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Chapter Text

When Thor met Loki for the first time, he was confused.

“Mother – what?” Thor looked up from the bundle in her arms, hanging Mjolnir on his belt and stepping forward. “Who is this?”

Thor had just returned from a short excursion to Midgard, making sure that they were recovering well after the attack from Jotunheim. He wasn’t yet old enough to join the front lines, only being four-hundred ninety-four. But he was old enough and trusted enough to protect Midgard from any straggler Jotunn that had been left behind from the initial retreat.

Frigga smiled, cupping the baby’s cheek and stepping forward. “This is your brother,” she whispered, and the baby giggled, squirming in her arms.

Thor quirked a brow, and he looked at the baby, then at his mother’s slim figure. “I… I’d say that, as I’m nearing five-hundred years old, I think I know how babies come about, and – mother, you –“

The woman’s smile flattened, and her eyes widened. “My darling Thor, don’t tell me that you just thought I was getting fat?”

Thor took in a sharp breath, looking to his father for help – but the man was not paying attention in the slightest as Eir worried over his eye, which had been gouged out in battle. “No – no, I just –“ He grit his teeth, and then looked down at the baby again. “What’s his name?” He asked, and his mother relaxed at the subject change, adjusting her hold on the boy.

“He shall be called Loki.” She ran a hand over the fine tufts of the dark hair atop his head. “Would you like to hold him?”

Thor was still suspicious – but he couldn’t inquire again. So he sighed and nodded. “Yes, I… I would like that very much,” he said.

And when Thor held him for the first time… he fell in love.

The baby – Loki – cooed up at him, reaching for the long strands of blonde hair falling about his face. He smiled, and Thor couldn’t help but smile back, moving to sit down as he pulled him closer.

“Hi,” he greeted in a soft whisper, bringing up a hand to adjust the blankets. But Loki’s quick, tiny hands grabbed onto his fingers, and he immediately began to gum on them.

No matter how the boy came about, Thor knew in his heart that this was his brother. This was his family. He would do anything for him.

“Loki… Loki, I’m your brother, Thor. And I want you to know… that I will always protect you,” he whispered as Frigga watched, though her attention was split between the boy and her husband. “I can hardly believe just how small he is. Was I this small?” He asked, lifting his head to stare at his mother.

“Oh, you were smaller,” Frigga said, laughing softly. “He’s actually quite a large babe.”

Thor hummed. “Then, shouldn’t you be resting, mother?”

Frigga’s eyes crinkled with tension, and she clasped her hands together. “A queen cannot rest, especially not when each of her boys need her.” Then she stepped forward, moving to sit next to her sons. “But don’t worry, dear. I have been tended to.”

Thor backed off for now – but he would have to pursue this another time.

For now, he just focused on the adorable, sleepy baby that was to be his family.

“Loki…”

--

“LOKI!”

A quick-footed boy laughed brightly as he slipped beneath a guard’s outstretched arm, sprinting down the hall and risking a glance back at his brother.

“If you want it, you’ll have to catch me!” He shouted before leaping out the nearest window, much to the horror of everybody in the vicinity – though he floated his way down to the ground floor with the use of magic.

Thor ran after him, leaping out all the same and ducking into a roll as he landed before he broke into a run. “Give it back! I need it for the quest!”

Loki shrieked as he felt the heavy footsteps of his brother gaining on him, taking a sharp corner as he tucked the scroll closer to his side. “If you want it back, you have to take me with you!” He glanced back again, panicking at how close Thor was getting. But he was always incredibly clever, so he mumbled an incantation under his breath, enchanting his feet to stick to whatever surface he walked on – before taking off up the side of the castle.

“Come on, you know I cannot! You’re too young, brother!” Thor shouted as he came to a stop, his hand open as he began to call Mjolnir to him subtly – so that Loki wouldn’t notice. He’d just have to fly up there, then.

“Do not lie to me! You went on your first adventure at ten years old, and I’m already leagues smarter than you were at the time!” Loki shouted from his position, hopping up onto a windowsill. “I should be allowed to accompany you!”

He… made a good point. But even so, the idea unsettled Thor. They were hunting a beast that was terrorizing Vanaheim – with no accurate gauge on its strength.

“No, Loki. Get down, and give me back the scrolls,” Thor called up to him, feeling that his hammer was getting close.

“Please, Thor? I’m sure that I’ll be safe the whole time! I’ll be right by your side, and then the Warriors Three and Lady Sif will be there too! I’d be in absolutely no danger!” Loki exclaimed – before the window behind him opened, and he yelped, jumping away from the hands that tried to grab him.

Except his enchantment on his feet had already broken, and he screamed when he began to plummet to the ground.

“Loki!” Thor’s eyes widened before he jumped, meeting Loki mid-air and catching him before he could hit the ground. “Are you okay?” He asked frantically, setting his brother down and checking over him.

Loki pouted up at him. “I’m fine,” he huffed, and Thor frowned, fixing his hair before he took the scrolls back. “You’re awful.”

The older rolled his eyes. “Perhaps I should have just let you fall, hm?” He suggested, and Loki shoved his arm, turning away. Clearly he was upset, but it was unusual in its intensity given the situation. “Loki, is something the matter?”

The boy crossed his arms and began to march away. “Nothing is the matter, just leave me alone already! You got your damned scrolls!”

“Aye, watch your mouth! There’s no need for such strong language, especially not from someone as young as you!” Thor chastised before he jogged forward, stopping Loki in his tracks. “Listen – I am truly sorry you cannot accompany my friends and I. But this is just one quest, and there will be hundreds more!”

Loki stared up at him, sniffling. “You get to go adventuring and I’m stuck with that annoying governess! I’m never given the sort of chances that you were at my age!” He exclaimed. “And she’s a fool who won’t let me progress through my coursework as my own pace, she insists upon a bizarre schedule – even though I’ve finished all the reading for the next decade!”

Thor sat and listened to his grievances, nodding. “Perhaps she thinks you’re trying to skip your courses, like I used to do.” He grimaced at his brother’s expression of exasperation (“of course you would”). “If you were to demonstrate your knowledge, maybe she would advance your learning,” he suggested.

“Ha! She would just tell father that I’m being a smart-ass,” Loki replied, rubbing at his eyes as tears began to collect on his lashes. He wouldn’t cry. “And that never goes well.”

It was a well-known fact around the palace that Loki had always received harsh punishments from the All-Father for any misstep. Thor didn’t like it, because his childhood had never had anything of the sort. He had always been informed and corrected of his mistakes – and had always been told why; whereas Loki’s punishments were rarely ever anything other than physical.

His disobedience earned him hours on the training field, or hits across his backside, or a measuring stick to his knuckles. And that was just for minor infractions.

Thor pursed his lips, kneeling and leaning back on his haunches as he considered the options. “Perhaps I could say something, then.”

“And have father call me a coward for not bringing it up myself? I am not willing to sit through another lecture over dinner for this.” Loki sniffled, and he wiped at his eyes before he could actually start to cry. Then he shook his head, turning away. “Just - forget it, brother. I probably would have gotten a more severe punishment if I had gone with anyway.”

Thor frowned, reaching out to clasp his shoulder, but his hand went right through it. Loki’s illusion faded, and his real form was disappearing around the corner.

So, as any older brother would do – he set out to speak to his parents, despite Loki’s comments. Not Odin, because his brother was correct in that Odin would only hear disrespect if they tried to speak to him about the situation.

He entered his mother’s garden, finding her head bent over a book, her expression contemplative. He bowed his head as he approached. “Mother – I must speak with you urgently. It concerns Loki.”

The queen immediately sat up, frowning as she looked to her oldest son. “Oh, what has he done now?” She asked, sighing.

Thor quirked a brow. “No, he – he didn’t do anything, Mother. But I am worried.” He lifted his head and chose to take a seat next to her on a bench. “He is… incredibly intelligent. Smarter than I ever was at his age, and he knows it.” He smiled a little, and Frigga relaxed. “I cannot bring this up with father, so I bring it up to you. He has expressed interest in accelerating his learning courses – going through them faster, learning all he can as soon as possible. Perhaps that could be arranged?”

Frigga blinked in surprise and then tilted her head. “Well – Yes, I suppose it can be,” she replied simply. “Is that all?”

Thor shook his head, and he ran a hand over his beard, thinking carefully about what to say. “Unfortunately not, mother. I worry about much more than just his courses,” he admitted. “I hardly see him anymore. I’ve been traveling a lot, as of late – and he can never accompany me. So, when he truly needs me, I’m hardly ever there.”

Frigga frowned, but didn’t interrupt as he pursed his lips in thought.

“I’d like to be able to spend more time with him. He is my brother – and with how far apart we are in age, it seems all the more pertinent to make more of an effort to bond.” He faced Frigga, then. “It is to my understanding that he has taken quite well to pulling many tricks and jokes upon those around him. Now, I won’t question the methods that All-Father uses for his punishments, but… I fear the damage that could be done if that is all he receives in the way of attention.”

His mother nodded, closing her book and setting it to the side to pick at her palm. “I understand completely, my son. And I find myself agreeing with those sentiments quite often, but as you know, I’m… a very busy woman.” She sighed, thinking over the whole situation before nodding. “I shall speak to my husband – and don’t worry, he won’t know this came from you,” she reassured when she spotted the scowl that crossed her son’s face. “Thank you, Thor, for coming to me and sticking up for your brother.”

She opened her arms, and Thor leaned into her, hugging her tightly to his chest. “Thank you for taking me seriously, mother.” He stayed there for a long while, just breathing slowly and enjoying the floral scents surrounding them. “Your garden is getting quite expansive as of late. I don’t think I’ve seen many of these flowers… Is there any particular reason for it?” He asked as he pulled away, and she finally let go.

Frigga smiled, her keen eyes twinkling with mischief. “It’s a secret for now, my dear, but you shall know in time.” She reached up, cupping his cheek. “Now, you must excuse me – I’ve been asked to assist with some Alfheim marriage negotiations, and they are being quite difficult on the matter. I took a short break, but now I must return.”

Thor nodded, following her outside the garden before he sighed. “Well – it is high time I depart with my friends.” He smiled at his mother. “I shall see you in a week – though I hope that we can perhaps finish sooner than that.”

Frigga reached up and patted his cheek. “Take care until then, my dear.”

As Thor assembled with his friends to be sent to Vanaheim, he chanced one look back. He could swear, for a split second, he saw Loki at the end of the bridge.

But then he blinked, and he was in the land of the Vanir, to assist them with finding the monster that had been killing their people.

He sighed and forced himself to focus on the task at hand. He could resolve the situation with Loki upon his return.

In the end, it took him over a fortnight of hunting with his friends before the beast was slain - and upon his return, there was to be a feast in his honor.

He got home – nodded his head, waved back at people, smiled when he needed, and then ducked away to take a long hot bath.

A soft rap on the door echoed in the room after he had been soaking for some time, and Thor knew only one who would dare to enter his room without permission.

“Give me a few more moments, brother. I’ll tell you all about it once I’m done,” Thor called, and Loki giggled on the other side of the door.

“Okay! And spare no details! I wish to hear everything!”

Thor smiled. Even if he had initially wanted to be alone, the thought of hanging out with his brother instead was not as annoying as it should have been.

He left the bath and went to dry off and dress himself.

Loki was waiting, cross-legged on his bed as Thor went to sit next to him, and he ruffled his hair. “I missed you,” he said, hugging Thor as tight as he could.

“I missed you too. How have things been?” He asked, and Loki hummed.

“Better. The teacher is accelerating her courses,” he said. “Not quite as fast as I’d like, but… it’s an improvement. I can manage it.” He rubbed his hands together. “And Mother has started to teach me small spells – to keep me engaged, she says. I think she’s trying to keep me busy so I don’t pull as many pranks.”

He smiled a little, picking more at his palms. “The last one didn’t go so well, so maybe I’ll stop, at least for a little while. But –“ He shook his head, as though to shake the thought free. “I want to hear about your quest! Tell me, tell me, pleaaaase?”

Thor relaxed, nodding as he pulled him close against his side, leaning his head back. “Alright, I will, settle down,” he said before he began to spin the tale of the two-week chase across all of Vanaheim. Loki had a knack for story-telling, but he wasn’t terrible himself.

And if he fell asleep before the story was over, well… Loki didn’t mind. He’d hear the rest of it when Thor woke.

Chapter Text

Loki did his best to ignore the comments.

He had just recently passed his birthday, and finally, three years after turning one hundred, the chance to go on a quest with Thor had arisen.

He had snuck alongside Thor and his friends before, but now he was allowed to go with, which was a whole new level of exhilaration. He had been dreaming of this moment for as long as he could remember.

Which is why he was trying not to let Thor’s friends ruin it.

“If I had known we were to be baby-sitting, I would have asked your wife for some tips,” Sif whispered to Volstagg, both laughing amongst themselves.

“Ah, don't worry so much, dear – I’ve got three children,” the redhead said. “I’ve enough experience for the whole lot of us.”

Adjusting the saddle on his steed, Loki made sure it was secure before he swung himself up, letting out a slow breath as he avoided a guarantee that he would never have children.

“These quests are intended to be a break from your family, are they not?” Fandral joked as he approached, clapping Sif’s shoulder in greeting.

When the two blondes looked over at Loki, his expression was dark, and while he wasn’t looking at them, they could practically feel his ire, stinging their skin.

Perhaps it’d be best to stay quiet.

“Creepy,” Sif whispered anyway, and Loki’s gaze flitted over to them, scathing and promising danger.

When he spotted his brother, however, his whole demeanor changed. The resting frown turned into a bright smile, and Loki nudged his horse forward in excitement. “Brother!”

Thor smiled up at him, jogging forward and giving Loki’s horse a few pats. “Loki! Are you excited?” He asked, and Loki stared down at his hands.

“More nervous than anything,” he replied, watching his brother quickly ready himself before they began to head to the Bifrost. “Were you ever nervous?”

“On something as important as this? Absolutely,” Thor said, keeping pace with Loki’s horse. “But you’re skilled, brother, and I have no doubt that you will be able to hold your own without issue.”

Loki relaxed a little, staring at the reins in his hands. “Well, I appreciate your confidence in me,” he mumbled, trying to keep himself from looking too giddy. He really couldn’t help it, however embarrassing it might feel to do so in front of all of Thor’s friends.

His friends, who now all wore pleasant smiles.

“You must be excited too, Thor, to finally be allowed to bring your brother along,” Fandral said as they traversed through the city.

“Of course he’s excited,” Sif said, rolling her eyes. “We haven’t been adventuring in quite some time. But can Loki really fight, though? I’ve only seen him perform his little tricks. Actual combat is quite different.”

Loki grit his teeth, and Thor thought nothing of the demeaning comment. “Of course he can! Most of his time training is spent with our teachers – since he doesn’t have a group of friends like I did to train with.” Ouch. “But he is excellent with many weapons! Daggers and spears are his best, but make no mistake, there isn’t a weapon out there that we cannot wield.”

Loki watched as Sif covered her mouth before she could laugh, and Fandral turned away to hide his face as he snickered.

“The uh – the sword is good too, but daggers are my favorite. They're lightweight and make maneuvering much easier,” Loki said, and only Hogun nodded.

“It’s brave, to get close enough to an opponent to use daggers,” he commented – and the others reluctantly agreed.

Thor beamed. “I thought so as well! In fact, I was the one who taught him how to wield them!” He exclaimed. “I tried to assist where I could with his combat education, but as you all know – I am quite busy.”

Loki smiled at his brother. “I always appreciated your help,” he said, relaxing a little bit. “I learnt better from you than I ever did with that dull instructor.”

“If you’re so good with all those weapons, then perhaps you’ll be more than deadweight this time,” Sif called, and Loki tensed up again, keeping his gaze down on his horse.

Honestly, he expected Thor to say something in his defense.

And when his brother just laughed heartily, something sharp seemed to jab between his ribs, and each breath he took felt like agony.

Shit.

He looked away and blinked very, very carefully.

“Loki shall be helpful this time, I’m sure.”

Ah, and now it felt like the imaginary stabbing pain had been twisted.

He picked at his palm, at the scab left from last time he picked too much. “I’m rather confident that the last time I snuck out to join you, I was the only one helping Lorelei walk and keeping her calm, and I kept your escape from being discovered with an invisibility spell. I wouldn't call that deadweight.”

If Thor wouldn’t defend him, he’d just have to do it himself.

“Well, if you had fought alongside us, perhaps a retreat wouldn’t have been necessary for our survival,” Volstagg pointed out, and Loki rolled his eyes.

“Ah yes. Six warriors against an entire city of giants who wanted us dead instead of five warriors against an entire city of giants who wanted us dead would have bettered the chances immensely.” Loki scoffed, and Thor grimaced.

“Alright, cease this talk,” he said, holding up his hands before his friends could retort. “Need I remind you this is to be an exciting adventure? Let’s not sour it so early with our quarrels. Understood?” His friends sighed but nodded, and he looked at Loki. “Brother?”

Loki ducked his head, turning away. “I’m not sure what you mean, brother. I was under the impression that your friends and I were just having a conversation.”

Thor frowned, and Loki nudged his horse to move a little faster, isolating himself from the rest of the group.

Maybe this was a mistake.

He considered turning around, letting them go without him. But – that would only bring on another onslaught of barbed comments from Thor’s friends, and whispers about him across Asgard. He got enough criticism from his father alone, he didn’t need the whole of Asgard against him as well.

They crossed the Bifrost slowly, and Loki directed his horse to be further away from the edge, more towards the middle. It had always made him nervous.

He wondered why his father never considered putting up any railings. Surely somebody had to have fallen off before…

He dismounted his horse once they arrived at the end of the bridge, and approached Heimdall. “Good morning, Watcher,” he greeted, and Heimdall turned his golden eyes in his direction, offering a smile, which Loki returned.

“Good morning, your highness. This shall be your first official quest.” His hand rested on the hilt of his sword. “Do you feel prepared?”

The others were all grouped up just outside the observatory, chatting amicably, and Loki glanced over before turning back to Heimdall.

“Yes,” he said simply, rubbing his hands together slowly before he could start picking again. When the Watcher quirked a brow, Loki frowned. “I am. Stop looking at me like that!”

Heimdall nodded and turned away. “As you wish.”

Loki glared at him for a few more moments before he turned around, waiting for Thor and his damned friends.

“Heimdall!” Thor exclaimed as he marched in, grinning at the man and clapping his hand on his shoulder. “We’re headed to Alfheim this time. They’ve got something of a Siren problem over there.”

“Sirens? As in the sea creatures?” Fandral asked as they all collected near Heimdall.

“Sort of, but not quite,” Loki replied without being helpful in the slightest, and he adjusted his own bag, looking through everything he packed. He hadn’t mastered his pocket dimensions just yet, so everything he needed readily available stayed in the bag.

“I shall watch over you. Good luck on your journey, warriors,” Heimdall said, inserting his sword into the mechanism and twisting.

It ended up being a week and a half of Hel, hunting down their target. It took them that long to realize it was a group, acting as though they were one magical beast, targeting and killing young women after luring them away with song-spells.

Hogun tracked them down, finding the group’s hide-out. Thor wanted to charge in, but it was Loki that held him back.

“We can’t ensure that none get away if we just go charging in there, brother,” Loki said, keeping his hand on Thor’s arm as he spoke so that he wouldn't leave. “There are four exits to the building, it seems, not including that entrance. You have four friends.”

Thor glanced over all of them before he nodded. “Sif and Fandral, watch the east exits. Volstagg, the west, and Hogun, south. In a few minutes, Loki and I will begin the charge,” Thor commanded.

“Try to disarm, not kill. Alfheim wants them imprisoned and punished, not dead,” Loki told them before he faced his brother.

“Try pulling your own weight in this fight, little prince. We can’t always compensate for your inexperience,” Sif called before she crept around the side of the building with Fandral, and Loki scowled but didn’t acknowledge the comment.

“We can’t really get close to the entrance without the alarm sounding through the fortress. But I can cloak us, if you’d like, and we could knock them out rapidly,” Loki suggested.

Thor smirked, turning to look at his younger brother. “I have a better idea.”

Loki immediately disliked the look on his face.

“What is it?” He asked with a grimace.

“Do you remember –“

“- Oh, no. You are not doing this to me!” Loki whisper-shouted at his brother. “No! It was funny when I was three feet tall and one-hundred and fifty pounds, but I am a grown man, and you will not be –“

Well. He tried.

“GET HELP!” Thor shouted as he stumbled towards the guarded doors, dragging the limp form of his brother next to him, an arm around his waist. “Somebody, please, he’s dying!”

Their enemies all looked between each other, baffled at the approach – until Thor finally got close enough.

“HELP HIM!” Thor shouted as he launched his brother at the four confused guards, knocking most of them out in one move.

Loki wheezed on top of them, struggling to his feet before kicking the head of the one still conscious. “Brother, you’re an ass sometimes,” he hissed, rubbing his aching back. He’d only gotten mildly stabbed in the endeavor, thankfully.

“You love me anyway,” Thor said as he jogged forward, and he chuckled. “It works every time.” Then he kicked through the front door, and the group of six got to work on beating the ever-loving shit out of the group of seidr-wielders.

Thor and his friends all walked away from the battle largely unscathed, with Loki having gotten the worst of the attacks – just due to lack of experience, really.

But what was most surprising was the way Volstagg patted his back when they had finished the job, complimenting him.

And once they had returned to Asgard, Sif pursed her lips, watching him as they all mounted their horses before she seemed to sigh.

“You did well, for a child. But your illusions in that fortress were dishonorable – stabbing a man from behind is a cowardly move.”

He’d have to just take what he could get, especially when it came to Sif.

Thor approached after she left, nudging him with an elbow. “Upholding the honor of Asgard is more important than honoring yourself. You kept yourself alive, and you completed the mission. That's good enough, in my books,” he murmured.

Loki smiled, and when Thor pulled him into a hug, jostling him back and forth, he started laughing. “It was rather exciting.” He hugged his brother back. “Fighting alongside you was just as fun as I thought it would be, even if you threw me as a diversion.”

Thor beamed right back at him, laughing as he squeezed him a little tighter before he let go. “I’m proud of you.”

That phrase alone made every moment of conflict on their quest worth it.

His expression softened, and he wrangled one last hug out of Thor. “I love you, brother,” he said. “Thank you – for all you’ve done for me.”

“I will always be there to support you,” Thor said, ruffling Loki’s hair. “Now – we must get ready for the feast that Father has surely prepared for our return.” He pulled away, swinging his hammer. “I shall see you later?”

Loki nodded, approaching his horse and rubbing his eyes. “Yes, yes, I’ll be there.”

Thor nodded, and then he was off, flying through the sky to the palace, likely intending to rest.

Loki began to trek back to do the very same thing, unable to wipe the smile from his face at all.

Chapter Text

“How in Hel was I supposed to know that he would be this efficient?!” Loki yelled at his brother as he paced back and forth in his chambers. “It was merely a suggestion – but of course, the one time that Father decides to listen to me, everything goes wrong!”

He ran his hands through his hair, and Thor waited patiently for his rant to end before he patted the spot next to him.

“It is… most unfortunate, these circumstances. But –“ Thor squeezed Loki’s shoulder when his brother joined him. “You are one of the most intelligent people I know, Loki. So, let us discuss this, and perhaps we shall come up with a solution!”

He smiled, but Loki just frowned, shaking his head. No matter what he did, Odin would be disappointed. “I can’t… I can’t think of anything, brother. Short of killing the horse – who has done nothing wrong.”

Thor chuckled, seemingly not registering how downtrodden his little brother was. “Perhaps a distraction would serve us better. Maybe something you have learned with Karnilla and her apprentice.” He pursed his lips at the thought of Amora, Loki’s only friend. Thor didn’t like her one bit. “In the two centuries you’ve spent learning with them, surely there must be something.”

Loki stared at his hands, at the little imperfections in the form of a smattering of scars. Curling them into fists, he dug his nails in his palms, using the pain to center himself.

His head was pounding.

“A distraction… does not sound like a bad idea,” Loki agreed.

He couldn’t distract the giant – that would be too obvious. But the horse, whose strength knew no bounds, was a different matter entirely.

Loki stood up, a plan already forming as he thought of his talents. “If anyone asks after me… tell them nothing, brother,” he said, grabbing his cloak by his bedroom door and rushing from the palace.

Thor scowled – but they were mere days away from the wall being completed. Whatever plan Loki was concocting… he had to let him try.

When morning came, Svadilfari, the builder’s stallion, was nowhere to be found. His owner was raging, searching frantically for his horse. He had but a week left, and with the horse gone, he had no chance of completing the wall in time.

Loki was nowhere to be found, either.

For days, there was no word.

Time ran out for the builder – who grew so angry, he revealed his true self to be a Jotunn. Thor took care of him quickly, for his attempted trickery. Then, he began the search for his brother.

“It’s Loki, he’s probably ashamed of his failure and went to lay low for a little while,” Fandral called as they drank, one night.

Thor shook his head and stared at his meal. “No. Something is wrong – I can feel it.” He pushed the food away and stood up. “Call it a sibling sense, or something. He is not well – and I must find him.”

When he returned to his room to pack his things and head out on a longer search, however, his brother was already there. Kneeling on his carpet, filthy and sweaty and trembling, tears streaking down his cheeks.

“Loki?” Thor called, his voice soft as he approached. “Brother, what happened? Are you alright?”

Loki lifted his head, staring up at his brother – and it was only then that Thor noticed how naked he was. “I fucked up,” he whispered, curling shaking hands into fists.

Thor shook his head. “No, no – brother, whatever you did, it distracted the horse. The builder failed, and revealed himself to be a monstrous Jotunn. He is dead, and we didn’t owe him a coin.”

Loki’s lip quivered, and he shook his head. “I turned into a mare,” he said. “I thought I could outrun the steed, but he was faster than any horse I’ve ever seen. I –“ He squeezed his eyes shut. “He mounted me, brother, and now I fear that I carry…”

He trailed off, sniffling as he wiped at the tears that kept falling. “I don’t know what to do. I really… I really messed up.”

Thor would be lying if he said he didn’t think it was weird. But it was his brother – and it worked.

He extended his hand. “Let me help you get cleaned up – and then we shall discuss this.”

Loki took his hand after a moment of hesitation – accepting his brother’s aid in his time of need.

Thor delicately washed away the layers of grime and blood and dirt covering his body. Loki had grown rather independent the past couple centuries, so Thor was happy that he got the chance to take care of his brother again, though the circumstances were unfortunate.

Once Loki was clean and bundled up in Thor’s bed, Thor sat down behind him and drew a brush carefully through the curly strands. “So, you believe yourself to be… pregnant?” He prodded gently – and Loki tensed up, nodding. “Alright. Father will not like this. However –“

He grabbed Loki’s shoulder, squeezing and keeping him focused before he could start to panic. “I have no intention of informing him. We shall hide this – and travel somewhere that you shall be undisturbed. Perhaps – perhaps Svadilfari found a beautiful mare in the Asgardian countryside, and you were just… hiding away, separately.”

Loki stared blankly forward, giving up on wiping away the tears. “I don’t want to have a child, Thor,” he whispered.

Thor helped him lay back and tucked him in underneath all his blankets. “You would only have to carry the thing, not raise it. And then once it’s born, we can rid ourselves of the whole experience.”

Loki stared up at him, and Thor reached to wipe his tears himself. “You would help me?” He asked.

His older brother smiled, getting comfortable next to him. “I won’t leave your side – not until this is handled. We’ll think of something.”

Loki relaxed, and almost as soon as his eyes fell shut, he was asleep.

Thor convinced his father before a day had passed to allow he and his brother a year-long peaceful stay on Vanaheim. He convinced Odin that they deserved it, because in the end, Loki’s idea had gotten them a nearly completed wall around all of Asgard, and it was Thor that vanquished the monster when he revealed his true self.

They had earned a little downtime.

Thor had arranged for them to stay at a small cabin – cozy, and pleasant enough to live for a year. Secluded enough that no one would even be around to question the appearance of the second-born son.

Loki got settled immediately in a bedroom, barely managing to fall in the bed before he was asleep. He trusted Thor to watch over him – and of course that’s exactly what Thor did.

It was a little awkward, at first. For the first time in centuries, they were around each other almost every moment of every day.

Loki had a hard time of it – still humiliated from what happened with the horse, but it got easier to ignore as the days passed. At least, until the proof of conception became evident on his body.

True to his word, Thor made sure that they were undisturbed for the entire year. Loki knew that dealing with him had been something of a challenge, but his older brother hardly batted an eye at the attitude he had to endure.

And then, after eleven months and following two long days filled with agony, Loki delivered… a horse.

Not that he expected anything different, but it was still difficult to grasp that he had birthed an animal, let alone the fact that it had eight legs.

Thor cleaned things up, his lips pursed. “The number of legs has complicated things, Loki,” he admitted. “It’s impossible to pass off as occurring naturally – and even unnaturally, it’s hard to explain…” He pursed his lips.

Loki stared at the foal, keeping his distance as he sunk deeper into the hot bath, meant to soothe his aching body. “I know,” he mumbled, eyelids fluttering with exhaustion.

Thor watched him, concerned. “What would you like to do, brother?”

Loki gazed at the creature as it stumbled to its feet, too many legs struggling to find footing. “I don’t know, Thor.”

Then the horse took a step, and in an instant, it was gone.

Thor and Loki both sat up, eyes wide as the foal bolted through their small cabin, and Loki scrambled out of the tub, wrapping a towel around his waist as he and his brother followed it out of the bathroom.

“Why in the blazes is it so fast?!” Thor asked as the thing zipped around, whinnying happily.

“Well, his father was a very strong horse,” Loki grumbled before he brought his fingers to his lips and whistled sharply.

The foal came to a stop, the noise startling him and drawing his attention.

Carefully, he stepped over – seeming to struggle with walking at a slow pace - and nudged his head against Loki’s thigh.

Loki reluctantly patted his head, though it was clear that he didn’t hold any great amount of affection for the creature. “His name shall be Sleipnir – and we shall offer him to the All-Father.”

Thor’s jaw dropped, and he knelt to give the horse some affection as well. “What use would he have of the – of Sleipnir?”

Loki pursed his lips. “He’ll only get faster as he ages. And if father likes the horse, then perhaps he can forgive me for my blunder last year.” He grimaced as he thought of it, anxiety swelling in his chest. “What do you think? Does that sound like a good idea?”

Thor ran a hand over his beard, thinking it over. “Father will ask where it came from.”

Nodding, his brother secured the towel a little better only to pick at his palm, finding the rougher edges of a scar to target. “We can bend the truth. I’ll admit to distracting the horse with a mare, and… perhaps we happened upon the mare’s offspring by chance, on our return.”

Well, it wasn’t as though Thor had a better idea. “And even if he doesn’t believe it, there is a good chance he would not call you out on the truth.”

Loki chuckled humorlessly, nodding, “If he figures it out, he might at least have the decency to let the truth die in this cabin.” He pursed his lips. “It would only bring shame to the royal family, after all.”

The horse nuzzled against his thigh again, whinnying in a demand for affection. Loki knelt, sighing as he reluctantly tended to his son. “You’re probably hungry, huh?” He asked, and Sleipnir nuzzled closer, if that was possible. “Ugh. Okay, I…” He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m going to step out for a while. Don’t follow me, I’ve gone through enough humiliation today.”

Thor nodded, letting his brother walk out of the cabin as Loki discarded the towel, shifting as he went.

He instead focused on cleaning up the mess from the whole ordeal, being as thorough as possible to erase any evidence of what had occurred.

They still had another month before they had to return home – which would be barely enough time to get Loki through a grueling train regimen in order to get him back up to snuff.

His brother didn’t return for some time, likely forced to entertain the child. And when he did, Thor was preparing a stew. “As soon as you are fully recovered, brother, we shall begin refreshing your combat skills,” he said over his shoulder. “We should have a few weeks to get you back to where you were. It will be easier than you think.”

Loki dressed himself while his brother was turned away, cozying up in an oversized tunic and loose linen pants. “Oh, really? Somehow, I doubt that.”

Thor puffed up. “Am I not the best combat teacher you’ve ever known?” He asked, and Loki wrinkled his nose at the declaration, but didn’t disagree. “Trust in me, brother. When we return to Asgard, it shall be as though this never happened.”

They were successful in their deception, at first. The two brothers, with what seemed to be the fruit from their combined mischief, had brought back a most unusual creature that had many curious. Even more so when it was offered to the All-Father.

Thor had been holding it, to keep it from getting away – but he set it down to present to Odin, who was actually… delighted.

Even with the knowing glint in his eye, Odin accepted the gift ecstatically, seeing that it would be of much use. Loki barely kept himself from collapsing in relief, and Thor subtly clapped him on the shoulder. They had succeeded – a reward for all their efforts to keep the situation under control.

Or so they thought.

Loki had only been back for a few months – picking up his lessons with the sorceress of Asgard and her apprentice, continuing his life as though it had never been interrupted – until his parents approached him after lessons, one day.

“I’m sorry, Loki – I did what I could,” Frigga said, before Odin could get a word in. Those words, those two short sentences, felt like a bucket of ice water over Loki’s entire body.

“My son – we are sending you away.”

Chapter Text

At first, Loki had feared where his parents sent him. He wasn’t so foolish as to believe this was anything other than a punishment. He had been sent to stay with a giantess named Angrboda.

Angrboda was nine feet tall, with red hair down to her waist and braids down the whole length of it, charms littered throughout. Her arms were thick with muscle, her legs the size of tree trunks, exposed despite the leather tassets and loincloth skirt she wore. A fur coat fashioned from bear hide was draped over her shoulders, with nothing underneath – and Loki was simultaneously mortified and flushed and scared.

She had a hand on the hilt of her sword, golden braces encircling her forearms.

“Loki Odinson.” She tilted her head, staring down at him, and he stared down at the ground – rather than up at her che – her face. “Look at me, boy.”

Loki grit his teeth together, thinking it over before he reluctantly lifted his gaze, focusing on her face and trying hard not to let his eyes linger anywhere else. But even her face, covered in scars, was beautiful.

“So, I’ve heard that you’ve been a naughty, naughty boy,” she drawled, leaning down and grabbing his chin with giant fingers, turning his head. “There’d be no other reason for you to be sent here. What did you do?”

Loki felt the ache in his jaw as she squeezed once before letting go, to let him speak. He was told that he’d be staying there for the next hundred and fifty years, so… He didn’t see the point in holding anything back. It was just the two of them and would be the whole time.

“I had a kid,” he admitted. “Distracted a horse by shapeshifting into a mare, and… even though the Asgardian people never found out, and my brother helped me hide it, my father knew.” He adjusted the bag on his shoulder. “So, I’ve been sent here. To… learn from you. I heard you were a monstrous seidrmaster.” He eyed her up and down, openly – playing off his fear, using his words to his advantage. “Doesn’t seem accurate to me.”

Angrboda seemed to mull the words over, taking it all in before she grinned viciously and stood to her full height. “Follow me. I’ll give you a week to settle in, and then we’ll begin our lessons.”

It was supposed to be scary, and maybe it was for the first decade, but Loki came to love staying with the giantess. She respected his power, recognizing his strength. She helped him control it by first finding the limit. And though he saw the glow of fear and envy in her eyes after he had done so, he said nothing.

For the first fifty years, it was incredible. Angrboda taught him everything Asgard wouldn’t, starting from the beginning of time. She went at his pace, unlike his Asgardian instructor had – which was to say fast. He picked up everything with ease, his hunger for knowledge only growing the more she told him.

She encouraged him like nobody ever had – she believed in what he could be. The rush that went through his body from having just one person think that he could become something more than the second-born son, well. It was inspiring.

Frigga had checked in only once, and she was happy that he was doing well. He stayed in communication with her as long as possible, both leaned over a pool of water, chattering until their backs ached. He told her about his time with his teacher, and she told him all about the happenings around Asgard, especially those involving his brother.

Even if he was having a good time, it was still difficult to be apart from his family for so long – a fact that he was reminded of when his mother had to go.

Angrboda, after hearing him voice those thoughts, had kissed him for the first time.

“But you would miss me, wouldn’t you?” She murmured, arms heavy as they wrapped around his shoulders. “If you were to leave here. You’d long for my company, for my mind.” Her presence was suffocating, her scent and hair and limbs all surrounding him as he wiped away tears after his expression of vulnerability.

He pressed his head to her bare chest, wrapping his arms around her waist. They had hugged before. Some nights, she spent hours running her hands through his hair. He found himself desiring the warm skin of another – even though his skin seemed to crawl at the lines being crossed with this type of closeness.

“Of course, Boda. Of course I would miss you.”

Eighty-seven years passed. Angrboda made sure that not a day went by without him learning something. He knew he had much more to learn, still – but he thought he had another thirteen years. It wasn’t much time, but maybe it’d be enough.

At least, until they were interrupted.

The storm set in quickly – Loki had been sparring with Angrboda when the first bolt of lightning struck the nearest tree, lighting it on fire.

Angrboda was dead with the second strike, though it was accompanied by the swing of a hammer.

Loki forgot how to breathe as he lurched forward, running to be by her side. “BODA! ANGRBODA, NO!”

His brother landed between her body and his shaking form, Mjolnir dripping with her blood. Thor swung the hammer to rid it of the blood before he grabbed Loki like he weighed nothing, holding him as tight as he possibly could.

“It’s over, Loki. It’s over. We’re taking you home, now,” his brother murmured, running his hands through Loki’s hair. As though he could offer any comfort after just murdering his wife.

 “YOU MONSTER! YOU’RE A FUCKING MONSTER!” Loki screamed as he was tossed over Thor’s shoulder, the Bifrost pulling them back to Asgard’s observatory.

He was still screaming when they landed, awful sobs ripping themselves from his chest. “WHAT DID YOU DO?!” He shouted, starting to attack Thor as soon as he was set down, scratching and clawing before he summoned his daggers and just began stabbing him in his blind rage.

He got three good stabs in before Mjolnir struck him in the head, and he was knocked out, slumping in his traitorous brother’s arms.

When he woke, it was in his old room, tucked underneath a mound of blankets.

Frigga was at his bedside, holding his hand, and she smiled when he woke, reaching out to cup his cheek. “Oh, my boy…” She ran her thumb over his cheek. “It’s so good to see you…”

Loki leaned into her touch, his lip beginning to quiver. “Mother, what is going on?” He asked. “Why did Thor do that? Why did he kill her?”

Frigga sighed, her thumb now swiping at the tears spilling down her son’s cheeks. “She was plotting something, my dear. She was planning to bring about Ragnarok, by turning you against us and creating monsters that would destroy Asgard.”

Loki shook his head, sobbing as he reached up, taking her hand in his own. “I loved her, mother.”

The queen’s eyes held an incredible sadness as she attempted to comfort her youngest – and she moved closer, pulling him into a tight hug. “I’m so sorry, my darling.”

The door creaked.

Loki’s head lifted from Frigga’s shoulder, and when his bloodshot eyes made contact with the soft blue of his brother's unremorseful gaze, his expression hardened.

“GET OUT!” Loki shouted. “GET AWAY FROM ME! BEFORE I KILL YOU!”

Thor stared in shock, looking to their mother, who grimaced and tried to calm him down.

“Darling, Thor was just –“

“HE KILLED MY WIFE!” Loki shouted, and without so much as a flex of his fingers, his brother was shoved from the room with a gust of wind, the door slamming and locking behind him. “He… didn’t even let me say goodbye…”

After what happened… Loki stayed in his room for months. Shut away from the rest of the world. The only person he spoke to was Frigga. Odin rarely came to see him – and usually whatever he spoke of, Loki could answer with a nod or a shake of his head.

Thor tried several times – nearly losing his life every attempt, until his mother basically told him to fuck off until Loki was ready.

When he finally stepped out, he didn’t even look at Thor. He made sure his brother never heard his voice. He acted as though Thor didn’t even exist. As he once told his mother, “My brother is dead. At the very least, dead to me.”

It broke her heart, but Loki had always been the most stubborn of her whole family. If he set his mind to something, only Thor had been able to change it, and that wasn’t happening any time soon.

She thought that perhaps gardening would help him sort through his thoughts, and bring him some peace. She gave him the task of renovating and redoing the whole area, allowing him to plant and grow and destroy whatever he would like. As far as she was concerned, all but one planter box was his to do as he saw fit.

The one she wanted preserved had plants that were centuries old. Flowers that her sons had planted together, when Loki was a young boy. She knew in this state, he would have destroyed it without a second thought, but he would have regretted it later.

Every morning, he went to argue with his governess on her teachings (as he was now well-educated on nearly everything) before practicing his seidr-wielding with Karnilla and Amora – the latter of whom had become quite formidable in his absence. Every afternoon, he spent hours training his muscles, fighting whoever his combat instructor threw at him.

All except Thor.

If their instructor ever set his brother across from him, Loki called it a day and left without a word.

Then, in his evenings, he would be in the garden – skipping dinner with his family and other Asgardians – choosing instead to be in the company of the plants, the stars, and his journal, in which he wrote down most of his thoughts.

The days were predictable, and so that was how his life continued, for a long time.

On his way to his mother’s garden, one night, he found his brother in his path.

“You cannot ignore me forever, little brother,” Thor spoke, his voice booming in the empty hall.

Loki kept his eyes down as he marched forward, side-stepping when Thor reached to grab his arm.

