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TIME HEALS, TIME KILLS 

"If 'I love you' was a promise
would you break it if you're honest?"
—Billie Eilish
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"YOU weren't born to be king, Loki. You were born to cause pain and suffering and death. That's how it is, that's how it was, that's how it will be. All so that others can achieve their best versions of themselves." Morbius' words echoed in his mind, tormenting him while questioning if it truly was the path he was destined to. If so, everything he's done to achieve his plan was all just a jest in the eyes of the TVA. Breathing heavily after just moments ago he returned to the interrogation room, grunting in effect to stand up only to glance towards the screen of the Avengers.

"And what about Athena? The one you swore to protect and promised her a future to be together?" The same voice interrogated as he grimaced, a nerve that struck deeper than any knife wound could. His eyes never left the screen as he saw an opportunity, his curiosity really at the thought of glimpsing through the file. Granted he wasn't prepared to view his future but he just had to know. Reaching for the small device, momentarily pausing with short breaths as he started to wind the tape. Images flashed rapidly, wanting to absorb it like a sponge at his actions until he stopped at one.

"I always believed you would one day come back to me just in a different circumstance. But I have to know, why did you do it?" Athena approached him, staring at his prison cell as she stared in disbelief. It was after his capture and to be trialed for his crimes against Asgard, the expression she held was unforgettable in his eyes. The goddess stepped closer towards the enforced glass while outstretched her hand before stopping herself, composing her head high with dignity even if her emotions threatened to spill.

"I had no choice," He saw himself answer, swallowing up his pride, turning his back at her as he refused to look at the distraught face. He yearned for her warm embrace, the sweet moments they shared, the visions they conjured for their future. They were equals— but at that moment, both thought otherwise.

"No choice?! Of course, you had a choice, Loki, everyone has a choice! And you decided to just give up everything we have done together." She persisted, chuckling softly in amazement that he was trying to lie to her.

"I did it for us!" The god declared as his eyes became slightly raged with emotion, feeling his hands clenching to a fist. Of course in disbelief, the goddess placed her hand over the nose to breathe unsteadily. She avoided the cold gaze set upon her, before saying something she'll always regret.

"Loki, there is no us! Not anymore!" Athena revealed in anguish, shocking both current Loki and the one playing on the screen. She clasped her mouth to hold in the sobs, not once looking back as she continued through the pain, "Maybe my brothers were right... We were never meant for each other. And before I go, answer me honestly— did you ever think about us when you chose to do it?"

His silence only confirmed her suspicions, nodding sadly as she hugged herself from the excruciating pain. After Athena left the prison cells and returned to her room, she fell into a deep sleep from exhaustion and heartbreak. It was the first time he witnessed her completely break down, only then he realized the truth behind Morbius's words. Not being able to handle seeing her suffer, he spun the knob once more forward as silent tears became blurring his vision. Shallow breathing followed as he braved through it all, seeing the death of his mother, his plan disguising as Odin, and landing on some strange planet, he stopped at the melancholy moment of them together.

"Do you think our life would be any different if... our son was here?" Athena questioned in a low tone, feeling his arms wrapped around her tighter before being pulled into a hug. A topic she always wanted to know but never was presented with an opportunity to truly ask him. He inhaled a short breath, contemplating through his imagination of an alternative world that he survived.

"Perhaps... but what matters is he'll only know peace," Loki responded, not once losing his embrace as she simply caressed his back while playing with his hair slightly. They longed for a sweet moment— for once, no responsibilities, no worries, and finally reconnecting with one another.

"I imagine him like you, strikingly handsome of course, but naturally gifted with a good heart." The goddess chuckled faintly, feeling his hand cupping her chin gently as their eyes united and hearts slowly beating as one.

"And has your wisdom and strength of a warrior, intelligent beyond his years." His husked voice fanned her face, a magnetic force attracting them closer. Her heart told her to take the leap of closing the gap, her brain said otherwise to rationalize her emotions. She knew where this was heading, but if she wanted to do it then Athena must be positive it wasn't just for an escape from reality.

"I-I... I relentlessly waited for you and while I moved on— doesn't mean that I'd ever stop loving you." Athena insisted to Loki, burying her face against his chest. Wanting to memorize his breathing as if this might be the last time together, voice trembling under his arms.

"I know," He answered sincerely, tugging softly her waist towards his. His heart ached with how much she endured just to be with him, he took her love for granted. His self-obsession of proving himself worthy only caused others to be forgotten and lost. Placing his chin over her head gently, the god slowly cradled her as a fragile snowflake that might melt at his touch. They just stood there, trapped in their world as everything else seemed to fade from sight.

