched a bit and Bucky talk to Loki about what he could remember from before he ended up on Asgard. He talked about prohibition and struggling to get access to alcohol but really enjoying whiskey. Steve once pilfered a bottle and they got drunk on it together. They’d never had hangovers before and briefly thought the prohibition was a good thing when they felt like death the next morning. They ended up not drinking again until after Steve was much bigger and they were in Europe. It wasn’t enjoyed with the same energy. 

“Strange they would ban alcohol,” Loki mused.

“There were a lot of things that were illegal. Not sure about much of that these days,” Bucky filled his cup and saw a few people walking up the street towards the diner. He saw a smaller man with a battered umbrella, an older woman with a dog wearing an outrageous raincoat, and a girl with a hat sprinting through the rain towards the door. She barreled inside and almost shook herself off. She approached the counter and spoke to the waitress there and Loki was turned to watch her. He cocked his head and gave her a once over, assessing something. Then the waitress was pointing towards them and she turned to stare at their table.

“That might be our assistant,” Loki presumed. She marched towards them, hands on her hips, and lips a bright red that reminded Bucky of every girl he took dancing.

“I hear you’re looking for my boss?” she greeted clumsily, “I’m Darcy, Jane’s assistant. Intern. Whatever.” 

“It's nice to meet you. We’re - uh - hoping we could talk to you both about the strange occurrence the other night,” Loki began.

“Not much to say really,” Darcy shrugged, “There was a big rock that hit the ground. It came from space and Jane says that’s super rad,” she waved her hands.

Loki and Bucky exchanged glances before speaking again.

“We had a friend who was around too,” Bucky started. 

“Well, would you happen to be familiar with a man named Thor?” Loki decided to be forward. Her face dropped and her entire body became defensive. 

“Don’t happen to know anyone like that, sorry,” she gave a tight smile.

“Shame. You see, my name is Loki and I happen to be looking for him with my comrade here,” he raised a brow and waited, hoping Thor had said anything about him so he could avoid needing to manipulate her. 

“Loki?” she tested.

“Indeed. I’ve been sent to find him. There have been some...incidents that require his aid,” he offered.

She looked back and forth between them, assessing them and trying to decide if there was some angle she wasn’t seeing and needed to be aware of. Loki didn’t look like Thor, though, siblings did not always look similar. The other guy, she had no read on him at all, but none of her flags were going up. She thought a bit longer and decided that it was likely not a coincidence that someone named Loki came looking for someone named Thor. 

“Fine. I’ll take you to the lab. But, if you’re lying I will do to you what I did to Thor,” she narrowed her eyes.

“What did you do to Thor?” Loki cocked his head to the side.

“I tased him. It's whatever. He’s fine,” she managed quickly before gesturing towards the exit.

“Tased?” Bucky sought.

“Yea. Like, a small device that channels volts of electricity into a person. Makes them all noodle-y,” she explained.

“Huh,” Bucky stared as he followed her out the door. She had a large, paper bag of food in her hand that Loki offered to carry, but she seemed to guard it fiercely. It was still raining, but less than it was earlier. She seemed to be protecting it from the elements as much as Loki. 

“If you eat anything like Thor I’m not leaving food with you. He ate every last poptart in our lab,” she provided.

“He does have a robust appetite,” Loki chuckled. She stopped in front of an old car that Bucky and Loki looked at with small expressions of confusion.

“Its a car. Thor was weirded out by them too,” she shrugged and unlocked all the doors. 

“No...I know what cars are. I just never thought they’d look like this,” Bucky awed as he climbed into the back seat and looked over the interior.

“Really? Thor was, like, totally blown away. Of course, Jane did hit him with one. Not a good first impression with them,” she rambled a bit as she pressed a bunch of buttons and turned on music much louder than Bucky or Loki were accustomed to. The voice sounded soothing, all things considered. 

“Wait. He’s Loki, what’s your name? Are you another god?” Darcy paused.

“Oh. No. My name is James,” Bucky answered.

“James? That’s super normal sounding,” Darcy laughed to herself.

“Yea. Super normal,” he chuckled in response. 

“Thor resides with you, then?” Loki interrupted. 