“Loki, please! Look at me!” He demanded, and still Loki didn’t relent, just continuing on as he ground his teeth together. “Brother, I didn’t know!” He shouted.

Now, that, Loki needed more information in. He came to a stop, clasping both hands behind his back as he faced the door down the hall – still refusing to look.

When Thor noticed he had gotten Loki’s attention, he stepped closer. “I did not know how close you were. I was told that she was a monster, a giant who was manipulating you. I did not know… how much you loved her.”

He wanted to stay quiet.

“You never do.”

Fuck.

“You never know. You never think before charging into battle. You just swing your hammer and kill!” Loki shouted as he finally turned on his heel, facing Thor after nearly a year of avoidance. “Norns, I don’t know why I ever looked up to you! You’re just an idiot!”

Thor’s expression was pinched in hurt – but he stepped forward, anyway. “Loki –“

“SHUT UP!” His younger brother shouted, silencing him with a snap of his fingers – and Thor found he couldn’t speak. “How in Hel are you supposed to be king some day? You’re weak. You’re brainless, you’re impulsive, you’re so self-absorbed that you don’t even think about improving! You think you’re the best warrior in all the cosmos! You think you’ll never be wrong!” Loki grit his teeth together, his hands curling into fists.

“I loved her, and you killed her. Right in front of me. You just…” He mimicked the swing of a hammer, shaking his head. “I never got to hold our children, and now I never will.”

Thor blinked in shock, stepping close again. When he tried, he could speak again. “Children? You had children with her?” He asked.

Loki glared at him. “Three. Only Angrboda knew where they are. Only Angrboda could take me to them. I –“ He stared at his hands. “She promised me, and now…”

Thor stepped forward. “Loki, I didn’t…”

His brother looked up at him, then, his eyes sad this time. “Of course you didn’t know. You never do.”

Then Loki stared over his shoulder, eyes skimming over Fandral, who had come to fetch Thor and bring him to the festivities happening in the palace hall. The blonde had the decency to look embarrassed, keeping his head down.

“And even if you had known, what would you have done differently?” Loki asked, challenging Thor despite the audience. “Can you honestly say you wouldn’t have killed her?”

Thor said nothing, his weary eyes telling Loki everything he needed to know. He had been given an order by the All-Father – no one just disobeys that.

“Don’t ever talk to me again,” Loki told Thor. “You best get going, anyway. The crown prince of Asgard is needed elsewhere.”

Then he was gone.

Chapter Text

For fifty years, Loki didn’t speak to Thor. He didn't waver ever again, not after their yelling match in the halls.

Sometimes, Loki spoke to Fandral. The man had become more friendly, after what he witnessed. Loki was distrustful of it at first, but soon, Fandral became a close friend, someone he could confide in.

Amora was another unlikely ally of his. They became close friends as well, somehow. She was powerful – perhaps more powerful than him, though his theory was that she just showed less restraint.

She was power-hungry, but funny. She laughed at his jokes, she went along with his schemes, and they had a lot of fun just spending time together.

He kissed her underneath a fruit tree on a cool evening, and when she kissed back, it was with a force that seemed like it wanted to devour him.

Amora the Devourer seemed more fitting than Amora the Enchantress, but she disagreed.

“You two!”

Loki rolled his eyes and turned, facing Sif as she glared at he and Amora. They had only been planning a small prank this time, nothing that Sif needed to be concerned with.

“Whatever you’re planning, stop it! Tonight is troublesome enough without the two of you interfering.”

“We weren’t planning anything!” Amora exclaimed, a hand going to her chest in shock. “Whatever notions you have of us, dispel them at once! Loki and I were just going to –“

“Oh, cease your lies!” Sif shouted. “Amora, Karnilla is unhappy that you’ve left her side. Again. Perhaps it would be in your best interest to avoid incurring her wrath. And you.” She pointed to Loki, walking right up to him and shoving her finger against his chest. “God knows you should have better things to do, if only your mother didn’t go so easy on you.”

Loki’s eyes narrowed, and he pressed against the finger still on his chest, staring her down. “Choose your next words very carefully, Lady Sif.”

His brother’s friend didn’t falter or look away, just brushing a lock of golden hair behind her ear. “Your brother was just trying to protect you. He thought the world of you – he still does, for some Norns-forsaken reason. Perhaps he still sees that annoying little boy you once were, the one he loved so dearly. The rest of us see the acrid, spineless beast-fucker you are.”

Sif’s hand rested on the hilt of her sword as she and Loki stared at each other. Her eyes burned with anger, just waiting for him to take the bait.

His own gaze was stony cold, and he imagined pulling his head back before slamming it forward to break her nose. Imagined the blood running from her nose, down her lips and chin, spilling into her hand as she screamed in a blind rage. Golden locks dyed red.

“Don’t you have a crown prince to try and seduce?” Loki asked, tilting his head. “Five-hundredth time is the charm. Maybe he’ll be drunk enough to accept your advances this time. Even though he doesn’t like the muscular type, perhaps if you flip your pretty blonde hair just the way you know he likes, you’ll have better luck this time around.” He reached up, grabbing her finger and gripping it, the strength in one hand more than enough to break it.

He squeezed the finger tightly, bending the joint as a warning, watching her grimace before he let go and turned around.

“Let’s go, Amora. We have somewhere to be.”

The enchantress glared as Sif, who sneered right back before both went their separate ways. Though Amora smirked, a mischievous spark in her eye. She hurried to catch up to Loki, grabbing his arm and pulling it flush against her torso.

“You’re just gonna let her talk to you like that?” She asked, taking his hand in her own, and Loki quirked a brow before he shrugged, nodding. “And you’re not going to do anything?”

“Why would I?” He asked. “It’s been so long now, I just…” He stared down at his outfit, fingers sliding along some of the chains looped off his hip. “Reacting in any way would only make it worse.”

Amora was dissatisfied with the answer, but didn’t push it, instead continuing with their earlier plan for mischief. Amora had wanted to cause upset, but Loki just wanted to cause chaos – and he was happy when people seemed to laugh at the prank instead of yell about it.

He went to bed in a good mood.

He woke up a few hours later to his father slamming open his bedroom door – and he startled, shooting upright as he tried to figure out what was going on. “Father?” He rubbed at his eyes, blinking at the guards that followed the king in. “What’s going on?”

“You will undo whatever curse you put on Lady Sif right this moment!” Odin shouted, and Loki recoiled.

“I did no such thing, father!” He exclaimed, but he stood anyway, pulling a robe over his nightwear. “What happened? I’ve been here since leaving the festivities earlier.”

“LIAR!” Odin slammed Gungnir on the stone floor, the sound ringing throughout the whole wing – and Loki froze, eyes wide in fear. “I know it was you! She treasured her hair, and you sought to ruin it because of a petty argument in the hallway?!”

A pit of dread coiled in Loki’s gut, and he tried not to panic. Without question, this was Amora’s doing. And he was getting blamed for it.

“Father – I swear, I’m telling the truth. I didn’t do anything to Lady Sif. But –“ He held up a placating hand. “I’ll do my best to fix it anyway. Bring me to her, and tell me what happened with her hair.”

His father sneered but turned on his heel. “I’ll humor you just this once.” He stomped his way down the hall, leading them both to her bedchambers. “All her hair has fallen out, disconnected at the root. There were no scissors involved in this cruel trick.”

Loki knew a spell that could work, but he couldn’t remember the last time he used it. Centuries, maybe. After Thor had butchered his own hair.

“Okay. I can use a spell to grow it back,” he said, wringing his hands before they turned into a hallway, where Sif’s wailing could be heard from one end to the next.

When he stepped into her room, she whipped her head to look at him, disgust marring her features. Even without hair, she was beautiful – if only for that terrible expression.

“YOU! YOU SMARMY C –“

“Watch your tone, woman! He is a prince of Asgard. No matter if he did this, you will not insult him in my presence!” Odin commanded, and so Sif grit her teeth and held back her insults. “My son – fix this, now.”

Loki nodded, hurrying forward. “I didn’t do this,” he told her, his voice soft. “I didn’t cut your hair. I know how much it means to you. I would never.”

Her eyes filled with tears – and she sobbed openly in front of him, her anger melting away. “Please, I’m sorry for what I said. Please, just fix this!” She cried, pulling a scarf from her head to reveal her barren scalp in its entirety.

He nodded, running his palm over the skin, feeling the seidr underneath her skin. Even if she couldn’t wield it, like he or Thor, it still existed in her body.

“I will fix this, Sif,” Loki murmured earnestly, and in that moment, she knew he was telling the truth. He hadn’t done this to her. “Just… try to relax. This may itch.”

As Loki closed his eyes and concentrated, Sif looked past him, at a girl who had appeared in the doorway. Amora. It became clear that that little witch was behind it – and when the girl waved her hand with a grin as Loki began to grow her hair back, Sif knew something was wrong.

“What is the meaning of this?!” Odin shouted – and Loki jumped, opening his eyes and gasping. “Even in the presence of your king, you defy orders and pull these tricks!”

Sif’s hair, once blonde and curly, was growing back pitch black and straight as a board.

“I didn’t do this!” Loki exclaimed – and he turned to the door just as Amora bolted. “Stop her!” He shouted, pointing after her.

Guards at the end of the hall grabbed Amora by her arms, and Odin swept out after her.

Sif ran her hands through the short hair atop her head, lips quivering. “Will it ever grow back like before?” She asked, and Loki shook his head.

“I’m sorry. She has altered your color and hair type… permanently, I’m afraid,” he told her, and Sif covered her face, trembling. “I know it’s not what you want, but… perhaps some more length would make it easier.”

She nodded, and he continued the work with her hair, until it fell beyond her shoulders.

“Norns, why would she do this?!” Sif sobbed, wiping at her eyes as she hiccupped.

“I don't know.” Loki did his best to comfort her, pulling her into a careful hug. “What I do know, however… is that no matter what your hair looks like, Lady Sif, you will always be beautiful,” he told her, pulling away to look her in the eye.

She smiled up at him, sniffling. “Thank you, Loki.”

Odin was yelling at Amora in the hall – and Loki squeezed Sif’s shoulder before he went to see what was happening. She followed behind, and they both looked on as Amora knelt in front of the All-Father, held fast by guards on either side of her. They tuned in near the end of his tirade.

“- a home and a teacher, and you abuse our kindness…” Odin shook his head. “Well, no more shall we tolerate this blatant disrespect. Shackle her and bring her to the observatory. As soon as I deal with my son, I shall deal with her.”

Amora was shackled, her seidr cut off from her – and she was led away as Odin turned to Loki.

“Boy…” Odin stepped forward, and in front of half a dozen guards and Sif with her handmaiden, he back-handed Loki into a wall.

Loki thumped against the stone with a sickening crack, and Sif gasped, horrified at the scene playing out in front of her.

“I am sick of your deceit. I am sick of your ‘pranks’ and troublesome ways. I’ve been too soft. Your mother thinks you deserve kindness.” He shook his head. “I know better. You are a rotten boy. You always have been. And as punishment for your hand in the ruination of Lady Sif’s hair, I shall make sure you don’t speak another lie.”

He snapped his fingers, and in his hands, a thread and needle appeared. Something about the thread looked… sinister. Loki felt sick to his stomach.

“Hold him down.”

No matter how loud Loki screamed or cried or begged, his father would not relent.

Sif tried to tell Odin that Loki was innocent, but he silenced her with a look and she did not speak again.

Loki was sent to bed with his bloodied lips sewn shut, crying endlessly.

Frigga found out the next morning, and you could hear her yelling through the whole palace, but Odin did not relent.

It was Sif who sought out Thor.

She found him in the library, his chin in one hand, a book held open in the other. He only lifted his chin from his palm to flip a page.

Thor had tried to speak with his mother a little bit earlier, who had been so upset that anything she said was nonsensical, and came here afterwards to think. He had no idea what could have made her so hysterical.

“Thor!” She called, and her friend turned around, eyes skimming the room for the face that matched that familiar voice. It stung when he looked at her and took a few seconds to recognize her.

“Sif?! What happened to your hair? Was this Loki's doing?!” Thor asked, stepping forward to reach up and touch it. “I will speak to him at once!”

Sif grimaced. “No, you won’t,” she said, biting into her lip. “He didn’t do this. Amora did. But he got blamed for it anyway.”

Thor blinked in shock, looking out the library doors, likely thinking of his interaction with his mother before. He was silent, for a few moments. “What did father do?”

His question came as a whisper, terrified of the answer and when his eyes met hers, all she could see was weary concern.

“Loki’s lips are sewn shut,” she told him. “So that he cannot tell another lie.”

Thor stumbled, and Sif held him upright as he trembled, tears welling in his eyes.

“I was there when it happened – I tried to defend him, but -“ Sif lowered her head, her hands shaking as she remembered his pleas. “I could only watch.”

“I need to see him,” Thor said, and she nodded.

“He hasn’t left his room since it happened.”

Thor took off running, and Sif hurried to follow – and then the Warriors Three had joined them as well after spotting them on their way to find Thor, though they were confused.

“Why are we running?!” Volstagg shouted, panicked.

“It’s Loki,” Sif explained. “Something has happened.”

“Sif?!”

“I’ll explain later! But first, we must be there for Thor!”

The blonde burst into his brother’s room – and Loki shot up from his bed with a muffle yelp – before he spotted his older brother and all his friends, charging in right behind him.

The thread that stitched his lips together was a stark contrast to the fair skin of his face. Blood crusted the edges of each piercing wound, some dripping from the movement of every other facial muscle. Crying made it worse, and Loki couldn’t stop.

Thor took a step forward. “Loki…”

Loki shook his head, hands coming up to cover his mouth, his shoulders shaking with silent sobs. With the horror of his mouth covered, his bloodshot and red-rimmed eyes stood out. He turned away, ashamed of his appearance.

“Oh my god,” Fandral whispered, and Sif looked away, feeling sick to her stomach.

It truly was a horrific sight. Wrong on every level.

“How could he do this to you?” Thor asked. “Norns, this is…” He shook his head, moving closer still, until Loki was a mere arms-length away. He didn’t know what to say. But maybe it was better not to speak.

When Thor’s large arms wrapped tightly around Loki’s body, Loki just melted, grabbing onto the sleeves of his shirt as he choked on his own cries.

Blood dripped down his chin, and Thor didn’t care, instead spinning his little brother to tuck his head against his chest. “Don’t cry – don’t cry, Loki, I’m here to help,” he whispered, bringing them to Loki’s bed and pulling him into his lap.

Loki had been taller than Thor since he was only twenty-two years old. He was much too large to be held, even if he wasn’t as broad as Thor, though he came close.

And yet.

And yet, Thor held him like he was a child, curling him up and making sure he was tucked securely against his body, and Loki let him do it all, his own hands grabbing and pulling his brother closer.

Sif watched for a few moments longer before guiding the other men out to explain the situation.

Thor rocked them slowly back and forth, taking deep, even breaths as he felt Loki imitate each one. He rubbed soothing circles into his back, enjoying the contact while it lasted.

“Father is apparently refusing to even entertain mother in her cries for this to end,” Thor whispered. “I did not know what she was begging him for then, but now…” He pursed his lips, sighing. “I will try, but I will not be able to convince Father to end this,” he said.

Loki hung his head, sniffling. He nodded in understanding, but the piercing wounds continued to drip blood as his lips quivered from pain and more tears.

“But we will make this easier for you, Loki.” He shifted them a little, chuckling at how Loki scrambled to cling tighter, making sure he wasn’t leaving. “We shall set up a link between our minds. I shall speak for you.”

Loki’s eyes widened, and he pulled back, questioning eyes asking why. Thor just smiled. “But first, we shall find a solution for your pain – and a fashionable way to cover these ghastly stitches.”

The younger almost let out a muffled laugh, his gaze softening. Until Thor sat up, and then he grew anxious again.

“Don’t worry. I just wish to clean this mess up, brother. I’m not leaving you.”

The care in which Thor wiped down Loki’s face, treating the wounds with ointment, it made Loki’s chest ache. Even after what had happened the last time they spoke… his brother was still so, so gentle with him.

He sniffled, tilting his head back and hissing when Thor cleaned a particularly painful stitch, blood welling up again at the site.

“Sorry – sorry.” Thor went a little slower. Loki couldn’t remember a time where Thor had ever been this gentle.

“There, all clean,” the older said, and Loki relaxed a little bit. “Now, about that mind link. You can still do your spells, right? Can you handle that?” Thor asked.

Loki nodded, clearing his throat. He could give them a simple link – one that, rather than constantly being in each other’s minds, would create a door. Either could knock, either could open. It’d be nice to have in place.

He closed his eyes, focusing on the goal of the spell, letting the power collect at his fingertips. Both of his pointer fingers were alight with the green of his seidr, and at the same moment, he pressed one to his forehead, and the other to Thor’s.

The soft click of a key in a lock and the creak of a door sounded – and then their minds were linked.

Can you hear me?

Thor grinned at his brother, nodding. “Yes, I can.” He pulled Loki into a hug, then, and sighed. “It’s good to hear your voice again. Even if it’s only in my head.”

Loki hugged back and kept himself from smiling as he enjoyed the warmth.

I’m sorry.

“Loki, you are not the one who needs to apologize,” Thor said. “Now… I don't have to understand or like it, but… I know you loved her. And I’m sorry for how it all went down. I’m sorry that I killed her.”

Loki laid his head on Thor’s shoulder, then.

No, Thor. You were right.

Thor blinked in surprise at the admission. Maybe in any other situation, he would have lorded this over Loki’s head for a few decades.

I just couldn’t see it until it was too late.

Thor’s expression softened, and he sighed. “Maybe when this thread is out, you can tell me about it,” he said. “Until such a time… I forgive you. And I hope that you can find it in yourself to forgive me, as well.”

Loki leaned his head on Thor’s shoulder, nodding and letting out a soft sigh.

Always.

After Thor finally got Loki to fall asleep, Frigga stepped into the room. Her lips still quivered as she saw the stitches, but she kept from crying, trying to make as little noise as possible.

“How is he?” She asked in a whisper, stepping over and sitting on the edge of the bed, next to her older son.

Thor grimaced, running a hand over his beard as he sighed. “He’s better.” The phrase wasn’t right, but it wasn’t wrong either. “We’ve set up a mind link. Until this is removed, I shall speak for him. And Sif is out with Fandral now, looking for something that might help cover this up.”

Frigga nodded, moving to take Thor’s place by Loki’s head, dragging her hand through his hair to soothe him in his sleep. “Reach out to the tailor or lacemaker – they can make veils for him,” she said. “Any style he would like.”

Thor nodded – and he stood carefully, though the soft whine that came from his sleeping brother at the loss of warmth nearly brought him right back down. “I have a task I cannot ignore, but I will speak with the tailor on the way,” he said. “Fetch me when he wakes.”

Before an hour had passed, Thor had spoken with the royal tailor and now stood in front of Odin the All-Father, down on one knee but refusing to bow his head.

“Thor, my boy.” Odin knew by the look on his face that this was not going to be a good conversation. He pursed his lips. “I take it you have gone to see your brother.”

Thor pursed his lips, nodding stiffly. “You pierced my brother’s lips with needle and thread.” He stood up, crossing his arms as he faced his father.

Odin nodded. “I did. Last night’s incident was the final straw. Your brother must learn to be truthful.”

“And you believe this to be… the best way of achieving that goal.” Thor quirked a brow in disbelief.

Silence rested between them, a battle of wills as Odin mulled over how to placate or distract his son.

“Since the moment I held him for the first time, I have loved him,” Thor started, finally breaking the silence. “And six hundred and twenty years ago, I made a promise – a promise I can remember clear as day.”

He began to pace, and Odin tried to maintain his cool façade.

“I promised that I would always protect him. So, father, you’ve put me in a difficult position.” Thor tilted his head, icy gaze leveled at his father, who adjusted his grip on Gungnir as he assessed the solemnity of his son’s appearance. “I could not protect him earlier, as I was unaware of what was occurring. And one might think that I’d be too late, but I disagree. I can’t remove the thread, no, you made sure of that.”

Then he smiled. “But I shall make sure that you never hurt him again.”

“Watch your tongue, boy,” Odin snapped, rising to his feet. “Your words sound much like a threat, and it would –“

“They are,” Thor said, still calm as ever. “I am. Threatening you, that is.” As his father stared in shock, he patted the hammer always on his hip. “If you harm my brother again, I'll have no choice but to kill you, father. So, to avoid such a fate, perhaps you could consider finding a more constructive way of teaching a lesson.”

Then Thor left Odin to stand in the throne room alone, returning to his brother’s side. Loki slept for a while longer still, having been unable the night before.

That was alright, of course. Thor would be there, waiting, until he woke.

Chapter Text

When the trumpets echoed through all of Asgard, Loki was in the library with his mother. The sun was setting, the day’s heat finally making way for a cool breeze.

His head shot up when he heard the first note – because he knew exactly what it meant. He had been waiting for this moment for one hundred and eighty years.

Especially since he had had the strangest dreams as of late, and only one person he could talk to about them.

Before Frigga could say anything, Loki rushed down the hall at a very, very brisk walk. He wouldn’t be so immature as to sprint, even though he desperately wanted to.

“Thor!” He shouted once he spotted his brother, breaking into a jog now that he was in his sights.

Thor's friends were nearby, having followed him to the palace, but Loki paid them no attention. They’d get the hint and leave soon enough.

Thor threw down his hammer, and he did the rushing for them both, yanking his little brother into a crushing hug. “Loki!” He lifted Loki off the ground, despite being just slightly shorter, and swung him back and forth. “It’s been far, far too long, brother!”

Laughing openly, Loki just hugged him back until he was set down. “On that, we can agree.”

Once he was down, he clasped the back of Thor’s neck, and his brother mirrored the action as they bumped their foreheads together. “You must tell me all about your travels after you speak with Father.”

“And you must tell me of your time without me,” Thor said, chuckling. “I’m as eager to hear about your adventures as you are to hear of mine, I’m sure.”

Loki nodded, keeping pace with Thor as they made their way to the throne room. “Of course.” He smiled before entering the throne room, and both approached to kneel before their father.

“Rise, my sons,” Odin called out, and he smiled at them both. “Thor, my boy… it’s good to see you.”

Thor clasped his hands together in front of himself, nodding a little stiffly. “It’s good to be home,” he replied. “I have completed all that you have tasked me with. The monsters you asked me to take care of have all been dealt with.” He chose not to mention the feeling of familiarity that he got when he was restraining them to their prisons.

Something about their eyes had reminded him of family.

Odin nodded, sighing softly. “Good. They shall terrorize the realms no longer.” He seemed to sag on his throne, a little bit. His age grew more and more visible in recent centuries.

Thor and Loki exchanged a look. Neither were the biggest fans of their father, but they could still worry about him. It was hard to miss his growing exhaustion.

“With your approaching coronation, it would do you well to remember who is still king.” Odin straightened his spine, gripping his spear. “Do not think I have forgotten why you were sent away. If you ever threaten me again, Asgard shall never be your home again. Understood?”

Thor nodded. “Yes, father.”

“As for you, Loki…” Odin seemed to consider his words carefully. “You have done well in your brother’s absence. Many think your handling of Thor’s former responsibilities was impressive, and I’m… inclined to agree. Your efforts have been invaluable – though you are now relieved of such responsibilities, as they fall once more to your brother.”

Loki stared at his father with wide eyes, and he barely kept himself from smiling. “Thank you, father.”

Odin dismissed them, and Thor eagerly turned to Loki, following him out into the hallway. He patted his shoulder, clearly happy that his brother’s efforts had been recognized, and Loki just smiled, shoving at his face as they both looked back one last time at their father, who was leaving the throne room.

“When is the last time he went into Odinsleep?” Thor asked, and Loki glanced behind them as he led the way to Frigga’s garden, a quiet place that they could talk without interruptions.

Once he was sure they were alone, he sighed and went to sit down. “It’s been one hundred and forty-six years,” he told his brother. “And even then, the sleep was short. I was acting regent for a mere month before he rose again.”

Thor pursed his lips, sitting on a bench and running a hand through his hair. “He needs the rest. If he keeps putting it off…” He trailed off before shaking his head, clearing the thoughts away. “We shall just have to keep an eye out and make sure he takes it soon.”

Loki nodded in agreement before he sat nearby. “You look exhausted yourself, brother. Perhaps you should take a few days, and then we can talk.”

With a soft laugh, Thor nodded. “That sounds like a fine idea.” He stared forward blankly, mulling over moments from his banishment. “But if it’s alright with you, I… I need to get this off my chest.”

Concern immediately etched itself across Loki’s face – and he reached out, resting a cool hand on Thor’s warm shoulder. “Of course, brother.”

The sky grew darker as Thor talked, going over every detail of the past two centuries of hunting these monsters. Loki just sat and listened, conjuring drinks and snacks as the night crept on – until the sun was rising the next day.

When Thor finished the story, Loki was laid across the bench, chewing on some grapes and staring up at the brightening sky. “And you never found out why they seemed so familiar?” He asked, turning his head to face his brother, who was drinking slowly from a tankard of chilled mead.

“No, never,” Thor said, tugging a blanket tighter around his shoulders. “Maybe I’ve faced a monster like it before. Perhaps their mother.”

Loki stood up to pace, fixing his hair to be slicked back. “Perhaps. And these were all the beasts that popped up a few centuries ago, yes?” He had only heard whispers of them upon his return, but a giant snake, a giant wolf, and a half-dead woman with control over the dead were not easy to cover up.

They had appeared incredibly recently – with no mention of them prior to Loki’s time with Angrboda. Something must have happened while he was with her that he missed, and no one was willing to talk about it.

“Yes. Four centuries ago, they weren’t here. But since their appearance, they’ve killed hundreds, perhaps thousands between the three of them. Father has had it out for them for years, but they always evaded capture. Until I was sent after them, of course.” Thor pushed his hair straight back from his face, just like his brother only moments prior. “I still don’t understand how they travelled from planet to planet, but no matter. Their prisons are secure – and the Nine Realms are safe from their terror.”

Loki nodded, walking in a circle around the garden bench. “Well, that’s good.” He came to a stop, then. “At least one good thing came from your banishment, I suppose.”

Thor winced. “I saw how you looked at them – my friends - in the hall. Or rather, how you avoided doing do. I assume… that things have been difficult.”

Loki scoffed. “A gross understatement of the situation,” he said, continuing to circle the bench, and Thor didn’t bother tracking him with his eyes. He'd just make himself dizzy. “Their sympathy for my situation lasted all of a few months. Once you were gone, and the sympathy ran out, well…”

His older brother sighed. “I’d imagine that much blame was thrown about.”

“You'd imagine correctly.”

Thor tossed his hammer up, letting it spin in the air and catching it by the hilt. “I’d hoped that the whole incident might ease the tension between you and my friends. They seemed to be very concerned for you.”

“A few weeks of concern does not negate centuries of conflict, brother,” Loki said as he came to a stop. “The issues run far too deep.”

Thor watched as Mjolnir went end over end after he’d tossed it again. “I suppose it was too much for me to hope that they might look after you in my place while I was gone.”

Unable to restrain himself, Loki scoffed. “Honestly, I don’t know why you expected things to change.” He went to sit down again, letting his shoulders slump. “As much as you don’t like to admit it, Sif hates me, and Volstagg and Hogun definitely don’t like me.”

“And Fandral?” Thor prompted when Loki stopped there.

His little brother pursed his lips and hid the flush of his cheeks by turning his head. “He’s the only tolerable one.”

Amora had been banished to Midgard shortly before Thor’s own banishment, which left Loki pretty much on his own. No friends, no brother, no one to turn to.

Fandral had still been somewhat nice when everyone else had soured. They… were almost friends. Loki still had difficulties trusting him, but Fandral took the time to speak with him often enough. And there was that one time…

“Even so. Your friends are not my friends. One horrible time in my life does not absolve me of all the alleged sleights they’d mocked up for me,” Loki said, waving a hand dismissively. “But I’d rather not talk about your friends. I still wonder about the beasts…” He pursed his lips.

Thor smiled. “Enough about all of that, brother. I doubt we'll find any answers today. Tell me of your time without me, please.” He wished that their mind link didn’t have a distance limit, so that they could’ve stayed in contact the whole time. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out like that.

Relaxing a little bit, Loki sat down again. “I have to admit, it’s not nearly as exciting as hunting down and imprisoning massive creatures. Though there is a highlight…”

He was still recounting the years to his older brother when Frigga stepped into the garden, and she startled when she spotted them, nearly dropping the watering can in her hand.

“Boys, it’s hardly even sun-up! Have you been out here all night?” She asked, adjusting the shawl around her shoulders as she approached. “Loki, if your father catches you here…”

Thor and Loki looked at each other, both disguising their panic before shaking their heads. “Of course we haven’t been here all night, Mother! We just woke up early,” Loki explained with a reassuring smile. “We decided to take the chance to catch up on everything we missed out with each other. I’m sure Father will understand that much.”

Frigga nodded, skeptical as she looked over the two of them. “Well, alright then,” she murmured. “I don’t suppose the two of you can handle watering the plants this morning..? I have quite a busy day, and the two of you are already here…”

Loki stepped forward, taking the watering can from her and giving her a brief hug. “We’ll take care of it. Good morning, mother.” He kissed her forehead, and then turned her around. “We’ll see you later.”

Frigga laughed as she was shoved out of her own garden, but seeing her boys together again was worth it. “Alright, alright, I’m going! But first – Thor, come give your mother a kiss!” She shouted from the doorway.

Thor rose to his feet, ambling over and pulling her into a hug just as Loki had, kissing her forehead at the same time. “It’s good to see you, mother. I’ll come visit you later, alright?”

“That sounds fine to me, darling,” Frigga said, cupping his cheek before Loki continued to usher her out, drawing more laughter from their mother until she was out, and they were left alone again.

Thor immediately whipped around, grabbing his arm before he could get away. “Did Father ban you from the gardens?” He asked, and Loki winced.

“He… believed I was spending too much time here. After you were sent away, I practically lived in this garden,” he explained, staring off to the side. “He tolerated it for fifty years, until – until I could speak again. After which he waited only a month before saddling me with all your former responsibilities, and at the same time, he banished me from the gardens so that I could not hide away again.”

Thor sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Father truly loves making things difficult for you,” he snarked, and Loki couldn’t help but laugh.

“It’s his favorite thing to do,” Loki stated before he switched the watering can to his left hand, and then found a can for Thor, as well, so tend to the plants. “Now, where were we?” He asked.

“You were about to tell me more of a series of dreams that you’ve been having,” Thor said. “Something about visitors, minds not your own in your consciousness… and you truly think it's your children?”

Loki nodded. “I know they are. I’m not sure how, but…” He pursed his lips. “Only the youngest speaks. She has no name, at least not one she’s given to me. The other two are quiet, but I feel them. I feel their presence in my dreams.” He knelt down, watering the base of the plants absentmindedly as the sun began to climb over the walls encircling Asgard.

“Why did you not dream of Sleipnir in this manner?” Thor asked, taking care of a different planter bed.

“I’ve always known where he is, first of all,” Loki replied easily. “Secondly, I never truly cared for him. He was the product of…” He trailed off, setting the watering can down. “I didn’t want him. We never connected. But my other children…”

He smiled fondly, thinking back to when they had grown in the womb, each full of life and with their own personalities even before they were born.

“Each one was precious to me.”

He was reminded of those cruel moments directly after each birth – the way he begged Angrboda to give him just a few moments with their child, pleading in hopes that she would allow him to hold them.

She never budged, and he could only watch as she left, heart breaking in two. Then three, and then four.

“What happens? When they visit you, I mean,” Thor asked, sitting back on his haunches as he watched Loki.

“We just talk. They know Angrboda is dead, and though I can't find them, they still wish to know me,” Loki explained, setting the watering can down to pluck a little weed from the dirt. It latched onto his seidr, wrapping roots around his fingers and pulsing with green. “My daughter asks about me, and my history, and our family. She's very curious.”

He laughed softly, pulling the plant away and tossing it into a scrap bin, and Thor chuckled as he continued his task. “I tell them stories that I’ve collected from my time traveling the cosmos. They like hearing about Midgard the most. It’s not my favorite, but I’ll survive.”

Another weed tried to latch onto him, but he tossed it again before it could wrap fully around his wrist, picking up the watering can once again.

“Getting to know them, even in my dreams, has been strange, but enjoyable. I just worry for the day that the dreams stop coming,” Loki explained, denting the metal handle of the can as he gripped it tightly, anxiety swirling in his gut.

Thor finished watering the plants and made his way over to grasp Loki’s shoulder, centering him on the present again. “They still speak with you now. Let’s not worry about such things until they come to pass.”

Loki looked at his brother, taking a few deep breaths before he nodded. “You’re right.” He closed his eyes for a few moments longer before he shook his head as though to clear it. “Anyway. Allow me to continue…”

“Yes, yes, of course,” Thor conceded, not wanting to get Loki off track. His brother was always the best at weaving stories – and Thor enjoyed every minute of it.

More time passed – hours ticking by like minutes. They were still chatting away when Frigga returned after midday. She cloaked herself with seidr and just watched her boys talk and catch up, with an excitement and familiarity that she hadn’t seen in… perhaps four, maybe five centuries.

They hadn't been close like this since before Angrboda, and even then, things had gotten a little rocky.

She was just happy that they were close again, more than anything else. It had been a long time coming.

Chapter Text

It wasn't supposed to happen like this.

Everything… everything went wrong.

Loki was behind Thor, both of them hurrying to intercept the small invading force of Jotnar in Asgard’s palace. Thor was in all his coronation regalia, looking every bit the king he was to be today.

The attack wasn't supposed to have so many damn casualties.

A dozen bodies were thrown about in the hall, and Loki and Thor charged in with identical yells, raising weapons to take down the beasts that no one else risked getting close to.

They had gone undetected longer than Loki intended, and now a dozen citizens were dead.

The brothers fought in a graceful swirl of motion, in sync as they killed the invaders, hacking and swinging – until Loki tripped on the severed hand of an Asgardian, and a Jotunn caught him by the wrist.

The clothing covering his arm grew brittle from the cold, shattering off his skin in a way that clothing shouldn't be able to do.

And yet.

He watched as the skin beneath – his skin turned the light blue of a Jotunn, when it should have turned black with frostbite.

He and the beast made eye contact – both of them shocked – before he flipped his dagger over in his hand and brought it down in the other's chest five times, six times, ten –

No.

No, it was not possible.

He gasped for breath as he stared at the corpse of his fallen foe and his arm, which had turned back into the Asgardian-accepted cream color of a pale forearm.

Before he could think anymore on it, he felt the push of a spear through his ribs, blinding pain numbing him to everything else, and he cried out, both hands grabbing the exposed handle of the spear as the weapon was driven further into him.

“LOKI!” Thor shouted as Loki was slammed into a wall, and the spear was twisted, blade scraping in a truly awful way against his ribs.

Loki couldn't think about it. He couldn’t lose focus, because they were in battle. He needed – he needed to help Thor.

Were they even truly brothers?

Slicing through the handle of the spear, Loki pulled himself to the side as the Jotunn stumbled forward, no longer with the leverage of a weapon or body pushing back – and he promptly dragged his dagger all the way down his back, separating muscle from bone as the blood spilled onto his hand.

Once he had killed the thing, Loki kicked him away and clutched his side, where the spearhead was still embedded in his skin – and he coughed, agony racing through his chest as blood spilled from his lips.

“Thor,” he choked out, beginning to wheeze as he collapsed to the ground.

Disposing of the last one, Thor rushed to his brother’s side. “It’s okay! It’s okay, everything will be fine!” He reassured, and with a gentleness rarely seen, he lifted Loki into his arms. “Take small, short breaths – nothing deep. And hold on, brother.” He sprinted down the halls, yelling to clear a path as he went straight to the soul forge.

Loki began to spit more blood – his lungs were burning, and he clutched Thor's cape as he began to panic. He couldn’t breathe. He was going to die, trying to make his brother look better, even when he had always been good.

The loss of consciousness came soon after, and for that, Loki was grateful.

When he woke, the room was dark.

The healer in the room smiled, approaching slowly and leaving the lights off. “You’re awake,” she stated, her voice soft. “Hello, your highness. You’ve been out for a few hours.”

Loki still tasted the blood on his tongue. He sat up anyway, nausea curling in his gut as he swung his legs off the cradle. “Where is my brother?” He asked.

She pursed her lips. “He is with his friends in the dining hall. He was… quite upset about what happened. But, your highness, you really shouldn't be up –“

Loki waved her away, pulling on a robe to cover his topless upper half as he stood. Swaying only a little bit, he focused on putting one foot in front of the other, and with that mentality, he walked to the dining hall – leaning on the walls until the healer gave up on trying to get him to rest.

She pulled his arm over her shoulder, providing him the support he needed to stay upright. He thanked her in a husky whisper, choking a little on the blood still coating his throat.

The door to the dining hall was opened, and Loki stumbled in, glaring at Thor. His (not?) brother, who stood in front of his friends, shoulders squared and giving some speech as the Warriors Four all set their jaws, a determined glint in their eyes.

At least until Loki stepped inside and successfully drew all of their attention to him.

“Wh – Loki, what are you doing up?!” Thor cried out as he hurried over. “You should be resting!” He shot a scathing look at the healer, who just quirked a brow as though to say ‘you should know that's impossible to achieve’.

“Brother, you must stop,” he hissed, coughing some more – until Thor got him a glass of water from the undisturbed table, still filled with food and drink. He took a sip, and Thor frowned.

“I know not what you mean.”

Loki rolled his eyes. “I know you better than I know myself. I am the god of lies. Don't lie to me – it will never work,” he growled. “Charging into Jotunheim is a fool’s errand!”

“I will not speak of this with you, brother. You are injured – you are not well. Rest – we shall talk when I return,” Thor said, resting his hand on Loki’s shoulder.

“No! Thor, this is madness! I shall be fine! They were foolish – that, and nothing more! If they truly wanted to invade us, they’d have come up with a better plan than that!” Loki shouted, even as Thor turned away. “Listen to reason! You will get yourself killed over there!”

When Thor did not listen, Loki threw a burst of seidr at his head, and he slammed the door between their minds wide open, yelling in both.

“Father will not forgive this!” He shouted, and Thor hesitated, turning ever so slightly. “Please, just stay, brother. No good will come from leaving.”

I need you here.

Thor almost caved. Loki could see him, teetering on the edge.

And then Loki fell into a coughing fit, and Thor’s mind was made up.

“Get him to bed, healer,” Thor called before he and his friends marched away, heading for the Bifrost to take them to Jotunheim.

“Damn it – no! Stop!” Loki called between his coughs before he fell to the ground, more blood spattering on the marble tile beneath him.

He was ushered back to the soul forge to be treated, despite his protests.

He stopped in the doorway, grabbing the arm of a guard.

“He’s going to Jotunheim,” Loki told him. “Thor is going to Jotunheim. Inform the All-Father immediately.”

Then he was dragged through the doors and laid down again, allowing them to continue their treatment of what had been a punctured lung only a few hours ago.

As soon as he had an opening, which took far longer than he’d have liked, he left again, heading to the observatory.

He barely arrived in time.

Odin had gone to Jotunheim atop Sleipnir – and returned with his son, and his son’s horribly injured friends. They were all frost-bitten in different places – Volstagg had it the worst.

They were escorted away, and then it was just Odin, Thor, and Heimdall left in the observatory. Loki uncloaked himself when Heimdall turned his way.

“Your Highness,” he greeted in a low rumble before he faced Thor and Odin again, as the two had a stand off. They had been yelling at each other since their return.

“Was I just supposed to stand to the side and accept what had happened? After they tried to kill us, after they NEARLY KILLED MY BROTHER?!” Thor shouted.

“You would put your brother above the whole of Asgard?!” Odin shouted back.

Lifting Mjolnir to point at Odin, Thor grit his teeth. “HE IS ABOVE THE ENTIRE COSMOS!” He yelled back in turn, and Odin went quiet, then.

Loki stared at his brother, and unexpected tears burned his eyes. “I –“

“SILENCE, BOY!” Odin shouted at him, and Thor’s eyes burned with rage, but then Odin turned back to him. “You… you are a short-sighted fool. How I ever thought you could be king, I don’t know. You’ve no sense of responsibility to your people.” He shook his head.

Loki looked between them – and he felt sick to his stomach, the ozone of his brother’s anger thick in the air.

“Thor Odinson… You have betrayed the express command of your king. Through your arrogance and stupidity, you have opened these peaceful realms and innocent lives to the horror and desolation of war!” He lifted Gungnir, sliding it into the pedestal of the Bifrost, and lightning crackled in the air. “You are unworthy of these realms, you are unworthy of your title! YOU ARE UNWORTHY!” Odin pulled Mjolnir from Thor’s grasp, and stepped forward to yank off the emblem of Asgard on his chest before he paused, looking his oldest directly in the eye. “… of the loved ones you have betrayed.”

Loki looked between them, and he knew what was going to happen.

It was all his fault.

Thor, I’m sorry. I love you.

“I now take from you, your power! In the name of my father, and his father before! I, ODIN ALL-FATHER, CAST YOU OUT!” Odin commanded, and Thor was yanked back through the Bifrost, banished from Asgard for good.

The edges of Loki’s world went fuzzy – and he stumbled as he watched Odin enchant Mjolnir before sending the hammer after Thor. This… this had to be a dream – or perhaps a nightmare.