He sat alone with his thoughts, only imagining himself embracing and inhaling her unique scent of cinnamon with a hint of orange blossom. That was where he wanted to be... he could never forget that face filled with serenity and kindness. A sudden notion appeared when he recalled her there when stealing the Tesseract before forcefully being held against his will at the TVA. Crinkling his eyebrows in concentration about why she was there, visibly confused and conflicted as to if it was a life or death scenario. He stared at the spindle again, mentally preparing for what's to come as it fast forward and pausing every few minutes.

Laughter and smiles that were once rare to see from the goddess, was only for him. He only wished to experience it again, feeling the warmth it radiates with the stark contrast of his frozen one. A faint pang reverberated inside his chest, the dreadfulness of what was his. With a few shaky breaths, Loki proceeded to view the images before stopping after seeing the ship they were traveling was under attack. Rumbling and fallen debris surrounded them when he saw who came out of the ship.

"Dread it... run from it... destiny arrives all the same." The Mad Titan appeared before them, the current Loki saw how Athena was reaching for a young girl who was slightly unconscious. The goddess did her best to shield her from him as the Eternal being. Thanos chanted calmly as he stepped closer, "And now, it's here. Or should I say... I am."

Thor coughed out some blood from his mouth before feeling his suit grabbed by Thanos. Then the Mad Titan approached Athena as she sensed blood dripping from the forehead. He gently caressed her chin but she turned away in anger, tugging her arm forcing the goddess forward. His hand wields the Infinity Gauntlet which let out a faint purple glow from the Power stone. The God of Thunder humored but groaned at the pain, "You talk too much."

"The Tesseract, or your brother's head. I assume you have a preference." Thanos questioned the Trickster god, earning some smirks from the Black Order. Loki merely grinned at the statement, chucking softly under his breath without hesitation at his options.

"Oh, I do. Kill away!" He responded nonchalantly, grinning widely without worry. From the distance, the young girl twitched in and out of consciousness, wanting to help since she knows what he's looking for.

"On second thought... it'll be her head." Loki's smile slowly fades at what he just heard, seeing the gauntlet pressed against her temple. Athena tried to remain calm as the Power Stone glowed intensely, she tried to surpass the pain but let out an agonizing scream. She felt defenseless against him, thrashing violently at the raw power electrifying through every fiber of her body.

"ALL RIGHT, STOP!" The God of Mischief shouted as his emotions betrayed him, losing his calm demeanor at the thought of her never-ending suffering. The yell alerted the young girl stirring softly at her surroundings as she saw her mother exhausted from the extortion.

"We don't have the Tesseract. It was destroyed on Asgard." Thor protested, witnessing his sister-in-law weak made his whole body churn with anger. However, Loki only glanced at him silently before lifting his right hand to reveal the Tesseract itself. The God of Thunder exhaled in defeat, "You... really are the worst brother."

"I assure you, brother... the sun will shine on us again." He merely glanced over to him with a solemn expression, ignoring his bitter words. Athena stared in shock at the artifact that was meant to be destroyed and now that it's here— the Mad Titan will want the Vessel of the Space Stone as well.

"Your optimism is misplaced, Asgardian." Thanos declared as he observed the cube, finally, power was within his reach.

"Well, for one thing, I'm not Asgardian. And for another... we have a Hulk." Loki chimed in as the green creature slammed directly at him. The trickster god dropped the Tesseract as he went to grab his wife struggling to reach for Aurora. The teenager crawled forward, feeling every bruise and blood oozing on her skull but she went to them. The pair hugged tightly, Athena tried to formulate a plan for the girl to escape before he could capture her.

Suddenly, a loud bang echoed across the damaged ship as Hulk was rendered defeated. Thor went forward to slam a metal bar across Thanos' back but he kicked him on the ground harshly. Ebony Maw, a member of the Black Order, bound the god in metal debris. Seeing this happening, Athena pushed her daughter aside to prevent her from being trapped, sacrificing herself with the same fate as Thor. Aurora saw the Tesseract lying on the ground as she picked it up, turning back at her family before facing the Mad Titan.

"STOP!" She screamed for his attention, leaving the defeated Hulk as he turned to see the brave girl with the stone. Aurora controlled down her unnerving voice, glaring at Thanos as she declared, "You have no idea how long I waited for you... Now I understand why I was chosen. So as long as I breathe you will not win!"

"Who are you, little one?" The Eternal being inquired curiously, observing the weak mortal trying to play god. A faint glow appeared from the cube as her eyes turned to an electrifying blue hue along with energy circling her body. Smirking widely at his question, she brought the Tesseract closer towards herself to protect it with her life.

"I'm the Guardian and Vessel of the Space Stone— and if you want, you'll have to get it through me." She revealed, ready to defend it and for once Aurora was finally to receive redemption.