“Yea. Me and Janey live in an apartment attached to her lab. And by apartment I mean trailer. Thor takes up way too much space but he seems to like sleeping outside, so there’s that. I mean, he’s so big. I don’t get it. Is his dad a mountain? Like, you’re his brother and you don’t look like a mountain. I mean, you’re tall as hell but still,” she prattled on as they took a sharp corner and headed down a long road that appeared to lead to nothing. They went on for another 20 minutes, Darcy speaking rapidly, asking many questions that Loki answered best he could. Bucky watched the landscape as they drove, a bit mesmerized by the vastness of it all. It had been nearly 60 years since he had been on this planet and it felt right to be back even if he was so displaced. 

Loki listened to Darcy with rapt attention. This woman was interesting, seeming to not care at all about them being from another realm altogether or the gravity of what that meant. She spoke so quickly and with such confidence that he could not help but follow her conversational lead. That was outside of the norm for Loki. Suddenly the car came to a sharp stop and he found them in front of a dilapidated looking set of buildings and barren land around them.

“This is where you live?” Loki raised a brow.

“It’s not fancy, I know. But you try getting the kind of funding for some nice digs. We’re not all Starks,” she replied.

“Starks?” Bucky paused.

“Yea. As in Tony Stark. The science guy. Dude invented a bunch of shit. Mostly weapons, though he has taken to looking into other stuff lately,” she shut off the car and they all climbed out.

“Huh,” Bucky hummed to himself, wondering if he was related to the Stark he knew.

“Come on, lets get inside where we will be way too cramped,” she rushed them through the rain to the awning attached to the trailer and flung the door open. She stepped in first as the other men followed, ducking to get inside. 

“Darcy, what are you - “

“Loki?” Thor cut in as Jane had moved to greet them.

“Thor, we must return to Asgard,” Loki gave roughly. 

“What has happened?” he asked.

“Odin has fallen into Odinsleep and an attack is imminent. Mother is in danger,” Loki attempted to explain.

“Everyone is vulnerable. They sent us to get you,” Bucky added.

“But I cannot return without Mjolnir. I can’t even lift it. Father’s punishment is beyond my circumvention. I don’t even think mother can do anything,” Thor expressed, his face pinched. 

“Norns,” Loki growled. 

“Wait, hold up,” Darcy stopped them, “So Thor can’t get home without Mew Mew. Why can’t he fight without it?”

“He can fight without it, but he cannot return without it. It's hard to explain,” Loki grumbled.

“Thor sort of explained earlier,” Darcy cut in, “You guys have a weird family.” 

Bucky started laughing and Jane stood awkwardly in the center of the room.

“Um. Before we get into more of this...I’m Jane,” she gave a tight smile.

“Oh! Yea. Introductions. And lunch,” Darcy held up the bag and Thor gave a bright smile.

“I am Loki of Asgard,” he sighed.

“James,” Bucky waved from where he stood in the doorway.

“Janey, we might need to all sit outside. Aren’t you glad I made us add the awning?” she giggled.

They dragged chairs and blankets outside to sit under next to the trailer. The rain had let up quite a bit but there was still a drizzle. Thor sat with Jane to his right and began to unwrap several sandwiches as Bucky and Loki watched the trio.

“So, you’re Thor’s brother,” Jane began.

“Technically I’m not related to him at all,” Loki revealed.

“What are you on about? Simply because you are mad at father does not mean we are any less brothers,” Thor took pause.

“Oh, we have much to tell you,” Loki glared. Bucky's entire body tensed and a shadow passed along Thor's face. 

Chapter Text

Thor bordered on flummoxed and angry as Loki explained his true parentage and what transpired after he left. Thor was insistent that he did not view Loki any differently given their apparent lack of blood relation. Loki doubted that somewhat but accepted the sentiment without much of an argument. Thor, of course, had more questions and did not understand why Loki had ever been abandoned in the first place; the painful truth being that Loki was never wanted due to a number of factors and it was only Odin’s keen sense of how Loki could be a tool in the future that prevented his untimely demise. 

“I feel like your mom was part of that decision too. I think it's pretty clear she wanted you even if your bio parents didn’t,” Darcy interrupted the story. 

“Frigga has a softness for the disposable,” Loki commented.

“I do not accept the word ‘disposable’ as a label for a person,” Darcy narrowed her eyes, “People get abandoned, doesn’t mean they’re disposable.”

“Wouldn’t you say the very act of abandonment makes them such?” Loki countered.

“Of course not,” Darcy huffed, “That’s not how things work. Whether or not a person or thing is valuable is totally subjective, but also a little objective. People are valuable even if you don’t like them.”

“Seems a soft position,” Loki remarked.