Odin looked at him, and Loki thought definitely a nightmare. There was a hard edge to his eyes – before Odin turned away, stepping back from the pedestal.

“Go to your room, child. Rest.” He sagged against his spear, letting out a slow breath as he trudged over to Sleipnir, who waited just outside the observatory. “I cannot lose any more sons today.”

“May I ride back with you, father?” Loki asked – and so Odin swung into the saddle, holding a hand out for him only a moment later.

They crossed the bridge in silence – and that silence stayed settled over them until they got back to the palace.

Loki dismounted, waiting for Odin to step down as well before posing a question.

“Where did you send him?” He asked softly.

The king stood still, ruminating on it before he seemed to give in. “Midgard.”

Loki hadn’t been there in a century – and last time he had, it had been… quite disgusting, in hygiene and moral character both.

He had so many more questions – but he knew that Odin wouldn’t answer them, so he stepped away.

Already, he was mostly healed. His seidr had finished up whatever work that the soul forge hadn’t. So he went to find Thor’s friends, hearing that they were being treated down the hall, and he entered the room unnoticed.

They had heard of Thor’s banishment already.

“We should have never let him go,” Volstagg grumbled.

Sif shook her head. “There was no stopping him.”

Fandral laughed mirthlessly. “At least he’s only banished, and not dead. Which is what we’d be if not for that guard who told Odin where we’d gone.”

Volstagg frowned, sitting up. “How did the guard even know?”

“I told him,” Loki admitted, startling the occupants of the room. He dug his nail into the skin of his palm, picking at the old scar and tearing it open easily.

“What?” Fandral rose to his feet.

“I told him to go to Odin after –“

“- you told him?!”

“I had no idea father would banish him for what he did,” Loki spoke as calmly as he could manage. His heart was in his throat, and tears burned his eyes as he struggled to make sense of anything. He’d just thought that perhaps the coronation would be put off, or another century long quest would be given… he hadn’t known.

Sif stood up, then. “Loki – Loki, you must go to the All-Father and convince him to change his mind,” she begged as she approached.

Loki stared at her, and he shook his head. “I can’t,” he whispered, wiping at the blood pooling in his palm. “Sif, I love him more dearly than any of you, but he was banished because his responsibility to me was greater than to his people. Father…” Loki looked away from her. “I am the reason we are going to war with Jotunheim again, as well as the reason we are without one of our greatest warriors. Father will not listen to me ever again.”

He turned to leave, and he could feel their glares at his back. His eyes remained resolutely forward.

He couldn’t do anything, didn’t they understand that?! They knew – they knew how much he loved Thor, they saw Loki try to stop him. They knew he had never had the king’s favor.

Loki stumbled in the hall, and he leaned against the stone wall, coming to an abrupt stop as his throat closed up.

Thor was gone.

Loki had turned blue, and Thor was gone. For good. Just like Amora.

He went to his bed at last – too exhausted to stay up any longer, though he ended up tossing and turning for hours.

Perhaps it had been a fluke.

Maybe his seidr protected him, maybe the blue was his body fighting the frostbite, maybe maybe maybe.

Loki wandered the halls, lightheaded and lost.

It was only when he was passing the vault that he thought of it. A way to confirm. There was a treasure in there – a treasure that would clear everything up.

Loki hurried down past the guards, directing their gazes away with a small spell, and his heels clicked softly on the stone as he approached it.

The Casket of Ancient Winters.

A relic of Jotunheim, taken by Odin to make sure they could never make war again.

The blue glow of the Casket seemed to brighten as he drew near. If he was wrong, his hands might fall off.

If he was right…

Loki took it in hand, fingers wrapped around the handles – and in mounting horror, he watched as his skin began to change.

“Loki, stop.”

The call from Odin startled him, but Loki didn’t drop it, or move at all.

“Father, what’s happening?” He asked in a whisper, voice trembling. “How do I stop it?”

Odin came down the stairs of the vault, though he paused on the landing, not getting any closer. “You can’t stop it, my son,” he spoke, sounding more defeated than Loki had ever heard him.

“I don’t understand,” Loki said as he felt the cold seep into his bones, until his entire body was encased in it. He didn’t have to look in a mirror to know what was happening. “Father, I…”

He could feel it. The light blue skin of the Jotnar. The lines of heritage, across his face and chest and hands and all of it.

He dropped the casket back onto its altar, the ache of cold pulling away from all his limbs.

“Please… please tell me what’s happening to me,” he begged, his voice breaking as he turned to face Odin while the older man came down a few more steps.

Odin sighed, standing before his son with a solemn expression. “I told you that you were born the same day our war against Jotunheim ended,” he started. “But that isn’t quite the truth. That was just the day I found you.”

Loki’s lips parted as his mind ran a million miles a minute, everything clicking into place. “I… I was taken from Jotunheim,” he stated, and Odin nodded.

“After the battle… I went to the temple to seize the Casket of Ancient Winters. And alongside the Casket, I found an abandoned baby on a pedestal,” he confessed, his shoulders sagging under the weight of his lies. His eyes were full of sorrow.

His gaze was distant, likely recalling the moment he found him – and Loki bit hard into his lip, breaking the skin. “I realized that you were Laufey’s son. You had been left to die in that temple.”

Loki looked away from him, eyes welling with tears – and he squeezed his eyes shut.

“Laufey’s son?” He whispered, his hands trembling. “You had no need for a baby, why - why would you take me?” He asked.

Odin watched as he cried, arms twitching even though he tried to keep still. “You were an innocent child. Had I not, you would have died there, suffering and alone.” A surprisingly soft smile crossed his face. “Frigga always wanted another child – and Thor, a brother. I seized the opportunity to expand our family.”

Loki shook his head, sniffling. “No – no, I don't believe you. You took me for a purpose – what purpose?!”

Odin shook his head. “Loki –“

“I would think very carefully about your next words, All-Father!” Loki hissed. “It would do everyone well to remember what I am the god of.”

Odin stood there, and despite the venom in Loki’s words, he didn’t snap at him, or yell, or scold at all. “I saw a way to unite our kingdoms,” he admitted. “I thought we could use you to bring about a peace between the realms. We could raise you to be a king, and as the firstborn of Laufey, you would have a claim to the throne.”

“Wh…” Loki blinked back his tears, and he felt sick. His entire life was a lie – and it all made sense.

Odin had never treated him like he treated Thor. He’d never given him the same chances. He mocked his seidr, punished him in cruel and unusual ways, and never ever believed him.

Loki was the god of chaos and lies, and it was all Odin’s fault.

He was nothing more than a chess piece.

“But those plans no longer matter,” Odin added, interrupting Loki’s thoughts. “When the reality of how deeply Thor loves you became clear, we knew we could not put you on the throne. Thor would have never stood for being so distant from his brother.”

“You’re keeping me… you kept me for Thor’s sake?” Loki asked, tears streaming freely down his face. “Like a pet?”

“Why do you twist my words?” Odin asked.

“I twist nothing!” Loki shouted. “Clearly, I tell more truth than the whole lot of you, though it seems you get away without penalty, but I NEVER DO!” He shouted. “But I suppose that makes sense – I’ve never been your true son. It’s why I was treated so differently, why you always favored Thor!” He stepped closer as Odin stumbled, hands curling into fists. “YOU COULD HAVE TOLD ME! AND YOU DIDN’T!”

“I wanted only to protect you from the truth,” Odin said with a soft shake of his head, his heel catching on a step, and he barely stayed upright, but his knees began to buckle.

Loki scoffed. “You raised me on stories of the Jotunheim beasts, knowing what I am!” He screamed. “You must have laughed whenever I had nightmares of them – how funny, that I would be so terrified of the monsters when I am one myself!”

“No,” Odin muttered weakly before he collapsed, and Loki came to a sudden stop, snapping out of his rage-fueled rant.

“Father –“ He rushed forward, but stopped just a foot away, hesitating to touch him.

What if he froze him? What if he hurt him?

Each breath his father took was a wheeze, and Loki gently took his wrist in his shaking hand, wiping at the tears that spilled down his cheeks. “GUARDS! Guards, please help!”

Despite what he had learned, despite how scared he felt, Loki didn't leave Odin’s side for a long, long time.

He stared at the soft glow that encased Odin’s bed, restoring his energies – and he had long since reopened the scab on his palm, dabbing occasionally at the blood only to pick some more.

Frigga had joined him hours ago, but it took him a long time to work up the nerve to speak.

“I know that I’m adopted. I know what I am,” Loki stated, looking away from the golden shimmer to gaze at his mother instead. “He explained it all.”

Frigga tensed up, lifting her head to face him – and he stared her down, keeping his face as neutral as possible. “Why didn’t you tell me?” He couldn’t be emotional – not now. Not when everything was falling apart.

“I wanted to tell you from the beginning,” his mother admitted. “He kept the truth from you so that you would never feel different. You are our son, Loki. And we, your family. You must know that,” Frigga pleaded with him, her tone soft.

Loki looked away, unable to keep eye contact with his mother looking so earnestly at him. “You should have told me,” he said, shaking his head. “A thousand years, and never once did you mention –“ He grit his teeth, turning away entirely from the prone form of his father and distressed mother. He went quiet again, and his mother said nothing.

For a few minutes longer, they let it sit.

“I never get used to seeing him like this,” Loki whispered, as though speaking too loudly would disturb Odin. “The most powerful being in the Nine realms, helpless and vulnerable while his body heals itself…”

“He’s put it off for so long now,” Frigga murmured, taking Odin’s hand in her own.

“How long will it last?”

“I don’t know,” she replied. “This time, it’s different. We were unprepared. I fear -” She cut herself off, taking in a few slow breaths as she avoided voicing her thoughts. “But we mustn’t lose hope your father will return to us.”

She looked back up at him, even as Loki stayed turned away. “We mustn’t give up on your brother, either.”

Loki lifted his head, sitting up a little straighter as he finally turned back to his mother.  “What hope is there for Thor?” He asked, trying not to let his voice fill with too much enthusiasm.

“There is always a purpose to everything your father does. Thor may yet find a way home,” Frigga told him.

So Loki stood – because he needed to find this way home, he needed his brother. He needed Thor to make sense of it all for him, because he couldn’t do it on his own. He went down the steps of Odin’s bedside, heading to the door in hopes of finding and speaking with Heimdall.

He startled when the doors swung open just before he got there – the guards all moving to kneel in a line in front of him. One of his father’s advisors came into view, holding Gungnir, and Loki couldn’t move. He couldn’t breathe.

The man knelt in front of him, holding out the weapon for him to take.

He turned back to his mother, his hands going numb and his head pounding as he struggled to stay focused on what was happening right in front of him.

“Thor is banished,” Frigga called out, the words echoing in the room as his jaw dropped. “The line of succession falls to you. Until Odin awakens, Asgard is yours.”

This couldn’t be happening. This couldn’t be happening.

But he lifted his head, because if he didn’t do it, who would? And so he took Gungnir in hand, and felt the last pieces of him crumble into dust.

The crown prince was banished. His adoptive father was in a sleep he might never wake from. They were soon to go to war with Jotunheim, the realm ruled by his true father, who had apparently abandoned him as a baby.

“Make him proud,” Frigga called with a soft smile, and it was all Loki could do not to weep in front of everyone. “My king.”

He turned slowly, knuckles white as he gripped it. He had no choice.

Loki Odinson was King of Asgard.

Chapter Text

The first thing Loki did as King was head to the observatory. Heimdall was not present – so he sent himself down to Midgard, disguising himself immediately and taking stock of the situation.

He found his brother – in a human interrogation room, surrounded by mirrors. As soon as the agent speaking to him left, he appeared to him.

“Loki!” Thor exclaimed, and he smiled, his shoulders sagging. “Thank goodness you’re alright. But what are you doing here?”

Loki nodded, curling his hands into fists to hide how they shook. “I had to see you.”

“What happened?” Thor asked, immediately alert again. “Tell me – is it Jotunheim? Let me explain to father –“

“- Father is –“ Loki stopped himself before he could lie. He could never truly lie to Thor. “He is not well. He’s fallen into the Odinsleep. The healers are unsure if he is to wake from it,” he said.

Thor sat up, tears burning his eyes. “W… what?”

Loki watched his older brother’s reactions closely. “Your banishment, the threat of a new war, and… it was too much for him to bear.” He stopped. The most he spoke, the more Thor’s head dropped. “He’s placed an enchantment on the hammer, I… I don’t know how to lift it, brother. But the burden of the throne has fallen to me now, in your absence.”

Please. Please fix this. Please make it stop.

Thor slowly lifted his head, voice breaking as he spoke. “Can I come home?” He asked.

A drop of Loki’s blood fell to the white tile as he dug his nails into his skin, and he blinked back his tears. “I can’t… I can’t undo Father’s final decree. Not at this moment, not when he brokered a temporary truce with Jotunheim that is conditional upon your exile. But –“ He stepped forward, reaching out to hold onto Thor’s arm. “I’m trying. I…”

He could… oh, he could destroy it all.

If he destroyed Jotunheim, not only would Thor get to come home, but it’d erase his entire lineage. Any hint of Jotunheim would be gone. They would all be dead, and it would be as though none of it had happened – he would never have to think of any of this again.

He could go back to how things were. All he had to do was… open the Bifrost upon their planet.

“I’m working towards a… a permanent solution.” Thor sat up a little straighter, a scowl briefly flitting across his face before it disappeared. “But until I achieve it… you’re stuck here,” Loki told him.

Thor nodded, looking past his brother and staring at the floor – at the drop of blood.

Loki didn’t have long. Heimdall would never let him get away with using the Bifrost like that – he’d have to deal with the Watcher beforehand.

“This is goodbye for now, brother,” Loki told him, letting go of his arm and backing up. “I… I am sorry.”

Thor shook his head, sniffling. “No, I am sorry. Thank you for coming.”

They stayed together for a moment longer – scared to leave each other again. But Loki turned, hearing the click of the agent's shoes coming back this way. “Farewell,” he murmured, and he cast a misdirection spell to aid his departure from the base.

“Goodbye,” Thor called after him as the agent stepped back into the room, and Loki snuck out behind him.

“Goodbye? I just got here,” was the last thing Loki heard as he walked back out to return to Asgard.

He’d make it as though the disgusting Jotnar had never existed. He’d destroy their planet – wipe them from all the history books, every mural, every story ever told. Abolish even the slightest traces of them.

If they never existed, then he couldn't be one of them. He would be Odin and Frigga’s son. He would be Thor’s brother. He would be Asgardian.

He'd be the king who ended a war before it even started.

But of course, Thor’s friends were trying to throw a wrench in his plans.

Before the day was over, they were already barging into the throne room, arms crossed over their chests. “All-Father, we must speak with you urgently –“

Sif cut herself off when she spotted Loki on the throne in full royal regalia, just as extravagant as it had been at Thor’s coronation ceremony.

The horned helmet atop his head was fortunately well-balanced, but still, it caused an ache in his temples. He had a big enough headache without it, honestly…

“Lady Sif,” Loki greeted, gazing upon the whole group. “Volstagg, Fandral, and Hogun.” He gripped Gungnir. “Thor’s friends. You’ve come to plead his case.”

The group continued their hurried approach, glancing at each other warily.

“Where’s Odin?” Fandral asked.

Loki swallowed down the lump in his throat, taking a slow breath. “Father has fallen into the Odinsleep. Mother fears he may never wake again,” he admitted.

“We will speak with her,” Sif demanded, and something about her tone felt like that spear in his ribcage again.

“You can speak with me,” he snapped, looking over the group as he rose to his feet. “Your king. Mother is in no condition to entertain this. She’s upset enough as it is.”

Sif sneered up at him, both maintaining eye contact as she stood in front of him.

Until Volstagg knelt, submitting to their king, and the rest of them followed.

Loki watched with detached curiosity. It seemed to cause her great pain, to do this for him. He would quite like to see more of it, honestly.

“My king. We would ask that you end Thor’s banishment,” she said in a deceptively calm tone.

Loki scoffed. “It’s not as simple as that,” he stated. “We’re on the brink of war with Jotunheim, need I remind you? I shouldn’t have to, considering it was you bunch who helped start it.” The following forced grin was condescending, and a hysterical sort of laugh tried unsuccessfully to claw its way out of him.

He looked over all of them, grin fading as he pursed his lips. “The only reason we haven’t gone to war yet is Thor’s exile – it has appeased them, for now. And I am solving this situation as best I can. Until it is resolved, he stays banished. For the good of Asgard.”

Sif shot to her feet, a sharp retort hot on her tongue, and Loki just stared at her. She couldn’t say it now – not while he was king.

“Lady Sif, trust that I want him home just as badly as you do. But at this time, it simply cannot be,” Loki told her before she could find the words.

Volstagg cleared his throat, obviously a little hesitant. “Your Majesty, perhaps – would you reconsider? We –“

“- no. The matter is closed.” Loki lifted Gungnir, the end slamming on the ground and echoing in the vast throne room. “Until those beasts are handled,” Sif glanced at Fandral as a frown crossed both of their features, “Thor stays where he is. Now, if you have nothing further, I have much better uses of my time than this.”

They were effectively dismissed – and so they all turned to leave. Sif led the way down a few different halls, until she felt far enough away from Loki.

“Something isn’t right,” she said as she stopped in the hall, and she turned to Fandral, who had picked up on the same thing as her. “Something is wrong with Loki.”

“I agree,” Fandral said as they walked quickly down the main pathway. “So we’re going to get Thor about it, yes?”

“I see no other solution,” Hogun stated, probably the first words he had said all day.

Volstagg looked between them before he smiled. “Then its settled. We shall defy our king and bring about his brother's return.”

Frigga stepped out from behind a pillar, and Fandral cursed loudly as the others jumped, startled by her sudden appearance.

“You think Loki is unwell?” She asked, and they all exchanged glances before nodding.

Sif knelt before her. “Yes, All-Mother. Loki does not seem well. Not since the attack from the Jotnar. And the way he speaks of the race… it has changed, from before.”

Frigga nodded, considering for a few moments as she considered what she knew. “Perhaps giving him the burden of the throne was a mistake, then. But it is not one I can undo,” she said.

She gestured for Sif to rise, and walked slowly to an arched doorway, looking out at the whole of Asgard as she let herself think.

Everything seemed so… ordinary.

Her older son was banished, her husband on the brink of death, and her youngest son was on the throne, apparently battling demons none of them prepared for.

And yet the wind still gusted over them, horses neighing in the distance. The city moved beneath them, firelight keeping the golden city aglow.

Like nothing was wrong.

Frigga sighed, rubbing her thumb over her scarred palm. “What am I to do, hm? My options are limited.”

She could not reclaim the throne, that would no doubt make it all worse if things were as bad as the warriors thought. Her husband showed no signs of waking, which meant neither of them could relieve their youngest from this burden, as she couldn't bear to stay away for too long.

A feeling in her gut told her that something truly terrible was about to happen – something that might break her.

Frigga shivered as a chill ran down her spine, and she turned back to the group of her eldest son’s friends.

“Thor was banished to Midgard. Odin and Loki both have forbidden travel to the realm during Thor’s banishment. However, I shall speak to Heimdall as soon as possible to remedy this. Once you are ready, go down, and he will let you through,” Frigga instructed, adjusting the long sleeves of her gown before she scraped her nail against the soft skin of her palm. “You must find Thor and bring him home as quickly as possible. If Loki is truly as unwell as you think, then no one other than his brother can help him. Now – all of us must hurry.”

Sif dipped her head. “Of course, All-Mother. Thank you.”

The four of them hurried away, then, and Frigga watched their backs retreat before she headed out to the stables.

Loki would just have to forgive her for this – it was for the good of Asgard.

When the Warriors Four were sent to Midgard to retrieve the banished crown prince, he was cleaning up from having made breakfast for Jane and her friends. They were discussing what Thor had told Jane the night before, about the stars and the Nine Realms, and Asgard.

She sounded so cute in all her excitement – even in the face of Eric’s skepticism, she remained passionate about the retelling of all she had learned. Thor hoped that he would have the chance to tell her more – or perhaps even show her.

Though it was unlikely even he would see his home in a long time. Wars and feuds on Asgard and in the Nine Realms went on much, much longer than anything the humans could ever fathom.

He set down a clean plate, sighing heavily as he tried not to think about it. If he dwelled on his circumstances, it would surely be the end of him.

“FOUND YOU!”

When he heard the shout and several thumps against the glass doors to Jane’s building, and the chatter stopped in favor of a round of gasps, he looked up from the dishes, and was met with the sight of his friends.

Darcy and Eric, in their shock of seeing fully armored Asgardians standing before them, had dropped their mugs – but Thor just grinned and hurried forward while his friends barged into the building.

“My friends!” He exclaimed, pulling each into a tight hug, and Sif couldn’t help but laugh when Thor lifted her ever so slightly off the ground in his excitement.

“I don’t believe it…” Eric stared and rubbed at his eyes, wondering perhaps if he was still drunk.

But Volstagg faced the man and dipped his head. “Oh, excuse me. Lady Sif and the Warriors Three,” he introduced, gesturing to the group, all of whom waved to the flabbergasted humans they stood before.

Thor let go of Fandral and smiled fondly at all of them. “Everyone… I have never been happier to see you,” he said. “But you should not have come.” He didn’t mean to bring the mood down, but their visit would only make his banishment that much more painful.

This might be the last time he ever saw them, if Loki wasn’t able to fix the situation back home.

The warriors all seemed to deflate a little bit, though Fandral tried to keep his smile.

“We’ve come to take you home, Thor,” he said, his hand clapping onto Thor’s shoulder.

The prince’s forced smile fully faded, and he stood before them, a defeated man. “You know I can’t go home,” he said with a shake of his head, voice full of hurt. “My father is dying because of me. And I must remain in exile, unless I wish to rain Jotunheim’s wrath down on Asgard.”

Sif stepped forward, then. “We understand, but – Loki needs your help,” she said, and Thor immediately lifted his head, his shoulders straightening. “We believe… we believe he has a sickness of the mind,” she said.

“What do you mean?” He asked, beginning to pace, even when he had a feeling he knew what they were talking about.

Something during that meeting he had had with Loki while in the interrogation room yesterday, well… it had just seemed off. Alarm bells had rung in his head, telling him that there was something to fix.

“The way he spoke – it was erratic, and strange. Like he wasn’t all there,” Sif started explaining. “And you know your brother – he’s very knowledgeable of the realms, probably the most well-traveled among us. But he… he referred to the Jotnar as beasts earlier. He said that he would handle them, that he was solving the situation,” she said, adjusting the shield on her arm. “He sounded…” She shook her head, unwilling to elaborate on her speculations.

But Thor knew what she meant.

“He sounded like he wanted them all dead,” he finished for her, startling his friend as he seemingly read her thoughts. “He visited me, yesterday. He told me he was working towards a permanent solution,” he confessed, finally coming to a stop and facing them. “I noticed it too. For my brother, who tries so hard to avoid killing, it was odd.”

The expression on his friends’ faces were all grim. They didn't have the full puzzle, but they had many of the pieces.

“He left behind a few drops of blood when he visited me,” Thor told them. “Did you notice any wound on him?”

Hogun stepped forward, then. “When we first saw him after your banishment… he was picking at his hands again,” he said. “I couldn’t see in the throne room, however.”

Jane frowned as she watched the exchange, stepping forward. She, unfortunately, remained out of the loop. “Why is it relevant if his hands are bleeding?” She asked. “I thought you mentioned that he had gotten stabbed in his chest just a few days ago. Maybe it came from that?” She suggested.

With a shake of his head, Thor looked down at his own hands. “We share a tic with our mother,” he admitted. “Picking at our palms is… an unavoidable habit. I manage to keep myself from doing it most of the time, but my brother is not so lucky. In moments of anxiety, or distress, or panic, he often picks at the skin until it is an open wound,” he explained.

“You and your mother also do this?” Jane asked him, stepping closer.

Thor shrugged and nodded. “I try to avoid drawing blood, but my brother doesn’t have the same control when it comes to that tic. He hasn’t been upset enough to do it in at least a century – but this is a very stressful time for him.”

“That’s why we’ve come to get you. No one can ease his burdens like you, Thor,” Fandral said. He had first-hand experience with trying, and he didn’t even come close to being as successful as his friend.

Thor ran a hand through his hair, trying not to pace again. “Fandral, I am only mortal right now. I will be of no use as I am.” He looked out to the cracked earth of New Mexico, in the direction that Mjolnir was. “The Bifrost would destroy this body as it is.”

His friends all seemed to look at each other, wanting to find a solution – until they saw the clouds swirling out in the desert.

The Bifrost was being activated again.

They all watched as the cloud touched down with a boom.

“Was somebody else coming?” Darcy asked softly, trying to be funny but missing the mark.

Thor looked to his friends, who all shook their heads, and they had to watch as the area beneath the cloud formation went up in flames, a metal silhouette on a war path to the city.

The Destroyer.

Loki had sent the Destroyer down to Midgard.

As he watched in mounting dread, Thor could only think that that action alone said more about the state of Loki’s mental health than anything else could. He didn’t like the Warriors Four, but to send Asgard’s most formidable weapon to kill them?

The group charged out into the open as they watched the approach, and Thor turned to his friends after a moment.

“The Destroyer must be after the four of you,” he said. “My friends, I fear that you may have brought more trouble to this town than they can handle.”

He looked around at the small town as the people stopped in the streets to stare at the distant fiery wreck – and the rapidly approaching armor.

“If Loki has sent it to kill us, we shall face it!” Sif shouted, her grip tightening on her spear. “I will not run from this! I will not die a coward!”

The warriors cheered, smacking their weapons on their armor. “We shall take it down – while you keep the people safe!” Volstagg exclaimed, looking back at Thor.

“If it is you the Destroyer is after, you could die – are you sure?” Thor asked with a frown.

The redhead smiled, nodding bravely. “Leave it to us. I have no plans of seeing Valhalla before my children come of age.”

Thor felt a pang of guilt hit his chest, so sudden that he was breathless for a few moments. Of course Volstagg was thinking of his children. Three, all of whom loved their father and his exaggerated stories more than anything.

And Hogun, with his little sister in Vanaheim, caring for their grandmother, the only family they had left. Sif had her parents – and Fandral had three younger sisters.

When Thor had dragged them to invade Jotunheim, he hadn’t given any of it a second thought – he had only considered himself, and how he had been slighted. How his family was affected (Loki would have been fine – his healing had always been abnormally fast).

He knew Odin had been right to cast him out now. He had been arrogant, and simple-minded.

So he nodded. “Be careful out there,” he said as the Destroyer took its first step into town – and they all split up, the warriors taking the most obvious path while he, Jane, Darcy, and Eric all ran down alleys and side streets, ushering people into cars and directing them away from the destruction.

When the first blast of pure Odinforce tore through two cars and nearly sliced a building in half, their evacuation became much more frantic, everybody desperate to get away from the destruction.

The next blast hit a gas station – blowing it up with a rumble that shook the whole town. Already damaged buildings began to crumble – and Thor watched as a woman ran with her child in her arms, bricks beginning to clatter around them.

He sprinted to where they were, yanking them away from the building and running to safety just before they could get crushed.

“Are you alright?” He asked, holding her carefully and bringing them to cover before he set her down.

“I'm – we’re both okay,” the woman said, and they both flinched as another blast rattled all the nearby windows. “What is that thing?!”

Thor brought her to a truck that was evacuating, then. “Just get out of here – as quickly as you can.”

He loaded a few more people up alongside Jane before Jane smacked the side of the truck. “Go! Drive!” She yelled, and the truck took off.

Only once everything was evacuated did they focus their attention back on Thor’s friends – who were all on the verge of death.

Sif was huddled behind a car, nasty burns scattered across her skin. She clutched at her dislocated shoulder, clearly trying to work up the energy to continue fighting.

Hogun and Fandral held Volstagg up as the man tried to stem the blood flowing from his broken leg, though they looked no better, with cuts all over as they wheezed.

Thor looked between them, and then at the Destroyer, which crept closer.

His brother had to be observing. There was no way he wasn’t.

If he didn’t do something, then all his friends would die. For him. Because of him.

“Loki!” Thor shouted, holding up a hand as his friends regrouped a couple blocks away. “Loki, this needs to stop!”

The Destroyer went still. Good. He’s listening.

“Thor, no!” Jane shouted, but Thor couldn’t reassure her – so he left that to his friends as he faced down his brother.

“Brother – killing them is not the way!”

The Destroyer seemed to shudder.

Thor stumbled when he felt the pressure of Loki’s mind in his own – in this mortal body, the feeling was completely foreign, and entirely unpleasant.

At first, all that came through was nonsensical – jumbled words, blurry images, distant screaming – before it seemed to clear up.

THEY DISOBEYED THEIR KING. THEY COMMITTED TREASON. THEY WOULD SENTENCE THE WHOLE OF ASGARD TO THE HORRORS OF WAR RATHER THAN LISTEN TO ME.

Thor grimaced. He had done the exact same thing mere days ago.

THEY SHALL DIE FOR THEIR ACTIONS.

He stood his ground between them, eyes not leaving the Destroyer for one moment. “I know… I know that they have committed crimes against the throne of Asgard. But killing them will not fix this, brother. It would only keep them from answering for what they've done.”

The Destroyer hummed, metals plates shifting with a creak as it tilted its head.

Explain.

Thor lowered his hands to his sides. “We have fought long enough. We have relied on violence, and vengeance for so long – we now see it as the only solution to all our problems. But it is not.”

He turned his body away just slightly to gesture back at his friends. “Our desire for vengeance has kept many from truly facing justice. Our family – we are a short-tempered bunch. But lashing out has never done us any good.”

He stepped closer, extending his hand. “Brother, we must change.”

“He sent that thing to kill us!” Sif shouted. “We’re the strongest warriors in the Nine Realms, we should fight, why are you - ?”

Thor spared a glance back at her as the Destroyer lifted its head, facing her direction. “Loki, please listen to me,” he said, redirecting the automaton’s attention back to him. “Violence is how I got us into this mess. Violence is not the way out.”

The Destroyer shuddered again in front of him, kneeling down to his height, and Thor stepped closer still. “They committed treason – and they shall be held accountable, not through death, but through trial.”

He knew his brother wasn’t in the armor, but still he reached out and pressed his palm to its hand.

Okay. They shall have a trial. Let them know.

Thor sighed in relief, and he turned as the Destroyer stood back up. “You shall live to see another day, my friends,” he said. “The King of Asgard demands your presence back home – where you shall be tried for your crimes and punished accordingly.”

“What crimes?! We were coming to get you, how is that a crime?!” Sif shouted, and while the others didn’t seem eager to shout it out like her, their expressions were also confused.

Thor curled his hands into fists, his palms itchy as he tried to stay calm. “You disobeyed your king to do so, a clear act of treason. You must see the error, yes?”

“How is it treason if the All-Mother herself bid us to go?”

The Destroyer creaked.

The All-Mother?

Thor froze – hearing the metal whir, Odinforce building beneath its faceplates.

“Mother… mother told you to come?” Thor asked, hearing the question on repeat in his mind – Loki’s mind.

“Yes. The All-Mother spoke with Heimdall and got us passage to Midgard.”

The Destroyer rumbled behind him, heavy footsteps staggering. Thor turned around to look, watching the Odinforce swell in its chest as his eyes widened.

“LOKI, NO!” He shouted, running to stand between his friends and the blast.

But the Destroyer didn’t attack. It blew up in a wave of gold and green, right in front of them.

A god awful shriek echoed through the city, like somebody screaming, and all of the people present were brought to their knees as they covered their ears, all given a splitting headache.

Thor had been knocked off his feet, and coughed up blood as more trickled from his nose, feeling like his head was going to explode from the pressure.

And then it was gone.

The pressure, the shrieking, Loki’s presence in his mind – it was all gone, like it had never been there at all.

The Destroyer lay in pieces in the middle of the street. All his friends began to rise to their feet, equilibrium thrown off from the intense sounds and explosions.

Thor stayed down, though he rolled onto his side to spit blood out, and groaned as Jane ran up to him.

“Thor? Thor!” She shouted, and he clutched his head. “Are you alright?”

“I’m okay,” he managed, finally starting to sit up as he wiped his nose with the back of his hand. “I’m alright, Jane.”

She sighed in relief, and Thor then turned to Sif. “Why would you tell him that?” He asked. “I had just talked him down!”

Sif stared at him in shock, watching as he rose to unsteady feet. “I – We are innocent, I was only trying –“

“- That is what the trial is for, Sif!” Thor shouted at her. “Where everyone relevant can be present and explain themselves! Not shout out a devastating truth at an already unstable person!”

Sif kept her mouth shut, ducking her head as shame burned her cheeks.

“She was just defending us, Thor, there’s no need –“ Fandral stopped speaking when Thor turned away, recoiling at the obvious dismissal.

Shaking his head, Thor stared down at the ground. “I need to get back to Asgard,” he said. “Jane, will you drive me out to the Bifrost's connection point?” He asked.

“Of course – but Thor, you just said a little bit ago that the Bifrost would destroy you as you are,” she said, worrying her lip between her teeth.

Thor faced her, resignation in his gaze. “I have to try,” he said. “He is my brother, Jane. I believe I can still get through to him, before he makes an irreversible decision.”

Jane gazed up at him with a sigh before she nodded. “Alright. Get in the van – all of you!” She shouted for the whole group, gesturing for them to follow her.

The drive was awkward. Sif didn’t say anything, and refused to make eye contact. Volstagg and Hogun were on either side of her, decidedly not engaging in any conversation, and Eric was quiet as well from where he sat across from Volstagg.

Fandral and Darcy, on the other hand, did not get the memo, chatting amicably and getting to know each other.

Thor was up front with Jane, whose frown never left her face as she brought them closer and closer to the site.

“I don’t like this, Thor,” she said as they reached the circle left by the Bifrost.

“I know – and for that, I am sorry, Jane,” Thor replied as she came to a stop.

Jane exited the car. “Your brother just blew up an indestructible robot with magical powers, and you have a weak, human body. How do we know that he won’t kill you, easily?” She asked.

Thor smiled sympathetically at her concern, reaching up to clasp her shoulder. “He is my little brother. I love him to the ends of the cosmos and back – and I know that he feels the same. No matter the fight, no matter what happens between us, he would never kill me. He may stab me, but his little knives are always harmless.”

Jane only felt more anxious, wringing her hands before Thor took them in his own.

“Trust that I will be back, Jane Foster. My story with you is not over yet,” he told her, squeezing her hands gently before he let go.

Jane flushed a bright red, forgetting how to speak as Thor went to stand with his friends in the circle.

He had to try – even if it killed him.

“HEIMDALL!” He shouted to summon the Watcher, knowing he would hear them. “Take us home!”

It took a (panic-filled) minute, but the clouds began to circle once more, thunder rumbling before he and the Warriors Four were pulled into the Bifrost.

While he had never had an issue before, this time it felt different.

His skin burned, hot and itchy all over. He could barely hold his head up, so much pressure building behind his eyes that he thought they might pop out.

He screamed – agony racing through his body before there was nothing at all.

They landed in Asgard, and while his friends all landed on their feet, Thor tumbled across the floor.

More blood leaked from his nose – he could taste it in the back of his throat. When he opened his eyes, he was sure that he was bleeding from there, too.

“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!” Loki shouted, his voice booming as he marched down the Bifrost, and Heimdall spun around, standing defensively in front of the warriors.

But Loki had eyes for none of them – he stopped as soon as he saw Thor, eyes wide.

Thor was dying.

“No!” He shouted, and with a burst of seidr, he slammed the five others against the wall as he rushed to Thor’s side, leaving Gungnir standing next to him. “No – no, Thor!”

Loki’s cold, shaky hands cupped his cheeks as he spat out his own blood, trying to breathe through the pain.

“You know a mortal can't withstand the Bifrost without protection!” Loki shouted. “Why would you do this? You’re going to die!”

Thor grabbed his wrist, wheezing with each breath. “Listen well, brother,” he started, eyelids fluttering as he tried to stay present. “Mercy. You must remember mercy. Vengeance is –“ He began to cough, turning to the side as his lungs ached, and he had to take a second before he could continue, “- it is never worth the cost, Loki.”

“No – no, stop it!” Loki yelled at him, tears burning his eyes. “Please – just – conserve your energy, I need time to figure out how to fix this!”

Thor smiled, even when the movement stretched his burning skin in a way that made it worse. “Please, brother. Do not – don't lose yourself in this a – anger.”

Loki was hyperventilating, with pin-prick pupils as he struggled to reconcile with what was happening in front of him. “Nonononono, this can’t be happening. This can't –“ He watched Thor go limp, and tears began to stream down his cheeks.

“NO! NO!” He screamed, pulling away to punch the ground, cracking the marble as he started losing it, both hands going to his head and smearing Thor's blood and his own on his face as he rocked back and forth.

Then he stilled, lifting his head to look at Heimdall and the Warriors Four.

For a moment, all of them felt overwhelming fear – like they were rabbits in a lion’s den.

“What have you done…?” Loki grabbed onto Gungnir, shaking from head to toe. “Because of you… I have nothing.” He whispered.

In a breathless terror, the group of five prepared to summon the last of their energy to fight back. Loki had gone insane in just a few short days, and the Warriors Four knew he was the strongest mage in all the Nine. There was no telling what he might be capable of.

But instead of fighting them, he left the observatory, staring at the clouds circling above.

Odin kept him as a pet for Thor. Frigga betrayed him, assisting Thor’s horrible friends in treason. Thor, the only person he believed would love him no matter what, had just died.

He stepped to the edge of the bridge, now staring down at the churning waters.

Fandral was first to his feet, helping everybody else up before they moved to see what Loki was doing – only to freeze as they saw him standing on the edge.

“Oh my god,” Sif whispered.

But none of them moved.

Loki stepped closer to the edge, a harsh sob tearing itself from his throat as he covered his face, wiping away the sticky blood on his skin.

Just as he set Gungnir upright on the bridge, intending to jump, a massive bolt of lightning struck inside the observatory at the same moment that they all felt the rush of dark energy blow past them – and the warriors all cried out as they were knocked over again. Loki stumbled, but his grip on Gungnir kept him from falling off as he whipped his head around to look at what was happening.

Before he could process what was happening, Thor was leaping towards him, Mjolnir in hand. He was in full Asgardian armor – he was a god again.

Loki yelped as Mjolnir knocked into his chest, shoving him away, and Thor stood between him and the closest edge.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” Thor shouted, and Loki wheezed, staring at his brother like he was a ghost. “BROTHER –“

Loki glanced back at Thor’s friends, who had done nothing at all but watch. And when he looked the other way on the bridge, he saw Sleipnir, and atop Sleipnir, he saw his parents. No – he saw Thor’s parents.

“Tell the Jotunns that I orchestrated it all!” He called, lightning striking all around them, shaking the bridge as the boom of thunder tried to drown out their voices. “Tell them the God of Lies was pulling the strings.”

Thor stepped forward, but Loki was quick to back up to the very edge. He might not drown in the water, but the edge of Asgard was close by. If he didn’t die before falling, then surely the unstable wormholes surrounding Asgard would kill him quickly.

“Loki, stop this madness!” Thor shouted, a desperate edge to his voice as he stayed entirely still. “Come away from the edge, and we can talk about it!”

“CAN WE?!” Loki shouted, lifting his spear and pointing it at his brother. “YOU WOULD NEVER UNDERSTAND!”

Thor grit his teeth, and after a brief consideration of the distance, he surged forward to try and knock Loki away from the edge – but Loki moved in such a manner that it was instead the exact thing that knocked him over.

“NO!” Thor shouted, dropping Mjolnir on the bridge’s edge to instead grab his father’s spear, holding it tight. He tried to use his hammer as an anchor, but of course it lifted easily in his hands. “HOLD ON, BROTHER, PLEASE!” He begged, his feet scrambling as he tried to stay on.

Loki stared up at him, gasping for breath as he clung to Gungnir, and both screamed as they slid further towards the water, and thus the abyss.

In the face of death as near as his brother, Loki hesitated in his conviction to give up. “Thor!” He shouted, fear displayed openly across his features.

It was then that Odin was there, holding desperately onto one of Thor’s ankles while Frigga clung to the other.

“HOLD ON, BOY!” Odin shouted, both trying to hoist them up.

“Almost there!” Frigga exclaimed, her eyes only on their youngest son. “We’ve almost got you!”

Loki stared up at them – and his grip slipped as they were lifted up.

“Just hold on a little longer!” Thor shouted down at him, both hands clinging to the pointy end of the spear. “We can find a solution together to this whole situation! We can fix everything, together!”

Loki looked between the liars and manipulators that raised him – and the brother that had never done anything but believe in him. “Does he know?” He called, and both his parents froze.

He felt the chill of his own tears on his cheeks, cooled by the wind whipping around them, and all he could hear was the pounding of his heart as he rested quite comfortably on the brink.

Thor wouldn’t be doing this if he knew.

Loki slipped further down, hanging on with just one hand.

“Can you fix this?” He asked, his voice cracking on the last word as he reached into his magical core, seeking out that feeling that he’d gotten when holding the Casket of Ancient Winters.

The cold.

It was so, so cold.

His arms began to turn blue once more, and Thor watched in horror as his little brother turned into a Jotunn, right in front of his eyes.

When he said nothing, Loki just blinked the last tears from his eyes, and he let go.

