Timedoor

You hummed along to the radio as you pottered around the kitchen to make yourself something decent for lunch. It had been a year since Loki's death and you still found it difficult to keep up a proper routine for yourself. Every day waking up was a challenge and you rarely slept without gruesome nightmares that brought all the painful memories right back.

You knew that Maria Hill did not approve of your decision to leave SHIELD behind but you couldn't bear to look into the eyes of those who had survived when Loki was gone forever. You resented them for being alive when he was not and to avoid causing a scene you severed all contact and moved across the ocean to start a new life.

London was treating you well and you had found a steady office job that paid alright and where nobody knew your history. You made no effort to befriend your co-workers and you were most content when everyone simply left you alone. Your life was isolated and boring but you had no interest filling it with nonsense when the gaping hole of Loki's existence still burned so brightly in your chest.

You heard a weird noise akin to electricity crackling and you groaned at the idea of having to call your landlord about an issue in your flat. You turned around and almost dropped your plate in shock when a man in a brown suit stepped out of what looked like a glowing rectangle the size of a door.

"What the - " you exclaimed with a quiver in your voice and you pinched your arm to check if you were dreaming. You were instantly hit with a sharp pain and that only left two options: either you were hallucinating or this was in fact happening. The man looked around the room and seemed to be entirely unbothered by the fact that he had just magically appeared in your apartment. His surprisingly kind eyes fell on you and you gasped when he took a slow step towards you.

"Please stay calm," he said in a soothing voice and you scoffed. Calm? A stranger had just walked through some kind of portal and you felt like you were barely holding onto your sanity at this point. You let out a strangled breath and loosened your death grip on the plate you were still holding. With trembling fingers you set it on the counter and leaned against it for support.

"I will not harm you," the man continued and you had to admit that he was doing a good job of appearing as non-threatening as possible. He had his hands in the air and a soft expression on his face and you took a deep breath to calm your racing heart.

Suddenly a shadow fell through the glowing entrance and your legs almost gave out under you when the person was fully revealed. Your brain was screaming at you that this was impossible and yet your eyes were clearly seeing the love of your life standing in your living room. Your entire body was shaking at this point and all you managed to get out was a high-pitched shriek.

Both men looked at you with varying levels of concern on their faces and before you knew what you were doing you had crossed the room to stand in front of Loki. "How?" you asked and you were taken aback by the empty look in his eyes as you took in his appearance. He seemed to be wearing a similar suit to the other man and there was an unfamiliar orange logo on his jacket.

"How are you alive?" you urged, not daring to touch him in fear of it being an illusion after all. Loki frowned and when he continued staring at you with a blank face you had a frightening realisation: He didn't know who you were. You stumbled backwards slightly and you felt as if your lungs were too tight for your chest and your heart was shattering in a million pieces.

You were scrambling to sort through your thoughts and finally you turned to the grey haired man with an accusing glare "What have you done to him?" He had the decency to look contrite and you felt flustered by the compassion swirling in his bright eyes. You felt anger surge up in your chest and you clung to it like a lifeline to keep you afloat in a sea of sorrow and misery.

You took a step closer and balled your hands into fists and repeated your question more insistently "What have you done to him?" You glanced at Loki and he seemed to be utterly baffled by the exchange and your heart ached at seeing his beautiful face so free of recognition. The man in front of you started speaking but instead of answering you he turned to Loki with a soft smile "We need to go."

Before you could respond he headed towards the portal and with a final pitying look back at you he vanished. Your feet refused to move and your throat felt too dry and constricted to make words work. Loki was still standing there, staring at you with wide eyes as if you were a puzzle to figure out.

Every time you blinked you expected him to disappear like a phantom your grieving mind had conjured to deal with the loss but it didn't happen. You lifted your arm to reach out to him but when he flinched you immediately retracted it as if you had been burned. You were clearly a stranger to him and you had never thought seeing Loki again could hurt as much as it did right now.

Your heart felt like it was being stabbed by tiny needles and every rattling intake of breath was pure agony. The gleaming door behind him started flickering and the panicked look on his face told you that he was running out of time. Suddenly, a determined expression took over and you barely had time to scream as he grabbed your wrist and pulled you with him through the portal.