“I’m soft all over, buddy,” Darcy snorted, “But my point still stands. So your bio-dad was an asshole and left you to die. My parents didn’t necessarily leave me to die but they for sure did not take their role as parents seriously. Which is why the government took me from them and put me with people who would take care of me. My parents didn’t even try to get me back. Didn’t make me disposable and it doesn’t make you disposable.”

“I see the therapy is working,” Jane added.

“Damn right,” Darcy grinned.

“Your parents did not care for you?” Loki cocked his head.

“They did not. But other people did. They wanted me and I didn’t end up in a nightmare house like other kids do. So, not disposable. Shuffled around, but still wanted,” she sighed.

“I apologize that I do not find your words comforting, but I will certainly mull them over,” Loki hummed.

“Mother loves you very much,” Thor touched Loki’s shoulder.

“I mean, she put up with all your shenanigans,” Bucky smirked. 

“She taught you such,” Thor added with a laugh.

“Sounds like your found family was pretty chill. Though, maybe Odin was kind of an ass,” Darcy shrugged. Bucky laughed pretty aggressively at that statement. Odin was, indeed, often an asshole. He was cold and disarming. He would give cold stares to Bucky as he was generally untrusting of someone from a planet they had little contact with. He was overbearing with Thor, Loki, and Baldr and harsh with the Warriors three. Though, he tended to be more approachable with Sif. He had decided that was because he underestimated Sif greatly and seemed to think she and Thor were an item of some sort. Sif barked up that tree and then ran far away from it. 

“He is an ass,” Loki breathed out. The firepit was glowing softly on the other side of the awning. It was quiet here, quieter than he had anticipated it would be when they had first arrived. There was so much background noise from cars and people bustling in the city. But out here things were calm. He could see the sky clearly. 

“Assholeness aside, how do we get you back there?” Darcy asked.

“Well, the wormhole is an option but I do not have the tech here. Plus, the hammer is a complication. As well as any magic that apparently is part of the complication,” Jane began.

“Oh, yea. Can Thor return without the Hammer if we use science to get you back?” Darcy asked.

“Fun fact, what people from earth call science people on Midgard call magic. It's all the same, just looks a bit different,” Bucky expressed.

“Really?” Jane wrinkled her nose.

“Oh, yea. When I got there I thought everything was magic but eventually realized it wasn’t all that different from what I was starting to learn about science here. It's just prettier there,” Bucky continued.

“Wait. You’re from here?!” Darcy gasped.

“How?” Jane stood up.

“Uh, long story. Full of fucked up shit. Let's just say that Nazis kidnapped me and made some advancements I hope they were unable to do much more with. I ended up on Asgard by accident. I think,” he said, thoughtful. He had always assumed it was a mistake and really hoped HYDRA was never able to advance beyond that mishap. At the very least, no other people ever seemed to have made it to Asgard.  

“Nazis, huh? Here’s hoping they didn’t figure out time travel,” Darcy looked irritated.

“But when did you - “

“We should probably focus on getting Thor back instead of figuring out when and how I got there. I have no answers for you,” Bucky held up his hand, cutting off Jane.

“You’re right,” the scientist sighed, “Can Odin keep Thor from returning without the hammer? We can’t move it at all.”

“It will only move once it considers Thor worthy,” Loki answered.

“How does it figure that? It's a hammer,” Jane crossed her arms over her middle.

“It's sapient, much like us. It decides who can and cannot lift it. Odin has lifted it, as had Frigga, and probably others before them, but it is destined to be Thor’s. If he cannot lift it then he likely cannot return,” Loki stared into the fire, only briefly looking up to see Darcy’s beaming face.

“It thinks?! That’s so cool. I hope it likes its nickname. Is it an it or does it have a gender? I don’t want to misgender. Or am I just putting them in a binary position by assuming gender even exists for it? Maybe I should just use they/them pronouns for the hammer. I mean, how does it work? Were they created by a blacksmith or something or what?” Darcy rambled on.

“Uh, I guess I’ve always called Mjolnir a he. Never thought to ask,” Thor furrowed his brow with confusion.

“Mjolnir was created by dwarves using some of the strongest substance in the universe. I imagine it does not have a gender as it does not think in those terms. It measures worthiness and calls to its wielder, that is all,” Loki shrugged.

“If you say so,” Darcy says in a singsong voice, “I just don’t want it to be upset.”

“Sweet of you, but no need to worry,” Loki smiled.

“So...how does it decide Thor is worthy? Does he need to do good deeds or something?” Jane quizzed.

“Not quite. It measures the soul, not the actions. Though, the actions can imprint on the soul depending on the outcome,” Bucky answered. 