“NO! NO, LOKI!” Thor shouted, kicking back at Odin and Frigga as he fought to follow his brother down, and Frigga shrieked, letting go of Thor to reach out in vain for Loki. “LET GO OF ME! LET ME SAVE HIM!”

It was Heimdall that grabbed Frigga, holding her back while Odin finished dragging Thor up onto the bridge, and Thor’s head hung over the side as he watched his brother hit the surface of the water – and then immediately tip over the edge of Asgard’s border.

Thor could only watch as Loki tumbled end over end into space before he just seemed to disappear entirely into a wormhole.

There wasn’t even a body to bury.

“I promised… I promised that I would always protect him.”

Just like that – in an instant - his brother was gone.

Thor was alone.

Chapter Text

The year passed slowly, but Thor couldn’t discern one day from the next.

In a way he had never struggled with before, Thor began to find it difficult to motivate himself to do anything.

Getting out of bed was agony. Every meal tasted like mud, and even his favorite meals drew no reaction. The chef was trying, but without his brother, there was no point to anything.

He had failed Loki. And that would haunt him for the rest of his long, long life.

At least, that was until Heimdall sent summons for the crown prince and the All-Father, bringing them to the observatory.

“Loki is alive,” Heimdall stated first.

Thor felt the floor drop out from under his feet – staring at the Watcher with a blank look on his face. Surely he was mistaken, right?

“He is attacking Midgard. He has already killed several dozen humans,” Heimdall informed them, both hands resting on the hilt of his sword.

The words shocked Thor out of his stupor. “No – no, you must be mistaken. Loki would never do that. He loved Midgard,” he said, scowling as he stepped forward.

Heimdall pursed his lips. “It is Loki the Trickster, your highness,” he stated. “He is armed with an infinity stone.”

Thor grit his teeth – despising how Heimdall referred to his brother. But rather than punch Heimdall, he turned around, hand on Mjolnir’s handle.

Odin looked to Thor, seeing the lost expression on his face. He, too, had suffered after the loss of his second son. But he was king – he could not dwell on it. “Bring him home,” he said as he grabbed his shoulder, bringing him back to the present. “We shall figure out what to do with him upon his return.”

Thor faced his father, eyes burning with tears – and he cleared his throat, nodding. “Of course, Father,” he said, taking a few shaky breaths before he turned back around and stepped forward.

“He is being transported in a flying machine, surrounded by Midgardian warriors.,” Heimdall warned him before twisting his sword, opening the Bifrost and sending Thor to Midgard, as close to Loki as possible.

Thor landed in the woods – taking a few moments to orient himself to Midgard’s weaker gravity. As soon as he regained his bearings, he took off into the sky. A sky that began to rumble with thunder, lighting striking the ground as his tumultuous emotions summoned a storm.

Thor found the aircraft, catching up despite how fast it was moving – and he landed on the roof, wondering if he should smash his way in.

Then, conveniently, the door on the back opened – and Thor dropped into the aircraft. He had a variety of weapons aimed at him, but he didn't care about any of them.

All he cared about was his brother – who was strapped into a seat, hands bound in front of him. He looked thin. Dark circles stretched under his eyes; exhaustion having clearly dug its claws into him long ago. His armor was worn, somehow seeing more damage in the past year than in the past century.

Loki didn’t look at him.

“Brother,” he whispered, stepping towards Loki, who dug his nails into his legs. “Brother, can you –“

He moved closer to Loki, only for a pulse of blue to shoot past him, out into the elements. It was a warning shot, so Thor reluctantly turned away.

“Back away from the prisoner, Goldilocks,” a man’s voice came from a metal suit. “Put your hands up where we can see them. Are you working with this guy?”

Loki scoffed. “Like I would ever work with him.”

Another man, this one in blue, adjusted his grip on a shield. “What’s your name, sir?” He asked. “And why are you here?”

Then yet another man came from the cockpit – frantic. “Thor?” He called, and Thor blinked as he recognized him. “What are you doing here?”

“You’re the agent from the desert,” Thor said as he greeted him with a dip of his head. “I’ve come to retrieve my brother – I am to take him home as soon as possible. He… has been missing for a year. Presumed dead.”

Agent Coulson stepped forward, gesturing for the other two to relax. “I’m sorry about that – but we can’t let you take him,” he said. “At least not right now. Come speak with me over here,” Coulson said, and so Thor followed him into a corner, along with the other two. “He stole a very powerful energy source from us a few days ago. We need it back, and only he knows where it is.”

Thor glanced back at Loki, who just sat there, staring at the ceiling. “Then perhaps I could assist you. The sooner we find it, the sooner he gets to come home.”

“I don’t know about that,” the man in the metal suit said, and Thor glared in his direction. “He’s killed a lot of people. He has to answer for his crimes.”

“I’m sorry, who are you?” Thor asked, crossing his arms. “I don’t recall asking you to involve yourself in this matter.”

“I’m gonna allow that,” the man said, the face of the suit lifting to show a dark haired man with a mustache. “My name is Tony Stark – I’ve got a vested interest in keeping my planet safe, so I’m gonna be involved whether you like it or not,” he said.

“I’m Steve Rogers,” the man in blue introduced, holding his hand out – and Thor reluctantly shook it. “Coulson said your name is Thor? Like the god of thunder?”

Thor nodded. “The very same. And that is my younger brother, Loki,” he introduced, gesturing back to Loki, who didn’t even acknowledge the words. “He is Asgardian – he will face Asgardian justice. Midgardian law shall have no place in it,” he commanded, and it was clear that this Tony fellow didn’t like that one bit.

“What, are we – are we Midgard?” He asked, glancing around the group, and Thor nodded. “Okay. Here, we go by Earth. Are you an alien or something? Anyway –“ He held up a hand. “Regardless. He committed crimes on our planet, he’ll be facing his justice here, too.”

Coulson looked like he wanted to speak, but Thor beat him to it.

“No, he will not,” Thor stated firmly. “He is a prince of Asgard. I assure you, he will be punished, but you humans will have no part in it.”

“I’m sorry, did you not h –“

“Tony. Drop it,” Steve said firmly. “The faster he’s out of our hands, the better, in my opinion.” He looked up at Thor, setting his shield to the side. “If you guys have the technology to contain him, then by all means.”

Thor nodded, and he looked back at Loki, his heart aching. “Brother?” He called tentatively, seeing no reaction in Loki. “Though it’s difficult to know the damage you have caused, it is good to see you again,” he said.

Loki glanced at him, pursed his lips, and then turned away.

Thor frowned but accepted that Loki didn’t want to talk to him, and the rest of the flight went in silence. He sat a few seats down from his brother, watching every movement. How Loki closed his eyes, resting during the travel despite the danger around him. How resolutely he refused to give Thor even a single ounce of attention.

Sometimes the cuffs jingled as Loki moved his hands, stretching out his fingers, but otherwise there was nothing.

When the aircraft that they were in landed on another, much larger aircraft, Thor let them walk his brother away to a cell onboard the ship.

“Maybe you'll have more success after he’s sat in a cell for a little while,” Coulson suggested now that they were no longer in the awkward quiet of the Quinjet bay. “Silence goes a long way in making people talk.”

“Unfortunately, I doubt that very much,” Thor said, wishing that he hadn’t left his hammer down in cargo with all the other weapons. “There was a time, a couple centuries ago, in which he gave me the silent treatment. It lasted fifty years.”

There was a rumble of shock across the room, all surprised at the amount of time.

“So, wait – just hold old are you and My Chemical Romance over there?” Tony asked, gesturing in the general direction of Loki and his escort to the lower levels of the aircraft.

Thor frowned, trying to think of the exact age. “My apologies – it isn’t always easy, remembering my age after so long. I believe…” He trailed off for a few moments. “Loki is 1,047 years old – so I would be 1,541.”

“You’re shittin’ me. There is no possible way the two of you are that old – and he’s your baby brother?” Tony asked, and Thor nodded with a soft smile. “Oh, yeah. No wonder you’d never let us keep him.”

“Among some other things, that remains a prominent reason,” Thor said.

“So, if he’s so much younger, how did you end up like this, and he ended up like that?” Tony asked, ignoring Steve’s glare.

Thor’s smile faded, and he crossed his arms. “I’d rather not discuss that,” he said.

Tony frowned but let it drop. “Alright. Well, I’m gonna go make sure they don’t break my suit. I’ll meet you in the bridge,” he said.

Thor was grateful for his exit from the situation.

They arrived in the bridge, and a shorter, unassuming man stepped in, glancing around in a paranoid manner. He didn’t seem to like the guards at all – wringing his hands as he took in the situation.

“Dr. Banner, nice of you to join us,” Steve greeted with a short nod, and Banner returned it with a forced smile as he went to lean against a wall, unaware of the god’s eyes on him.

There was something about this Dr. Banner that didn’t sit well with Thor at all.

It was then that a video feed came on, and he heard his brother’s voice as he spoke with another man – this group’s leader, presumably.

“…ot built, I think, for me.”

Tension settled across everybody’s shoulders, and Thor didn’t miss how everyone glanced at Dr. Banner.

“Built for something a lot stronger than you.”

“Oh, I’ve heard. The mindless beast, makes play he’s still a man.”

His brother was always so talented at causing chaos from just his words alone, and Thor watched the video as everybody else squirmed.

Clearly, he was getting under their skin.

When the conversation ended, Thor turned back to the team. “My apologies, everyone,” he started. “My brother is a wordsmith. He is a master at many weapons, though his greatest weapon will always remain his speech.”

Steve stayed leaning back in his chair, watching the video feed even after Fury left. “Thor, what’s his play? You know him best.”

Thor pursed his lips. “I’d like to speak with him, if that’s alright. I wish to confirm my hunches.”

Coulson nodded, stepping forward. “That should be fine, sir. Follow me,” he said, leading them down the claustrophobia-inducing hallways.

Thor ducked through at least five doorways and went down an elevator before they arrived at the chamber Loki was kept in.

He nodded to Coulson, who maintained a slight distance to give the illusion of privacy, even though there were cameras in every inch of the room and microphones for each.

“Brother,” he greeted, and Loki rolled his eyes, crossing his arms.

Rather than an intimidating, terrifying villain, now he just seemed more like a petulant child.

“What do you want? I believe I made it clear I don’t wish to speak with you,” Loki scoffed, staring hard at Thor’s shoulder. Even now, face to face, he wouldn’t make eye contact.

“And yet here you are, speaking before me,” Thor replied, his voice soft. “I’ve missed you.”

The admission made Loki freeze up – he glanced to Thor’s face before away again, trying to ignore it.

“Nothing has been the same since… since that night.” Thor clasped his hands together. “I hadn’t stopped grieving. Neither have our parents.”

“Your parents,” Loki hissed. “They are not mine.”

Thor frowned, but didn’t let it deter him. “They grieved for you all the same.”

Loki turned, beginning to pace in his cell. “Cease your pathetic lies,” he said over his shoulder, clearly getting more and more agitated.

“What happened, Loki? Why didn’t you return to me if you lived?” Thor asked.

Spinning on his heel, Loki clasped his hands behind his back. “Your Loki is dead,” he stated. “He died the moment I fell from the Bifrost. I am just the leftover pieces put back together.”

Dread pooled in Thor’s gut. “Who put you back together?” He asked, and Loki’s eyes widened as he glanced up at Thor – meeting his eyes for the first time.

For a split second, Thor saw pure terror written across his brother’s face. Then Loki winced, and Thor felt a spike of pain in his own head.

He rubbed at his forehead, eyes falling shut as he waited for it to stop. Behind his eyelids, he saw something… unfamiliar.

A tall being – grey, and darkly dressed, with a sinister grin. They yanked on a chain, and Thor forced his eyes open before he could see how the movement jostled a nearly severed arm, blood spilling freely.

He felt sick – he had no idea what he’d seen. It was disgusting, and horrific, and he just had to dismiss it, at least in the moment.

Loki’s expression was blank once again – controlled. “I did it myself.”

Lie.

Loki was lying, and Thor wanted to press, he wanted to know more, but there was just this nagging feeling that he should drop it.

“Brother…” Thor scrutinized every movement his brother made as Loki began to pace again. “You had Chitauri technology with you back in Stuttgart. Why are you working with them?” He asked, and Loki scoffed.

“What a ridiculous question – one you already know the answer to. They’re just means to an end,” Loki said, pulling his hands away from his back to instead pick at his palm.

His hands were shaking.

“Do you intend to use them to conquer Midgard?” Thor asked, and Loki neither confirmed nor denied, which meant that he was right. “They must get something in return, yes? What is it?”

The Tesseract.

Loki rolled his eyes, digging his nails into his skin. “Asking me to divulge my dark, evil plans for my takeover of this planet is pointless, Thor,” he said. “It’d ruin all the fun.”

Thor let his arms drop to his sides. “That is quite alright, brother. I believe I have everything I need.” He watched his little brother for a few more moments, not wanting to leave him. “I’ll be by to speak with you later.”

Loki scoffed. “I wouldn’t bet on it, dear brother.” He smirked, and said nothing else, instead going still in the cage once again – all the anxiety from before seeming to fade from his mannerisms.

Making his way back to the bridge on what was called the helicarrier (he learned from Coulson on the way), Thor wondered just how much he should tell his new friends.

“So? What did you learn?” Dr. Banner asked, wringing his hands together again. “That seemed like a… It seemed like a pretty complex conversation.”

Thor nodded, crossing his arms as he stood in front of all of them. “Loki is working with the Chitauri – a race of metalloid beings with no planet, no home to speak of. They’re a transactional species, like the angels of old,” he explained – though no one seemed to understand his mention of angels. “Which means if they are working with Loki, he is giving them something in return.”

Steve lifted his head. “The Cube,” he stated, connecting the dots, and Thor nodded.

“It’s called the Tesseract,” the god informed them. “An artifact of unimaginable, unending power. Loki intends to give it to them,” he explained. “Before he can do that, however, he needs to bring their army here, to Midgard, from the depths of space. And to do so, he must harness the abilities of the Tesseract on a much bigger scale than his arrival.”

“So, he’s building a bigger portal,” Dr. Banner said, and Thor nodded. “That’s what he needs Erik Selvig for.”

Shock bloomed across Thor’s face, and the man immediately turned all his attention to Banner. “Selvig?”

“Oh, he’s an astrophysicist,” the doctor explained, but Thor knew that already.

“He’s a friend.”

A small woman, a redhead, spoke up then. “Loki has them under some kind of spell, along with one of ours.” Thor winced.

“I want to know why Loki let us take him. He’s not leading an army from here,” Steve stated.

“I don’t think we should be focusing on Loki,” Dr. Banner said. “That guy’s brain is a bag full of cats. You can smell crazy on him.”

Thor resisted the urge to summon Mjolnir, gritting his teeth as the anger swelled in his chest. He glared at the scientist. “Mind your tongue, human. You’d have broken a million times over if you had experienced what we have.” He glanced over the rest of the group. “That goes for all of you. He is my brother, and still a prince of Asgard. You will not speak of him like that.”

“He killed eighty people in two days,” the redhead pilot grumbled apathetically. “That is not sane behaviour.”

Thor scoffed. “Only eighty?”

The whole room seemed to still. Every eye in the room turned to Thor, and he could feel the tension rising at how casually he spoke.

“My brother is a master of magic – the best in all the nine realms. He, like me, is an expert in every weapon in our armory, and proficient in thousands of technologies across the cosmos. He and I have fought side-by-side for centuries – and I have seen him kill one hundred warriors in no more than a single hour,” Thor explained. “If he wanted you dead, you would be.”

Chapter Text

Fury, the man with the eye patch, stepped into the bridge and faced Thor as everybody struggled to reconcile with the god’s words. “You mean to tell me that this whole time, Loki has been going easy on us?”

Clearly, he had overhead from the hallway.

Thor nodded. “Yes, and for reasons I don’t yet understand. He could have leveled that whole city within minutes. Yet – he has only used that scepter since his arrival, correct?”

“That’s… correct,” Fury said.

Thor pursed his lips. “I believe there is more going on than we understand. Loki is not so prone to violence.” He thought back to what he’d seen when speaking with his brother, wondering if that was connected.

It was then that Tony joined them again, as well.

Tony quirked a brow as he slid his hands into his pockets. “Why don’t you tell us what he’s really like, then, huh? Why don’t you tell us how he turned into this?” He pointed to the screen with the surveillance feed, where Loki stood, unmoving in his prison. “How did your ‘baby brother’ turn into a homicidal wannabe-conqueror?”

Thor didn’t say anything for a long few moments (he wondered just how poorly this ship was constructed for all these people to overhear so much… his voice never carried like this in Asgard). He didn’t know what would be okay to bring up – if he should bring anything up at all. What happened seemed far, far too personal to share with a group of strangers that wanted to take his brother down.

But he would never earn their trust if he kept secrets from the group – so he dipped his head in surrender, and pulled up a chair. “As some of you may know, I came to Midgard a year ago. As even less know, I was banished here by Odin, my father. I had invaded a realm that we had a shaky alliance with. Our kingdoms have had a… sort of peace between us for a millennium. I… recklessly endangered that peace.”

Silence settled over the room as Thor settled in the chair, his palms resting on his knees.

“You see, it was my coronation day. Mid-ceremony, we found out that a group of Jotunns – the race of the kingdom I invaded – had infiltrated the palace. A group of citizens were killed. My brother and I went to fight them off, and while doing so, he… got impaled deeply on a spear.” Thor stared into the distance as he remembered the blood spilling from Loki’s wound and his mouth as he coughed, the red soaking into his ceremonial garb. “To avenge him, I went to Jotunheim and attempted to deal with the problem myself. I killed dozens of their people in a quarter of an hour.”

The redhead exchanged a look with Steve, both ‘subtly’ reaching for weapons as they began to realize just how dangerous these Asgardians were. Thor glanced over them, but otherwise paid them no mind.

“Because of my foolishness, Father sent me to Midgard without my powers, to teach me a lesson. And while I was gone, my younger brother suffered. He blamed himself for my banishment. He also learned that he was adopted, something that neither of us knew. Father was not the best in easing his concerns, and fell into the Odinsleep very abruptly after the realization,” Thor explained. “Mother didn’t know if he might wake, and she couldn’t leave his side. So, Loki was given the throne.”

“That…” Dr. Banner took off his glasses, pinching the bridge of his nose. “That sounds like hell.”

Thor nodded, chuckling humorlessly. “All of that happened in less than two days,” he said, listening to the gasps. “It didn’t help that his true race was that of a Jotunn – the race that invaded our castle, and that we have grown up to believe are monsters and nothing more. Then my friends, and Heimdall, and even our own mother betrayed him – disobeying his direct orders so that they could bring me back to Asgard. I was supposed to make everything better.”

“But that’s not what happened, is it?” Steve prompted, and Thor shook his head.

“I… I died in front of him, as a mortal,” he said, grief choking him as he thought of what had followed. He took a few moments, closing his eyes as his emotions overwhelmed him, before he managed to continue. “My brother went to jump off the Bifrost bridge to end his own life. I tried to stop him after my revival, but I could merely postpone. In the end… he fell. We all thought him dead this past year. And now I fear that something far worse than death has happened to him in his time away from Heimdall’s sight.”

He lifted his head, then, taking in the reactions of those around him. Disinterest or sympathy – with very little in between. “My brother was not a violent man before my banishment. But even before his fall, he was a broken one.” He stared at Steve, then, since he didn’t really trust any others in the room. “I don’t believe he is beyond help just yet, but I will… focus my efforts on assisting you with stopping his plans.”

Even though it hurt. Even though he just wanted to break Loki out of the cage and squeeze him as tight as he possibly could.

But he couldn’t help Loki now. Not until this was over.

“Your little talk with him provided us a useful bit of intel.” Fury asked. “You think you could do it again? Use your, uh, bond to our advantage?”

Thor shook his head. “I doubt it. Our conversation earlier seemed to upset him quite a lot, and… I don’t think it's wise for me to push him any further.”

Fury quirked a brow. “I think some agitation could be helpful.”

“The one you have trapped is a stranger to me – one who craves power, and violence. He has a goal, and getting him to spill his secrets was an impossible task to most even before the fall,” Thor elaborated for the leader. “Right now, I am too familiar. If I press any harder, he could shut down entirely.”

Fury turned away from Thor, then, to a different screen. “Alright, then. Have it your way. I guess we’ll have to figure something else out.”

“I think it’s about the mechanics, for the portal” Dr. Banner said, openly changing the subject. “Iridium – what do they need iridium for?”

“It’s a stabilizing agent,” Tony interjected, turning away from a brief conversation with Coulson to face Dr. Banner.

Thor was happy to let the topic steer away from he and Loki, listening carefully as the conversation grew very, very technical, seeming to confuse most others in the room.

Soon enough, everyone was dispersing, and Thor stayed on the bridge to keep an eye on the surveillance feed.

He was left alone for quite some time.

Loki paced back and forth, again and again in his cage. He wasn’t getting any rest – so Thor didn’t rest either.

“A thousand years of being siblings… that’s a little difficult to me to process,” the redheaded agent spoke behind him, and Thor turned to face her.

He offered a smile. “Some days are better than others,” he murmured, finally turning away from the surveillance feed. “Many apologies, but I don’t believe I’ve caught your name yet,” he said.

“Natasha,” she greeted, reaching her hand out and he shook it after a moment of confusion. “It’s nice to meet you, Thor.”

“Lady Natasha, it is a pleasure to meet you as well,” he said. “You were our pilot earlier, correct?” She nodded, and he smiled. “I’m sure you have many more skills that I have yet to see,” he said.

“Please, I’m no lady. Natasha is just fine – and your assumption would be correct,” Natasha admitted, crossing her arms as she, too, turned to the surveillance feed. “You know that Fury is gonna bring a world of pain to him, right?” She told him, glancing up to see the tension lines form across his face.

“I… Yes.” His lower lip quivered. “I am having trouble finding a way out of it.” He cleared his throat, blinking away the tears. “I don’t wish to jeopardize my relationship with this planet and its inhabitants, but my younger brother has been through enough.”

Hours had passed, and still Loki didn’t cease his pacing – but he did seem more relaxed. Walking slower, shoulders low with his hands loosely clasped behind his back… it eased something in Thor, though he knew it shouldn’t.

Natasha lifted a hand up to rest on Thor’s shoulder. “I don’t know you very well yet… but I do know what wanting to protect someone is like,” she admitted. “Let me have a go at him. I think I can get what we need without any torture.”

Thor sighed as he finally turned away from the surveillance feed, instead looking out of the windows on the bridge – all the twinkling lights in the distance.

“And how might you accomplish that?” He asked.

Natasha followed to stand next to him. “You’ll just have to watch. But I promise that I won’t hurt him while I do it.”

He didn’t like any of this – he just wanted to take Loki home. “Go ahead, then,” Thor acquiesced. “I’d rather like to get all this over with.”

Natasha nodded. “Of course.” She dismissed herself from the conversation, heading down to Loki’s cage for her interrogation.

Thor once again turned to the surveillance feed, making sure that he could hear what would be said. Most everyone else in the bridge had cleared out for some sleep – with a few nightshift workers taking their places to keep things running.

It'd be morning soon.

Natasha got her answers as the sun rose – but as Thor went to help them with Dr. Banner, he felt the hum of satisfaction buzz in his mind, warming his chest despite this feeling being foreign and unexpected.

He had nothing to be satisfied about. His brother just revealed his plan to trigger a new friend into a blind rage, with the intent of sinking the whole ship.

Then, Thor realized that he wasn’t the one who felt it at all.

Those whispers from before – the current emotions muddling his own mind – it was all Loki. Loki had been scared earlier – and now, his plans had been exposed, and he was satisfied.

The mind link that he shared with his brother was still there.

Which meant what he saw earlier must have been one of Loki’s memories.

When Thor tried the door, it was shut tight. Then he felt anxiety that wasn’t his own – like air pushing through a crack under the door.

Don’t. Please.

Thor kept a mental palm on the handle.

I won’t. But I need more, brother.

The door was locked, and Loki wanted to keep it that way. Even with the barrier, however, Thor could understand some of Loki’s thoughts and feelings.

He’s watching.

Loki meant for this to happen. He wanted to reveal the plan, to clue them into what they needed to know. He couldn't tell them outright, but he could leave a trail of breadcrumbs, and the team was latching onto all of them.

Thor arrived in the lab just in front of Natasha, and he nodded at her, letting her through the door first as he heard an argument occurring inside.

“You want to think about removing yourself from this environment, doctor?” She prompted as Dr. Banner paced, clearly agitated.

He laughed humorlessly, leaning against a table. “I was in Calcutta. I was pretty well removed.”

“Loki is manipulating you,” Natasha said.

“And you’ve been doing what, exactly?” The man said before Thor could say anything about what he knew now to be true.

Thor watched as they all began to argue, everybody growing more wary of Dr. Banner, and he was shocked at just how undeveloped humans were.

“Stop this!” He shouted, stepping forward to stand between them. “All of you are so busy fighting each other, it's ridiculous!”

The arguments tapered off, everybody quieting at the sight of the annoyed god.

Thor looked over all of them, putting his hands on his hips and turning on a heel. “My brother didn’t have to do anything at all to cause this. You’re all so focused on yourself that you’re ignoring the bigger picture!”

He pointed at the screen with the weapons schematics. “Do you really believe that this is more important than the safety of the planet? Have you considered postponing this argument - perhaps when an invasion is not imminent?” He suggested.

Tony scowled, setting aside a bag of snacks. “You’re an alien, so maybe you just don't get it. SHIELD is weaponizing that pretty blue cube, tasking us with retrieving it, and if we get this back in their grimy hands, then they’re gonna keep creating weapons of mass destruction,” he explained, holding a hand up the whole time. “So maybe some hard questions need asked before we –“

“- No. Saving your planet takes priority,” Thor stated firmly. “Once the Tesseract is retrieved, then we can discuss your little problems with each other. Until such a time, we need to stay focused on finding it, and stopping the schemes my brother is involved in.”

For a few moments, the room was quiet. Dr. Banner seemed resigned and calm again, sighing as he nodded.

“Thor is right,” Steve spoke, both hands resting on his belt. “Retrieving the Cube is our first priority – we can worry about where it goes after.” He looked over Fury before facing Tony, who still didn’t seem thrilled to change the subject. “You’ve got all the designs, all the information on the little computer of yours – we know the truth, there’s no hiding it anymore. We’ll get our answers – just not right now.”

That seemed to satisfy Tony, and everybody settled down.

“Thank you, Thor,” Natasha said. “You are… quite the mediator,” she complimented, and he smiled.

“I learned from the best,” he said simply, thinking of his brother. “Now – where are you on finding the Tesseract?” He asked, turning to another screen that seemed to be a global scanner, and he checked the parameters. They were a little broad, but it would probably work just fine.

“Just waiting for results now – it won’t be long, I’m sure,” Dr. Banner said, stepping away from the scepter. “I’m gonna take a walk, kill some time while we wait.”

Thor smiled. “Do you mind if I accompany you?” He asked, though he was already beginning to follow the man. “I’d like to learn more about the work you do.”

Only, as he followed Banner to the door, the whole ship shook with an explosion – and Thor’s eyes widened.

‘I wouldn’t bet on it, dear brother.’

As another explosion came from under the lab, Thor tried to protect Banner, and he cursed himself for not seeing it sooner.

Loki was breaking out, and Thor had been told hours ago.

Chapter Text

Everything happened so fast. Natasha and the doctor fell through the floor, and Steve and Tony had gone to repair the engine that had been targeted in the attack.

He knew he should assist them, but Loki was still his priority.

Thor summoned Mjolnir and ran to the room his brother was held in, knowing that he was escaping. The door to the cage was opening as he arrived, and Loki stepped out.

“Loki, stop!” Thor shouted, lunging for his form in an attempt to get them both in the cage – only for his body to bulldoze right in with no resistance. Loki’s illusion melted away, and the door shut behind him.

Loki stood in the walkway, staring at his brother. “All these years we’ve been around each other, and you still can’t tell apart my illusions from the real me,” he said, a brief flash of amusement crossing his features. “It’s a little sad, at this point.”

“Let me out right now, brother!” Thor shouted, banging his fist on the glass. “Please – I can help you!”

He felt the mechanism shift, releasing ever so slightly. Damn, this cage was sensitive.

His brother tilted his head. “Like you helped with Angrboda? With our children?” He crossed his arms, his face a mask of stone. “In my time away, I finally figured out what happened to them.”

Thor felt the shame burn over him, choking him as he thought of Angrboda. What he had done, how quickly it had all gone down.

“What do you mean? I did nothing to your children, I know not who or where they are,” Thor said. He needed to stall for time, to figure out a plan. But he also needed to know more, he needed to know what Loki was talking about.

“Well, you should. You’re the one who locked them all away,” Loki said, looking away from Thor to press a button on the cage’s control interface – and the doors beneath the cage opened, revealing the ocean and shoreline far, far below.

Thor only spared it a glance, too confused to even care about the drop below. He was a god, and he could fly. “What are you talking about?” He asked, pressing his palm to the glass.

“Three children – two boys and a girl,” Loki said. “Three monsters, all appearing in my time with Angrboda. A massive snake. A giant wolf. And the half-dead girl.”

Thor went entirely still, eyes widening. “…no,” he whispered, stumbling back from the glass. “No – no, it can’t be, I –“

Loki’s children had been the monsters that Thor had been sent to imprison.

Loki’s expression was cold, but his eyes were soft. Tears collected on his lashes, and he faced his brother again. “Yes. Jormungandr, Fenrir, and Hela are my long-lost children.”

He stepped closer, leaning against the railing. “I can feel him, you know. I can sense Jormungandr in those waters.”

Thor looked back to the water below – and for a moment, he thought he saw a flicker of black scales.

He knelt on the floor, slumping as he was consumed by grief and shame yet again.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I… had I known, I…”

Loki gazed at him, the rest of his face softening, and Thor could feel his heartache, through the link. “I know,” he said. “I know, brother.” Then he flinched – hands gripping the metal railing hard enough to dent as his eyes fell shut.

As Thor watched sweat bead across Loki’s forehead, memories not his own popped unbidden into his mind.

His intestines – no, Loki’s - in someone else’s hands. Staring down at his own open abdomen, blood and organs a stark contrast from the white of his bones.

Thor’s eyes widened as he remembered the pull of those grey hands, yanking and toying with his insides all to garner a reaction.

And then Loki was looking at him again, his expression cold once more.

There was someone else in Loki’s mind – someone powerful.

“Farewell, brother,” he said, turning away from Thor and back to the interface. “As much as I love our little chats, I don’t have much time.”

His hands hovered over a button before there was the sound of a thump as the mercenary who released Loki dropped to the floor.

“I’d back away from that, if I were you,” Coulson said, standing over his body.

The man held a massive weapon, talking about how it was made from the Destroyer, it’s abilities unknown.

Thor caught the slightest glimmer and his eyes widened as he jumped to his feet. “Loki, no!” He shouted just before Loki appeared behind Coulson and stabbed the scepter right through his heart. “No…”

He yelled in anger, smacking the glass again as he watched a man he respected very much begin to die right in front of him.

Loki pulled out the scepter’s blade, holding the weapon in one hand as he… seemed to gently lower Coulson to the ground. “I’m sorry, agent. You are just means to an end,” he said.

Loki propped Coulson up against the wall, and for a long time, he knelt next to him, a hand on his shoulder. He was whispering, eyes closed, as the human gasped for breath.

It took a long time to figure out what he was saying – and by the time Thor did, Loki was very nearly done.

“…of the Brave, your seat awaits. With mead in your hand and eternity before you.” Loki finished, pulling his hand away and rising to his feet.

“Loki…?” Thor wiped the sweat from his face as his eyes burned with tears.

“Brother. I hope it’s not too warm in there. You might be stuck a while,” Loki said, acting as though nothing had happened – but Thor knew a funeral prayer when he heard it.

“You’re going to lose,” Coulson choked out, blood spilling from his lips.

Loki looked back, quirking a brow. “Am I?”

“It’s in your nature,” the man told him.

Loki chuckled. “Your heroes are scattered. Your floating fortress falls from the sky. Where is my disadvantage?” He asked.

“You lack… conviction…” Agent Coulson coughed, more blood spilling down his chin. “A dictator… doesn’t pray for his enemies.”

With an unfamiliar shine of something to his eyes, Loki smirked. “I don’t think I –“

The gun made from the bits of the Destroyer went off, blasting Loki through the wall as Thor cried out. “BROTHER!”

For a few terrifying moments, there was silence.

Thor’s heart dropped to his stomach, and he thought he might really throw up, until -

With a loud wheeze, Loki struggled to his feet before stepping back into view, clutching his abdomen. “Not bad,” he said, glancing to Thor and pursing his lips. “I’m fine.”

Thor felt relief wash over him, his shoulders slumping – but the guilt and shame from before was quick to follow.

Loki stared at him for a few more moments, and then he turned to the hallway as half a dozen mercenaries came into view. “Ah, my ride is here.” He forced a smile. “Farewell, dear brother – though I get the feeling that we’ll be seeing each other soon.”

He went to leave as a mercenary stepped past, to the console, and the god hesitated, confusion passing briefly across his face.

Thor watched as the mercenary cleared the failsafe to dropping the cage, and he could hear the mechanisms groan.

Only a second later, Loki’s hand shot out to grab the man's wrist, eyes wide in terror – all the confidence and arrogance from before gone. “I didn’t tell you to do that!” Loki shouted, both hands shaking as he gripped the man’s arm hard enough to bruise. “Did I say to drop him?!”

He whipped his head around to look at the other mercenaries, all of whom stood still, nervous to be on the receiving end of Loki’s anger.

“Just –“ He grit his teeth, and Thor's own head began pounding, like an ice pick digging into his skull. “Just do what I tell you, and nothing more!”

Loki’s hands continued shaking, and Thor could see his grip tighten even more, the mercenary crying out.

With his other hand, Loki set the scepter down and put the safeguard back in place, sealing doors beneath the cage. He very nearly missed the button as his brow furrowed in focus – and Thor clutched his head in agony as Loki’s shaky fingers guaranteed his safety, each decision careful and rushed at the same time.

Steve stepped into the room just as the man’s arm broke with a sickening crack – and Loki stared in horror at his own hand as he ripped it away from the man, the pained cries filling the room.

His eyes burned with tears, and he turned away from the group, stumbling as he looked between Steve and Thor and the screaming man.

Sweat broke out across his brow, but he cleared his throat, taking a few deep breaths. “This team still needs you,” he told his brother, picking up the scepter from where he had leaned it against the interface. “Perhaps you could try a little harder not to die.”

A split second later, the anxious expression disappeared, and Loki stood a little straighter, a smirk finding its way back to his face.

Thor clutched his head, but the pain was receding, and he’d have to be a fool not to notice the connection between the pain and Loki’s own behaviour.

Loki turned back to Steve, who had watched the interaction with a bewildered expression, his jaw hanging open as he tried to figure out what the hell happened.

“Captain. You’ll be able to release him in a few minutes.”

With a burst of green light from his hands, the interface of the cage was fried, crackling with electricity, and then Loki turned on his heel, going through the hole in the wall to make his escape.

“Go after him!” Thor shouted at Steve, who blinked for a moment longer before shaking himself out of it.

But by the time he got into the hallway, Loki wasn’t there – and though Steve sprinted towards the airstrip, he knew already that he wouldn’t catch up to the god.

Just like that, Loki was once again gone from Thor’s reach.

Thor stayed pressed against the glass as he watched the blood soak Coulson’s shirt and pool beneath him. He was long dead, now, but still he bled.

Someone he considered a friend had died in front of him, and all that he could think about was Loki and his memories. They were bleeding through the mind link, likely unknown to Loki.

Twice now, it had happened, and just those two memories shook Thor to his very core.

He knew it would probably happen more often – it seemed to come through when Loki was in highly emotional states, and his brother got like that quite often.

When whatever magic Loki did wore off, the cage control interface once again functional, Thor was released. Fury stood over Coulson’s body, frowning as Thor stood next to him.

 “I’m sorry. There…” He lowered his head. “There was nothing I could do.”

Fury pursed his lips, not looking away from Coulson’s body. “Head to the conference room. Stark is already there,” he snapped.

So Thor went to the conference room, having no energy to fight. Like Fury said, Tony was there, sitting solemnly as he held a coffee in his hands. Thor wondered if he’d ever been this quiet before.

After a few minutes, Steve joined them at the table, just as solemn. He said nothing, though from the way he looked at Thor, it seemed like he wanted to.

Tony lifted the coffee cup to his lips, his hands shaking – and Thor anxiously picked at his hands, digging his thumbnails into the callouses covering his palms.

Letting out a slow breath, Thor chose to instead fiddle with the leather wrapped around Mjolnir’s handle. He couldn't keep his hands still.

“Thor, what I saw in there…” Steve started, getting both of their attention. “What was that?” He asked.

“That, my friend…” Thor sighed, sitting up. “I do not know,” he answered honestly. “What you saw was perhaps the closest he has acted to himself since my arrival.”

Tony’s eyes flicked between them as Steve pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Well, damn it,” he said, lifting his head and letting it fall to the side. “Where are Bruce and Natasha? We need to tell everybody.”

“What are you talking about?” Tony asked, rising to his feet. “Bruce fell off the helicarrier – Natasha is in the medbay with her agent friend. Can you tell me what the hell is going on?”

Steve pursed his lips. “I don’t think Loki is in control of himself. I think there’s someone else pulling the strings – like a marionette.”

Tony blinked, his head tilting as he crossed his arms. “Okay, did he get you with the mind control too? What am I missing?” He asked. “This man has killed dozens.”

Steve shook his head. “I’m not being controlled, Tony. But not everything is as it seems,” he said. “I’m going to find Miss Ro – I mean, Nat… while you figure out where he’s going.”

Tony frowned, but nodded. “Thor, stay here and help me find out what he’s planning,” he demanded, and so the god stayed seated as Tony pulled up a few screens of information.

“Alright, rock of ages… Where are you going…?” Tony whispered to himself.

It was a few short minutes later and a trip to the scene of the crime that he figured it out – and once they’d all suited up, the formerly mind-controlled agent included, they commandeered a jet to head to Stark tower.

“Alright, now that we have to go stop a god – mind sharing your evidence with the class, Capsicle?” Tony’s voice came through their comms.

Natasha looked back at them from her seat in the copilot’s chair. “What is he talking about?” She asked.

Steve stepped closer to the cockpit, sighing softly. “Loki is being controlled,” he stated firmly. “And it’s up to us to stop him and save him at the same time.”

Chapter Text

“Uh…” Natasha stood up from the controls, trusting Clint to drive for a little while. “Explain,” she demanded. “Because right now, Captain, you’re not making a lot of sense.”

Steve grabbed one of the overhead handles, frowning. “I know – but as hard as it may be to believe, there’s something else behind Loki’s actions. I saw it myself, in the room he was being held in.” He glanced back at Thor, pursing his lips. “He kept a mercenary from dropping Thor off the ship – and said that we needed him on our team,” he explained. “He broke the guy’s arm, but he seemed horrified by his own actions. And before he escaped, he only disabled the console connected to the cage instead of destroying it entirely, and it was with some… some green fog, or something.”

He focused squarely on Natasha, trying to get through to her in the face of her disbelief. “He could’ve killed Thor, and he didn’t. He could’ve trapped him there for hours, if not more – and instead he trapped him for only a few minutes, and every choice that led to that decision caused him pain.”

Natasha pursed her lips, searching for any hint of a lie. “You think he’s being mind controlled, like Barton was?” She asked, and Steve hesitated.

“Nothing else lines up with what I saw, Nat,” he said. “It was like – a few moments of clarity. I think he fought for control, just to keep Thor alive, and everything else was too much to bear.”

Thor stood up, then. “I believe Steve is right,” he said. “I’ve said it before, I don’t believe my brother could truly be behind this. And every time that my brother’s true self came through, I felt a horrible pain in my head, or…”

He… hadn’t told them of the mind link.

“What do you mean by that?” Natasha asked. Her expression was calm but her voice had an edge to it, betraying her demeanor.

Thor grimaced – and it was then that Clint spoke up.

“Thor and Loki’s minds are connected,” he said, drawing everybody’s attention to him, and Thor’s jaw dropped.

“How… how do you know that?” He asked, rising to his feet and approaching the cockpit.

Clint pursed his lips, and he sighed. “I felt it, whenever they talked. With the other guy too, but both were pretty muted. The scepter connected me to Loki’s mind, and I could feel his conversations with others, even if I couldn’t make out what was being said,” he explained.

Thor sighed in relief, because it meant two out of the four Avengers still around would believe him. “Yes – we’ve had the connection for centuries, though… we often forget it’s there,” he said.

“How does it work? If you’re in his mind, and somebody else is too, can you sense the other presence?” Steve asked.

“It…” Thor pursed his lips, figuring out how to word it. “Our connection is perhaps most like a door. It must be opened by both parties for communication to occur, or – most of the time, such is the case. However, my brother’s door is locked to keep the other being from sensing me, and yet we still find a way to whisper to each other,” he explained. “It was in those whispers that he told me that the Chitauri seek the Tesseract. And that he… he is scared, all the time,” he murmured. “In moments of high emotion, I feel that terror strongly – and some of his memories begin to reveal themselves to me, as well.”

“This is getting a little too fantastical for me, guys, but the security footage from the interrogation room holds up to what the others said. Loki moves a lot differently in those few moments than he does all the other times we’ve seen him – except for when he was last talking to Thor,” Tony explained through the comm system.

