Brothers No More Yet Friendship Remains
Thor had kept his promise of visiting Loki the next day, succeeding in pissing off more than one person, but none of them Loki. Thor had brought Loki lunch, surprising the trickster while he was busy reading. “Loki?” Thor tapped the bars, ignoring the Guards protests as he opened the door and stepped inside. The slender man looked up from his book, stunned as Thor shooed the guards away with a wave. “Go before I make you. I can take care of myself,” The Golden God boomed, sending the guards scurrying like rats.
Loki tried not to laugh, knowing the smile on his lips may be hidden by the mask, but a laugh would surely let Thor know he was enjoying the little show. As Thor set the tray of food down, he was surprised to see that the larger man was intent on sharing lunch in the trickster’s little cell. “May I?” The Thunderer asked, his voice pulling Loki from his musings. “Mmph,” the pale man managed, bowing his head so Thor could take the mask thing off. Once it was gone, Loki gently rubbed his lower jaw, easing the tension in his muscles. Thor placed himself on the floor beside Loki’s bed. “T-Thanks,” the Trickster mumbled, tapping the book in his lap with his slender fingers. Thor grinned brightly, patting the spot of floor beside him. “Come and eat, I have some news,” the blonde said, moving the tray as Loki sighed and moved to his side, fussing a bit with his clothes as the bunched up when he sat. The Thunder God chuckled, putting Loki’s plate in his lap. “Eat.”
Loki gave the other man a glare, but there was no cold behind it, just a bit of amusement. “You are being a ‘mother hen’ as the midgardians say.” Thor snorted and lightly bumped Loki’s shoulder, “you never ate much without prodding anyway.” The joke was tentative, and for a moment Thor regretted it until he heard the soft snicker from his companion. “If I ate like you, I would be the size of a house,” Loki replied, but began to eat anyway. Thor held back the chuckles that threatened to escape his throat as he conjured the image of Loki being that large in his mind.
The Thunderer glanced at Loki, who swatted his arm gently. “Don’t even imagine that, Thunderer!” The Trickster shouted in mock anger, but his eyes were alight with true joy and the corners of his lips were ticked up in a little smile. Thor just grinned, “as you wish, Loki.” The two settled into a comfortable silence, eating and sharing an exasperated look when the guards checked in on them. Once their plates were clear and the spring water Thor brought was drank, they leaned against another’s shoulders, taking comfort in the familiar support.
“Father is considering my demand about the mask,” the blond said softly, looking from the floor to his companion. The trickster nodded slightly, opening his mouth to ask something but he changed his mind, enjoying the sense of peace that settled around them. They sat together for a long time, just thinking and being comforted by another’s presence.
Loki would never admit he would miss the comfort, nor that the chill of his Jotun heritage didn’t make him ache when the blonde was just around him. Sadly their time together had to end, as all things do. Sif had come to get Thor, and the sting that the pale man felt in his chest was new. Of course, just being able to spend time with Thor with so much going on was a blessing. Loki wanted to throw the shackles from his wrists and magic himself and Thor away to just re-learn everything about the Thunderer and himself. But that was a fantasy, another little scrap of hope and the truth of Thor’s friendship. Loki horded them away in his chest, keeping every piece he could from ever being seen.
During Loki’s musing, he was staring off at the wall until the warmth of Thor’s hand on his shoulder brought him back. He looked to Thor, then to Sif, who was sending venomous looks at Loki, and he frowned, feeling too tired to be dealing with her.“Lady Sif, I don’t appreciate the distasteful look,” Loki said quietly, his eyes hardened with cold again. Thor glanced to Sif just in time to see her try to hide the look. “Sif, you should show more respect,” The Thunderer rumbled, a dangerous inflection in his tone as he stood. Loki’s mask of cold cracked as he stared up at the blonde god with awe. Thor lent his companion a hand up, gently pulling the trickster to his feet. “I apologize, Odin sent me for you, Thor,” Sif replied stiffly. Thor tried not to roll his eyes like a petulant child, waving Sif away. “Go back to the guards and wait. I’d rather you not give such cruel looks to Loki.” Sif shrank back a bit at the hard glare Thor was giving her, bowing her head a bit as she hurried off.
The trickster was too stunned to comment how comical the situation seemed, letting out an undignified squeak when the Thunder God swept him up into a careful hug. “Would you mind if I came back with dinner?” Loki blinked, his mind trying to process everything as he nodded slowly, retuning the hug. Thor grinned, letting the trickster down gently as he looked into those green eyes, noticing they seemed just a bit brighter. No longer poison green, more of the color of the green apples of Midgard. The Thunder God kissed Loki’s forehead, drawing the trickster back into a memory of their childhood.
Loki had tried to climb up a pillar to play a trick on the next passerby, his hands losing their grip when he was half-way there. The thump his pitiful body made was loud, but his cry was quiet. He curled in on himself as he heard footsteps, doing his best to hide his face and the tears on it. “Brother! Did you fall?” Loki curled further in on himself, hearing Thor’s friends snicker from behind him. “No, I’m resting,” he lied, trying to hide himself. “You go away, it’s mean to laugh when someone’s hurt!” Thor growled, stunning Loki into looking up. The larger blonde was standing in front of him protectively, the other children looked at another and hurried away, frightened. Loki sniffled, “you can’t do that brother, you will be an outcast without friends. Go apologize.” Thor turned to Loki with a fierce expression.
“No one gets to laugh at you when you’re hurt,” he said, picking up the smaller boy. The little trickster stared at Thor, sniffling and hugging his neck. The blonde kissed Loki’s forehead, wiping away the tears. “Mother says kisses help, do you feel better?” Loki smiled a bit, nodding, “yeah. Brother? Can we spend the rest of the day together?” Thor nodded eagerly, “of course! We’ll go get your books and we will read together first!”
Loki came back to the present, letting Thor go so he could go to Odin. The Thunderer picked up the half mask, pocketing it with a mischievous grin that made Loki’s heart swell with pride. “See you at dinner then,” he said, helping the blonde gather the tray and dishes from lunch. Loki held the cell door open for The Thunderer, smirking a bit at Thor’s surprise. “I won’t leave, promise,” The trickster said, closing the door after the blonde shuffled through. “If I am a model prisoner, I might get to glimpse Asgard again before my sentence.” Thor looked far away for a minute, speaking in a mysterious voice. “Perhaps things will turn out far different than we expect,” the Thunderer said softly. Loki blinked, “What does that mean?” “What? Did I say something?” Thor asked, sounding normal but tired again.
“Nothing, Thor. Attend to your duties.” With a smile and a wave, Thor left. Loki tucked away his book as he heard the guards coming, a small voice in the back of his mind warning him as to what would come. Loki knew by the looks on the guards faces, like starved animals circling a dying bird. The Trickster tried to steel himself for what was to come, knowing it wouldn’t be enough. He forced his conscious self to hide deep in his mind as the vultures descended, eagerly flocking to take a piece of the prize.