“So...does that mean it doesn’t like Thor’s soul right now?” Jane stared at the blonde god.

“Not quite. It thinks I’m arrogant,” Thor grumbled.

“Well, you are,” Bucky poked at the fire.

“And brash,” Darcy added.

“And you're not much of a tactician,” Loki piled on.

“Alright,” Thor grimaced, “I know I’m not yet worthy. But I will be.”

“Maybe...we should bring in Tony,” Darcy looked to Jane.

“Why?” Jane glared.

“Because it probably wouldn’t hurt to work on some other plan while Thor does his worthiness exercises or whatever. We can at least figure out how to make a wormhole back that maybe Thor can use without bringing his hammer. It’s not like you can’t have too many plans. You said yourself you don’t have the tech here. Tony would bring it for something like this,” Darcy pushed, she knew Jane did not like working with Tony as they had argued plenty in the past. Tony really was not a team player and would take over all aspects of a project. He and Jane had worked on something in Germany once with a larger team and Tony single-handedly got everyone to quit by being abrasive and controlling.

“He will take over everything,” Jane lamented.

“Probably,” Darcy agreed.

“He will try and study them,” pointing to Thor, Loki, and Bucky, “And try to take the hammer.”

“I doubt he could take the hammer,” Thor added.

“Could it be lifted by equipment?” Darcy paused.

“I do not believe so. The equipment would be controlled by someone so it would be determined by whomever was using it. I assume,” Loki thought, “Good question though. I had not entirely considered that.”

“Is it very heavy?” Jane asked.

“Not really?”Thor replied, “It wields like any large hammer would.”

“No equipment can move it. Loki’s magic can’t move it. Only Thor or another worthy person?” Darcy confirmed.

“Yep. Like excalibur. Only Arthur could move it. Not even Merlin could,” Bucky framed things.

“Oooohhh,” Jane and Darcy said in unison.

“Excalibur?” Loki quirked a brow.

“Fancy, magic sword in an old story. Only the true prince could pull it from the stone it was in,” Bucky recalled. He had read the story more than a dozen times when he first discovered it. He wondered if he might be able to find some books to bring back with him. He remembered staying up and reading to Steve until he fell asleep. He had been obsessed with The Hobbit when it was published. He had stolen a copy without much shame.

“I used to love that movie,” Darcy giggled.

“It’s a movie now?” Bucky brightened.

“When did you go to Asgard? That movie came out decades ago,” Darcy tilted her head to give Bucky a more investigatory gaze. 

“We’re focusing on Thor right now,” Bucky reminded

“Right. Tony,” Darcy looked back to Jane.

“I really don’t want to,” Jane whined.

“Neither do I, really. Tony is a jerk. But he’s a jerk with lots of money,” Darcy emphasized.

“A jerk with lots of money who sometimes ignores personal space,” Jane shot back.

“I am aware. He was very keen about these,” Darcy palmed her own chest, leaving the men around them a bit stunned.

“Excuse me?” Loki and Bucky spoke out.

“He’s handsy,” Darcy waved her arm and tugged on her jacket.

“And that is tolerated?” Loki glowered.

“Not by me,” Darcy snorted, “Or by most women.”

“Was he dispatched? Surely he was put in his place,” Loki sought assurance. 

“By me. I punched him in the throat,” Darcy brushed off her own shoulders with a smile.

“Here on earth there are some...different rules,” Bucky breathed out, “Consent isn;t much of a conversation. Things weren’t amazing if you were a woman. Especially when I was young and I can’t imagine it improved by much. Asgard, though. Asgard doesn’t let shit like that fly. If someone puts their hands on another person without asking, outside of a fight of course, the response is swift and painful.”

“Oh yes. Sif has quite the reputation for bringing justice,” Thor laughed.

“I saw her run a man through with a spear once,” Bucky winced.

“He brought it on himself for grabbing that girl’s buttocks,” Loki gave a cruel smile. 

“Wow,” Darcy gawped, “I need to visit.”

“If this Tony lays hands upon you then you can be assured he will be dealt with,” Loki bowed his head.

“He’s still an ass,” Jane pursed her lips.

“Then we’ll be plenty prepared since we’ve been around Odin,” Bucky joked.

“Just call Bruce,” Darcy started, “He can be the middleman for Tony. Plus, you know Bruce will want to help as well.”

“Fine. I’m calling Bruce. But if he starts in on my shitty funding source within the first hour here then you owe me 3 lbs of coffee,” Jane holds out her pinky.