“Moments of high emotion…” Natasha wondered aloud, and Thor nodded. “Tell me about the memories.”

The god’s jaw clicked shut, and he stared at her for a few moments before slowly shaking his head. “These memories have shaken even someone like me to my core, Lady Natasha. I…” He closed his eyes. “To speak them out loud makes them far too real, and seeing my little brother go through that, through his own eyes, I…”

Natasha scowled, turning and heading back to the cockpit. “Barton, did you see any memories?” She asked.

The archer hesitantly nodded – looking just as uncomfortable as Thor. “I do my best not to think about it.”

Natasha sighed, closing her eyes before she got back in the copilot chair. “Let’s try to knock him out, like we did with Barton. Maybe that’ll work across the board,” she said.

Thor grimaced, crossing his arms. “Leave that to me. I fear no mortal could make him lose consciousness. The last time I managed to, with means other than mead, it took quite a heavy swing from my hammer to his temple,” he explained.

“You mean to tell me that Loki’s head can withstand the same force that can clear a forest?” Tony asked. “You’re making it kinda difficult to doubt that you’re gods, Point Break.”

Thor managed a soft chuckle at that.

“Alright – I’m getting into the city now, heading towards the tower. Selvig’s up top, he’s got a machine built with the Cube at its core. I’m gonna shut it down. See you on the flip side!” Tony exclaimed, and Steve sighed.

“Are we almost there?” He asked, turning to the front.

“Just about, Captain. Get ready – I get the feeling that we’ll be coming in hot.”

Thor stood up, then – and went to the bay doors. “I’m going to join Stark at the tower – perhaps the two of us can stop this before it even begins,” he said.

He hit the button to open the doors, and took off with a spin of his hammer, leaving the jet behind as he searched for the massive building that said STARK on the side.

By the time he got there, the Tesseract had already opened the portal into deep space, and the Chitauri began their invasion.

“LOKI!” He shouted, as he landed near his brother. “Loki, I know you’re in there! Help me stop this!”

“There’s no stopping this, brother!” Loki called back to him, clutching the scepter tightly in his hand. “It is already underway, and soon Midgard shall be mine to rule!” His grin was a little too wide, unsettling alongside his mania.

Thor almost missed the tear streaks on his face.

“Put down the scepter, and we shall find a way out of this,” he said. “Together. As we always have.” He stepped forward, dropping Mjolnir onto his belt and extending his hand with his palm up.

Loki stared over at him – frozen in place as he looked at his brother’s hand.

Loki’s lip quivered – and he looked up at the portal, and then down at the streets. The humans’ screams could be heard even from where they stood. “It’s too late,” he said, stumbling away from the ledge.

Then an eerie coolness took over Loki’s expressions once more, and he lifted the scepter. “I can’t let you interfere, brother.”

Thor slowly lowered his hand.

“I’m not going to fight you,” he said.

“So be it!” Loki shouted, surging forward as Thor went on the defensive – and for the first time in his life, Thor felt the full strength of his sibling, intent to kill behind every strike.

Loki just needed to summon the strength to fight against the influences in his mind – and Thor had only one idea.

“When I look at you,” he said, dodging and deflecting each attack, “I see my little brother – no taller than my hips, begging me to take him on quests.”

Loki’s attacks came faster – and he grit his teeth.

“I see my little brother – who outgrew me in the blink of an eye. I see my brother, who loved pranking his family, and reading, and besting my friends in combat,” Thor continued, using Mjolnir to parry a blow. “My brother, always tried to do the right thing! Who tried to negotiate or disarm, rather than kill!” Thor shouted.

“SHUT UP!” Loki shouted, tears now collecting on his lashes. “STOP WITH THIS SENTIMENTALITY!”

Thor continued, despite Loki’s protests. “I see my baby brother, who thought I would hate him for being a different race!” He dropped Mjolnir and lunged forward, grabbing the scepter in one hand and wrapping his other arm tightly around Loki. “You are scared, and hurt, and angry. But I love you. I will always love you. I –“

Loki fought against his arms, letting go of the scepter – but then Thor dropped it, too, and wrapped both arms securely around Loki as he tackled him to the ground.

“I promised to protect you – and I keep failing, but I will never stop trying!” Thor yelled. “So I need you to try! I need you to fight alongside me! I need you to break free of whoever is influencing you!”

Loki screamed beneath him, trying with all his strength to shove his heavy brother away from him. “GET OFF ME YOU OAF!” He shouted, kicking his legs out and squirming beneath him. “I CAN’T BREATHE, YOU’RE TOO HEAVY!”

Thor refused to move as Loki wheezed from the pressure. “Fight it, Loki!” He shouted, and even when he got a knee to the groin, he didn’t falter.

“You’re – such – a bilgesnipe!” Loki shouted, shoving Thor off of him with a burst of green magic – before scrambling to his feet, and Thor felt his head begin to pound.

“Good – good! I know it hurts, but you have to do it anyway!” Thor exclaimed, not moving as Loki’s face crumpled, tears falling freely as he was crippled with pain.

“I know, you ass!” Loki shouted back, wiping at the sweat covering his brow.

He turned away from Thor to look down at the city below – guilt washing over him as he took in all the damage. “Thor, I…” he trailed off, looking away and back at his brother. “I didn’t want this!” He called.

Thor nodded. “I know. My friends know it too. We’re gonna help you. But I need you to open the door,” he said, tapping his temple. “Let me in. Let me help defend you from whoever is in there,” he said.

Loki hesitated, his hands trembling as he furiously shook his head. “No, I can’t. He’s too dangerous.”

“Who, Loki?” Thor asked, stepping forward. “Is it the Other?”

His younger brother grimaced, covering his eyes as his face heated up, now feeling too warm even on top of a skyscraper. “No. Yes. Sometimes, it’s just him. He – we just communicated about the Chitauri, about my plans for Earth. But the one in charge of the failsafe –“ The pain, Loki meant – “his name is Ebony Maw. I can’t…” He looked up at the portal, watching in horror as it grew larger. “Oh god…”

The brothers didn’t move as Leviathans poured through the breach, both speechless as they tried to figure out what to do.

Thor shook himself out of it first, stepping forward and cupping Loki’s face with both hands to make hard eye contact.

“Your hands are sweaty,” Loki grumbled softly, and Thor couldn't help but smile.

“Tell me how to shut it down,” he demanded. “Once you do, I will knock you unconscious, and it should clear your head, correct?”

Loki nodded, eyes alight with hope – until he tried to speak, and all that came out were screams.

Thor’s headache spiked – and as Loki’s shrieks filled his ears, his own joined as well. They both crumpled to the ground, and Thor wondered how he was alive because surely his head must be splitting open.

As they cried out in shared agony, another of Loki’s memories flitted into the forefront of Thor’s mind.

He knelt in front of a man – no, a giant. A giant with cold, unforgiving eyes.

“I didn’t mean to – please, please, I’m sorry!”

“Quiet.”

Loki’s mouth shut in an instant, teeth clacking together painfully.

He trembled in front of the giant.

“And to think, you were doing so well… You were finally listening…”

Loki’s head dropped as his shoulders trembled, and he bit hard into his lip as he awaited punishment.

“Hang him up. Remind him of all he has to lose.”

Loki didn’t make a sound.

Not as they cleaved flesh from bone. Not as his tendons fought to keep his limbs connected to the rest of his body.

“Your limbs would be just the start, boy,” a different alien said – the same grey one from the other memories. “If you step out of line again… well, I dream of the day I get to cut the Queen of Asgard apart, limb by limb.”

Loki in the memory closed his eyes, and then it was over.

Thor was back in his own body, collapsed on the roof next to his brother, who was gasping for breath. For a moment, there was a quiet between them. Neither were sure of how to proceed after what had just happened.

“The scepter,” Loki choked out. “Use the scepter. It can break through the barrier,” he said.

Then he looked directly at his brother, a sob forcing its way from his throat. “I need you to end it. Please, I - I can’t do this anymore!”

Thor shoved his head against the concrete, and reached for Mjolnir, who flew to his hands. “Open the door,” he ordered, gripping the hilt tightly.

Loki whimpered – but he listened to his brother, and their mental link was blown wide open as Loki finally let him in.

Thor heard the whispers of the Other, he felt the pain from Ebony Maw.

He knew they detected him, too.

GET OUT OF MY BROTHER’S HEAD, he commanded, his words booming through Loki’s mind and disrupting their manipulations as he raised his hammer high above his head.

With a quick, concise blow to Loki's head, Thor knocked him out, concussing him in the same moment.

Loki’s mind went mute, all his muddled thoughts now silent, and the two other presences in his mind vanished as well. Thor knew in that moment that it had worked – Loki was free, now on his own in his body once again.

But he had no time to waste. “Loki is down! Before he went out, he told me something about the barrier!” He yelled through the channel. “The scepter can cross the energy barrier surrounding the Tesseract to shut down the machine!” He yelled into the comms. “I will go –“

“No, we need you on containment with us! Aliens are still pouring through; I need you to bottleneck that portal. You’ve got the lightning – light the bastards up!” Cap commanded. “Someone else can go up and shut down the portal!”

“On it,” the Widow responded.

Thor took off his cape, tucking it around Loki’s prone form before he took off, heading to the portal to kill as many Chitauri coming through as possible.

Loki was going to be okay – and now it was time for Thor to make good on his promise of protecting Midgard.

The Chitauri wouldn't know what hit them.

Chapter Text

When Loki came to, the world was still in chaos.

Screams still echoed in the streets, explosions and the savage snarls of the Chitauri accompanying them.

But his head was clear.

For the first time since his fall, he could think.

Thunder boomed as lightning streaked across the sky, and Loki watched his brother strike down a dozen growling Chitauri soldiers. More came through, but none even got a scratch on Thor as he killed them left and right. Watching their bodies explode from the electricity was honestly a little amusing. He hadn’t seen it in a long time.

Loki then glanced around – and his eyes caught on the man in metal as went through the portal with some projectile, just barely falling back through when the Widow closed it by shutting down the machine.

He stared up at the bright blue sky. Though it was slightly tainted by smoke trails from fires all over, it was still beautiful. It had been… so long, since he’d seen a sky as clear as this.

Carefully, he sat up – taking note of his brother’s cape wrapped around his body. He reluctantly pulled it off, rising to unsteady feet as he kept the cape in hand. Every limb ached, and his head pounded, but he pushed past the pain, like he was all too used to doing, and limped inside the tower.

Brother?

Loki reached out in the link, trembling as he plopped into a chair, the leather cushioning feeling like Valhalla beneath him.

He received no answer – Thor must still be distracted - and so he just waited. And waited. And waited.

His eyes fell shut – but he stayed awake, ears listening for any threats around him. There were no threats, though. Only the crackling sound of fire and pain on the streets below.

There was nothing he could do to help as he was. Besides – who’s to say they would even want his help?

When the elevator chimed over an hour later, Loki lifted his head, forcing his eyes open. He managed to lift his hand to wave as all the Avengers stepped inside, worn from the fighting.

“If it’s all the same to you,” Loki started, his voice hoarse. “I’ll have that drink now.”

Stark smiled, a soft chuckle escaping him as he stepped out of the elevator – free of his suit of armor, it seemed. “Got any preference?” He asked.

“The strongest you have,” Loki replied, closing his eyes again and focusing on his breathing.

They were all there. Even the one he had used the scepter on. He tried not to tense up too much, but it was unavoidable. If the archer decided to kill him, Loki didn’t know if he could muster energy enough to stop him.

The archer approached, then, and Loki forced his eyes back open just in time to see him take the drink from Tony, holding it out as he got close. “You’re good now? Nobody else in that big brain of yours?” He asked – and Loki took the glass in shaky hands.

“Oh, it’s just me in here now,” he said. “As grateful as I am that my mind is now my own again, however, I cannot help but grieve the fact that I am alone with nothing more than my own thoughts,” Loki joked with a wry smile.

Barton laughed, clapping his hand on his shoulder. “You’ll get used to it again - may even come to enjoy it.”

Loki snorted in a very un-princely manner, raising the glass. “We’ll see,” he replied before downing the liquor in one gulp.

The bourbon was weak, at least by Asgardian standards, but the mild burn kept him in the present.

For a moment, he didn’t know what to say. How to explain to them why he had done what he had. How to warn them of what was coming.

So… he didn’t. At least not yet.

“I… did my best to mitigate the damage,” Loki said, looking out the window and grimacing. “Though I suppose it’s clear how ineffectual those efforts were.” Smoke rose heavily from the streets of New York, firefighters hard at work to put out the fires below.

“We know you tried,” the soldier said. His name was Steve, if Loki was recalling correctly – but chances were strong that he was not. “We've all seen it – those of us here know the truth. But mind control isn’t exactly easy to explain.”

He kept the glass in his hands, needing to feel something real. Both palms pressed into the ridges, letting them dig in and relishing in the slightly uncomfortable feeling it caused.

Loki stared into the bottom of the cup, at the reflection of the lights overhead bouncing across the surface. “They’ll be here soon,” he murmured. “Your organization, I mean. They intend to take me into their custody.”

Thor shook his head. “That will not happen on my watch, brother. We shall make clear the circumstances.”

Loki scoffed. “How do you intend to do that? They didn’t see all that you did. They didn’t –“ He clenched his jaw, shaking his head. “They do not have the same information. They never saw those truly behind all of this. You really believe that they’ll trust anything out of either of us? Or Barton, for that matter? We’re all compromised.”

He stood up, staggering briefly before he got better footing, and he set the glass down to pace anxiously back and forth. “I have cemented myself in history and their memories as a villain. Such is always the case – it is inescapable. And for that, for these crimes, surely F –“ He bit his tongue, squeezing his eyes shut. “Surely Odin will have me put to death were I to return.”

Thor scowled up at him. “No. The people of Midgard shall know the truth - I will not let your image become further sullied by others’ misconceptions,” he said, rising to his feet and then grabbing both of Loki’s shoulders to hold him still. “No matter what, Loki. I will help you fix this.”

Loki could barely withstand the earnest gaze of his brother. He wanted to shove him away and leave, anxiety and doubt making him feel nauseous in equal measure.

Going back to Asgard would mean certain death – and escaping this planet to roam the cosmos wasn’t exactly an option. So, with his options being death, more death, or a chance at redemption, he might as well try for redemption.

Loki sighed, deciding to believe his brother. “Alright. I…” He pursed his lips. “I shall try to make things right.”

Thor smiled, pulling him into a hug, clasping the back of his neck – and Loki was quick to match as their foreheads smacked together a little too hard. It hurt, but it was real. “Trying our hardest is all we can ever do.”

Loki relaxed in his brother’s familiar embrace before he stepped back, going to sit down again.

“Perhaps once we’ve restored things here, I could speak to our –“

Loki cut his brother off by raising a hand, the ease from before fading as he shook his head. “There is no point, brother,” he whispered. “Just… just let it go.”

Thor frowned, but let it drop, and he watched with a scowl as Loki put on a mask of calm as he faced the other Avengers.

“My brother has mentioned my magical talents, right? Perhaps I can offer my services to fix as much as I can,” he suggested. “I am very knowledgeable on a variety of topics, as well. Information is valuable here, yes?”

“Yes, it is,” Stark confirmed, refilling Loki’s glass before he sat down with a heavy sigh. “I’m sure we can work out a deal with SHIELD.”

Barton nodded. “Information is their game. If you prove yourself useful, if you become an asset, well – SHIELD protects their assets,” he explained. “But only if you can actually be of use.”

Loki nodded, downing the drink once again, like it was nothing at all. He was in no shape to negotiate, but he didn’t have much of a choice.

“Sir, Director Fury is on his way up with three other SHIELD agents. Shall I delay them?” An overhead voice came on, and Loki startled, staring up at the ceiling in confusion.

“What…?”

“Uh, no, JARVIS. Send them to the thirty-second floor,” Tony said to the quiet room. “We’ll meet them down there.”

Some sort of construct, then – a machine. When Loki tentatively reached out with his magic to his surroundings, he could feel… what might as well be sensors, stretched across the whole room. Likely the whole building, even, all for one creation.

Interesting.

Loki glanced over all the people present as they struggled to their feet – guilt like fingers wrapping itself around his neck, and he closed his eyes for a few moments, breathing slowly as his hands began to shake again.

It’s all your fault.

No matter if all his actions could be attributed to influence of the mind, he was still responsible for hundreds of lives lost, and casualties likely in the thousands – not even accounting for property damage. Odin wouldn’t forgive it – what’s to say these humans were any different?

Thor was going to try and fail to change the narrative – and Loki just had to let him.

He faced his brother, who stood waiting by the recently opened elevator – and began to limp his way over, pain lacing every step he took.

When his brother offered a hand, Loki ignored it, just leaning against the walls every now and again as they all headed to a conference room, where apparently the leader of the SHIELD organization waited to take him into custody, or perhaps just kill him where he stood.

A wave of panic washed over him, and he struggled to breathe.

Coming to a stop outside the room, Loki grabbed Thor’s wrist, keeping him from entering the room.

“Brother, what’s the plan?” He asked, suppressing the Allspeak so that he could have a private conversation. “I can’t – I don’t know –“ He bit hard into his lip. “How are we to convince them not to kill me or send me back to Asgard?”

“Loki, I need you to trust me,” Thor said, doing the same as his brother. “I will negotiate in your stead.” He glanced into the room, where all the Avengers were sitting down opposite from the SHIELD agents. “We’re going to aim high, so that they settle for when we aim just the slightest bit lower.”

Loki quirked a brow, anxiously shifting his weight from foot to foot. “And just how do you intend to do that?” He asked. “They won’t let me go that easily, brother. I’ve wronged them far too much.”

His older brother smiled. “My thoughts are that you assist through community service, mostly reconstruction, to help with the damage caused by the invasion. A lot of that, and a tracker should be good enough for them. You’re a bottomless well of knowledge, of which you can share much with the Midgardians. They’re desperate for information, they’ll have to take us up on it.”

Loki grimaced, shaking his head. “That won’t be enough, brother. I’ve killed hundreds of people, including many of their own.”

“And if you had been the one making those choices, I would let them decide a punishment, or drag you right back to the All-Father myself. But you were not yourself. You were put in a terrible situation, and you did your best to minimize casualties,” Thor responded, reaching to grab his shoulder. “Everyone here knows that you acted under duress.”

“And what of it?!” Loki shouted, shoving Thor’s hand off of him. “In the end, it was still me! My body that carried out the crimes. It was still my mind, even if it was influenced!”

“No, Loki!” Thor yelled right back, slamming his hand against the wall. “I will not have you blaming yourself for this! They don’t blame the archer for what he’s done, they cannot hold you to a different standard! I will not allow it.”

As they argued in the hall, everybody watched from the conference room.

Natasha turned to Steve. “Don’t worry, none of us understand it either,” she said, and he looked back at her, the frown on his face easing as the siblings fought.

“You’d think it would sound Norwegian, but no. It’s completely foreign,” Barton commented.

Loki kicked Thor’s shin, then, and turned away with a huff. “Like I said before. Bilgesnipe,” he spat, once again allowing the Allspeak to translate his words for the others.

“If you would quit trying to sabotage yourself, that would be helpful,” Thor said, taking Loki’s elbow and spinning him around to enter the room. “That’s supposed to be my job.”

Loki chuckled at Thor’s self-jab, rolling his eyes before he lifted his head, fixing his posture as he stepped into the conference room.

He made eye contact with the agents already there before he went to sit down at the opposite end of the table. The Midgardian warriors took up all the rest of the seats on his side, leaving the furthest two empty for he and his brother, providing a physical barrier between those that thought he a monster.

It was… a strange feeling, for all these people to be willing to defend him. They hardly even knew him, and all his interactions with them previously had been antagonistic to his detriment. Thor was a given, as he almost always took his brother’s side, but his friends had never followed in his footsteps. To be given the benefit of the doubt… after more than a thousand years of life, it was most definitely a new experience.

Loki covered his face as they all settled, the bright lighting making his headache worse. “Perhaps you could lower the brightness of those fluorescents,” he murmured, peeking through his fingers at Tony.

“You heard the man, JARVIS,” Tony said, giving a thumbs-up to the ceiling, and the lights overhead dimmed. “Better?”

“Much,” Loki replied, and he turned to face Thor. “Did you really have to hit so hard?” He asked in the quiet of the room.

Thor made a face. “I had to make sure it worked!” He exclaimed. “It was better to be safe this time, than for it to not work at all.”

Loki rolled his eyes. “I seem to remember you knocking me out with a much lighter swing, last time,” he said. “Or perhaps the centuries have softened that memory.”

“Yeah, Thor mentioned that. Why did he do that, again?” Tony prodded.

Thor and Loki exchanged a look, and Loki subtly shook his head. He wasn’t sure that the two of them could truly explain the complicated history of brotherhood and Angrboda’s part in Loki’s past. “Just… a fight from a long time ago,” Thor said, giving a general answer instead of anything specific.

Tony let it go, and a suffocating silence fell over the room – tension thick enough to cut as Fury and Hill glared at the whole group from where they sat across the room.

“It’s come to my attention that you all believe that this genocidal maniac is actually an ‘innocent man’ in an ‘unfortunate situation’.” Fury surrounded the words with air quotes. “Is that correct?” He asked, his face carefully neutral as his eye skimmed over the group across from them.

“Yes, sir,” Steve replied, sitting up straight and keeping his hands on the table. “It’s the only explanation that makes sense.”

“I’m sure we could think of a lot more,” Hill stated dryly, her face carefully neutral.

Fury crossed his arms, leaning back in a chair. “Since two of my most valuable agents seem to agree on that, then maybe there’s some merit to this theory.” He looked over the whole group, impatient. “Start explaining, before I change my mind on listening,” he demanded.

“Allow me,” Tony said, pressing something on the table and pulling up a holographic screen in the middle of the table. “JARVIS, play the tapes.”

Loki wished he could just hide from view, but kept his head high as Tony flicked through various moments, pointing out discrepancies in his behaviour, all the little things that added up to conclude that none of it made sense.

Fury and Hill watched it all in stoic silence, their only break in composure being as Hill turned away during Coulson's death.

Loki himself had to turn away during the recording of Thor’s sappy speech on the Stark tower rooftop, coughing as his cheeks burned from how emotional it was.

“Okay, anybody else think that was adorable?” Tony asked, pointing to the video of Thor tackling Loki in a hug. “I don’t think I’ve ever been as moved by a speech as I was by that profession of brotherly love.”

Loki’s hands twitched as he struggled to maintain composure. “I would prefer to discuss quite literally anything else,” he requested, working hard to avoid hiding behind his hands.

“Then tell me about the screaming,” Fury said, scowling as the footage continued to play, showcasing both brothers kneeling on the balcony, crippled by pain.

Well. He did say anything.

“My level of control was different from that of Barton’s. I was not a puppet, per se, but there was… monitoring, and certain parameters,” Loki began to explain. “If I were to take any actions that would conflict with the plans, or behave in a way that would cause problems, an inset failsafe would inflict pain in my mind,” he said, picking at his hands. “It was almost always strong enough for my brother to feel as well, even if the link was not in use.”

“The link?” Hill asked.

“Our mind link. It’s been in place for centuries,” Thor explained. “It’s a channel for telepathy – somewhat like your earpieces, but without any verbal communication. It's all mental.”

Hill glanced between them, quirking an eyebrow. “Okay. So, you and your brother have a telepathic connection.” She and Fury looked at each other, disbelief written across their faces. “And in that moment, your pain was his pain?”

Loki glanced at his brother, feeling reassurance through the link. “It should’ve been slightly dulled for him, but yes.”

Hill drummed a pen against a pad of paper, but wrote down a short note, seemingly accepting the answer.

“Tell me more about this other guy, the one in charge of the pain. What’s his name?” Fury asked.

Loki stared at the glass table, curling his hands into fists. “His name –“

“- hold on,” Thor started, lifting a hand and forcing a smile. “You value information, yes? And I value my brother, and I value his sovereignty. Before he continues, we’re going to come to an agreement,” he said smoothly.

Fury squinted at Thor before he leaned forward. “What are your conditions?”

“I want his name and involvement in these attacks stricken from the records,” Thor said first. “He would be allowed to remain planet-side, with no imprisonment or tracking during his stay. In exchange…” He pursed his lips, facing Loki. “What can you give them?” He asked.

Loki reluctantly leaned forward. “I can tell you the goal of the invasion, who was behind it, and why.”

Fury crossed his arms. “That won’t work. After what you’ve done? That isn’t good enough.” He shook his head. “Walking away free isn’t an option for people like you.”

Thor’s fingers crackled with lightning, and the lights flickered above them. “And what are you thinking in the way of punishment?” He asked, smiling over at the human who tried so hard to be intimidating. “You can’t kill us. Jailing is pointless - he will outlive every single person at this table.”

Fury pursed his lips, scowling at Thor - who knew he was right.

But he didn’t know that Thor had overshot on purpose.

“How about this instead? You still erase Loki and his involvement in the Chitauri attack from your records – that part is non-negotiable. However, we shall allow a tracker to be placed on him - and he will stay and help your organization in its various endeavors as an agent, as well as the rebuilding efforts of the Midgardian citizens,” Thor said – and Loki stared at his older brother, vaguely impressed by his negotiations. “Oh, and just to make this even better for you – he will tell you more about the Tesseract, and what it truly is.”

Loki’s eyes widened, and he glanced between Fury and his brother. He wondered if it was the best idea to let the humans know about the Infinity Stones, but decided not to argue against it this time.

 “And somehow I’m the silver-tongue?” He teased gently in Asgardian, and Thor hid his smirk.

Fury looked between them for a long few moments – pursing his lips. “That seems…” He tilted his head as he thought it over. “Hm. And if we don’t agree, what then?” He asked. “We could just find a way to send you back to Asgard and let them deal with you there.”

“If you do not accept, you will never know why you were attacked, or who was truly behind it, nor will you know anything about the Tesseract. This the only deal we offer.” Thor told him firmly. “Those are our conditions – my brother will not cooperate without them. As for your and your organization - you are incapable of disguising your desperation for information.”

“And who’s to say we couldn’t get the information out of you another way?” Fury asked.

Loki lifted his head, then, stepping in for Thor as a cold smile crossed his face. “I have been alive for a millennium. Nothing you humans could do would even draw a reaction from me,” he stated, his voice so hauntingly empty that it sent chills down everyone's spines.

Fury stared at him for a long few moments before he nodded. “Well, then. It seems we have an agreement,” he replied, giving in, and it seemed as though everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief. He made eye contact with Hill, who immediately rose to her feet, leaving the room as she pulled out her phone.

“I'll get my best agents on erasing all traces of you – so start talking,” he said. “I’ll have a tracker brought up for you shortly.”

It didn’t feel real.

Loki nodded, and he took a few deep breaths to calm himself before he began talking. “If it was not clear already, the goal of this invasion was primarily retrieval of the Tesseract – and potentially slave gathering,” he said. “Much of the galaxy knows of this planet, because the solar system falls under the protection of the All-Father, who ordered it undisturbed. And likely because of the isolation, you’re all seen as rather… primitive. Simple-minded, which would be ideal for slaves. Such was the belief when I was sent here.”

Fury looked a little miffed, and Tony looked downright offended.

“Primitive? I’ll show them primitive!” He exclaimed.

Loki huffed in amusement. “Your technology, specifically, is just barely scratching the surface of what’s out in the rest of the cosmos,” he explained. “It’s impressive for a human, but there’s still a ways to go.”

“Who sent you?” Fury asked, sapping the amusement from Loki’s features.

“A creature by the name of nothing more than The Other was… perhaps my partner in this. But he was also my keeper. He oversaw the Chitauri and kept an eye on me while my focus was elsewhere. Were I to misbehave, so to speak, he would alert another party,” Loki said, staring down at his hands. “I was the strategist behind every plan.”

“And this other party – were they the one that sent you?” Fury asked, narrowing his eye at the god.

Loki let out a slow breath, trying to keep his hands from shaking.

He pulled them off the table, into his lap. “Ebony Maw, belonging to a group called the Black Order, was the one in charge of… convincing me to assist them. I saw him more than any other where I was kept,” he said.

Raising a hand, he conjured an image of the alien. Grey skin, flat face, black clothing – how he had looked when Loki first saw him.

“What in the Voldemort?” Tony shouted.

“How are you doing that?” Steve asked, staring at Loki’s hand as Thor looked closer. “Is that a projected image coming from your hand?”

Loki tilted his head to the side. “Sort of – but not exactly.” His head began to ache again, and the projection flickered to reflect a much more sinister expression on the man’s face – an expression that Loki was much more familiar with.

He flinched and dropped his hands, waving away the image as he reached for Thor – who immediately put a hand on his shoulder, reminding him where he was.

He was safe, at least for now.

“Squidward wasn’t the boss, though. There was a guy above that,” Barton said, leaned against the table. “The one calling all the shots. He was big and purple.”

Loki went still – unmoving as his mind raced, and he stared very hard at a spot on the table.

Leave. Leave, before they can ask any more questions. GET OUT.

“I… I don’t…” He tried to stand up, but his legs were weak and shaking, unwilling to support his weight. “Brother?” His voice rose in volume as he tried to move.

“Tha… Tharon? Than…” Barton tapped his finger against the table. “What was that name? It’s on the tip of my tongue…”

Drop it. Please, just drop it. Don’t say his name.

Loki wheezed with every inhale, and he leaned against the table, but Thor’s eyes were on Clint.

“…Thanos?” He suggested softly. “Was the name Thanos?”

STOP. STOP SAYING HIS NAME.

Barton clapped his hands together. “Yes, that’s it! Thanos, the purple giant!” He exclaimed. “He was the one who called all the shots. Had a whole team of bad guys.”

Thor turned to Loki as his brother struggled to breathe, both hands grabbing onto the arms of the chair on either side of him as he tried to stabilize himself.

“You were taken… by the Mad Titan?” He asked.

Loki blinked – his head spinning.

And then…

And then…?

Chapter Text

For a moment, it was like listening through earmuffs.

“…we change the subject, Director Fury?” The Widow suggested, keeping her face neutral. “This line of…” Her lips were moving, and yet he didn’t understand what she was saying. “…lding results right now – we’ll come back to it another time.”

Fury scowled but accepted the interruption. He was glaring at Loki – who blinked owlishly, taking in the mood around him.

His ears cleared up – and now Loki could pick up on the soft buzz of the overhead lights, the only noise in the room beyond their breathing.

They’d all gone quiet.

Natasha and Steve kept looking at him strangely, and Thor was… gripping his arm far too tightly.

“Ow?” He said, turning to his brother as he tried to get some space. “Why are you holding me so tightly?” He asked, yanking his arm away and rubbing at the skin.

Thor's head tilted as he grew confused. “You were not responding, brother. We were asking questions about –“

“- and that is reason enough for you to hurt me?” The response came off more intense than anyone expected, and Thor recoiled, immediately lowering his hand.

“I’m… I apologize. I did not intend…” He frowned. “I am merely concerned. You went silent for a rather long time.”

Loki frowned, and he shook his arm out, running a small spell over the limb to ease the forming bruises. “I hardly consider a few minutes as a long time,” he grumbled under his breath, not noticing the shared looks around the table.

“Now, where did I leave off…” He pursed his lips. “I believe Thor said it was alright to discuss, so perhaps it’d be best to inform you of the Tesseract and its true capabilities,” he said, continuing what he thought to be the conversation at hand – but this time, he didn't miss the looks exchanged. He scowled, taking in everybody’s expressions of… maybe judgement, because it couldn’t be concern.

“Am I missing something?” He snapped.

More looks – and he stood up, eyes flicking back and forth.

Something was wrong.

Loki tensed up, staring at all of them as he tried to figure out what was happening. When he realized what it was, he bit hard into his lip. “This… this isn't real, is it?” He asked softly, his shoulder slumping. “It’s another illusion. A lie – and now…”

He looked around, growing more agitated as he began to pace.

“Loki – what are you talking about?” Thor asked.

Loki glanced quickly at his brother before turning away, shaking his head. “I was a fool to believe that I would ever be free.” He started scratching at his hand, his skin crawling as tears burned his eyes. “Norns, I’ve ruined it all - I’m never going to see them again, am I?!” His nails ripped open the skin of his palm – and he went for his face instead, clawing at his flesh.

“Loki, stop!” Thor shouted, grabbing both hands and yanking them away from his skin even as Loki began to thrash. “Stop it, you’re hurting yourself!”

“It’s not real!” Loki shouted, fighting against his brother. “It’s not real, it’s never been real! You’re just an illusion conjured by that monster to reveal my true intentions!” He kicked his brother’s knee, buckling it and earning him the chance to throw him through the wall. “And now he’s going to kill Mother in front of me, and then you, and only after that will it be my turn!”

Thor coughed as he stood back up, and he hurried forward as Steve got behind Loki, wrapping both arms around Loki’s shoulders and behind his back, restraining him.

“No, nononono – just kill me! Just kill me, you bastard!” Loki shouted, and he kicked off the ground, slamming Steve into the ground with his full weight – uncaring of his pained cry.

“Uhh, Thor?! I think you need to knock him out again!” Tony shouted, and Thor lifted his hammer as he charged through the crumbling wall.

“Already on it!” He shouted, swinging Mjolnir to connect with Loki’s temple – and the trickster god slumped, dead weight crushing Steve to the floor.

The super soldier wheezed as he pushed Loki off of him – gasping for breath as he stood up, stumbling to the side. “What was that?” He asked, turning to Thor.

He gazed down at his brother, kneeling by his side as he checked for a steady pulse.

“My friends, I… I am not sure,” he said. “He has a sickness in the mind that I don’t know how to fix. It… may be far worse than I’d imagined.”

Bruce stepped forward, and he patted Thor’s shoulder. “Here, we just call that trauma,” he said. “He’s… traumatized. He’s a thousand years old, and it isn’t hard to figure out that just this past year might’ve been the worst,” he said. “Do you have therapy back on Asgard?” Thor turned back to Bruce, brow furrowing in confusion. “Uh – mind healers, or something like that? Who can help with those… mental sicknesses?”

Thor looked back at Loki, and he sighed. “I… have never seen any healers like that, but there might be. I would have to return and ask.”

Then the conference room door opened, and in stepped… probably the most beautiful woman any of them had ever seen. She wore a long, blue dress, with a trail stretching out several feet behind her – and golden jewelry glittered on her hands, her wrists, her neck. With long, beautiful golden hair coiled around her face and trailing down her back, she looked like a goddess – which… wasn’t an inaccurate statement.

She smiled, extending her hands. “That will not be necessary, my son,” she said, and Thor’s head whipped up to look at her.

“Mother!” He shouted, rushing forward – and Frigga was swept up in a tight hug, her feet lifting off the ground as Thor squeezed her. “You’re here!”

“I think that is quite obvious,” she teased before turning to the others in the room. “I am Queen Frigga of Asgard. I am the All-Mother,” she introduced herself, and when Thor dipped his head to kiss her hand, the heroes were quick to lower their heads as well. “I am here to assist in my youngest son’s recovery, as well as plead his case.”

“Your Majesty, your sons have made quite a habit of leaving messes here on Earth,” Fury said, and he stepped forward, extending his hand. “Are you telling me you’re gonna clean it all up?”

Frigga shook his hand with a forced smile. “I have been doing so for longer than you could possibly imagine.” She glanced around the room. “I thought once they reached 1,000 years old that I might be relieved of such duties, but I fear such is not the case,” she said.

With a wave of her hand, the Thor-shaped hole in the wall was repaired, and she turned to Loki. “Is there perhaps a room we can bring him to?” She asked. “Somewhere quiet, and without so many lights.”

Tony stepped forward. “Right this way, your Majesty,” he said, holding his hand out – and she gracefully accepted it.

“Thor, carry your brother. Not like a sack of flour this time, please,” she called over her shoulder – and Tony laughed as the blonde picked his brother up.

Fury frowned as he watched them walk away. “Barton, Romanoff – go with them. Keep an eye on Loki. I have other things to take care of.”

The agents nodded, following the group heading to the elevator.

He looked at the scepter left on the conference room table. “Captain Rogers, I have a team on the way to pick this up and the… Tesseract…” He looked around. “Where is the Tesseract?” He asked.

Steve clasped his hands together. “The Tesseract is in our possession – and when we all have a moment, we can reconvene on the topic of Tesseract-powered weapons of mass destruction.”

He smiled as Fury glared at him, moving to sit back down, reclining casually. “I can do this all day, director.”

Fury just rolled his eye and left, grumbling under his breath.

Meanwhile, several floors down, Loki was being settled into a guest room. Clint and Natasha stood by the door, both monitoring the situation.

Loki was still unconscious, and Frigga was quiet as she shoved aside the curtains of the room, opening the balcony doors. “It’s a bit stuffy in here, wouldn’t you agree?” She asked, sighing as a breeze came in.

Bruce smiled as he watched Thor lay his unconscious brother down gently on the bed. “I would, yeah. I like having my windows open, too,” he said, grabbing a small bag of medical supplies that Tony had gotten.

Frigga smiled over at him, though there was a knowing glint in her eyes as she looked him over. “I’m going to step into his mind,” she said, pulling up a chair next to the bed. “Please keep your voices down, as I need to concentrate.”

Then she closed her eyes, focusing entirely on her task. Her hands splayed out in front of her, twitching occasionally, and small tendrils of gold slithered from her fingertips to attach to his head.

Immediately, Frigga flinched – but she continued, flicking through his mind like Tony flicked through his holograms.

The more she did so, the more prominent her frown became.

Thor paced back and forth in front of the bed, and he ran his thumbnail over the lines of his palm as he tried not to think about what that could mean.

After a few minutes, she sighed and lowered her hands, the golden strings of magic fading. “Thor,” she spoke softly, and her son immediately tensed up.

“What is it?” He asked, stepping close.

She reached to take his hand. “At this point in time, there is nothing we can do for him,” she said – keeping his gaze on her when he stumbled. “His mind is… perhaps most like shattered glass than anything else,” she explained, looking back at her sleeping child. “It’s all jagged pieces, shards sticking up in every direction. I think I managed to do some good, but if I had tried more…”

Thor clasped both of her hands in his own, feeling how they shook. “It would have hurt you, too,” he finished the sentiment, and she nodded.

“He needs time. Your brother is strong – he just needs to find his own way back,” Frigga said, smiling up at him in what she hoped was a reassuring way.

Thor nodded – though he kept looking back at Loki, feeling sick to his stomach as he thought of how bad it must be.

Bruce was gently cleaning up the wound on Loki’s palm, and he glanced up at Thor before back at Tony. He nudged his head in Thor’s direction after making eye contact – so the man took the hint and stepped forward.

“So, Thor. I gotta ask you something that’s been bugging me for a while. Her Majesty too, really,” Tony started, stepping forward. “You’re almost five hundred years older than Loki, right?”

Thor nodded. “Correct.”

Tony quirked a brow. “And – you were well into adulthood by then, yes?”

Again, the god nodded. “I was, yes. I was already a warrior in my father’s army by that time,” he said.

The man couldn’t help but chuckle. “You’re royalty. You’re pretty well educated. How in the world did you not know Loki was adopted?” He asked, grinning as Thor winced. “I mean – birds and the bees is basic.”

Thor crossed his arms and looked over at his mother, who was the picture of innocence. “Mother… mother laid a trap that I was unwilling to spring,” he admitted, his voice a little haunted. “I still remember it all. She asked if… if I had thought her simply fat instead of pregnant.”

Barton snorted by the door, turning away and covering his mouth as he began to laugh, muffling the noises. Natasha rolled her eyes, but she smiled.

Bruce ground his teeth together, stuffing his smirk down, and Tony bit hard into his lip, nodding slowly. “Yep – yeah, mm – that makes sense,” he said, giggles fighting their way from his chest. “That would – yeah, that’d do it.”

He turned away, laughing more as Thor began to chuckle – all of them trying to mute their laughter.

“You understand, yes? It was an impossible situation!” He exclaimed.

“What better answer to your questions than a question you’ll never answer?” Frigga said, with a devious smirk.

In that moment, it became glaringly obvious exactly where Loki got his mischievous streak from.

Tony laughed openly, then, and Thor sighed, shaking his head at his mother. “I can’t recall ever feeling more fear than what I felt in that moment,” he said. “A cruel trap, mother.”

Frigga’s expression was soft as she gazed up at him, wringing her hands as she paced. “I know – but I had to.” Then she felt silent, the mood growing solemn once again as she got lost in thought, watching Loki as he slept.

When his little brother next woke up, he was disoriented.

His eyes flicked back and forth as he tried to take in the surroundings before he shut them tightly, rolling onto his side as both hands went to cradle his head.

After a moment, he began to sit up, now looking incredibly uncomfortable on the soft, cushy bed. “Thor? Did you hit me again?” He asked. “Where are we now?”

“You were speaking nonsense, brother, and you were a danger to yourself. I saw no other solution,” Thor said, stepping closer and standing in front of him. “Can you look at me?”

“I can. That doesn’t mean I want to,” Loki grumbled, cracking an eye open and peering up at him through the gaps between his fingers. “Is it your mission to concuss me as much as possible before my eventual return to Asgard?” He asked, pouting.

“My darling son,” Frigga began to speak, and Loki jumped in surprise, his head whipping around and hands dropping from his face as he turned, eyes locking onto his mother. “We must talk about that. I’m afraid… I come bearing bad news.”

