Loki x Reader: Into the MCU

Chapter 48: Time Heist

"Yeah, but that was after the Collector had had it for a year. What about before that? When he'd just been given the stone?"

"I couldn't give you the date of that transaction," Thor said apologetically, "Though I assume we could pick any day within the last year and go for it then."

"Whoa, I thought we were keeping Thor and Furry on the Asgard mission?" Tony said, "Why are we changing the one mission we know goes well?"

"Well, for one thing, the Aether isn't inside his girlfriend," Loki said.

"It's inside your girlfriend?" Tony looked to Thor.

"Yeah, didn't I mention that?" Thor asked innocently, "Besides, I thought Cap knew all that."

"Wren did say you have to suck it out of Jane."

"How awkward is it to return that stone?" Rhodey mused.

"Jane, I know I just zapped this from you a second ago, but hold still!" Tony joked, acting like he was talking to someone who was running away.

"Ok, so the job might be easier if it's already out of her," Cap agreed.

"Why didn't we do that in the film?" Clint asked, "I mean, send them back to when it's just sitting in the Collector's shop?"

"Cuz Thor having a motivational and, I'm guessing, highly emotional peptalk with his long deceased mother makes for better cinema than picking up a rock from a warehouse," Tony theorized.

"In the movies we didn't know about the Collector's army, it never comes in. When do we go there? How do we know when it's early enough?" Rhodey asked.

"And how do we guarantee the Aether is on Knowhere on the desired day?" Vision chimed in.

"Where else would it be?" Nat furrowed her brow.

"I don't know, but on a mission as sensitive as this, we can't afford to choose a day where the Collector is off world, or has taken the stone somewhere else," Vis explained, "I'm not saying he would or that he ever did. I'm saying it's an unknown. And for this, there can be no unknowns."

"How are we supposed to know when the Aether's there?" Clint asked, "We never even saw it when we were there. We don't know if it was even with him when he escaped or if it was already off the planet."

"I know when it was there," Loki sighed, closing his eyes in reluctant submission to whatever decision he'd come to in his head. Opening his eyes, he looked determinedly around the group. "It was there the night before we went to Knowhere."

"And how do you know that?" Tony said, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Loki glanced to Thor, who nodded in agreement with his brother's confession. Now was the time.

"Because I went to him the night before."

The looks passed around the room and sighs of disgust were indication enough that they knew they weren't going to like the reason why.

"Why?" Tony said, his voice low and jaw set rigidly.

"Because I...I was trying to betray you guys. I told myself I could somehow," he shook his head at the stupidity of his past self, "Collect the stones for myself. I told the Collector you were coming. Helped him craft a fake based on the original. A duplicate to satisfy you until I could return for the true stone. I didn't know he had the army."

"No, but you weren't upset by the fact that any of us coulda gotten killed!" Tony accused.

"No," Loki said quietly, eyes turned away from the harsh glares he was receiving, "I told myself I wasn't."