“Deal,” Darcy hooked hers through Jane’s and things seemed settled. Jane stepped away and pulled out her phone to begin contacting Bruce and Tony. Loki watched Darcy eat her sandwich with Thor prattling on about something or other. Bucky appeared lost in thought. 

“What will we do for the night?” Loki asked.

“Well, we can't all fit in there,” Bucky pointed his thumb behind him to the trailer.

“Sleeping under the stars is quite nice,” Thor offered. He had happily camped out on the ground with 2 blankets and a bag for his pillow.

“I am certain it is, but I would rather a bed. And a bath,” Loki gave him a level stare.

“Any motels nearby?” Bucky sought from Darcy.

“Yes. But they are gross,” the petite brunette intoned, “Like, super gross.”

“Can’t you just - “Bucky mimed wagging his fingers. Loki simply rolled his eyes before standing up and walking 20 paces away from the trailer. He looked around and steadied himself. He didn’t need to exert himself but he had no intention of sleeping in the ground under the open sky no matter how beautiful the landscape was. He pressed his hands together and around them cropped up a large tent with a high ceiling and a small hot spring just south of them. When he stepped inside the tent the floor was covered in a soft carpet, pillows, and 2 bed rolls that were luxurious for what they were. Darcy bolted in behind him and scanned the space in amazement.

“Whoa. These digs are awesome. It's like glamping,” she gazed around, “I should have you decorate my shitty apartment in Red Hook.”

“Glamping?” Bucky asked as he stepped into the tent behind her.

“Glamor camping. When people set up fancy tents of cabins with full bathrooms and stuff. It's way chic and fancy,” she explained as she touched practically every pillow in the tent. 

“That does not sound like ‘camping’ as I understand it,” Loki observed.

“Its totes not camping. I’m not sure how the word camping even fits for what it is,” Darcy added as she sat down on one of the bedrolls, “Holy shit. This is softer than my mattress.”

“Feel free to join me on mine,” Loki winked.

“My-oh-my, am I being flirted with by a prince?” Darcy giggled.

“He likes to flirt,” Bucky grinned. Loki did flirt. He thought of it as a game and not as a means to an end. He had a few relationships, not long ones. Not more than a few weeks of fucking before moving on to something else to occupy his time. But he knew Loki did not have a fondness for that way of interacting with people. 

“It is fun. That’s how you improve your banter game,” she agreed.

“Anyway,” Bucky breathed out, “I appreciate the sleeping arrangements.” 

“He’s such an asshole!” they heard Jane yell from outside the tent.

“Giant asshole!” Darcy yelled back with a laugh. 

“He’s coming and bringing all his equipment but he’s going to be such a douchebag!” Jane shouted back.

“Tony Stark. Giant asshole and mega-genius,” Darcy sighed.

“Tony Stark. Any relation to Howard Stark?” Bucky sought out.

“Yep. His dad was this ultra genius who started StarkTech. Tony took over when Howard died. Tony is a genius too, of course. He went through some stuff. Definitely kidnapped by some weird terrorists but everything did result in him making the Iron Man suit. It's wicked cool and he saves people and shit. Still an asshole though,” she effused. She went on and on about the Iron Man suit and some of the things he’s done. She talked about their weird Captain America replica and some other heroes and how they try to keep the peace after Tony survived some truly fucked up experiences. 

Huh. Howard’s kid , Bucky thought to himself. He wondered how Howard would feel knowing his son had made such an impact on the world. If he could see how they tried to recreate Steve and put him in charge of some other people trying to save people. Which was all Steve would have wanted. He watched Loki smile at Darcy and all he wanted was a cigarette.

Chapter Text

All night Bucky watched Loki steal glances at Darcy. Which makes sense Darcy was stunning and could hold her own in any conversation. She was quick, sharp, and well-read. Between her wit and her looks she was the perfect Achille’s heal for Loki. Jane apparently had the uncanny ability to become so engrossed in her work that she would forget to eat and Darcy had to do a ‘wellness check’ every other hour. Steve was the same, pouring over drawings for far too long, found passed out on the couch before Bucky carried him to bed. 

After everyone had fallen asleep he snuck a little ways away from camp to look at the sky and just take everything in. He hadn’t been on earth since world war 2 and he felt half tilted at the idea. He wondered if he should try to stay awhile. Adjust. Try to remember what being here felt like. After everything was sorted out he might ask to go back to Brooklyn, just one more time. Then maybe he could say goodbye since he wasn’t so sure he would be able to live here again. It hurt too much.