Loki’s skull felt like it was splitting open, and he was sure that if he pushed himself too hard, he would pass out – but he stood up anyway, approaching Frigga. “Mother!”

She opened her arms, and he rushed in, crouching down to hug her tightly. His eyes were squeezed shut in an effort to keep from crying over how it felt to be held by her again.

He tucked his head against her as much as possible to hide how his face crumpled, relishing in the familiar scent of her hair and the feeling over her arms around him.

It had been so long since he felt the comfort of her embrace.

After a few moments longer, Loki began to pull away, and he blinked rapidly for a few moments to regain control of his emotions. “What happened?”

Frigga took both of his hands in her own, her expression melancholic as she struggled to break the news to him.

“News travels fast in the Nine Realms,” she started, avoiding eye contact. “Your father…”

Loki felt dread swirl in the pit of his stomach, and he let go of her hands as his own trembled.

“I can’t come home, can I?” He asked.

Thor’s eyes widened at the question, and he was about to protest – until his mother shook her head.

“No, my boy,” she whispered. “You cannot come home. You have been exiled.”

Chapter Text

When the deputy director of SHIELD next spoke with Loki, several weeks after they had struck their deal, the god was destitute. He stared but he didn’t see – a blank look constantly in his eyes.

‘You have to understand… Your father was put in a very difficult position.’

He had a shiny new bracelet on his wrist. Metal all the way around, and flush against the skin so that Loki couldn’t take it off. Not that that would truly stop him if he wanted it gone.

Tony had verified that it was a tracker and nothing more when they put it on Loki – since he knew exactly the kind of people SHIELD was made of.

"When’s the last time you ate?” Maria Hill asked, looking at the hollowness of his face, quirking a brow.

Loki’s blinks were slow, and he shook his aching head. “I’m not hungry.”

Not now, anyway.

‘It won’t be forever. I’ll talk some sense into him.’

She didn’t like the answer, but she also really didn’t care – taking out a recording device and setting it on the counter. “Tell me about the Tesseract.”

With a slow inhale, some focus came back to Loki’s eyes, and he finally looked at the woman across from him.

“You still wish to learn of it even though it’s been taken t – off planet?” He asked. His mother had taken the Tesseract back to Asgard after her week-long stay. Surely, she knew of this…

Hill just stared, so Loki took that as a yes. “The Tesseract is just a container,” he said first. “At its core is what’s called an Infinity Stone – one of six stones that came into existence after the creation of the universe as we know it.”

Raising a hand, he conjured an image of a deep blue stone. “Most of the galaxy believes them to be a myth,” he explained. “They only ever hear the rumors. They’ve never seen them – at least not the truest versions. Oftentimes they are manufactured into other objects or weapons, to make it possible to harness.”

“So the Cube is just a cover,” Hill said, and Loki nodded. “To disguise the power it actually holds.”

“Yes, exactly,” Loki said, dropping his hand. “A.. Asgard has records of them throughout history, dating back several millennia. We’ve lost track of most, but even the knowledge that they exist, and their previous locations is incredibly valuable – and we safeguard that knowledge from the rest of the realms,” he explained. “Imagine the chaos of the universe if it was known how much power was truly out there and up for the taking.”

Hill grimaced, and Loki pursed his lips. “Exactly. Now - the Tesseract contains what is known as the Space stone, more specifically,” he said. “The wielder can travel across any stretch of space in an instant. If the person who sent me had acquired it… that would’ve been very, very bad.”

The deputy director nodded. “What would they have done?” She asked. “If they had that power?”

Loki stared for a few moments, and he pursed his lips. “He is in the business of genocide, Agent Hill,” he confessed. “He follows a horrific philosophy, and believes in the slaughtering of half a planet’s population, so that the rest can allegedly thrive.”

Hill went still, staring in shock at the god sitting in front of her. “Half of… the entire population?”

Loki nodded. “He refuses to acknowledge how often that his method doesn’t work,” he said, tucking his shaking hands from sight. “He seeks to gather all six Infinity Stones, to enact this across every population in the entire galaxy.” Loki’s next words were spoken carefully. “If he… if he had gotten the Tesseract, his job would’ve been much, much easier.”

“How did you find all this out?” Hill asked Loki. “I got the feeling that you were pretty low on that totem pole.”

“I…” Loki tensed up. “I listened,” he admitted, and he bit down on his lip a moment later to hide how it quivered. “They talked quite a lot.”

“Who are ‘they’?”

Loki seemed to short-circuit – blinking at the question. He frowned, tilting his head.

“Who were you listening to?” She asked. “Was it this Thanos guy Barton and Thor mentioned?”

Who… are… they…?

His hands felt a little numb.

He stared down at his fingers. The chipped nails with overgrown cuticles. He hadn’t cared to care for his hands since his arrival on the planet, obviously too pre-occupied with other things.

There was… a buzzing in his ears. Buzzing, and buzzing, until it finally stopped.

He looked up from his hands – to answer Hill’s question, and startled when instead he was met with… what had become his home. His floor at Stark Tower.

He was still standing in front of the elevator.

“JARVIS… when did I return?” Loki asked, stepping forward slowly. His legs shook – so he was careful not to fall, leaning on furniture he passed.

“Fourteen minutes ago, sir.”

Loki fell into an armchair, taking deep breaths and closing his eyes. “I… don’t remember leaving SHIELD headquarters.”

“Sir, Agent Romanoff is requesting entry to your floor.”

Loki cursed under his breath, putting his head in his shaky hands. “Let her in.”

When the elevator opened a minute later, Natasha stepped into the room. Loki knew she was casing the place, but she was pretty good at hiding it as she headed his way.

Each step was careful, and slow. She was wary. He must’ve done something at the facility when leaving, and now…

“Agent Romanoff.” He greeted her with a curt nod. “Is there something I can help you with?” He asked.

“Not much – I’m just curious,” she started, glancing around the room and finding an arm chair to settle into. “You left HQ in quite a rush,” she continued, and he chuckled humorlessly. “Is something going on?”

“If I’m not assisting SHIELD, my schedule is empty. You know this well,” Loki said, decidedly not sitting down as she had.

She nodded, leaned casually back as she smiled. “You’re right, I do.” Then she tilted her head, fluttering her lashes like it would change anything. “I just wondered if something might be different today.”

Loki turned away, walking to the windows and clasping his hands behind his back. “No. Nothing is different.” He looked over his shoulder, quirking a brow. “Agent Romanoff, I believe this conversation would be more productive if you dropped the act.”

Natasha eyed him before she sat up, gaze growing a little colder. “I had to try.”

He scoffed, pivoting to face her now that the game was up.

“Stark is footing your bills, but sooner or later he's gonna get tired, and SHIELD is already at rope's end with the damage output. You can’t do that anymore,” she said.

Loki kept his face a mask of neutrality, but the lack of recognition must've given it away regardless of his efforts.

She frowned. “You don’t remember it, do you?” She asked.

Loki stayed silent for a few moments before sighing. Perhaps he should take his own advice, and drop the act. “No. One moment…” He shook his head. “One moment, I was speaking with Agent Hill. The next…” He gestured to the room. “I was here.”

Natasha leaned forward in her chair, and they wallowed in the silence for several moments. Loki looked over at her, frowning – but said nothing. Her bright green eyes studied him, and he just waited for her analysis to be done.

“You’re losing time.”

He tilted his head at the phrase – wondering if it was translated correctly.

“Loki, is this a new development?” Natasha asked softly. When he didn’t answer, she stood up, approaching slowly. “Do you know what I mean when I say that?”

With a reluctant shake of his head, Loki stared down at her. “It doesn’t make sense to me, no.”

She stopped in front of him. “When I say losing time… you blink, and things have changed,” she began to explain. “The time, the location, or the conversation, it’s all different. Time has passed but you weren't aware of it.” She tilted her head. “Does that sound familiar?”

Loki nodded.

“How long has it been happening?” She asked.

“…a long time,” Loki said. “Centuries, I think.” He did not elaborate. “But… I suppose there has been an uptick in such incidents since the fall.”

Natasha stood uncomfortably close, and Loki tensed up but didn’t move away just yet. “And now… you struggle with it at random?”

Loki shook his head initially, then frowned and nodded. “Y… yes. I can never remember what precedes it,” he admitted. “I have an incredible memory, and yet I can’t…” He let the sentence die, looking away again.

Natasha offered a small smile. “That happens to humans sometimes, too,” she reassured. “It’s just your mind’s way of protecting itself.”

“It’s a very bothersome method,” he grumbled, and she laughed, moving away again.

“Yeah, it really is.”

As Loki went to sit down, Natasha took note of the changes in the room. All the hard marble flooring had been replaced with lush carpets – the walls now painted a variety of different earthy tones. Clearly, Loki hated the default white.

“Where did you get all this?” She asked, pointing to the furniture glittering in gold.

Loki rose to his feet. “I had everything from my rooms back in Asgard moved here,” he said, looking around. “Mother requested it before she left, and Fa… Odin didn’t see the harm in it.” It clearly pained him to refer to the man who raised him like that, but it didn’t feel right to call him like he used to, either. “It helped him in his efforts to remove all traces of me from the palace.” He gestured around himself. “Rather convenient for him – wouldn't you agree?”

Natasha inspected all the intricate detailing in the metals. “You know, you and your brother make it pretty hard to forget you’re princes.”

The corner of his lips twitched up in a smirk. “Being a son of Odin garnered a lot of respect. We were the most powerful princes in the galaxy,” he said. “We had more sway, more influence than any others out there – even those not in the Nine Realms.”

The redhead looked back at him with a quirked brow. “Really?”

Loki nodded. “And for all our influence, we had the power and strength to back it up,” he said. “We used to go questing together, when I was younger. Into space beyond the Realms. We could stay anywhere, do anything… it was a great deal of fun - but as Thor got older, he grew less willing to leave the Nine. I… held no such reservations.”

“Hm…” She ran her hand along the back of the couch. “I think I’d really like to hear about those adventures.”

Loki stared at her – knowing this was an act. That she was just trying to earn his trust.

“Some other time.”

Maybe it would be okay anyway. To have someone to talk to.

“Miss Romanoff,” Loki started after some silence. She lifted her head, and he hesitated. “What I said, back on the airship… I was wrong,” he admitted. “I believe that you’ll do this planet a lot of good.”

She stopped where she was – a serious expression taking over as she understood the intent behind his words.

Then she sighed. “I think that you can, too.”

He forced a smile, clearly not believing it in the slightest. His insanity seemed intent on proving her otherwise.

“Thank you,” he said, sticking with the polite route.

She stepped out before long, and he was left once more with his own thoughts, which had been dangerous enough before the fall.

It had only become even more so in the after.

He headed to his bedroom and laid across a lounge chair he had next to a window. He picked up one of the books on the end table next to it. But no matter how long he stared at it, he just couldn’t focus on the words in front of him.

Hours passed, and he didn’t manage to turn a single page, just rereading the same sentence again and again.

‘He’s strong. He might be the strongest one of us.’

He froze – eyes wide as he searched for the familiar voice that echoed in his room.

“Who’s there?” He called, his hands curling into fists.

The empty room had no answer, and he curled his hands into fists. When he reached for the mind link, the door was shut. It had not been his brother.

He kept looking around, like there might be a different answer – and he was met with laughter. Soft, sinister giggles echoing all around, hushed whispers catching in the corners of the room.

‘He’s not much more than a pile of mush right now, and you think he’s stronger than any of us? You’re delusional, sister.’

He knew that voice, during his time on the ship. He hadn’t encountered them often, but a few times – enough.

“Sir,” JARVIS began. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

“…no, JARVIS,” Loki murmured. “I’m fine – no need to be concerned.” He just… he just needed to sleep.

“Understood.”

He was about as successful at falling asleep as he had been when trying to read that book – and when it became obvious that he wouldn’t be able to, whispers growing louder the longer he stayed in silence, he left the floor and went all the way to the roof.

A couple weeks had passed since the attack, and the surface was still damaged, a fact that shocked Loki. “I suppose that the workers had better things to do, but really?” He mumbled to himself.

Planting both his feet, he began a reconstruction spell, to fix it in one go. It was one of the conditions of his deal, after all, and he preferred that over just giving information.

Once the roof was reformed, he dropped his hands, staggering to the edge before sitting down and letting his legs hang over the side.

He hadn’t managed to eat anything since his arrival on the planet, but he was still more than capable of the task – though it drained him more than it should.

The wind whipped around in powerful gusts, the building creaking beneath him – but he just stared out at all the twinkling lights.

Even at this hour, the city was bursting with life. Cars honked, people chattered in the streets… He rested his elbows on his knees as he leaned over, a soft sigh escaping as he gazed down at the denizens below.

With his sensitive ears picking up all the noise from the city below, the whispers grew quieter. Easier to ignore.

“Are you no longer afraid of heights, brother?”

Loki jumped in surprise, his head turning to face Thor as the door to the roof fell shut behind him.

“I would’ve thought a fear like that would stay, if a thousand years time couldn’t dispel it,” Thor continued on, stepping closer, though there was a hesitation with each step he took.

“I...” Loki sighed, taking a few deep breaths to calm his racing heart before he looked back down. “No, not anymore,” he replied. “It’s no longer heights I fear – but whether or not I’ll land,” he explained, missing the grimace on his older brother’s features. “I thought you were with Jane.”

“I am. She’s in the building, on a floor that Stark prepared,” Thor explained, moving to sit next to him. “The construct, JARVIS, told me you were here.”

Loki hummed, watching as a group of women laughed, all holding each other’s hands while they crossed a street. Even from all the way up there, he could see the joy on their faces.

“If you’re worried about me, you don’t need to be. I have no plans of jumping. There’s a lot to make up for before anything comes to that,” Loki explained. “I just needed fresh air. This damned building doesn’t have a single window to open. Quite horrendous, if you ask me.”

Thor nodded, bumping their shoulders together. “I agree,” he said, laughing softly. “I hate it, but… I suppose I’ll have to get used to it. Either that or make trips up here as well.”

That finally pulled Loki’s eyes from down below, and he blinked over at his brother. “Don’t you have to go back to Asgard?” He asked, sitting up a little more.

“No,” Thor replied as he laid back. “No, I’m not going anywhere.”

Loki quirked a brow, and he snorted as he figured out what was going on. “They put you on babysitting duty?” He asked.

Thor began to laugh, a grin stretching across his face. “Yes, they did.” He leaned back, looking up at the stars. “I would have stayed anyway, but assigning me to watch you just adds insult to injury.”

Flopping on his back as well, Loki turned to face his brother. “I’d have to agree there,” he said. “It’s bad enough that they exiled me, but making you watch me?” He wrinkled his nose, shaking his head.

Thor nodded. “Who knows? It may be like that year we spent in Vanaheim.”

Loki’s eyes widened. “Oh, Norns, I hope not! That was a horrible year for me!” He shouted.

“Oh, it wasn’t that bad!” Thor called, looking over at him. “We got to escape from our royal duties, and Father’s judgement, and all my friends!”

“Do you forget the circumstances in which we ended up there, brother?” Loki stood up, going to kick a little at Thor’s side. “During which, you saw far too much of me!”

Thor waved a hand dismissively. “It was nothing – I don’t even remember it!”

Loki groaned, covering his face and shaking his head. “I hate you.”

“Liar.” He extended a hand, then, and Loki grabbed it to pull him up. “Now – come inside. Jane and I made dinner for the three of us.”

Loki wasn’t hungry at all, but he had no excuse to avoid it. “Isn’t it perhaps a little late for dinner?” He asked.

Thor laughed, guiding them to the doorway and opening it for his little brother. “Nonsense! It is never too late for a feast!”

Loki rolled his eyes but stepped through, leaving the whispers behind as the door slammed shut behind them. “What did you make?” He asked.

Thor smiled. “That’s a surprise. You’ll just have to wait and see!” He hurried ahead, then, leading the way to what would become his floor in the soon-to-be-renamed Avengers Tower. “I’m excited for you to meet her at last!”

Loki couldn’t find it in him to make any quips, so he just smiled. “I’d be delighted to meet the human that makes you so happy.”

His brother didn’t stop chatting the whole way down, and Loki just listened.

Though he didn’t like that it had been mandated by the All-Father, Loki was happy to have Thor around. They hadn’t talked about what happened before, and Loki didn’t know if he would ever talk about what happened after. But even if they never did, he knew that Thor would always be there for him. No matter what.

And that was a reassuring enough thought that, just for one night, he got to forget it all – and meet the human that his brother loved so dearly.

“Jane! This is Loki, my little brother!” Thor exclaimed.

Loki faced the small brunette woman as they approached, taking her hand and bringing it to his lips. “Jane – it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Chapter Text

For the first time in months, one of his kids visited him in a dream.

The scenery was that of a cave – dark, and damp, and foreboding. Loki sat in that darkness, watching. Waiting.

Fenrir was against the opposite wall, growling endlessly as he drooled. The sword lodged in his mouth glinted from the hint of moonlight coming into the cave.

“Is this your real surroundings?” Loki asked, despite knowing he would get no answer. Fenrir didn’t speak.

The wolf growled louder, massive paws digging into the dirt and rocks beneath him.

Loki looked out at the moon, and the rings he could see surrounding the planet. It was beautiful – and also familiar.

“I have no way to get to you, Fenrir,” he said first, rising slowly to his feet. “But even so, I believe… I believe I can make you a tad more comfortable.”

Fenrir growled louder and louder as he approached, but the wolf didn’t move away or attack. He watched, with intelligent eyes, as Loki reached into his mouth.

With a spell to weaken it, Loki sought out the imperfections in the blade – digging his metaphorical claws in when he found them. With a little focus, it degraded rapidly, all the weak points now amplified.

Right before his eyes, the weapon began to decay and fall apart, metal groaning under the bite force of the giant wolf.

A mere few moments later, the weapon snapped – and Fenrir's jaw clicked shut around the broken sword as his growls ceased.

It took several more minutes of coaxing before his son let him remove them from his mouth entirely.

“Is this a dream?”

Loki’s eyes widened as Fenrir’s rough words filled his mind. He’d been under the impression that he couldn’t speak at all.

“Yes, it is. However –“ He held up a hand before Fenrir’s disappointment and agony could overwhelm them both. “The removal should carry over to your waking reality.”

“…you mean it?”

Loki nodded, lifting a hand to rest on the large snout of his son. “I promise, darling. That sword is no more.”

Fenrir shut his eyes, and his expression was peaceful as he relaxed on the cave floor.

“Good.”

Loki smoothed his hand over the coarse fur, his son just huffing whenever he stopped.

They stayed like that for hours, enjoying the quiet company of the other. By the time the dream began to end, Fenrir had his massive head in Loki’s lap, and he nudged against Loki’s chest.

“I miss you.”

Fenrir chuffed as Loki opened his eyes, and he wrapped both his arms around his son’s neck, pressing his forehead to the brow bone. “I’m so sorry, Fenrir,” he murmured, nuzzling close.

The wolf stared up at him, bright green eyes holding a terrible sadness. He began to howl, and Loki’s eyes began to tear up at the emotions it evoked.

Waking with a start, Loki’s eyes fluttered open – and he gasped for breath as he wiped the tears away. His hand clutched his chest, and he struggled with each breath for a few more minutes before the pain of heartache began to fade.

Again, he was struck by just how useless he ended up being. All he could do for his son was remove one of the many agonies he had to go through. It felt like nothing.

And there was even less he could do for the others. Hela, locked away as Queen of Hel, a privilege and a curse in equal measure, to have to deal with the endless angry dead. Jormungandr, a snake large enough to swallow the Avengers Tower whole, trapped in Midgardian waters, unable to surface.

Jormungandr never visited on his own, and Hela hadn’t visited more than twice since the fall.

He wondered if he had done something to upset them, and that’s why they no longer spoke to him.

“BROTHER, ARE YOU AWAKE?!” Came the booming voice of Thor on his floor – and Loki wiped at his face one last time as he swung his feet out of his bed.

“I AM NOW!” Loki shouted back, and he left his room, finding his brother in the kitchenette with a bag of groceries. “What the Hel are you doing?” He asked, flopping onto a couch and just staring blankly over at him.

“Making sure you are well-fed!” Thor exclaimed as he went through the empty cabinets – before deciding to just set everything up on the counters, knowing that Loki often did better at remembering things when he could see them. “I’m going to make coffee. You like that, right?”

Loki nodded, curling up onto his side. “I’ve got cream and sugar somewhere,” he mumbled, his cheek squishing against the couch below him. “Don’t you dare just give me black coffee.”

“I won’t, I won’t…”

Thor banged around his kitchen for a few minutes, and Loki wondered, briefly, if he was starting a construction project in there – before it all fell silent, and Thor walked into the living space with two mugs.

“Have you eaten?” Thor asked, sitting across from him on the couch.

Loki quirked a brow as he grabbed the mug, holding it close as the warmth seeped into his hands. “No, I haven’t. I just woke up, remember?” He yawned, rubbing at his eyes before he sipped at the coffee.

Thor winced. “Ah, right…” He ran a hand through his hair. “Well, I’ll make you something in a little bit,” he said – staring at Loki for a few moments longer. “How did you sleep?”

Loki squinted at him over the edge of his cup. His brother looked nervous, and concerned. Like he knew something.

“I slept fine,” he said. You know, like a liar. “And I can make my own breakfast, you know.”

Thor kept looking at him, an intense look in his eyes – and Loki crossed his arms.

“What?” He snapped.

“Brother…” Thor sighed as he lifted his head. “I could sense him in your dreams. And I sensed the pain. So I’d just like to make sure you’re okay,” he said.

Loki froze, eyes widening as his brother sipped his coffee.

It felt like an intrusion – he hadn’t wanted Thor to witness the moment that he had with his son.

“I…” He clutched his coffee, pulling it closer. “You weren’t meant to sense any of that,” he whispered.

“I know.”

A silence fell over the two of them – one that Loki was unwilling to break.

He didn’t want to talk about it. He wanted his moment with his youngest child to stay private, but his damned brother just –

He shook his head, finally making eye contact with Thor.

“I’m not going to talk about it with you,” he said clearly, though getting it out took a great deal of effort. He hated hiding things from Thor, but there just wasn’t an option sometimes. “What happened –“

“- is none of my concern,” Thor interrupted, lifting a hand to placate him. “I know. I just… I’m just here, if you need me. If you want someone nearby, or…” He shrugged. “You’re hurting, and I wish to help in any way I can.”

Loki turned away again, his lips pursed as he looked out the window.

Nothing could make the hurting go away.

Even if all his children could be with him, even if they were reunited, he would mourn all the time he lost with them.

“There is nothing you can do,” he whispered at last.

So just this once, Thor took pity on him and let it go – leaving his brother to his thoughts.

His mind was stuck on Fenrir, speaking to him for the first time. On the chain wrapped around his neck. The dirt embedded in his fur. The way he had leaned against Loki, so trusting and warm…

Even after all he’d been through, even after all this time, Fenrir was… he was just good. He allowed Loki to help him, he sought comfort from him despite the fact that they hardly knew each other.

He spoke.

Loki couldn’t think of anything else the whole day.

At least until an interruption came in the form of JARVIS, telling him that the captain was requesting permission to enter. The day had gotten late at some point, leaving Loki to realize he had been perched by the window the whole time, staring at nothing as the sun sunk and his thoughts stagnated on a few hours of a shared dream with his son.

When he allowed Steve entry to his floor, Loki met him at the doors – making himself a bit more presentable than he had been beforehand.

“Captain,” he greeted curtly, his hands clasped behind his back. “Did you need something?”

“Nothing urgent,” Steve reassured as he stared up at him. “I just… New York can be a lot to get used to, is all, and I wanted to help with that,” he said – and the way he seemed to stumble as Loki continued to make eye contact was… perhaps a bit adorable. “Lord knows I’m still adjusting, and I’ve been on this planet my whole life.”

Loki quirked a brow, a flicker of amusement crossing his features before he got it under control. “Are you… attempting to offer your services in helping me adjust?” He asked, smirking as he stepped closer, now in Steve’s personal space. “My my, what happened to that self-assured soldier, commanding all his troops in the midst of an alien invasion?”

Steve chuckled, looking down at his feet. “I have been in more fights than I can count. I’ve seen the impossible, even before the invasion. I know my way around a battlefield.” He shrugged. “Outside of it, I mean… that’s completely different.”

Loki tilted his head, and a soft smile crept across his features. “I understand that sentiment,” he said, turning away to let Steve further in. “Friends did not come as easily to me as they did my brother. And the only friend I had, well…” He sighed. “To make a long story short, she tossed me under the metaphorical chariot and then proceeded to die.”

He turned back to face Steve again as he sat down, his expression giving nothing away what he felt. Steve, however, was not as closed off, and Loki could see the pain in his eyes.

“You lost someone like that as well?” He asked.

Steve nodded, moving to join him on the couch. “Yeah. The one guy who had my back, no matter what. Even before I became… Captain America.”

Even though Amora had her many, many faults… she had always been on Loki’s side. No matter what. Even when he was wrong.

He let his shoulders slump. “Amora… she was like that too. If the whole of Asgard was against me, she would stay right by my side,” he said, smiling fondly.

Steve nodded, clearly understanding how he felt – his friendship must’ve been similar.

Loki then clasped his hands together, taking in a slow breath and dismissing thoughts of Amora from his mind. “I should like to take you up on your offer, Captain,” he stated, redirecting the conversation. “I… I believe we may find more in common with each other than either of us think.”

Steve smiled, relaxing. “I think so too, Loki,” he said. “And please, if we’re gonna be friends – just Steve is okay.”

Loki quirked a brow. “Steve it is, then.”

He turned to the windows, sighing. “I’ll admit, I have been… quite lost in thought, all day. Perhaps we could head out somewhere? I'd like to clear my head.”

His own eyes looking out at the setting sun, Steve frowned. “I thought Fury wanted you to lay low for a while,” he mentioned.

“A misdirection spell keeps me unnoticed by most,” Loki said, and when Steve looked confused, he decided to explain it a little more. “It’s… like a gentle suggestion not to look at me. And since you humans don’t really have ‘magic’, you don’t register the spell, and thus can’t fight it.”

Steve nodded in understanding, then, gazing up at him. “Can you do that to me, too?” He asked, leading them to the elevator.

“I can do it to anything I’d like,” the god said, stepping into the lift, getting behind Steve and pressing his back to the wall. “I learned it fairly early – it’s saved my brother and his friends from certain death on dozens of occasions.”

“Really? How so?” Steve asked, turning to face him as the elevator rushed down.

“Oh, well – there was a sort of… rescue mission, when I was younger. I wasn’t supposed to be going with my brother, but I did anyway,” Loki started, and as they walked, he spun the story of their rescue of Lorelei, who had accidentally gotten engaged to a giant and needed a way out.

Steve had walked as he listened, leading them down the busy streets of New York in the evening. “And none of them even thanked you?” He asked as they came to a stop.

Loki shook his head  “No, of course they didn’t. Why would they? That lot would prefer to fight and die than get away with their lives.”

Steve chuckled, facing him as he shrugged. “Well, I can understand that feeling sometimes, but they should've said something anyway.”

“You won’t find me disagreeing with that,” Loki replied, crossing his arms before he looked around. “Where are we, by the way?”

“We are in Chinatown, a subsect of Manhattan,” Steve said. “It was a lot different when I was around back in the 1930s, but now it’s known for delicious food, incredible sights, and plenty of little shops I think you'll like,” he told him. “We’ll go check out the shops first – sound good?”

Loki looked up at all the lanterns, stretching from one side of the street to the other, each shop bright and colorful. “That… sounds fine to me,” he said. “I suppose my residence is quite bland right now, it wouldn’t hurt to spruce it up a bit.”

Steve smiled. “I think our definitions of bland are a bit different, but I’ll just take your word for it. So –“ he held his arm out, and Loki quirked a brow, stuffing down the smile that threatened to surface. “Your highness.”

Loki’s tongue slid over his bottom lip as he continued to hide his smile – before he dipped his head. “Lead the way,” he said as he wrapped an arm around Steve’s, now pressed close as they both attempted to navigate the streets of Manhattan’s Chinatown.

Chapter Text

“The organization’s name is Centipede?”

Loki quirked a brow, confused as he skimmed through the information given to him through his tablet. “I thought they were trying to create that special serum that the captain has – what do bugs have to do with it?”

“Nothing, that’s… just the name, really,” the agent across from him said. “I think they picked it because it sounded cool…”

“Maybe it stands for something ridiculous, like SHIELD does,” Loki commented as he finished reading, though he continued looking through schematics of the building.

His own mission differed from the rest of theirs – which seemed odd, but he wasn’t in a position to question it. It just meant he might take a little longer to join Steve and the others in the lab.

As it was, he was a last-minute addition to this whole thing, but Steve had mentioned that his abilities might be useful, and the organization was happy to make use of any advantage they could.

“Captain.” Loki wasn’t technically under anyone’s command for this mission, but he chose to defer to Steve. “I’m ready when you are.”

Well, maybe defer was too strong a word – he just wished to wait until Steve was prepared before the mission truly began.

Loki didn’t care for the other agents, but Steve was a friend, so he would prefer that this mission go well. Shutting down a lab and collecting information shouldn't be too terrible.

Steve lifted his head, grabbing his helmet before he nodded. “Go,” he said.

So, Loki nodded, pressing the button to open the doors and calmly stepping off the ship. He let himself fall for only a few moments before shapeshifting, taking the form of a raven and gliding elegantly to the roof of the Centipede building.

In perfect timing, one of the guards was stepping outside after some sort of break, and so Loki tucked his wings in, diving through the crack of the door as it fell shut again.

As soon as he was inside, Loki shifted again, this time into a jet-black snake.

He went undetected as he slithered across the floor, weaving between the employees hurried steps and eventually sneaking his way into the stairwell, which would be a straight shot down to the security cabin.

He almost got sidetracked, as he heard the squeaking of mice in the stairwell. His mouth filled with saliva, the urge to consume the tiny creatures strong – but he stayed focused, tumbling gracelessly down the stairs with a focus on getting where he needed to go.

“Okay, Loki, you’re on the right floor. Do you know how to get to the room from there?”

Loki hissed, his tail flicking back and forth before he slipped under the stairwell door, and back into the busy hallways.

“Looks like you do. Good job,” Steve said, likely tracking him on the tablet.

The bracelet tracker, like all his other clothes and belongings, had been absorbed into his other forms as he shifted, and all the technology was still as functional as if it hadn’t changed at all.

He squeezed himself under the last door – and then took a moment to assess the interior.

Five humans overall – three monitoring the computer, two standing at either door.

Loki flicked his forked tongue out as he tried to figure out the best way to take them all down. He slithered forward a bit more – only for a large, meaty hand to wrap around his neck.

“How the hell did a snake get in here?” The guard he was closest to asked, firmly squeezing by his jaw so that he couldn’t bite. “What kind even is this? I’ve never seen anything like it.”

He was a large man with dark hair, towering over everyone else in the room.

The other guard stepped over, furrowing his brows. “I don’t know, but it looks cool as hell. Look at the tint on those scales!” He exclaimed, grabbing the tail to get a closer look – and Loki flicked it frantically back and forth, smacking into the man’s palm. “Woah – a feisty guy.”

He’d have to take out these two first, and then dispose of the computer users as quickly as possible, before they could call for any help.

The first guard sighed. “I better take it outside, before somebody steps on it and gets its guts all over the hall.”

The shorter seemed to pout. “Yeah, probably… kinda sucks though.” He dropped Loki’s tail, stepping back.

It was then that Loki took the chance to shift – and the taller guard was no longer holding a snake but a god, several inches taller than him, and heavier than three of him combined.

“Holy–“

Loki wrapped a hand around his neck, smiling. “I bet you weren’t expecting this, were you?” He asked – and he lifted the man by his throat, throwing him effortlessly into the other guard and knocking them both down.

In two short steps, he was behind the three security guards at their screens – and grabbed one by the hair, summoning a knife to one hand before the first two he dispatched could get up.

“Back away from the computer, or else I’ll slice his neck, and then the two of you will be next,” Loki growled.

“Loki!”

He ignored the chiding from the earpiece; gleaming green eyes trained on his targets. When they hesitated, he pressed the blade to the skin, drawing blood with just the slightest touch. “I will kill all of you, everyone on this floor if you do not step back. You know I can do it.” He didn’t even have to use magic to convince them – he knew they could tell how dangerous he was.

“Okay, okay!” The furthest one shouted, and Loki withdrew the knife as they all began to move away from the computers.

“Good.” He smiled down at them, and in three quick hits to their soft, human skulls, they were knocked out. Then, with a flourish, he turned to the stumbling security guards. “Alright – let’s get this done quickly, shall we?”

Within the next thirty seconds, Loki had locked down the security room, all five humans tied up in the corner as he easily navigated the system. “Captain, you are clear to land,” he advised as he grabbed a flash drive, plugging it into a port.

All these electronics were archaic, but he knew how to use them well enough. Thank the Norns the information was being downloaded on its own, though – while he could figure it out, he didn’t exactly have the half-hour it’d take to do so.

“Alright, we’ve secured the roof – start locking and unlocking the floors as we come across them,” Steve ordered.

“Of course, darling,” Loki replied with a hum as he hit a button, and the door on the roof unlocked.

Picking up on Steve’s laugh through the comms, Loki stuffed down a smile and kept looking between the security cameras and the documents and file names being downloaded.

“People are gonna start talking if you keep calling me that,” Steve replied between punches.

“’People’ have been speculating about me for nearly a millennium,” the god said. “I care no more for a human’s opinion than I do an Asgardian’s.”

He locked and unlocked the doors at his own convenience, trapping those who tried to run away, locking out those who tried to fight back. It was funny, seeing the fear and desperation written across their faces.

But he saw the people in the lab hallways scrambling to gather information and run away, so clearly some communication had gotten through to them.

“They’re about to run, I recommend you pick up the pace,” Loki advised.

Steve cursed. “I’ll run ahead to secure the lab in the basement. Everyone else, keep going floor by floor!”

Loki noticed it first, as Steve jumped to the bottom of the stairwell, and the other agents went down from the fourth floor to the third.

He could see the SHIELD agents passing by the laboratory’s window just as they reported moving down, and his eyes widened. “Stop! The information was wrong, that isn’t the lab!” He shouted – just as the basement door fell shut behind Steve, the lock clicking into place. “Damn it!”

The security camera with the third floor label showed Steve as he whipped around, facing the door. His mouth was moving, but Loki heard nothing – meaning that his comms were cut off.

Try as he might, the security room controls had no effect on the basement lock. From where he was, Loki couldn’t do anything to help.

He watched as super soldiers emerged from different rooms to meet the SHIELD agents upstairs, and Steve’s room began to fill with gas, the soldier smacking his shield desperately at the door as he tried, unsuccessfully, to get out.

There was a choice to make – and it was dreadfully easy.

Half the agents upstairs were already incapacitated, and they’d be dead soon. But if this group got their hands on Steve, their deaths would be in vain, and a lot more people would die.

On the camera, Steve stumbled – likely being knocked out by the gas.

Without another moment of hesitation, Loki grabbed his flash drive, then yanked the security room door open and hurried to the stairwell, where he jumped down to the basement.

The floor shook as he landed, each step thundering as he bolted to the door.

Steve was slumping against it, and Loki noticed the problem pretty much immediately. It was a blast door, meant to withstand weapons a lot stronger than Steve.

Fortunately, he was a lot stronger than Steve.

The moment Loki grabbed at the door’s edge, the metal warped, bent to the shape of his fingers like it was nothing at all. He ripped the door open, tearing it in half like paper – and Steve fell through, coughing into his hand as he dropped to his knees.

He was weak – he'd need time to recover. But there was no doubt in Loki’s mind that people were on their way to grab Steve.

Loki tossed Steve over his shoulder and went back to the stairwell – the click of boots and guns growing closer as he went up to the first floor.

“I’ve retrieved the captain – I’m heading to the third floor, to see if there’s anything I can do for the other agents,” Loki said, though he had little hope for it.

When he got to the second floor, easily a dozen of their enemies burst through the doors at the bottom – and Loki glanced at the stairs, their only way up.

They hesitated to shoot, because of the man on his shoulder, but it wouldn’t last long.

“Drop the captain and surrender yourself to our custody, and nobody else has to get hurt!”

He had to live. He had to get Steve to safety.

Don’t overthink it.

Extending a hand, the god searched inside himself for that endless, numbing cold.

It seized his chest before capturing his whole body, extending all the way to his fingertips.

‘I saw a way to unite our kingdoms.’

His eyes fell shut, his hands turned blue, and when he moved a foot forward, ice shot forward to cover the area in front of him. In a split second, the way up was now blocked, and he had bought them time.

The men’s boots were even frozen as well, and Loki watched for only a second as they stared in shock before they both remembered their jobs.

He turned around and continued to flee, skin returning to its typical shade as they tried to escape the icy restraints he had imposed on them.

When he checked Steve, who clung to him as tight as he could manage, the man only had a slight coating of frost on him – hopefully he wouldn’t notice anything.

Once they arrived at the third floor, Loki kicked the door in, sending it flying and assessing the situation in an instant.

All their additional SHIELD agents were dead.

The lab was still being evacuated, and he was staring at three Centipede super soldiers, escorting two of the doctors. Loki had seen more on the cameras, so a few must’ve already escaped.

“What the hell – how did he get the captain?!” One of the doctors exclaimed. “Not even a super soldier could penetrate those doors!”

Loki smirked, setting Steve down and leaning him against a wall. “I’m not a super soldier, dear. I'm a god.”

As he lifted his hands, he pulled two daggers from his pocket dimension. He had to protect Steve as the gas ran its course – and these super soldiers had to protect the doctors.

“I can’t let you leave,” he said, eyes flicking between each of the humans as he placed himself in front of the doorway. Numbers weren’t on his side, but that never truly mattered. He always had the advantage.

“But you can’t let him get hurt, either,” one doctor said, lifting a gun to level it at Steve.

Loki came to a stop. “And you don't wish to hurt him.” He smiled. “So it seems we’re at an impasse.”

She chuckled. “So it seems.”

Turning to the soldiers, she gestured to Loki with her gun. “We’re going to leave. You are to clear a path. Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am,” came their replies in monotonous unison, expressions hardened with determination – like they thought they were going to win.

Unfortunately, all parties involved never had the chance, as an explosion shook the whole building.

Loki watched as the humans stumbled, and he turned to Steve as he watched the flooring begin to crack. He needed to get Steve to safety. They would have to abandon the mission – maybe he could be forgiven.

“Get us out of here!” The doctor shouted at one of the soldiers – but Loki wasn’t giving them the time of day anymore.

Steve stared up at him with glassy eyes, still a little groggy but coming around. “Loki, wait –“

“- no, Steve. We must get out!” Loki shouted at him, lifting him to his feet and bringing him to the stairwell.

“We can't let them get away!” Steve exclaimed, becoming more lucid with each passing second.

Rolling his eyes, the taller spared a glance downstairs – where a dozen Centipede men lay dead, crushed by debris coming down from the floors above. He cursed. “We’ll just have to live with it,” he said, searching for another way out as the rumbling grew stronger. “We don't have a choice, the intel we received was faulty.”

The last thing he remembered hearing was Steve, yelling at him to go back.

After that… all he could hear were screams.

Screams, and then sobbing, and then sirens.

He blinked slowly.

‘I’ve never seen regeneration like this. Proxima practically cut the arm clean off – I don’t think he’s even scarring.’

Below him, Steve was still, staring at him in shock and… perhaps horror. Loki cleared his throat as he began to push himself up, undeterred by the concrete block on his back.

Droplets of blood ran down his face and collected on his eyelashes as he took a moment to rest on his knees. “Is there something on my face?” He asked light-heartedly, catching his breath.

Steve huffed in amusement, staying where he was as Loki stood up and shoved the rubble off of them.

“I thought you died,” he managed to whisper.

Loki forced a smile. “I am notoriously hard to kill.”

Then he helped the captain to his feet and looked around at the wreckage. They were surrounded by pieces of the collapsed building, and bodies.

Employees crushed to death. Innocent civilians, too, numbers in the dozens. Mangled bodies, blood coating the rock beneath them, broken bones and dull eyes that would never see again. There were more of them than dead employees.

‘What beautiful scars… It took so long to make them.’

Loki knew the horrors of battle. He knew about the death and gore, he’d seen much of the disfigurations firsthand, he’d prayed for those on the verge of death to help them pass hundreds of times.

After everything he’d witnessed, he never thought a human’s death would upset him.

And yet.

Chapter Text

“I heard you had a rough time on your last mission.”

Loki stared out the window in his living space, hands clasped behind his back. He did not turn around.

“I’m not sure what you mean,” he mumbled, pursing his lips.

Natasha stepped closer, tilting her head as she came up to stand next to him. His eyes stayed trained out the window. “You haven’t gone on a mission since. Is there a reason?”

The god rolled his eyes. “I’m not too keen on involving myself in human matters so directly,” he replied. “I believe it’s best if I assist with technology, instead.”

She chuckled, crossing her arms. “You know, for the god of lies, you’re not the greatest at it,” she told him, finally getting a glare sent her way. “You hate working with the tech. You think it’s all outdated.”

“Because it is,” he grumbled under his breath, turning away from the window and going to sit down. “Asgard hasn’t used this technology in easily five millennia. Even so, my previous statement stands.”

