The barren realm’s blunt and rocky ground felt harsh against his skin as he was thrown back from the blow, his body rolling on the stones. A soft grunt escaped Thor’s lips, dried blood cracking from its movement. His body ached with an unbearable pain due to battle as a small part of his mind wanted to resign from this fight. Then again, the pain maybe radiating from his heart just like his resignation stemmed not from cowardice of war, but from deep care for his opponent.
A dark chuckle seemed to have sliced through the dusty winds to reach the thunder god’s ears.
“Oh how the Mighty Thor has fallen…if only the Allfather could see this now.” A cold calculated voice said.
Slowly, Thor began to stand upon his feet, feeling each bruise and cut resonate through him, and face toward the voice’s owner. His brother. Although they weren’t bonded by blood, Thor couldn’t think of him any less than that. They grew up together, were shield brothers and close friends. At least that’s what Thor had always thought. It wasn’t till now at the eleventh hour, as he faced off against Loki that the god realized how wrong he was and regretted so much. If only he had noticed his father’s ignorance and abuse, if he had shown more pride and humility the many times his brother would save them from trouble or showed him a new spell. If only he had treated him as an equal or even more.
“Brother please! Stop this insanity!” Thor pleaded, looking into the other gods eyes.
Loki, looked back, his merciless green eyes analyzing the traitor before him. A peel of mad laughter left his thin lips, enjoying how broken Thor looked before him.
“Insanity?! I’ve never been saner! And I won’t stop until I gain the retribution I’ve wholly deserved my entire life!” Loki yelled. Within an instant, raised his hand his hand sending a sharp blast of magic, assailing Thor backwards again until his back hit a collection of massive boulders. Thor rasped a deep breath, black spots blinding his vision for a moment. Before he could stand again, Loki was before him, the blade of his dagger seeming to unnaturally gleam without any light.
With a murderous glare, Loki knelt down close to Thor’s body. “It’s interesting really, how it all played out in the end? How you, the powerful golden prince, are now clinging to life, a life that’s in my unworthy hands? I sense your regret, how you wish you could change it all. But, let me tell you something, ‘Dearest Brother’ ”
A intense, sinister pain shot through Thor’s chest as he peered down to see the dagger’s blade hidden deep within his torso, twisting his insides. His eyes rolled up, noticing the crazed merriment in Loki’s own.
Before the darkness of death swallowed him whole, the last thing he heard was Loki whisper to him
“I win.”
~~~~~
Thor shot up from his bed, breath ragged and the sheen of a cold sweat upon his face. One of his large hands reached for his chest, searching for an open, bleeding wound, yet finding none. With a small sense of relief, the prince looked about his room waiting for his breathing to return normal and heart to stop its rapid beating, his eyes landing on the large window facing the New York skyline from Stark Tower. A storm had brewed, the rumbling of thunder and static of lightning filling the late night air. Thor was quite unsure if the weather had naturally come or if he had summoned it during his restless sleep. The night terror felt so strangely real that it made the god wonder if it was an ill omen or future that could possibly occur.
He was removed from his eerie reverie by a small, hesitant knock upon his door.
“Come” Thor responded, voice gruff from disuse.
The door opened just enough for a young boy to walk through. The boy was fairly tall for his age, yet thin possibly from being on the streets of Paris for so long. He had a pale complexion, except for the slight ruddiness on his face that was still round from youth. His hair was an ebony black and shaggy although not overgrown. Thor couldn’t see his eyes, as the boy was looking down as his fingers messed with the grey fabric of one of Tony’s band t-shirts that was lent as a nightshirt.
It was Serrure. No, Loki.
“Um...Thor, Cou-Could I stay with you? I couldn’t sleep, the storm and…” Loki said quietly, his words dying off at the end as his cheeks flushed from embarrassment and he finally peered his vivid green eyes at the thunderer.
In his eyes, Thor could see one thing: Fear. Fear of the storm and the lightning. Fear of Thor himself. How much pain did Thor cause Loki that even his newly reborn form feared him?
With a soft, reassuring voice he responded “Of course brother.”
Thor noticed the boy’s body relax at the response as Loki took barefooted steps towards the bed. He then crawled up across the skewed white sheets and snuggled comfortably into the soft bed and pillows.
A kind smile played on the older god’s lips has he looked down at the younger as he settled back into bed as well.
It didn’t take long until Loki had fallen back to sleep with help of the warm feel of safety that enveloped him having Thor close as Thor noticed how the child edged closer and closer until his hands had found their way to laying across his broad chest.
Dream still deep in his mind, Thor knew that this was a second chance not just for Loki, but for himself as well. It was a chance to be a better man and friend. To be his equal in all ways, to show all the love and appreciation he did feel for Loki inside. To be the bother that Loki had always deserved.