The next morning Bucky awoke to shouting from outside the sleeping quarters Loki had made. He listened for a second to suss out what sort of conflict he needed to prepare for when he found the most prominent voice was Darcy’s.

“You’re such an arrogant asshole!”

“Me?” an unfamiliar voice asked.

“Not you, Bruce,” Jane and Darcy said in tandem.

“I am not an asshole because I have better equipment,” another voice sneered.

“No, you’re an asshole for 1, refusing to acknowledge exactly how you have the money for the equipment you do have. 2, gloating about it. Like an asshole,” Darcy shot back.

“I feel like this isn’t helping,” The voice would likely was not Tony cut in.

“I’m not sure how any of this is helpful,” Thor yawned.

Bucky took that as his cue to get up and join them. Loki seemed to be up as well as his bed was vacant. The sun was bright as he stepped out and looked to where the argument was playing out. Thor was hovering behind Jane, looking cross. Loki was leaning against a table. Darcy was going toe to toe with a man who looked more like Howard Stark than anyone he had ever seen before, which answered more questions than he even had. There was another man standing almost sheepishly off to the side, wanting to intervene but clearly not feeling quite confident enough to do so. Bucky approached the group and noted the angry energy, which seemed warranted.

“Is this a productive conversation or can I bother someone about coffee?” Bucky sighed as he moved to stand by Loki.

“There’s a whole pot inside,” Darcy answered without looking away from the other man.

“Got it,” he turned towards the trailer.

“Wait, who is this guy?” he heard from behind him.

“That’s James,” Jane replied, exasperated. 

“He a scientist too? Or is he some other intern you somehow got funding for?” he chuckled.

“I swear to god - “

“Seriously, can we just talk about what we need to talk about?” the other guy said a little louder.

“This is getting us nowhere and is obviously a waste of time,” Jane began.

“Hold on a minute,” Tony shouted, “Never said I wouldn’t help but you are obviously lying about something.”

Bucky wondered how much he missed but he’s guessing no one mentioned where he, Thor, and Loki came from.

“Bruce, can you just?” Darcy pouted.

“Tony, I think they need you to cooperate a bit more and be willing to keep some confidentiality about what they’re working on without being an ass about it. You know Jane wouldn't have called you if it wasn’t an emergency. Not after Germany,” Bruce calmly expressed to Tony.

“Fine,” Tony rolled his eyes.

“Fine,” Jane hummed. 

“We will tell you more once we are assured that you aren’t going to repeat anything to anyone. Maybe not even Pepper,” Darcy began.

“Not even Pepper?” Tony raised a brow.

“No. Not even her. This is something too big and too complicated and no one i safe if you blab to anybody. I need you to understand that,” Darcy was firm and her eyes glistened with tears because the anxiety building in her chest was so significant. She wasn’t sure Tony would care, but she couldn’t help the feelings welling in her throat.

“Ok, fine,” Tony seemed phased and took a step back.

“You promise?” Jane stepped forward, should to shoulder with Darcy.

“He does. I’ll make sure,” Bruce nodded.

Darcy and Jane looked at each other before looking back to Thor, Loki, and Bucky. Darcy swallowed and breathed out her nose.

“Ok, so, did you hear about the huge add lightning storm that happened and debris from space landed?” Darcy bit her lip.

“I read about it, nothing particularly noteworthy to me though,” Tony shrugged.

“So, and I need you to be chill about this, the debris was…Thor,” she pressed her hands together, waiting for a response. Tony blinked a few times and Bruce furrowed his brow.

“Him?” Bruce pointed.

“Yep,” Jane nodded.

“He came from space?” Bruce quizzed. 

“Bullshit,” Tony hissed.

“Fucking is not!” Darcy growled.

“How is that so hard to believe? You think I don’t know about Starlord or whatever his name is? Jane hissed.

“He’s from earth and went to space before coming back, that’s different,” Tony rolled his eyes.

“So is he,” Darcy pointed at Bucky who flinched. He decided to let that little bit slip to her on their drive and now was regretting it slightly. 

“What?” Bruce looked at him, fully in awe.

“Wait,” Tony pinched the bridge of his nose.

“No,” Darcy huffed, “Thor came down in the meteor shower. Loki and James came later, using magic or something.”

“I- “

“Tony, before you say anything, you have to know this is a huge scientific boon for you,” Bruce pressed in before Tony tried to say anything. Tony looked at his friend and seemed to have some sort of internal dialogue before turning back to Darcy and Jane.