Natasha followed him to the couch. “Well – how about you take a break?” She suggested. “I’ve got a mission coming up, and it'd be nice to have somebody watching my back.”

That was a lie. Natasha didn’t trust anyone to watch her back.

Loki quirked a brow. “You can manage on your own, I’m sure,” he said.

“Of course,” came a quick reply. “But it’s just a quick one, and I think you might actually like the outing.”

Another lie.

It was intriguing, though. Loki tilted his head, studying Natasha’s face before he crossed his arms. “Tell me more, and perhaps I shall consider it.”

A few days later, Loki was dressed in a suit, sipping on a glass of wine at a sort of celebration. Some mining operation had resulted in success, which called for a party, it seemed.

Loki hadn’t seen anything like it, and he was bored all of three seconds in.

“Are a lot of the ‘high-end’ parties like this?” Loki asked Natasha, who sipped on a soda through a tiny straw. “I don’t think I like it.”

She giggled (unnerving…) and nodded. “Pretty much, yeah. People seem to enjoy it, but it’s not something I do.”

Loki wished he could show his disgust on his face, but he was supposed to look pleasant and approachable. He settled for a subtle wrinkling of his nose. “Asgardian parties were a cesspool of degeneracy, but at least they weren’t boring.”

She hummed. “Oh, you’re surrounded by plenty of degenerates. They just handle it in the dark.”

Quirking a brow, Loki gave his empty glass to one of the waiters passing by and took a new one. “Then how would people s –“

“Sorry to interrupt –“ Loki resisted the urge to roll his eyes, because the man speaking obviously wasn’t sorry. “- I couldn’t help but notice your beauty from across the room.”

Loki turned to face the man, expecting the Widow to start flirting back – only to freeze when the human was looking at him.

Oh, Natasha definitely owed him for this.

He plastered on a soft smile, looking down at the man. “I suppose it is rather hard to miss,” he replied, going with the confident route rather than defer.

It was a good call, apparently, since he saw the glint of interest in his eyes.

“You’re Thomas, aren’t you? Ian Quinn’s right hand.” Loki held his hand out to shake, but Thomas took it and kissed the knuckles.

“Yes, I am. It’s nice to meet you…?”

“Noah,” Loki replied, withdrawing his hand slowly.

It had been a while since he did this, but it wasn’t like it was difficult. Seduction had always been easy, especially when it came to humans. All he had to do was pretend to faun over them, and they were hooked.

“Noah… it fits you very well,” Thomas said – and with one hand moving to Loki’s elbow, he guided them both away from Natasha, to speak somewhere a bit more comfortable. “I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen you at one of these events before.”

Loki walked with him, going out to the balcony overlooking a beachfront. “I’ll admit, I don’t often attend such things, but these mining expeditions had me curious.” He swirled the wine in the glass, quirking a brow. “It really is quite a lucrative business, isn’t it?”

It wasn’t difficult to get the man to talk. All Loki had to do was look interested enough, and the man practically spilled his guts out. They got more drinks, and Loki leaned against the table, his eyes not leaving Thomas’s face as the man went on and on about the operations and his boss.

Thirty minutes later, it felt like they were truly getting somewhere.

“Ian – he thinks we’ve discovered a new element,” Thomas blabbed, his face flushed from the alcohol as he stood closer to Loki, his hand around his waist. “The amount of money we could get, the weapons we could make from it – the opportunities are endless!” He exclaimed, sliding his palm up underneath Loki’s suit jacket.

Loki smiled, tilting his head and letting his hair fall elegantly over his shoulders. “You’re quite chatty,” he commented, and awareness flickered in Thomas’s eyes. Finishing his wine, the god stood up straight and stepped closer. “I think this nerdy talk is rather adorable… and I’d really like it if you continued.” His voice dipped into a sultry whisper as he cupped his cheek.

“Jesus,” Thomas whispered, gazing up at him as his eyes glazed over. Only then did he seem to recall where they were, and so he took Loki’s hand. “Follow me.”

Loki let himself be dragged through the party, smiling left and right at all the investors that acknowledged them, and when he caught Natasha’s eye, she quirked a brow – impressed.

He rolled his eyes at her, making her aware of his displeasure before he was taken down a few poorly lit hallways, and into something with a lot more privacy. Not that he intended to make use of such privacy, of course.

The moment they sat down, however, the sound of a gunshot filled his ears. Blood spattered onto his suit as Thomas took a bullet between the eyes, and he whipped around to look for the attacker – who must’ve hidden himself in the horizon, because Loki couldn’t make any silhouette out.

More gunshots rang out, shattering the windows in the room and just barely missing Loki as he heard the humans screaming a few rooms over. He left for one minute, and already, the party had devolved into chaos.

And of course, this happened right as he was about to learn more of what the company had found. Thomas must’ve had someone watching him, whether he knew it or not, and said too much. He sighed, shoving the body aside to stand up and examine his desk – perhaps there would be some information there.

More bullets fired into the room, but he calmly danced out of their way, grabbing the laptop sitting on the desk. He wasn’t concerned about any gunman – his skin was thick, and his enchantments would keep any bullet from truly hitting.

“Loki, where are you?” Natasha’s voice called from down the hall. “Is Newark still alive?”

Loki left the room calmly with a computer tucked underneath his arm. “If you mean Thomas, then no. He is very much dead – they shot him as soon as we sat down,” he said. “I’ve got his computer, however.”

Natasha sighed, nodding. “Better than nothing,” she said. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

“That’s fine with me,” he said.

They turned to leave through the lobby, and as an attacker burst into the hallway, grenade in hand, he remembered the fragility of humans. How easily their bodies got damaged. How effortless it was to kill them.

He may be bulletproof and possibly bomb-proof. Humans, however, were not.

Without waiting another moment, as the man threw the grenade, Loki yanked Natasha into his arms and wrapped his body around her own.

The explosion knocked them into a wall, and he felt the fire licking at his back, ruining his clothes as his arms slammed into the wall, protecting Natasha from the impact. She was safe – and he was pissed off.

Half of the computer had been destroyed with the bomb, and he ripped off the tattered remains of his shirt as he turned around to face the person – only to see no one still there.

The beating of helicopter wings filled the air, and he looked out at the night sky as they began to fly away – but when he reached a hand out, intending to yank them back down, Natasha grabbed his arm.

“Loki, wait – just let them go,” she said, her eyes flicking between his face and his recently exposed torso.

His gaze was cold as he faced her, green eyes glowing with power. “Because of them, we have nothing,” he growled. “Look at what they’ve done! Why should we let them get away?!” He snapped at her, watching as she backed away.

She pursed her lips, shaking her head. “I don’t like it either,” she told him. “But you’re a very valuable asset. The less they know about you, the better.”

Loki clenched his jaw, grinding his teeth together. “Fine. No magic? Not an issue.” He took her gun out of her hand, shutting one eye as he took aim at the chopper.

‘Do you feel prepared?’

With no magic, no spells, no super strength or incredible durability assisting him, Loki opened his eye again and fired three times at one of the vehicles, striking the tail rotor each time and sending it into a spiral.

“There. Now you have information,” Loki snapped, watching the helicopter hit the water, and he handed Natasha’s gun back to her. “They’ll drown in a few minutes. It’d be a good idea to rescue them beforehand.”

Natasha watched him walk away for a few moments before she lifted her hand to her ear. “Requesting immediate retrieval – we’ve got enemies in the water, by a downed helicopter.”

Loki ripped out his comms as she spoke, and he kept his eyes up as he walked through the building, refusing to look at all the bodies and blood. He ignored them to focus on finding the pathways, reaching for Yggdrasil.

He closed his eyes, wrapped his hand around a branch, and with a sharp tug, he was back in New York City. Half-naked, but he fixed that with a snap of his fingers before he began the walk home.

It took Natasha a few hours to get back. Loki was standing in front of the windows, arms crossed as he looked over the city below.

“I knew you were lying from the beginning,” he started as she exited the elevator. “And truly, I expected it to go wrong to some degree.” He shrugged. “But I’m not upset. Not anymore.” He turned when he heard the clicks of her heels grow closer, watching Natasha’s unapologetic face as she came to stand next to him. “I’m sure you’ve read my report.”

Natasha nodded. “Not the ideal result, but information is information.” She tilted her head. “Ideally, learning Ian Quinn’s location would’ve been nice. We can’t always get a perfect outcome, though.” She tilted her head. “Nobody blames you.”

Loki huffed, rolling his eyes. “Good. They shouldn’t. They should blame you.”

Natasha chuckled and nodded. “I don’t think I could argue with that.”

Looking back out at the view, he wished that he could open the window and breathe some of the night air. Maybe that’s something Stark could fix.

“You remind me of my daughter, Widow.”

Natasha seemed to freeze at the admission, panicking a little at the unexpected vulnerability. “Your daughter… you mentioned her on the helicarrier. She’s the half-dead girl, right?”

Loki chuckled humorlessly, nodding. “Yes – Hela, the Goddess of Death. She rules over the realm of Hel. Taking care of those that don’t make it into Valhalla.” He blinked away the moisture from his eyes, clearing his throat. “She, too, walks the line of life and death. Dances on it, really. She doesn’t fit in with either. And there is… such rage inside of her. Now – you’re much better at hiding it than she is. I think time holds a larger factor in that. But I can see that rage inside of both of you.”

Natasha stared at him, her lips pursed. “You can?”

Loki nodded, a sad smile on his face. “I can.” He pinched at the fabric of his shirt, pulling at the threads and absent-mindedly wrapping them around his fingers. “I failed them all. But Hela… she had higher hopes than the rest of them that I might be able to rescue them. How ironic, that she is the only one I cannot help.”

At least he was on the same planet as Jormungandr, and he got to remove the sword from Fenrir’s mouth. He had no way to help his only daughter like he had the others.

He turned away from Natasha as he took in a shuddered breath, biting hard into his lip as his throat closed up.

Natasha averted her gaze, to let him cry without a witness, and she nodded. “It’s a really awful feeling… Leaving somebody behind.”

Loki wiped at his face and pressed his palm to his chest, feeling the thump of his heartbeat. “I’m not sure why I told you this. Perhaps… I think I yearn for connection, especially with my brother off world, and I believe that you seek connection as well. Though – mentioning my daughter might not have been the best choice, but…” He grimaced, but stepped forward. “Can we… Natasha, I’d like it if we had an honest friendship, between us.”

Natasha faced him, taking in a deep breath before she wrinkled her nose. “Honest, you say?”

Loki smirked. “Yes. I’d prefer you say nothing at all, rather than lie to me. Is that agreeable?” He asked, and she nodded.

“Yeah – yeah, that works for me.”

He uncrossed his arms after a few moments of comfortable silence, walking to his kitchenette. “I’m making something to eat. Is there anything you would like?”

The spy followed him, lifting herself into a stool next to the island counter. “Anything savory – and maybe a cup of coffee.”

Loki chuckled. “Coffee? You don’t intend to sleep soon?”

Natasha smiled down at her hands. “Soon. But not yet.”

Glancing back at her, he quirked a brow and shrugged. “Alright, then.” He turned his attention to his coffee maker first.

Natasha watched as he measured out the grounds, folding her arms and laying her head on them as she blinked sleepy eyes.

“Thor hasn’t been planetside for a few months. Do you know why?” She asked. “I thought he was supposed to be babysitting you.”

Loki chuckled. “He was – but Father had more urgent matters. Apparently, the Nine Realms have been a little chaotic lately. With my disappearance, and then subsequent reappearance on Midgard, there are those that think Asgard has grown weaker. The galaxy is full of opportunists,” he explained, pouring water into the machine. “My brother is out there, dealing with them.”

“And he can deal with all that by himself?” Natasha asked.

“Perhaps he has developed some skill in my absence,” Loki teased, drawing a soft laugh from the spy on his counter. “No, he shall be fine. He handled the uprisings when they gained momentum. I snuffed them out before they began.”

Quirking a brow, she tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

Loki glanced back at her as he grabbed ingredients from his fridge. “I… It’s nothing. Really, I shouldn’t have even said that much.”

Natasha let it drop, but mentally took note of the phrasing, and he sighed in relief. “Do you know if he’s coming back soon?” She redirected.

Pursing his lips, he shook his head. “If they called Thor in, then it’s a big problem, and it’ll require time to solve.” Then he hummed, redirecting the conversation. “If you don't mind… I’m going to try and recreate a favored Asgardian meal. The ingredients aren’t the same, but they’re similar enough in most aspects.”

Natasha smiled, lifting her head back up and scooting closer to the counter. “Go for it. I’m always down to try something new.”

Loki relaxed, returning the smile as he pulled a few pans out and fell into silence.

Hours later, as the sunrise lit up the city that never sleeps, it revealed a disastrous kitchen, covered in pots and pans and the occasional smear of food as the two unlikely friends lay passed out on his couch, somehow comfortable in each other’s presence. Perhaps not entirely trusting, but comfortable all the same.

Chapter Text

“What are you watching?”

Loki glanced up at Bruce as the man stepped into the common room, and he sighed. “The news.” He pointed to the screen, where Erik Selvig ran naked around Stonehenge.

Bruce grimaced, going to take a spot next to Loki on the couch as he witnessed one of the greatest known scientists look like a nutjob on international television. “Oh… that’s Thor’s friend, right? And he got hit with the effects of the scepter?”

Nodding, Loki pursed his lips. “The scepter wouldn’t have been a lasting issue. Take Barton, for example. He was only influenced by the scepter, and he’s doing fine. There are hardly any remnants between us. Selvig would be the same, except for the fact that he worked in close proximity to the Tesseract. That Infinity Stone had a different and stronger effect than the scepter.” Loki uncrossed his legs. “People think he’s mad – and perhaps that is partly the case. But it’s much more complicated than that. He’s actually sensing something that humans shouldn’t be able to comprehend.”

Bruce quirked a brow. “Really?” He turned towards Loki in interest. “What do you mean?”

Loki squinted at Bruce, cautious of the interest. The man had only recently returned to the Avengers tower, after having been gone for most of the year for reasons he wasn’t privy to. But the scientist seemed like a good man. There would be no harm in explaining a little bit.

“Well… on Asgard, we call it the Convergence.”

He turned down the volume on the TV before picking up a tablet, fingers quick as he pulled up scientific readings and news articles. “Every five thousand years, the nine realms align with your planet at the center, and the barriers between grow weak. Matter from Midgard blends with matter from Asgard, or Alfheim, or any of the other realms. Midgard has only just begun to see the effects. I imagine the full Convergence will occur in the next couple days.”

Bruce’s eyes widened as he saw all the information on it. “Are those readings of gravitational flux?” He asked. “I've never seen anything like that!”

Loki nodded. “There tends to be quite a lot of happenings like this as the Convergence grows closer. We’ll likely see records of gravitational anomalies, or strange plants and animals as more pathways open between the realms.”

He pulled up an article, passing it over to Bruce to let the man read.

“Wait, what do you mean pathways?” Bruce asked, reading the article almost as fast as Loki himself. “As in, you could walk from one world to the next?”

Again, the god nodded. “Such a thing is already a possibility on a typical day, but during the Convergence, many more openings appear. They can be rather unstable, though.” He stood up to pace.

“What causes the instability?” Bruce asked. “And what causes the connection in the first place?”

Loki smiled, wringing his hands as he tried to contain his excitement. “It’s dozens – perhaps hundreds or thousands of small wormholes, scattered across the planet. The most accurate comparison I can imagine would be – perhaps a telescope. You’re looking at something far, far away – and you fiddle with the focus to get the clearest image of the stars.”

He used his magic to conjure images from what he could remember of the Asgardian star-scape, some intentionally made blurry. Bruce’s jaw dropped as he watched, standing up to get a better look at all the stars. “The Convergence brings clarity. No matter where you look, you always get a perfectly clear view.” He twisted his hands, and suddenly everything came into focus.

Bruce walked around the room, shocked as he could see even the slightest edge of every single star, or planet, or the unstable wormholes across Asgardian-owned space. “This… this is incredible,” he whispered. “So, the focus is sharper – everything is visible, everything is clear. Then what?”

The god grinned, a light in his eyes that nobody had ever seen in him. “When you can see everything, you can go anywhere.” He stepped forward. “I’m going to highlight the connections for you. Ready?”

Bruce nodded, so Loki waved a hand over the illusion, and the scientist watched as the stars lit up with threads of every color, stretching endlessly across space. “Oh, wow… This is what happens during the Convergence?”

Loki shrugged. “Essentially. The strongest of these pathways become stable wormholes, free to travel with no harm to the self. They always exist, but now anybody anywhere could make use of them.” He backed up, holding both of his hands out. “It’s all quite fascinating. I’m researching the best place to observe the phenomena, if you wish to join me.”

With a soft laugh, Bruce slid his hands into his pockets. “It sounds awesome, I may have to take you up on that offer.”

“Alright. I shall keep you updated,” Loki replied. He was about to elaborate, but then his phone began buzzing.

Not many people texted him, even fewer took the time to call, and that list did not include Darcy Lewis.

So when he saw her name on his screen, he quirked a brow.

“Darcy, dear, did you need something?” Loki asked as he answered the call, letting his illusion fade with a wordless apology to Bruce as he walked to the elevator.

“I can’t reach Erik, Jane went missing, my intern lost my keys, and we’re going to be arrested soon!” Darcy shouted. “Please help us!”

‘You think you know pain?’

Loki’s eyes widened, and he rushed out of the elevator and onto his floor, throwing on a change of clothes with a snap of his fingers before he stepped into his shoes. “Tell me where you are, right now.”

“Somewhere in London – I can text you a pin?!”

“Do that.”

Loki checked his phone when it chimed, reading the exact coordinates that Darcy had sent. “Alright. Give me ten minutes.”

It was a little difficult, finding the right pathway. How ironic, that the Convergence approaches and he can't figure out the fastest way to get to where he needs to go.

It took him three minutes to find the closest one – and then another eight to walk to where Darcy was.

“Oh thank god, there he is… Loki! Loki, over here!” Darcy shouted, waving her arms emphatically as she stood next to a cop. “Please help us!”

Loki took in the situation with a glance, and he pulled out his wallet, lifting it up to show his badge to the police officers. “Good morning, officers. I’m Agent Lucas with SHIELD.” He smiled stiffly at the men in front of him. “I can take it from here, thank you.”

Before they could say anything, he turned to Darcy. “Where did you last see her?” He asked, pocketing the badge.

Darcy stared up at him, biting her lip. “Anybody ever tell you how hot you look in suits?” She asked, and the boy next to her stiffened.

Loki rolled his eyes. “Just tell me what happened.”

She pouted, but turned around to lead the way.

The moment they got close enough, he felt it – the dimensional openings in the area. At least three in the building alone. Darcy explained everything, and Loki just listened until they got to the stairwell, frowning.

“You waited four hours to tell me?” He asked, climbing higher as he stared at the wormholes.

“Well – I thought she was going to come back, and we hate it when SHIELD takes over our research opportunities!” She exclaimed before groaning, coming to a stop on one of the landings. “Jeez, your legs are long! Can you slow down?!”

Loki glanced back at her. “No. My brother’s girlfriend is missing.”

“Good point!”

He continued up the stairs, Darcy right behind him as he rounded the corner into an empty hallway.

Leaves rustled, blowing back and forth in the hallway, and an eerie feeling draped itself over the unlikely pair.

Jane had been there. Such was no longer the case. Any wormholes in the area had closed, and if Jane had gone through one of them… well, Loki wouldn't have the slightest idea on where to begin the search.

He frowned. “She was here. My best guess is she stepped into one of the unstable portals in the area and got transported away. It must’ve closed shortly after.” He wrung his hands, turning to look at Darcy. “This isn't good. I have no idea where she could be.”

Darcy tugged at her scarf, blinking rapidly before she started nodding. “Okay… okay, okay, I mean – she has to come back eventually, right?” She forced a smile before turning around and heading back down the stairs.

Loki glanced back into the hallway. He knew someone more polite might go to comfort Darcy, but he had other concerns.

With careful steps, he approached the end of the hall.

The hair on the back of his neck stood on its ends the closer he got to the doorway.

He pushed past those feelings, continuing forward as he reached for any pathway that might be present. Just as he was about to step through, he heard the scuff of heels behind him.

Loki whipped around, and there Jane stood.

The woman blinked for a few moments, wobbling before she began to fall over. Loki rushed forward to catch her, and she slumped into his arms, hardly aware of anything.

“Well, hello there,” he greeted as she finally started to focus again, and she frowned. “Are you feeling well enough to stand up?” He asked.

Something… something was different about her.

“Um – yeah. Yes, I think I can do that.” She sat up, and with little help from Loki, she got to her feet. “What are you doing here?” Jane asked.

Loki began to guide her down the stairs, one hand on her elbow the whole time. “Darcy called me. I shall allow her to explain the situation,” he said.

He followed her out to the car and the cops again, and watched Darcy explain a little bit – before the wind began to pick up, rain gushing from the skies as thunder boomed.

Thor came into view a few moments later, untouched by the rain he brought down from the heavens.

A ring had formed around Jane as well, leaving her nice and dry as well – and Loki resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Brother.”

Thor made him wait a little bit as Jane rushed over to him, letting herself be pulled into a kiss.

Loki chose that moment to roll his eyes, pulling an umbrella from his pocket dimension as Jane’s radius of calm weather left he and Darcy in the storm.

When they separated, Thor grabbed her by the shoulders. “Are you okay? Where did you go? Heimdall could not see you!” He exclaimed, smoothing his thumbs over her skin.

She leaned into the touch, trembling. “I don’t know. It’s… hard to describe.” But she shook her head, dismissing it for a few moments in favor of slapping him across the face. “Where were you?! You just left me, no note, no warning! I’ve been waiting months for you to come back! I thought maybe Loki was having another breakdown, but no!” She exclaimed, uncaring of how Loki tensed up. “He’s been here the whole time, and you’ve been gone!”

“You do remember that I'm right here, yes?” Loki called, quirking a brow as he deflected his hurt with some humor.

Bringing up what happened in New Mexico was a much more sensitive issue than New York. While the events of New York had an easy explanation, New Mexico… was all him.

Then Darcy grabbed his arm, dragging him over a few feet to stand within Thor’s line of sight. “Hey, Sparky! This you?” She asked, gesturing to the overcast sky.

Thor glanced up at the rain and stopped it after a moment, and Darcy smiled. “Thanks!”

One of the cops from before approached, despite Loki’s presence as an agent. He didn’t seem to care. “This is private property, and the lot of you are trespassing. I’m going to need all of you to come with us,” he said, reaching for Jane first.

When his hand made contact with her shoulder, it was like she exploded – a burst of red sent three men flying, wheels squealing as the cars were pushed away from her in the epicenter.

Loki stumbled, eyes wide as he watched Jane fall – and he and his brother both rushed forward.

“Jane!” Thor shouted, arriving at her side and helping her to her feet. “Are you alright?”

Jane looked between them, seeming confused and disoriented as she stood there. “What just happened?” She asked, trembling from head to toe.

“Something occurred when she disappeared from Heimdall’s view,” Loki said, eyes scanning her for whatever the Hel that might’ve been. “I’m not sure what, but I can feel it.”

It felt… angry.

Twisting, swirling, lashing out at whatever it wanted to. Jane was a host to something old. Something powerful.

More cops began a slow approach, weapons raised and aimed at the three of them. “Place your hands on your heads!” One shouted, knuckles white as he gripped his baton in shaking hands. “Surrender yourselves, and we can get this sorted out peacefully.”

Loki turned to face them. “You don’t want to do that,” he said, holding his hand up. “Stay back. You are interfering in things you cannot possibly understand.”

“She is dangerous. Get back!” The cop shouted.

Thor wrapped an arm around Jane’s waist. “I trust you’ll handle things here?” He asked as thunder rumbled above them.

His younger brother sighed, moving away from the two of them as he nodded. “I always do.” It wasn’t as though he had a choice, anyway.

The clouds parted as the Bifrost snatched Thor and Jane up, transporting them to Asgard and leaving him behind.

Loki sighed, turning back to Darcy.

‘Is he trying to beg?’

“Thor is taking Jane to Asgard, likely to treat whatever has invaded her body. I’m sure she’ll be fine,” he reassured, ignoring the cops and leading them away from the site.

“He couldn’t have taken us, too?” Darcy asked.

Loki, after sending a suggestion to all the cops to leave and forget this ever happened, scoffed. “No. Thor is already bound to get in trouble for bringing one human. Imagine if he brought multiple!”

He could’ve laughed at the idea of Odin’s rage. He did not.

“What brought you to London? How did you know of the Convergence’s effects?” He asked instead, stopping on the sidewalk and crossing his arms.

Darcy shivered, sliding her hands into her pockets. “Erik called us. He said that something was happening, that we needed to come to London… but we haven’t been able to contact him since,” she explained. “But we got a lot of readings and reports of gravitational anomalies, so we decided to stay and check it all out.”

Loki hid his grimace, turning away from her and checking their surroundings. “Well, last I saw he was at Stonehenge. Perhaps that has something to do with it.”

“Stonehenge? Why would he be there? And how do you know that?” Darcy squinted at him. “Are you still in his brain? Get out already!”

“What do you mean ‘in his brain’?” Her intern, Ian, asked, but went quiet when Darcy held a hand up.

Loki rolled his eyes. “No, I’m not in his brain. It was on the news, dear. He was streaking through the monument and got arrested.”

“What?!”

“Look it up and figure it out. I did my part already,” he said, turning around to leave. Though – he might as well stay in the area, since it seemed that the Convergence would have the greatest effects somewhere nearby.

“Wait!” Darcy shouted at his back, running to catch up. “Wait, please!”

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose before he turned around. “Darcy, I don’t know how I am to help you any further. You’re not arrested, Jane has been found and taken to be treated, you know where to start looking for Selvig – and this is all out of the ‘goodness of my heart’,” Loki said, facing her and putting a hand on his hip. “My brother cares for you, so I will keep you safe, but this is stretching my limits.”

Darcy stared defiantly up at him, adjusting her scarf. “You have to help us find Erik – it’s your fault he’s even like that!”

Immediately, she knew that had been the wrong thing to say.

Loki went still, staring at her with a blank expression. Chills ran down her spine, and she averted her gaze.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to… but he’s a friend, and he hasn’t been the same since New York. I don’t know what to do,” she said, pulling her coat tighter around her as the cold seeped into her bones.

When the hell had it gotten so cold?

“All my efforts to fix what I did, and still, you humans are unsatisfied and ungrateful,” Loki growled, stepping closer and glaring down at Darcy. “You should pray you never need my help again,” he snapped. “This shall be the last time I assist you in any matter.”

Darcy stared up at him, guilt flashing across her features before she nodded. “Thank you, Loki.”

He ignored her words. They were nothing more than an afterthought.

Chapter Text

“Well – aren’t you super good at magic stuff? Why isn’t it working?” Darcy asked, staring hard at the map Loki had in front of him.

He rolled his eyes. “Need I remind you of the galactic event occurring?” He put his hands down, leaning away from the table with a sigh. “The wormholes must be interfering with the locator spell. At the very least, we can tell he’s in the country. You should start searching the nearby cities for places he might be.” He pointed out Amesbury on the map. “This one is right next to it – I’d say check there first.”

Darcy leaned down to look before nodding. “Okay. Okay, smart. Uh, one problem.” She stood up straight. “We don’t have a car. My intern threw the keys into a wormhole and they never came back out.”

“How is this my problem?” Loki asked, scowling up at her.

Darcy hesitated, and Loki didn’t wait for her to figure out an answer as he stood up, heading to the front door.

“I’m leaving now. Good luck,” he called over his shoulder.

The wooden steps of the apartment complex creaked beneath his feet as he made his way down. “Human architecture is so fragile,” he murmured, though he took more care in each step. He didn’t want to test their limits.

When he left the building, the sun had begun to set, and the first thing he laid his eyes on was Sif, standing awkwardly on the sidewalk.

He hadn’t seen her since the fall, and a part of him felt nauseous at the reunion. She had always hated him, and their time away from each other hadn’t softened the sting of betrayal, or the bitter note to all his memories of her.

“Sif,” he greeted cordially, grinding his teeth together as he took in her appearance.

She wasn’t in her armor – she wore just a simple silk dress that hugged her figure, accentuating the femininity that she usually liked to hide with armor. There was no hatred, or annoyance in her gaze. Only pity.

He came to a sudden stop, a pit of dread swirling in his stomach and filing up his throat. He was used to the disgust, and loathing in her poorly disguised expressions, but this… this was not something he knew how to handle. Immediately, he assumed the worst.

“What happened?” He whispered, his hands shaking. “Please tell me Thor is alright.”

He had sent his brother off with a human who’d been affected by something even Loki couldn’t understand. And something must’ve happened, he – there would be no other reason for Sif to be in front of him, like this.

No, that’s not quite right. If it was Thor, Sif would be a hysterical mess.

His mind bolted frantically between a hundred conclusions, each one worse than the last.

“The Queen has died.”

…

N…

No.

No.

No no no no no nononononono –

She was lying. She had to be lying. Frigga (mother) couldn’t be dead. She was the queen. She was the All-Mother (umma).

There was no possible way that Frigga could be dead.

Sif’s warm palm on his shoulder brought Loki back to his body. He turned to stare at her hand, gasping for breath. Each exhale was frosty, and every object in his vicinity was floating, suspended off the ground.

“Loki, please look at me.”

Green eyes met soft hazel. The floating objects landed with a clunk as Loki stared at Sif, trembling from head to toe and struggling to remain present. Only one other time had she looked at him with such concern and care.

He reached up, grabbing her hand and squeezing it tightly. “Please… I beg of you,” he whispered, eyes falling shut as he brought her hand to his forehead. “Please just have it be a cruel prank.” Anything would be better than the truth.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered to him, squeezing his hand in her own.

Loki leaned into her touch, refusing to let any tears fall. He couldn’t cry, not in front of her. Not in front of anybody.

“The All-Father has sent me to bring you to Asgard for her funeral rites,” Sif told him, resting her other hand on his arm.

“Did he say how long I could stay?” Loki asked, staring at the brick beneath their feet.

Sif nodded, finally letting her hand drop and stepping back. Already, he could feel his consciousness trying to drift from his body – but he clung stubbornly to it. He couldn’t miss this. He couldn’t lose this time. It mattered too much.

“Funeral rites only. You will no longer be welcome once the feasting starts,” she explained. “The All-Father has permitted you to be recognized as her son. Even if you cannot stay for the feast, take some comfort in that.”

He’d spent a millennium as her son, a millennium of loving her as his mother, and now he was only permitted to attend the rites.

Loki dropped his head into his hands, bile rising quickly in his throat as he swayed on his feet. “How… how did it happen?”

She stayed close, keeping an eye on him to make sure he didn’t fall over or pass out. “There was a mass prisoner escape,” she said. “A Kursed had freed them, and when we were dealing with that, Dark Elves attacked. They came for Lady Jane, and the Queen defended her.”

Lady Jane.

His eyelids fluttered.

The time slipped away from him.

He stood before the king. Sif at his side, Thor stepping into the throne room. The other warriors wouldn’t be far behind. Jane… Jane. She was right behind Thor. Loki stared at her, wondering if she might just burst into flames if he thought about it enough.

“Loki.”

Odin stared down at his adopted son, and Loki couldn't get a read on him like he used to be able to. He was out of practice, and something about Odin had changed.

He'd changed too.

The two strangers stared at each other, and Odin rose to his feet, stepping down from his throne to talk, face to face.

“My youngest son.” Odin sighed, and Loki flinched when he raised a hand, his feet shuffling as he resisted the urge to back away. Odin’s scarred hand came down on his shoulder, gripping it as he stared up at him. “Words can never explain my regret over the exile. This meeting… you being here right now, for this short amount of time… it is the best I can do.”

Thor arrived at his side, and he got in between Loki and Odin, separating the two without a word. “I’m taking Loki to change,” he said, both hands on Loki’s shoulders. “We shall see you at the send-off.”

Then he walked his brother right out of the throne room, down the massive halls of the place Loki used to call home.

“Thor,” Loki whispered, his voice cracking – and Thor gripped his shoulders tighter. “Thor, I don’t –“

“- Just breathe. We’ll be away from prying eyes soon,” his older brother told him, and it was then that he took a sharp turn, and within the next minute, they found themselves in Frigga’s garden.

Loki collapsed onto a bench, and Thor went with him, hugging him as tight as he could.

“I don’t understand it,” the younger whispered, resting his head on Thor’s shoulder as the first tears ran down his cheeks, scalding against the frigid skin. “I don’t – I can’t –“ He wheezed, clutching at his chest as the feeling from his ribs being squeezed turned into a tightness in his lungs instead. He pulled away, covering his face, and Thor just pulled him right back into his arms.

“I’m here. I’m right here.”

Loki whimpered – like a child, and he grit his teeth as he tried to get ahold of himself. “We haven’t spoken in… in so long,” he whispered. “We had an argument, over the exile. I… I yelled at her.”

“I know,” Thor said, taking slow, deep breaths for Loki to copy. “I know. Just breathe, Loki.”

He listened to his brother, using the comfort of his embrace to calm himself down. He couldn’t grieve openly like this – not in front of their people. He was still a prince of Asgard, after all, though exiled. Their people needed the royal family to be strong, so that they could be weak. That was how it had always been. That’d how it would always be. And if he broke there, then he couldn’t trust that he would collect himself before the rites.

So he took all his grief and shoved it into a tiny box deep in the recesses of his consciousness, where it was tucked in right next to another box labeled ‘Sanctuary’. He wiped his tears, steadying each breath before rising to his feet.

“You mentioned something about getting changed?” He asked, his voice quiet so as to avoid tears.

“Yes,” Thor said, following behind as they left the garden. “In your old rooms, they’ve prepared something for you,” he explained. “And Loki – once this is over, if you could stay and speak to Father with me…”

Loki glanced back at him, sniffling. “I’m not allowed to stay. Sif is to escort me to Midgard after this, which I’m sure that y – you are well aware of.”

“I need your help talking sense into Father,” Thor said as they hurried down the halls, and Loki hadn’t been in this palace in two years, but he couldn’t forget it.

They turned into his room before long as Loki scoffed. “Because that’s worked so well in the past, hasn’t it?” He saw the clothes set on a largely barren bed and began peeling his current suit set off. “You remember exactly how my conversations with your father end.”

His fingers fumbled with one of the buttons as his world swayed – and he stumbled, feeling like he was being swallowed in the vastness of space once again.

Thor grabbed onto his elbow to steady him, and Loki was quick to shrug him off, leaning against one of the bed posts instead. “Our father.”

The younger grit his teeth, shaking out his hands so that he could finish changing. He knew the truth, and chose not to correct his brother. It would only waste energy that he didn’t even have to begin with.

Thor took issue with his lack of a reply, and stepped forward. “We are brothers, Loki – and we must accept our circumstances growing up, no matter how much it… sucks.” It was the first word that came to mind, regarding their situation, and he saw the quirk of his brother’s lips that he tried to hide.

He watched Loki pull on his shirt, and then stepped closer to help with the armor. “Father was a good king to our people. And while the term ‘raising us’ may not entirely apply, you cannot deny that we are products of his influence.”

Loki pursed his lips, letting Thor baby him a little bit. “So what?” He lifted his hair off his neck, pulling it out from underneath the armor.

“So…” Thor slapped his hands away and tugged Loki’s cape on, securing it to his shoulder pieces. “He is our father. Our very, very shitty father.” He forced a little smile, and Loki huffed, brushing his hands away as he crossed his arms. “Come on. You don’t think that he’s earned the title in between his various assaults on our persons, whether it be from his hands or threats from his lips?”

Maybe it was inappropriate, but Loki barked out a laugh, turning to his brother with wide eyes. “If Odin were to hear you talk like this, with all your Midgardian speech patterns, I think he might actually take me back as his son and name me the heir.”

Thor smiled, huffing in amusement as he nodded. “Yes, I could see that happening.”

Loki managed a soft chuckle, covering his face. “That’s almost exactly what he did when you were banished a few centuries ago, so...” He trailed off, the memory squeezing his chest and closing up his throat.

After his lips had been sewn shut, and his brother had been sent off on a quest with no end in sight, Loki had felt lost. It was only thanks to his mother that he got through it. She was a very busy woman, considering her position as the queen of Asgard, but she made as much time for Loki as she could. It wasn’t ever much, but it was always just enough.

But that wouldn’t ever be possible again.

The brothers went quiet again, sorrow sitting like a heavy crown upon their heads. Loki moved to sit on the edge of his bed, and Thor joined him, shoulders pressed together as they let the silence fill the room.

It was in that moment that they truly felt the weight of her absence.

‘It will be over soon, my darling. Just a few more years, and this punishment will have reached its end.’

Loki brushed his fingers over his lips, taking in a few deep breaths before he stood up again. “Odin can’t exile me any more than he already has. I’ll stay. What do you need help with?” He asked.

Thor relaxed, sighing in relief. “Father has no intention of seeking out the Dark Elves. He intends to keep Jane captive, and use her as bait in the middle of Asgard.”

Loki adjusted the flow of his cape. “In the middle of Asgard? Surely he realizes the damage that the city would take. Is there a plan for the citizens?” He asked, standing by the door.

His older brother crossed his arms. “No. His only concern is making sure that Malekith, king of the Dark Elves, dies. Everything else is insignificant.”

With a sigh, Loki leaned his head against the stone wall. “I’m beginning to think that he’s turned into a senile old man,” he said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’ll… ugh. We’ll figure this out afterwards. Assuming I don’t get killed for overstaying my welcome, of course.”

He stayed by the door, one hand on the handle of his door as the other extended in Thor’s direction. Thor stared in shock as Loki waited for him to take his hand.

Loki’s bottom lip quivered, but his composure didn’t break. “We need to get going, brother. She’s waiting for us.”

Thor’s own eyes burned with tears he couldn’t shed, and he rose to his feet, standing up to take his brother’s hand. “Of course. We mustn’t keep our mother waiting.”

Hundreds of people had died, but everyone in Asgard grieved for the queen – who looked powerful even in death. And the two brothers, despite all their differences through the centuries, stood as a united front to carry the weight of their people’s grief on their shoulders.

Chapter Text

Loki had promised to help, but to be entirely honest, he found it difficult to interject in the conversation.

He stared at his hands, thinking about the quiet of Frigga’s funeral prior. The light had been so… so beautiful. Loki hoped that she found comfort in the halls of Valhalla.

He had stood next to Odin, with Thor and his human on the other side. From that distance, he could see how the King’s hands shook. How the weariness had etched itself into the shadows on his face.

Odin the All-Father was tired.

Loki had looked away, and the fire that engulfed his mother’s boat quickly stole all his attention.

He watched it burn, and thought of fireworks on fingertips, accompanied by soft laughter and warmth.

Now, they were yelling, and he didn’t notice.

At least until he felt a nudge against the link he shared with his brother. Blinking, he focused in on the conversation, catching a glance Thor sent his way.

Oh, right. Odin inviting further bloodshed into Asgard’s halls. Yes.

“If I may,” he started, and Odin laughed cruelly.

“You aren’t even supposed to be here, you disobedient child,” he snapped. “I believe I made myself clear regarding your stay!”

Loki forced a smile. “You did. But that was before I heard of your plans regarding Malekith. Now – I may be exiled, but I still care for the Asgardian people. Your plan – or lack thereof - puts too many of them at risk.” He stood tall in front of him, refusing to bow. “We can draw him out another way, Odin.”

“How dare you…” Odin curled his free hand into a fist. “How dare you! I invite you as a guest, and this is how you behave! How you refer to your king?! You’re lucky I don’t throw you in the prisons!”

“Oh, how kind of you, truly, I’m so lucky you haven’t. I much prefer any of the other punishments you’ve delivered over the centuries!” Loki shouted back at him, words dripping with sarcasm. “How about I just tell you my plan, and then you can go ahead and sew my lips shut again. That worked so well last time, didn’t it? It won’t change the fact that I am right. WE are right. You're going to get innocent people killed for no reason,” he finished with a snap, looking his adoptive father right in the eyes, unyielding.

He wanted to cower. He wanted to curl up and hide from the scornful view of the man that raised him. He wished he could be anywhere but there.

Odin raised his hand – and Loki squeezed his eyes shut, turning his head away as he tensed in preparation. His feet were planted firmly. He would not fall over this time.

Seconds passed, and nothing happened.

When he opened his eyes, Thor was standing in between he and one of the Einherjar, the guard’s wrist being crushed in his hand.

“You will not,” Thor whispered.

The man dropped his hand and stepped back, and Loki took a few deep breaths before he met Odin’s gaze again. Surely Thor stepping in to protect him had angered him.

Odin was staring right into Loki’s eyes, unwavering in his foolish convictions. His face was a mask of stone, cold and unfeeling. “Guards. Escort Loki to the observatory. He is to be sent back to Midgard at once.” Then he turned with a flourish, leaving the hall just to get away from them.

Loki scowled at the back of the king’s head, and Thor batted away the hands that tried to grab his brother.

“Don’t touch him,” he snapped, and he took his brother’s shoulder with a sigh. “I’d say that went well.”

Loki's expression softened as he looked to Thor, huffing in amusement. He shook his hands out, as though to shake off his anxiety. “About as well as it could. I was correct – he’s clearly senile.” He turned to walk in the opposite direction that Odin had gone in. “Has he been like that ever since I left?”