"Then it shall be." Thanos proclaimed coolly, marching forward as she conjured some energy to stop his tracks. Using the Power Stone he tried manipulating the energy against her but unfortunately, this was her element. The cube's essence flowed through her veins as she was going to unlock its ability but Heimdall from afar summoned the Bifrost. When the Mad Titan almost reached towards her, she was transported with the unconscious Hulk to Earth. But since she didn't hold a tight grip, she dropped it at the ship.

The Eternal stride forward at the Bifrost Keeper while Athena cried from frustration that she let this happen. Killing the Asgardian in one swift motion, Thor shouted angrily to avenge his friend's death. However, his screams were cut short after Ebony Maw sealed his mouth the more metal debris. Retrieving the Space Stone finally, they planned to seize the girl as she proved herself powerful. Emerging behind the group, Loki interrupted as he offered, "If I might...interject... if you're going to Earth, you might want a guide. I do have a bit of...experience in that arena."

Thanos responded unimpressed with his words, "If you consider failure experience."

"I consider experience, experience." He interjected rudely, stepping closer as he pledged allegiance to him. Momentarily glancing at Thor before his face softened at Athena's, he turned forward as he chanted the oath, "Almighty Thanos, I... Loki... Prince of Asgard... Odinson... The rightful King of Jotunheim... God of Mischief... O hereby pledge to you... My undying fidelity."

Loki swiftly thrust the dagger he conjured directly at the neck, however, the Space Stone prevented him from doing so. He grunted at how powerless he was, seeing Thanos grinned sinisterly, "Undying?— You should choose your words more carefully."

The Eternal twists the dagger out of Loki's hand, holding the god's neck with the gauntlet and squeezing his throat tightly. Athena exclaimed and thrashed forcefully even if she sustained a few cuts, she refused to see him die right in front of her again. He tried to free himself as he choked his final words, his face turning different shades of crimson, "You... will never be... a god."

The current Loki glanced grimly, heavily getting out of his seat and steadily walked towards the screen. The image flashed to Athena who had her eyes shut tightly, bones were heard cracking as his limp body collapsed on the floor. Loki's face flickered into shock as he gasped, yet unexpectedly saw his brother and wife weeping over his body. He couldn't look away as the god shed tears until the ship exploded, blurring his vision as he couldn't process all at once. He was overwhelmed with sorrow and torment, believing that she died alongside Thor during the explosion.

He felt... numb, a wave of uncontrollable emotions washed over as he could simply stare at the distance. His mistake led to the death of himself and the people he loved, staring at the Tesseract with guilt and shame. His ambition got in the way of everything and now he was left with nothing. Loki was lost— he finally admitted his fate, understanding the truth of himself who was meant to be nothing more than a tool. Morbius appeared promptly as he noticed the god sitting by the steps, the glowing cube beside him.

"I can't go back, can I? Back to my timeline." Loki questioned, clasping his hands together as if it'll bring warmth for something that was already gone. There was a silent pause that confirmed his suspicion, sighing as he revealed something he always kept to himself with a lighter tone, "I don't enjoy hurting people. I... I don't enjoy it. I do it because I have to because I've had to. Because it's part of the illusion. It's the cruel, elaborate trick conjured by the weak to inspire fear."

"A desperate play for control. You do know yourself." Agent Morbius praised the god for finally accepting himself, slowly putting down the weapon at the defeated look Loki had. Ever since invading Earth with the incident of Germany still vivid in his mind, he naively saw himself as someone worthy to rule over the mortals. Conspiring fear to those who opposed him, but seems the only fearful one was him.

" A villain." He recalled with disdain, a title given from citizens of Midgard. Picking up the Tesseract, he clasped tightly as his eyes wandered into the distance.

"You try to use that?" Morbius inquired with a slight motion indicating the Space Stone. A mere chuckle escaped from Loki's lips as he once more tried to harness the power.

"Oh, several times. Even an Infinity Stone is useless here. The TVA is formidable." Loki admits with a short sigh, but the Agent shook his head in disagreement.

"That's been my experience." Morbius agreed with the god on the last part, deciding to begin revealing his plan of action, "Listen, I can't offer you salvation, but maybe I can offer you something better. A fugitive Variant's been killing our Minutemen."

"And you need the God of Mischief to help you stop him?" Loki asked incredulously what he was implying, standing up intrigued. His intuition was he could find out more about the Time Keepers so he could be able to return his point on the timeline. He vowed to see Athena again if it meant scheming and manipulating to get what he wants. Calmly insisted on the question he had in mind, "Why me?"

"The Variant we're hunting is... you," Morbius admitted, the words sank faster than any wound as he couldn't accept what the god just heard.

"I beg your pardon?" Loki doubted as he refused to believe that. However, Morbius forgot to add one minor detail— Athena's variant vanished with no possible clue as to find her. And what Loki didn't realize was his beloved would be at the TVA soon, only she's not the woman he once loved.

And everything was falling apart according to plan.