“Before we even start on anything, is this something where I need to have Nat, Clint, and Steve on deck? Because everything you just said to me is the kinda thing before something horrifying happens,” Tony pursed his lips. Bucky felt his heartbeat uptick at the name 'Steve.' He was pretty sure it might do that until the day he dies. Thankfully, it was a fairly nonexistent name on Asgard and hadn't come up. Unfortunately common on earth. 

“I mean, hard to say,” Darcy cast her eyes upward.

“Pointbreak, thoughts?” Tony looked at Thor.

“Who?” he flummoxed.

“He means you,” Darcy rolled her eyes.

“That is not my name? Thor expressed with confusion.

“Doesn’t matter,” Tony flapped his hand in front of his face, “I’m asking if some untold danger is gonna come to our little planet because you’re here. That has already happened once because Quill pissed some weird guy off. Thankfully it was only a handful of guys that Steve pretty much handled by himself.”

“I doubt it, but we can't be for certain,” Thor replied.

“Any danger that shows up we can handle ourselves,” Loki announced.

“We have been trained for it,” Bucky shrugged one shoulder.

“Oh, I’m circling back to you, Tony pointed at Bucky. Tony stared at him in a way that was almost unnerving. The stare was searching, like he was trying to remember something that he never learned in the first place. That frustrating and overwhelming sense of unknowing that Bucky knew too well. 

"Later. We need to solve a very complex solve travel problem first," Jane stepped in Tony's line of sight. 

"Space travel?" Bruce asked.

"We need to get these 3 back up to space since apparently, the normal way won't work for some reason," Darcy explained.

"I tried a few times and all avenues appear closed off from me. It's a barrier," Loki sighed.

"How do you normally travel, exactly?" Bruce pushed his glasses up his nose.

"I can use my hammer, but it currently does not deem me worthy. Otherwise, Heimdall opens up the Bifrost for us," Thor gave plainly. 

Tony blinked a few times before groaning loudly, "You realize that sounds insane?"

"Clint told me about the talking tree and you think that is insane?" Darcy clicked her tongue.

Tony held up his hands in defeat and gestured towards Jane's equipment, "If we go to my lab we have way better stuff. The kind of stuff that doesn't travel well." 

"But the hammer can't move," Darcy reminded them.

"Well, no one can move it at all so it's not like it's going anywhere," Bucky added. Looking chuckled and Thor looked solemn. 

"We could camouflage it? So no one pokes around," Jane was thoughtful. 

"I can glamor it. Make no one want to approach the general area," Loki suggested. 

"I was just gonna pile rocks around it but that works too," Darcy spun around. Bucky was exhausted at just thinking about more travel. 

"You Glamor, me coffee," Bucky groaned as he retreated to the trailer for coffee. He felt a strange sense of excitement that felt unusual mixed in with his exhaustion and apprehension. While travel felt daunting he was curious where they would go and how they could resolve their dilemma. 

He looked out the window at the younger Stark, noting every way he seemed to mirror his father. Brash. Passionate. Arrogant. Brilliant. Steve would hate him, he thought as he smiled into the cup. Peggy would probably slap him. Darcy reminded him a bit of Peggy. All sass and a quick wit. She didn't back down and he was sure Loki was going to find a way to seduce her sooner rather than later. But he imagined it would likely be more of a challenge than Loki was used to. Royal lineage means nothing here. Well, not in the same way it did on Asgard.

He sipped his coffee and wondered if he could get as many pounds of coffee as possible smuggled with him to Asgard. He missed it and didn’t want to quite give it up again. Maybe he can get the gardeners to figure out how to grow some. He watched Tony and Jane bicker a bit before Darcy broke them up. Thor and Loki were talking to Bruce and he was intensely curious as to how others would react to them. And he was curious about this other person who was from Earth and also went to space. He was fascinated by the idea there might be someone like himself. He palmed the cup and held it close as he stepped back outside. 

“We can all take the jet after that one takes care of hiding the weird hammer,” Tony sighed.

“Did you call it already?” Bruce asked.

“Yea. JARVIS has dispatched it and it should be here soon enough. Nat and Nick are aware that some of the cargo is ‘precious’ but not of what variety. I said they were Steve-levels of weird,” Tony gesticulated. 

“That is probably the most accurate,” Bruce hummed. 