Chuckling, his older brother quirked a brow. “What do you mean? He’s been like that as long as I can remember. How do you think I turned out this way? Someone had to have a little more common sense.”

“Oh, please. I had enough sense for the both of you,” Loki said. “You and Odin only know how to hit first, ask questions later.”

Thor shoved him to the side, and Loki shoved right back. “Rude. I'm not a fool.”

“Well, not anymore. You managed to develop a brain in my absence. It was far too late for the All-Father,” his brother teased. They came to a stop just past a doorway, and Loki clasped his hands together. “We are ditching the guards, right?”

“Oh, yes.”

The guards escorting Loki froze – exchanging a glance. But before they could even raise their weapons, the brothers attacked, knocking them out in one blow.

“You grab that one – I’ll get the other,” Thor said – and Loki rolled his eyes as he hoisted the body onto his shoulder.

“Already on it,” he said as he cast a spell to prolong their rest. “You know Heimdall will see this, right?”

“I’m counting on it.”

The two of them hid the unconscious guards, exchanged a look, and immediately sprinted down the hall, to where they might find the Warriors Four. Even if the group disliked Loki, they would always follow Thor.

“Now what in the Nine are you two planning?” Fandral asked the moment they stepped inside the room. “You look like you’re up to no good.”

Loki smirked. “Such is always the case when I’m involved, is it not?” He replied before his expression softened. “Hello, Fandral. Volstagg.” He dipped his head at both of them, and they greeted him in turn. He and Sif glanced at each other and didn’t feel the need to speak – so they stayed quiet. “Hogun is not here?”

“He stayed in Vanaheim after the land was reclaimed by Thor, to look after his family,” Volstagg explained, and Loki nodded as he let the door fall shut behind him.

Thor and Loki joined them around the fire in the middle of the room. “We need your help,” Thor said. “It may involve a little treason.”

“When does it not with you?” Volstagg asked with a hearty laugh. “I think I’ve committed treason no less than four times because of you!”

“Only four?! You’re missing out, my friend!” Fandral exclaimed.

Loki stood guard by the door, arms crossed as he listened for anyone approaching. Thor spoke with his friends about the problem at hand – and began discussing what he and Loki had come up with instead.

“We’ll need a ship, and a distraction, and someone to retrieve Jane from the chambers Father has locked her in.”

It had been crafted quickly, but it was still less risky than Odin’s own ideas. Loki trusted Thor’s ideas this time, and while they might be at risk, everyone else would be safe.

“The Bifrost is shut down, no one can come or go,” Fandral said. “How are you planning to get a ship out of here?”

“Loki,” Thor said, pointing to his brother, who gave a thumbs-up. “He knows of a larger pathway between worlds, that can fit the ship and lead us to Svartalfheim. He can guide us through.”

Sif pursed her lips. “Thor… have you considered the danger he might pose to your lady?” She asked in a hushed tone, as though Loki couldn’t still hear it clear as day. “It’s not unreasonable to question his intentions. After what happened with the queen, he may just wish to take his revenge out on her.”

Thor looked back at Loki, who quirked a brow, shrugging. Honestly, that might be the first time her concerns were valid. He’d thought about it more than a dozen times since his arrival in Asgard.

But as much as he loathed Jane for being the reason his mother had died, he couldn’t ignore that Frigga had chosen to protect her. Loki would not sully her memory just to take revenge – he would honor it and protect Jane, just like she had.

“He is not a danger to Jane,” Thor said, and Loki smiled, his brother’s trust in him reassuring in a time such as this.

Sif sighed, but nodded, accepting Loki’s role in this plan.

It all just relied on one more thing.

The trickster pushed off the wall as he heard the clink of heavy boots. “He’s here,” he said.

When he walked away from the door, it was pushed open – and Thor stood up, smiling. “Heimdall, how good of you to join us,” he greeted.

The Watcher stood in the doorway, and he glanced over the group, though his eyes seemed to stay on Loki, who was staring at his hand as he picked idly at flaking skin.

“Thor. Loki. Warriors.” He let the door fall shut behind him. “The All-Father ordered you be sent home, trickster.”

Loki dropped his hands, sighing as he faced the older man. “I believe I overheard something about the Bifrost being closed until further notice. Isn’t that correct, Watcher?” He smiled, tilting his head. “It seems the All-Father didn’t consider that when he ordered my removal. Seeing as my only way home is unavailable, I guess we’ll just have to wait until this business settles, don’t you think?”

Heimdall's lips twitched as he hid a smirk, nodding. “I suppose we’ll have to wait until Odin lifts the order, then,” he replied in turn, letting the loophole stand.

They didn’t always get along, because of Heimdall’s duty to the king, but occasionally he was willing to put up with Loki’s bullshit, especially if he found it funny.

Loki didn’t hate him, but he didn’t really like him either, since he was first and foremost a snitch to the crown.

Fortunately, they were going to use that in their favor.

“Heimdall, we need your help,” Thor began, welcoming the man in and having him sit with the rest of them. “You know as well as I do that Father isn’t handling this as he should. We intend to take Jane and defeat the Dark Elves somewhere else,” he said, and Heimdall nodded. “So… we need you to tell him of our treason.”

Clearly, Heimdall hadn’t been expecting that. His eyebrows rose in surprise as he looked between the brothers. “This is usually the part where you beg me not to inform your father of your schemes.”

Loki chuckled, stepping closer to the group. “Usually, yes. This time? No. If this plan is to work, we need you to tell him, back at the observatory.”

Heimdall smirked, golden eyes trained on Loki. “When would you like me to alert him?” He asked.

Within the next hour, Heimdall was off, and the moment the king was called from the palace, Sif went to retrieve Jane.

Volstagg stayed with them, and Fandral ran to secure other means of transport for the group.

Loki stood near Thor, arms crossed as he gazed out at the castle grounds below them. “You’ll have to tend to her garden,” he said, facing his brother before he summoned a dagger and began flipping it idly.

“What?” Thor quirked a brow. “Why me?”

Loki rolled his eyes. “I can’t stay, and –“ He caught his dagger by the hilt, staring at the gleam of the blade. “Someone needs to care for it in our absence.” He tossed it in the air again.

Thor frowned, but it’d be a disservice to their mother’s memory if they were to let her garden deteriorate. She’d spent century after century cultivating the plants there.

“Fine. I will.”

Loki nodded. “Good.”

Catching the knife, Loki barely avoided nicking his finger, and he huffed before vanishing his weapons.

He’d have to give Thor his journal about caring for the plants.

“Alright. Sif should have her now – and Father is out of the castle,” Thor said, turning to his brother and smiling. “Let’s go steal a ship.”

Loki grinned back at him. “Can I fly?”

“Absolutely not.”

His smile dropped from his face. “What? Why not?” Loki whined. “I’m the better pilot anyway.”

“Because it’s my plan. I fly the ship out of the palace – you fly us through the pathway.” Thor huffed at him, and Loki groaned. “And you are not the better pilot, I’ve been flying ships longer than you’ve –“

“- been alive, blah, blah, blah. I know, you’re old,” Loki grumbled as they walked down the hallway, and Thor reached over to grab him by his hair before he could properly run out of reach.

“Who are you calling old??”

“Ow, ah – ow! You're hurting meeee!”

“No, I'm not. Admit that I’m a better pilot,” Thor demanded as Loki shuffled next to him, trying to remove his brother’s hand from his curls.

“You couldn’t fly your way out of a paper bag,” Loki said, prying up a finger before it snapped down again. “Let go already, you oaf! Your sweaty hands will ruin my hair!”

“I’m clearly better!” Thor exclaimed, and Loki just laughed, quick to stifle it so that they were not found by the guards.

When they met with Sif, Volstagg, and Jane in the hallway, Thor finally released Loki’s hair, and the two of them composed themselves.

“Are you two quite finished?” Sif asked, and Loki snorted as Thor hid a laugh in a cough.

“Yes, we’re done. Let’s get going, we don’t have much time.”

Jane looked between them, confused. “Much time for what? Sif hasn’t –“

“- no time to explain, start running!” Loki whisper-shouted as guards rounded the corner and spotted their plotting.

“I’ll hold them off – take the mortal,” Sif said, and Thor placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Thank you, Sif,” he said.

Loki stepped away, sending a quick enchantment for luck her way. “See you on the other side,” he called as he fled with the group, and she rolled her eyes.

“Piss off, Loki.”

Chapter Text

It was quiet.

The sky was yellow, and mostly cloudy, and it was quiet.

‘I’m cold, brother. Will you stay with me? Your blankets are always warmer.’

‘Why, that’s because I’m bigger! Come here, Loki. I’ll keep you safe and warm.’

Loki gasped for breath, hands shaking as he clutched at his chest. “Thor,” he choked out, and it was only seconds before his brother’s face hovered above his own.

“Loki!” Thor stared at him in anguish, eyes frantically looking over him, and the injury - and after a few moments of silence and hesitation, he pulled Loki as close as possible, one hand cupping his head. “It’s okay – it’s okay, I’m right here,” he said.

It burned, the wound. Or perhaps it was just so cold it felt hot – Loki couldn’t tell. But the rest of him was frigid, and he shivered.

“Thor, it’s cold,” he whispered, clutching at his armor. “It’s so cold, I can’t -”

Thor’s tears were hot on his face, and he relished the warmth.

“I know. Just – hold onto me. I’ll keep you warm, just as I always have,” Thor said, pulling him even closer, uncaring of the blood that dripped from his little brother dirtying his pants. “Isn’t – isn’t that better?”

Loki nodded, tasting copper in the back of his throat, and he looked back up at the sky. “I wish it were blue,” he said, each inhale growing more and more labored. “Blue is j – just…” He trailed off, furrowing his brow. “…better.”

“Loki, please – hold on. You know I’ve never been good at healing spells, but I –“ He grit his teeth, and Loki’s wandering eyes finally looked back at him as he tried to remember the incantation, but it had been centuries, and he had always thought – he never imagined that dying in battle would be a bad thing.

“It’s okay,” Loki whispered, the words coming easy to him from how many times Thor had uttered them, trying to comfort his little brother. “It’s okay. You’re going to be okay.”

You’ll lose me, but you have your friends, you have Jane. You will never be alone.

A sob tore itself from Thor’s throat as he held him, shaking his head, and Loki took one of Thor’s hands in his own, bloody fingers staining his brother's tanned skin.

“I’m sorry,” he said as the burning feeling radiating from his wound got even worse, his skin on fire as the color drained from his face. “I’m sorry, I’m –“

Thor squeezed his hands. “You have nothing to be sorry for,” he said, gently rocking them back and forth. “Nothing at all.”

“That –“ Loki wheezed, digging his nails in as his limbs began to go numb, magic abandoning them in a poor effort to repair the wound in his chest. “That isn’t qu – quite true, is it?” He grimaced. “If not for me, you’d be King of Asgard. H - he would’ve loved you.”

Thor shook his head, and he bit down hard on his lip. “If not for you… I would’ve been just like him. Ruthless, thoughtless, cruel… you kept me humble. You showed me my weaknesses, and I am stronger, kinder, and just better for knowing you.”

Loki’s breaths began to slow – everything was so much harder. His hands couldn’t squeeze anymore, his whole body sagging in Thor’s arms as he struggled to function. It was just all too exhausting.

He rested his head against Thor’s chest plate. “I’ll tell… I’ll tell mother you said hello,” he murmured, eyelids fluttering.

“No – Loki! Loki, please! Stay with me, stay –“

The last thing he felt was the scratch of Thor’s beard against his forehead, and then it all… went dark.

…

“Father.”

When Loki opened his eyes next, he was seated on a hillside.

Next to him sat a woman. Tall, dark-haired, beautiful and deadly in equal measure. He stared, and the longer he did, the more he could see the hollow of her skull beneath the translucent flesh.

“Welcome to my realm,” she greeted, her rough voice keeping him… maybe not grounded, but at least focused on the moment.

Loki stared at her, eyes wide in shock. “Hela?” He asked softly, and she nodded. “I’m…” His hands went to his chest, fingers brushing over his armor, feeling the gash across his chest. “I died.”

“Yes, you did,” Hela replied, her arms wrapped around her knees as she faced him as well. “It was selfless. Kind.” She then gestured to imagery she’d conjured. “The human and your brother live, because of your actions. They are to defeat Malekith shortly,” she said.

When Loki looked, he could see his brother in London, running around with Jane, Darcy, Erik and Ian. His brother was missing his cape.

“Am I still on Svartalfheim?” He asked. “Did they… Did Thor leave me there?”

Please. Please. Please, just…

“Yes.”

Loki closed his eyes, curling forward, over his knees as tears burned his eyes. “He left me there.”

Hela tilted her head at him. “He did. Time was short. Your body lays in a cave, wrapped in his cape of red.”

Loki nodded, wringing his hands together as he pushed down the sobs that choked him. “O…okay.” He ran a hand through his hair, breathing deeply.

His daughter waited patiently beside him. Death was in no hurry.

“He loved you very much,” she said. “I… I envy that. My brothers and I have never had a connection like yours.”

Loki watched the conjured image, seeing his brother fight the Dark Elves. “You are already well aware of my regrets regarding you and your brothers,” he told her. “I wish… I wish that you could’ve had something like Thor and I.”

Hela shrugged, scratching idly at her dry hands. “We see each other in dreams,” she said. “Jormungandr still doesn’t speak, but Fenrir does. More and more, as of late. That is enough.”

“You still dream together?” He asked, watching as his daughter subconsciously copied her father, her uncle, and grandmother’s nervous tic. She nodded, and he looked away, staring instead at his own bloodied fingers. “You stopped visiting me,” he said. “I… I thought I did something wrong. Something to upset you.”

His daughter stayed quiet, frowning. Like she wasn’t sure how to answer, how to speak with him. “We grow angrier, Father. We are… consumed by our rage,” she said, hands curling into fists. “It’s all I can think about. Angrboda made us monsters, and that bastard, Odin – he has imprisoned us, isolated us, each in a different kind of Hel.”

She stood up, grinding her teeth together, and Loki just watched, unable to help in any way. But she closed her eyes, and faced him. “When you fell into the Mad Titan’s hands, we agreed… that keeping that rage from you would be best. We all wanted… you needed to survive that place.”

Rising to his feet in a careful movement, Loki stood in front of his child. She was tall, every edge of her sharp. He was taller – and after only a few moments, he stepped forward and hugged her tightly, tucking her head beneath his chin.

Hela froze, eyes wide as she was held for the first time in her life. Truly, physically held, the warmth of someone else’s figure against her own cool skin.

“I am your parent,” he whispered, squeezing her in his arms until she finally relaxed. “I’m sorry that you believed I couldn’t handle it. Seeing you, hearing you and your brothers… it would’ve been worth it. To love is to endure.”

Hela pressed her forehead to his body, and he pretended not to notice the tears dropping onto his shoulder.

“I love you – and I love Jormungandr, and I love Fenrir, always. No matter what.”

Hela stayed tucked in his arms as he began to card his hands through her hair, working out the knots with careful movements. They stayed like that for a long, long time.

And then she pulled away, and gazed up at him. “You have to go back,” she said.

“What do you mean?” He asked. “I’ve died. I can’t –“

Hela held up a hand to stop him, and he frowned. “You think I’m letting that despicable man outlive you?” She quirked a brow, and Loki stared at her in shock.

“Wait, Hela.” He frowned. “What if I don’t want to leave? What if… I want to stay here? With you?”

Loki could see in her eyes that she wanted him to stay – but to let him stay would be just as painful. Slowly, he would lose himself to eternal rest. His memories, his sense of self, it would all fade away.

The silence stretched – and then his daughter smiled up at him, her expression soft. “You will, eventually. But not today. Not this time,” she said. “Farewell, Father. I hope, for your sake, that we do not meet again anytime soon.”

Loki stepped forward, reaching for her – watching as she melted into the shadows. Or perhaps the shadows consumed her as they consumed everything else, the scenery and surroundings turning an inky black as he was kicked from Hel.

When he opened his eyes next, he was prone in a cave, staring up at the rocks above.

All at once, he felt everything again. Heat, cold, pain – and Loki cried out as he clutched his chest, where the stab wound still bled.

It was smaller now, the skin mending itself over time, but still painful. Still deep.

With great struggle, Loki rose to his feet, every inhale a laborious endeavor. He couldn’t stay in Svartalfheim. He needed the sun. He needed… Midgard. Where the grass was green, their skies bright blue, or pink, or orange, or a tapestry of every color of the rainbow.

Home.

He needed to get home.

Loki coughed up blood as he dragged himself through a pathway, one formed during the Convergence.

His head pounded as he stepped into heavy London foot traffic, everybody chattering and showing each other footage on their phones.

The longer he stood there, bleeding in Asgardian garb, the more eyes were drawn to him. They'd just had another attempted alien invasion, so clearly – clearly, they must think he’s part of it.

Technically, he was.

Loki ignored the cameras and phones turned in his direction, shoving his way through the crowds until they parted for him, and he found another pathway – one that led to New York.

In front of all of their eyes, he disappeared.

It was far past midnight in the city of New York.

Loki stood on the sidewalk, and his vision went double as he leaned against a wall, a cold sweat breaking out over his entire body.

Almost there.

Almost home.

His feet dragged beneath him. He saw gang members crossing the street to avoid him – so he knew he must look a mess, even more than he felt.

When he got a glimpse of himself in the reflection of a window, he grimaced. His hair was a tangled disaster, his clothing torn and armor dented. His face was pale, practically grey.

He looked dead.

A trail of blood, the only proof of life he had, dripped behind him, following him into the lobby of the Avengers tower.

The cool air conditioning hit his face, and he stood in the bright white lights as he tried to figure out what, exactly, he was intending to do there.

The elevator dinged as the receptionist stared at him in horror – and he collapsed, crumpling to the floor as the employee screamed.

“What the hell happened?!”

“I don’t know, he just walked in like that! Last I heard, he’d gone to London, and then he went off planet –“

As he began to lose consciousness, he saw the Widow’s pinched expression as she crouched by his face.

Her hands were warm. They wiped away the grime and sweat on his face, and he felt like he was burning up.

The floor was cold. He pressed against it as his blood pooled beneath him.

“You’re gonna be okay,” she said. “We’ve got you.”

Tony was next to her, speaking quickly into his phone. He kept glancing over, never making eye contact, looking more and more distressed until at last - Loki's eyes rolled back in his head, and he fell unconscious again.

‘You have been saved by the Children of Thanos.’

Chapter Text

“Oh – he’s waking up. I have to go, I’ll talk to you later.”

Loki kept his eyes shut as he took in a slow breath, and he stretched his hands out, feeling over the rough blanket on top of him.

He had been undressed while unconscious – and was now wearing something else. Flimsy clothes, clearly meant for ease of access.

“Where am I?” He whispered, trying not to panic at both the loss of his clothes and Thor’s cape.

He felt the press of a hand next to his own, close but not touching. He reached out with his pinky, touching the other hand, and relaxed when he was met with the person doing the same in response.

“You’re at a SHIELD hospital in New York City,” Steve murmured, the rumble of his voice like Valhalla on Loki’s ears. “Do you remember what happened? Do you know how you got here?”

He could breathe – and while he still tasted blood, he knew he was no longer bleeding. His body had repaired itself while he slept.

Loki finally cracked his eyes open, and he grimaced as the bright lights invaded his retinas. “…Yes. I think so.” He swallowed thickly, feeling like he had glass lining his throat. “Is there water here?” His eyes slid over to Steve, whose gaze was so, so stupidly intense.

The soft, kind blue of his eyes were a dangerous combination with his thick eyebrows and unwavering focus.

“Yeah, yeah.” Steve reached for a pitcher on the end table, pouring some water into a cup before he held it up for Loki. “Here.”

The god sat up, sipping slowly at the water and feeling over his chest as he drained the cup. “I don’t much care for the hospital garb,” he said as he lowered the cup from his lips.

Taking the cup back to refill it, Steve let out a short laugh – seemingly allowing the redirect for now. “Yeah, no one ever likes it,” he said, handing the cup back. “It was just as bad when I was a kid as it is now.”

Loki finished off two more cups before he adjusted his blankets, and he glanced down. “I’d imagine the doctors and such were rather confused on what to do with me,” he said.

Steve set his cup to the side and then leaned back in the bedside chair. “Confused might be an understatement. When your wounds started healing and closing right in front of them, they started thinking it was a mass hallucination, or that you might have been the second coming of Christ.”

With a small smile, Loki quirked a brow. “Second coming of who?” He tilted his head curiously, and the shock on Steve’s face was evident – he hadn’t even considered that Loki might not be aware of the various religions on Earth.

“Oh, he’s uh… he was the son of God, he died and then resurrected… it’s this whole thing. I’ll explain it more some other time,” Steve mumbled, waving his hand dismissively.

Nodding in acceptance, Loki considered the answer for a few moments before clasping his hands together. “My apologies, then. If I had been conscious, I could’ve explained that as an Asgardian, I have an accelerated healing factor,” Loki said, pulling the fabric away from his body to get a good look at his chest, where the only remnant of the wound was an ugly pink scar. “I convert everything I intake into energy, which goes wherever I need it most. In this case, my chest wound.”

Steve watched him swing his legs out of the bed, and he cleared his throat, turning away as the hospital gown rode up. “It seemed like a pretty bad injury, Loki.” He moved to grab the man’s clothes, handing them over. “The scarring went all the way through. Even with the healing…”

Repairing the fabric with a wave of his hand, Loki hesitated, and he began to shake from head to toe.

It is not the time or place for this. Get it together.

Loki exhaled as calmly as he could manage before he tossed the hospital gown to the side and pulled his clothing on. “It was quite a grievous injury, but I’m shocked that the doctors were aware of that. How could they tell?” He asked as he stood up, buckling his pants.

“Well, there’s apparently some fancy machines that can do it now, for one. For two…” Steve looked back at Loki and he took his shoulder, walking him to the bathroom and spinning him around, so that his back was to a mirror. “It’s pretty difficult to miss on both sides.”

The scar on his back, right next to his spine, was just as bad as the front.

Loki stared at it in the mirror, and he swayed as the color drained from his face.

‘I really thought that he killed him, this time.’

He was supposed to be dead.

He had been dead.

“I…” Loki stared, feeling Steve’s hands on his shoulders as he blinked slowly, until he could finally force himself to look away. “I guess I’ll never look as good shirtless as you do,” he deflected, walking back to the hospital bed and pulling on his shirt, moving quickly so that maybe Steve couldn’t see how his hands shook.

“Loki – Loki,” Steve called behind him, stepping in front before he could leave the room. When Loki tried to side-step him and leave, he just moved right back in front of him. “What happened in London?” He asked.

Standing before his friend, Loki grit his teeth, and he resisted the urge to shove him to the side and burn the hospital to the ground on his way out.

It would be so, so easy.

He ran a hand through his hair as he went back to the hospital bed, and he wondered.

It was Steve.

“Not… not here,” he finally whispered. “SHIELD has ears everywhere.”

Steve sighed, and he nodded. “That, I can work with.” He gazed at Loki with kindness, taking both his hands. “Let’s get the hell out of here, and we can talk about it.”

Loki nodded, pulled his hands away and straightening out his clothes. “Yes, let’s.”

When Steve opened the door, however, he was met with Tony and Natasha standing on the other side, seemingly about to enter. “Uh –“ He glanced between them, grimacing. “Hi – what are you doing here?”

Natasha quirked a brow. “I was already on my way over when I ran into Tony.” She looked inside, at where Loki stood awkwardly behind Steve. “What trouble are you causing now?” She asked, exasperated.

Loki pursed his lips, and then sighed. “I’m leaving, and he’s leveraging information out of me in exchange for letting me go.”

Natasha and Tony exchanged a glance, and the billionaire held a hand up as they stepped into the room.

“Are you sure you should be up and walking?” He asked, and Loki rolled his eyes, yanking his shirt up above the scar. “I could literally see right through y – your…” He pulled off his sunglasses, jaw hanging open. “It’s all healed?”

Loki nodded, dropping his shirt. “Perks of being As - a species that can convert air into energy. I’m all better. Can I go now?”

Natasha stood in front of the closed door, her arms crossed. “What information?” She asked.

Curling his hands into fists, Loki stared her down – knowing he would never harm her, but wanting to anyway, just for the sake of escaping this bullshit.

Instead of punching his friend, he swung his fist and turned the hospital wall into a pile of loose drywall, and he ground his teeth together. “I’m getting the Hel out of here. I don’t care if you follow me, but right now it’s in everybody’s best interest to get out of my way,” he growled down at her, green eyes swirling with magic as he yanked his fist from the wall.

She stepped to the side, letting him past and trailing close behind as he marched right out of the hospital.

A nurse looked up, raising a hand to speak to them, maybe stop their exit – before she saw Loki’s face and thought better of it. She lowered her hand, and the group of four promptly exited the facility, the three humans trailing behind the god.

The elevator creaked as Loki stepped in, selecting the ground floor and crossing his arms as he stood in the very back. He seemed to calm down, now that they weren’t impeding his ability to escape this Norns-forsaken building, and the anger faded from his mannerisms.

“Where are we going?” Tony asked. “Any place in particular?”

Loki glanced at him, quirked a brow, and then just stepped past when the doors opened, He navigated the streets of New York, still saying nothing as they crossed street after street, twisting and turning until Loki came to a stop by a park, and he huffed as he went to sit on a bench.

“Thank god. My legs were getting tired!” Tony exclaimed as he plopped down on the other end, leaning against the back. “I’m pretty sure we doubled back a few times.”

“Yes, that’s called losing a tail,” Loki explained, rolling his eyes. “We had three SHIELD agents following me, now I have none.”

Steve frowned, taking the spot next to Loki, and Natasha chose to remain standing. “Don’t you have a tracker on your wrist?” He asked.

Loki pulled back his sleeve, where the metal bracelet rested. “There are no electrical pulses coming from it. My best guess is the Bifrost broke it,” he said, pulling it off a moment later and shoving it into his pocket. “Regardless, it tells SHIELD whatever I want it to.”

Natasha crossed her arms, gazing down at Loki. “So, what’s going on? What don’t you want SHIELD to know?”

In an instant, Loki’s shoulders slumped, and he dropped his head forward as he wrung his hands, feeling sick to his stomach. “It’s a personal preference, really. What happened…” He pursed his lips and rubbed at a teary eye, then shook his head. “It’s a complicated situation, I…”

Tony stared at him for a few moments before he sighed, leaning forward and handing over a handkerchief from his suit jacket pocket. “Yeah, I don’t like SHIELD being in my personal business either. I get it.”

Loki hesitantly accepted the cloth, and he pressed it to the inner corners of his eyes as he tried to remain calm. “Has Thor contacted any of you?” He asked, staring down at the pavement below him.

Steve shook his head, frowning. “No, he hasn’t.”

“He’s off-world. He left after the events in London,” Natasha told him. “Does your situation have something to do with that?”

Nodding slowly, Loki dug his nail into the fleshy palm of his hand. “It… It does.”

He knew he needed to tell Thor, and he would. Eventually. They were too far from each other to speak through the mind link, and he had no other way of contacting him, so it wasn’t like he had a choice.

That’s what he kept telling himself, anyway.

“What happened in London anyway?” Tony asked. “I saw about a million reports screaming about another alien invasion. That wasn't you again, was it?”

Loki grit his teeth, and Steve sighed next to him. “I’m sure he’ll cover that. Can we just let him talk? Please?” He looked at Tony, annoyed, and Tony raised his hands in surrender.

“Message received, shutting up now.”

Loki leaned forward on the bench, picking at the skin that peeled off of his hands, and for a few moments, he said nothing. He didn’t have a clue as to where he should start.

“Thor thinks I’m dead,” he said first, moving one hand to his chest to press against the scar. “He thinks that because I was dead. I was stabbed through my chest in a battle, and I died in his arms.”

The humans exchanged glances, and Loki paid them no mind, at least for now. “What started this was something called the Convergence. I explained it to Dr. Banner, but –“

He went through, quickly, what the Convergence was, then his phone call with Darcy, the search for Erik Selvig after, and then the return to Asgard. They listened, only interjecting to ask for clarification every once in a while, until they reached the end of the story, in which he died.

“What – what happened after you died? How did you come back?” Steve asked.

Loki smiled a little, glancing over at them a little nervously. “I went to Hel,” he said. “We have two afterlives – Valhalla, where the warriors go after dying in battle, and Hel, the eternal rest. My daughter, Hela – and no, I did not name her – is the Queen of Hel, and the goddess of death,” he said. “I got to see her, for the first time.“

Sobs lodged themselves in his throat, and he stopped talking, taking a few moments to breathe as he gripped the handkerchief.

“I – I wanted to stay, but she didn’t listen, and she sent me back to my body,” he said. “I… I died, and now I’m back, and…” He shook his head, his hands now beginning to tremble.

‘If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Loki, it’s that he never stays dead – which means we can do whatever we’d like.’

He would never be allowed to rest. Death was a luxury that he would never be able to indulge in, no matter what happened. No matter how hard people like Proxima, or Ebony Maw, or Kurse tried.

‘We could probably cut his heart out of his chest, and it’d keep beating. I mean - how do these Asgardians do it?’

‘Shut. Up. Let’s not give Father any ideas.’

Staggering to his feet, Loki dropped the handkerchief back in Tony’s lap, feeling sick to his stomach as he hurried away from them. “I can’t – I can’t, I just…”

STOP THINKING ABOUT IT STOP THINKING ABOUT –

He choked down the vomit that threatened to come out, instead focusing on getting away. From SHIELD, from his (teammates?)(friends?) coworkers, from New York.

They all watched as he changed his clothes with a wave of his hand, and his appearance began to shift as well. In only seconds, he had seamlessly blended into the crowd, indistinguishable from those around him, and all they could do was stare.

Steve put his head in his hands, and Natasha plopped down next to him, sighing.

“He’s not coming back, is he?”

“…no. He isn’t.”

Chapter Text

It had been pouring for weeks.

Thor sat in Loki’s room, holding onto his familiar green cape and staring at the wall as thunder boomed outside. The windows trembled with each lightning strike, and the never-ending rain dripped down the building, flooding the streets.

He sighed when he heard the elevator ding, taking a moment to consciously stop the poor weather.

“And here I was, just coming to ask if you could quit that,” Tony said, stepping onto the floor with a smile.

Thor glanced over, setting the cape to the side. “My apologies, Stark. I just…”

Tony plopped onto the couch next to Thor. “I’d ask how you’re doing, but I figure that’s pretty obvious.” He gestured to the gloomy weather, not getting any reaction. “Want a drink?” He asked, pulling out a bottle from under his arm.

Removing a flask from his jacket, Thor held it up for Tony to see. “I’ve already been partaking, my friend,” he said, and he took a swig before tucking it away again.

“There… hasn’t been any word?” Tony poured a drink for himself, watching as the sun began to peek through the clouds. “Don’t you have that mind link?”

“I believe…” Thor huffed in amusement, setting the cape to the side to cross his arms. “Whether he’s aware of it or not, he hid the door from me, so I cannot speak with him.”

His brother had died and come back to life, and now Thor couldn’t see him, or speak with him. He didn’t even know where he was, a fact that SHIELD seemed to hate.

Tony held his cup close, staring out the window. “I think he’ll be okay,” he said. “He just needs to figure out some stuff, and then he’ll be back.”

“How can you be so sure?” Thor asked. “He has never done this – he has never disappeared, and hidden himself from me! Whenever he ran, I ran with him, so I don’t understand –“ He stopped himself, frowning as he dropped his head into his hands. “I don’t understand it.”

“Come on, Thor, you saw the note,” Tony told him. “He just needs space to come to terms with everything, and he's got no reason to lie about this.”

Thor scoffed. “You’d be surprised at what he’s willing to lie about.”

Choosing not to pursue that, Tony sat up, patting Thor’s shoulder. “It’s gonna be alright. It’s only been a few months since he left. He’ll be back before you know it, better than ever.”

The god nodded, finally sitting up when he felt Tony’s hand. “I hope you’re right,” he said.

“I’m always right,” Tony called as he stood up, heading to the elevator. “We’ll tell you if we hear anything from him.”

Then he left Thor to his moping, the elevator doors sliding shut behind him. “JARVIS, any luck?”

“No, sir. It seems that Loki knows how to hide himself from our technology. I have not been able to find any trace of him.”

Tony cursed, dropping his head back against the wall. “I thought, with the new parameters…”

“…I’m sorry, sir.”

“No, don’t be.” Tony went to his lab, impatient as he stood in the elevator. “Just keep an eye out for any anomalies, and flag any uses of the phone number he gave Steve on the burner.”

“Understood, sir.”

Tony threw himself into his workshop, annoyed at the inability to locate Loki after months of his absence.

No matter what algorithm he tweaked, no matter what resource he used, Loki stayed hidden. Nothing helped, and it was driving Tony insane.

After a few hours, he noticed the presence of a few others.

Bruce and Steve talked easily as Bruce fiddled with something on a workbench, and they both chuckled before Tony lifted his welding mask up.

“Hey guys! What’s going on? Need something?” He asked, sliding over on a stool.

“I think that’s the longest I’ve ever heard him go without talking,” Bruce said to Steve as he tinkered with what looked to be a coffee machine.

Steve snorted. “Tell me about it. Since I’ve met him, I don't think he’s ever shut his mouth,” he replied before looking back at Tony. “No, Bruce is just helping me with the coffee machine. It broke, and I’d rather just fix it than buy a new one.”

Tony nodded, looking back down at his small project that was very quickly turning into a big one. “Don’t have too much fun!” He said as he set his welding mask to the side, moving on to something else.

“We won’t!” Bruce called, staring at the inside of the coffee machine. “By the way, how’s the search for Loki going?”

“It would go better if Steve let me call him on that burner. At least then I’d have a signal to track, something,” Tony said, scowling up at Steve.

The man in question sighed, crossing his arms. “He specifically said it was for emergencies only. If he wanted us to know where he was, he would’ve told us,” he said.

Tony set a screwdriver to the side. “I just want to find him before SHIELD does, you know they won’t be forgiving.”

“And what then?” Steve asked. “What are we supposed to do when we find him?”

Bruce set the coffeemaker down. “Yeah, Tony. What’s the plan?” He had a feeling he knew the answer, and it wasn’t something he liked at all.

Tony sighed, glancing between them. “We’ll facilitate some sort of conversation, so that SHIELD doesn’t lock him up or something, but – he will have to go back to working for them. It’s part of his deal, remember?”

“Loki has done a lot for SHIELD since he joined. The tech is faster, more accurate – the systems are running smoothly, all because he fixed the coding when he didn’t have to,” Bruce said.

“I could’ve done that,” Tony said, pouting a little bit.

Bruce rolled his eyes, crossing his arms as he faced Tony completely. “He spilled all he knew about the Tesseract and clean energy, and he helped repairs all around the city. He went on dozens of missions and saved probably hundreds of people with his actions, I mean – how much more does he have to do?” He asked. “I didn’t have to do any of that, and I’m pretty sure I did more damage.”

Tony lifted his hands up in mock-surrender. “Don’t kill the messenger! SHIELD doesn’t think he’s done enough, and I'm just –“

“- since when are you buddies with SHIELD?” Steve asked, quirking a brow. “You don’t work for them. I do, and even I recognize that my friend and his health matters more to me than keeping it clean with the government. Should I just give him up to SHIELD for them to use him however long they want, with no end in sight?”

“I don’t think he should be punished forever. I never said that,” Tony said, holding a hand up. “I just think that he needs to hold up his end of the deal, that’s all.”

Bruce and Steve exchanged a look, and they reached a silent agreement. “I respect it, Tony, and I understand the agreement, but… we saw the same thing.” He frowned, looking back to the machine in front of him. “He needs time. I’m giving him time, because I know he’ll be back.”

Tony left his bench, walking over as he frowned. “How do you know?”

Steve was quiet for a few moments before he smiled a little. “Because he’s a good person. He’ll be back, and he'll honor his deal. And you just have to trust us, okay?”

Tony didn’t trust anybody, but he stood there and considered it.

He sighed, bobbing his head in a small nod of surrender. “You think he’ll be back in time for next Christmas?” He asked as he walked back to his bench.

Steve chuckled, and Bruce relaxed, continuing to tinker. “Maybe. Why? Wondering if you have to put a stocking up for him?”

“Maybe.”

Bruce rolled his eyes. “I’m lucky I was out of town during the holidays. I don’t even want to think about what Tony puts into stockings,” he said, finishing with the machine and sitting it upright. “Okay, this should be good to go.”

Steve patted his shoulder, smiling. “Thanks, Bruce. I appreciate it.”

“You know, old timer, normal people just replace things like that instead of trying to fix them,” Tony called, eyes not straying from his current task.

Rolling his eyes, Steve picked up the machine, holding it comfortably under his arm. “I believe in making products last. Consumerism should be about sustainability, not endless growth,” he replied easily as he went for the elevator, Bruce not far behind.

“Fair enough. See you later, Cap, Bruce,” Tony called, waving half-heartedly as they left his lab.

Bruce leaned against the wall, arms crossed as the elevator hummed. When it arrived at Steve’s floor, the super soldier invited him in, so he followed him to living room.

“Do you have any idea how to handle the Loki situation when he gets back?” Bruce asked.

Plugging his coffee maker into the wall again, Steve went ahead with prepping for a pot to be made. “It’s not much different than Tony’s plan, honestly,” he said. “The biggest thing is timing. I just want him to figure things out and come back on his own schedule – and we’ll go from there.”

Bruce nodded, and he pulled up a stool to sit nearby. “Loki’s done this world a lot of good. It doesn’t feel right to turn him over to SHIELD again, to do whatever they want him to.”

“…no, it doesn’t. But we don't have much choice,” Steve said, tossing a few spoonfuls of coffee grounds onto the paper filter. “That’s why defending his isolation is so important.”

Then lightning struck, thunder rattling the building as the rain began to pour down again, and the two men sighed.

“We haven’t had a clear sky since Thor’s return from Asgard,” Bruce complained, earning a chuckle from Steve.

“And it won’t be stopping any time soon,” he said.

Bruce watched as Steve turned to his fridge, and something warmed in his chest when Steve began making lunch for two. “Do you ever plan on telling Thor?”

Steve shook his head. “About the phone? No – he’d take it and call, and Loki would probably ditch the phone once he found out it was Thor, and not an emergency. Then we’d have no way to contact him.”

“I guess that's true,” Bruce replied, and he crossed his arms. “Why did he give it to you?”

It was then that Steve hesitated, standing still in the kitchen as his mind seemed to run a million miles a minute. He was practically steaming as he tried to figure out the answer, but nothing specific came to mind.

“I don’t know. I like to think that it's a trust thing, but… I’m not sure what I did to earn it more than any of the rest of you guys,” he said, trying to think over his interactions with Loki. “I would’ve thought he’d give the phone to Natasha, but…”

Quirking a brow, Bruce made a face. “Natasha? No way. They're barely friends.”

Steve’s eyebrows shot up as he spun to face Bruce. “They went out every other week to hang out and drink together. I mean – I don’t think it was for missions, I’m pretty sure they were friends…?”

Bruce stared at him, baffled for a few moments before he managed to shrug. “That is a dangerous duo,” he commented, earning a laugh this time.

“I tend to keep my distance when he's with her, and for good reason,” Steve told him, thinking a little more about the phone.

Loki had hidden it in his coat pocket, with a note saying what it was for. Steve had been surprised, but he didn’t dwell on it long – it wasn’t like he could get an answer to any questions he had.

Honestly, Natasha made more sense to him. They spent more time together, and it seemed like they might be able to relate more, but then he thought of his time spent with Loki. Most of the time was spent talking – getting to know each other, or the world around them. Neither had been familiar with it, so they learned together.

Since he had come back, some of the best moments of his life had happened with Loki at his side. He discovered that they were more alike than they were different, so it had made for a quick and easy friendship.

But for it to be the kind of friendship where Loki trusted Steve to protect his peace? It was a shock, and one that he still had yet to process.

Honestly, Steve missed him a lot. There were some things that he could only talk to Loki about, things only the god would understand, where only his company would be what Steve wanted.

Maybe Loki was in a similar boat – maybe that’s why Loki chose him.

“I’m not sure why he chose me, but… I’m glad that he did,” Steve confessed as he slid a plate Bruce’s way. Then he sighed, wanting to change the subject. “I’ve got some movies to catch up on. Care to join me?”

The doctor considered it for a few moments before he nodded. “Sure, why not?” He followed Steve to the couch, where he fiddled with the remote. “Is it Star Wars?”

“Yeah – what’s the difference between Star Wars and Star Trek, again?” Steve asked, and Bruce seemed to short-circuit in front of him, his eye twitching. “Kidding! I’m kidding, I know the difference.”

They sat in silence for a while, watching a movie and eating until Bruce lifted his head.

“What do you think constitutes as an emergency for an Asgardian?” He asked.

Steve blinked at the screen before he turned to Bruce, pausing the movie with a confused look on his face. “I… have no idea.”

There was a beat of silence before Bruce spoke again. “Do you think Thor would catch on if we asked him about it?”

“…no. Let's go ask him.”

Star Wars on the TV screen was abandoned as the two of them left the floor, searching for answers. Bruce, out of curiosity, and Steve, out of the hopes that those answers could bring Loki home sooner rather than later.