“I need to pack up my stuff if we’re going to Manhattan,” Jane groaned as she sorted through papers and pointed Darcy towards some boxes. Darcy huffed and started boxing things and moving equipment into containers. Bucky watched them work as Thor guided Loki towards the hammer with Tony in tow. Bucky hurried to follow them. He slid up behind the trip and drank his coffee as they walked.

“So it's a magic hammer?” Tony inquired.

“I suppose that is the best explanation,” Loki began, “It is a sapient being and it decides with whom it will cooperate. Normally it likes Thor but currently, it thinks he is a prick.”

“It simply needs to understand the reason,” Thor grunted.

“It needs you to be a little more humble,” Bucky sighed into his coffee.

“None of this makes sense to me but I’m going to roll with it,” Tony rolled his eyes. Once they all came upon the hammer in the crater it made they all stared at it as if they expected it to do anything. Bucky noticed that the crater was shallower than he thought it would be. He imagined Thor made more of an impression in the soil.

Loki stood closer and snapped his fingers, suddenly the earth was flat and the hammered was nowhere to be seen.

“Huh,” Tony blinked.

“He does that. You get used to it,” Bucky shrugged.

“Magic is…something. I guess I shouldn’t be that surprised though. But everything can be explained. Magic is just science we don’t understand yet,” Tony starred. Bucky had heard Howard say something very similar once. A Stark through and through.

“So, Manhattan?” Bucky cocked his head. 

“Yep. That’s where my lab is. And my everything else. Been there for ages. Started as my dad’s and I took it over once he passed,” Tony answered.

“Ever been?” Loki mused aloud. 

“You could say that,” Bucky sighed.

“That’s right. You’re from here,” Tony began, “I need to know where you’re from and how long you've been traipsing around in space with them. And how did you even get there?”

“Well, the thing about that is that it is need to know. And I’ve decided you don’t need to know. Funny how that works out,” Bucky gave a half smirk.

“Excuse me?” Tony furrowed his brow.

“Let me just say this; how I got there was very traumatic and I’m gonna keep that tucked away for myself,” Bucky said with a tone of finality. He had no desire to talk about any of it, nor did he want to explore his former friendship with this man’s father. And everyone else they knew. 

Tony simply narrowed his eyes and seemed to accept that incredibly frustrating answer. 

“What is Manhattan like?” Thor sought.

“Loud,” Bucky and Tony said at the same time. Bucky chuckled to himself that some things never change. 

“Will I like it?” Thor looked puzzled. 

“I think you might. Loki will probably hate it,” Bucky shrugged. 

“Will I?” Loki raised one brow.

“I bet you’d like it more if it was Darcy showin’ ya around,” Bucky snickered. 

“Haven’t the faintest idea what you’re implying,” Loki lied.

“You fancy her,” Thor grinned.

“You like her scientist friend,” Loki fired back.

“You both like literally the first 2 women we met on this planet,” Bucky rolled his eyes.

“You can't go wrong with either of them,” Tony joked as they continued to walk back towards the site, “Foster is intensely smart but good luck getting her out of the lab. Darce is just regular intense and apparently has ridiculous standards because she has said no to me several times. With some choice words, I might add. She’s very judgmental, that one.” 

Bucky laughed to himself and wondered if either Thor or Loki would find their crushes sated and which might be successful first. He thought Loki might have more luck but Thor has been surprising before. If he was a betting man he would put money on Loki, though. The man was anything if not tenacious. Once his sights were set on something he was generally hyperfocused until it was his. 

Once they were back at the sight Darcy walked directly up to Thor and Loki with an extended hand. Both men looked at each other before looking back at her.

“Is there something we can help you with?” Loki asked, confusion painting his features.

“Oh, this is me showing you exactly how many shenanigans I expect to happen on this trip and once we get to the lab. I assume that Tony will be an ass but between the weird powers you guys got I don’t want anything throwing off any of Jane’s hard work. Got it?” Darcy stared, hand still extended. 

“You can rest assured that we will be on our very best behavior,” Loki smiled before biting his lip.

“Oh, and if you’re gonna flirt with me I expect your A-game,” Darcy said with finality as she turned back towards where Bruce and Jane were standing around all the boxes. Before Loki could muster a reply a jet built like nothing the trio had ever seen appeared in the sky. Bucky gasped because, despite his years on Asgard, he would always be amazed by technological advances. 

“Well, let’s load the jet up and get to New York,” Tony clapped his hands together and walked towards Bruce.

Chapter Text

New chapters are coming. Apologies for the very long delay. Just wanted to let people know that stuff will be landing in the coming weeks.