Chapter 7
It was just the next day, and so far things were looking great. Tony hadn´t woken up to find himself stabbed with a golden key, or with his bedroom swarming with birds, and that meant the god had not been offended by his offering.
Two days later, after yet another rainy night, he decided he pitied Thor enough, and, after making some arrangements, he pulled him apart from the group when they were just returning from a routine field training in the built in simulation-room.
"If this is about my brother again, Anthony…" The blond started, with a warning tone. Tony, however, ignored it because what the hell is survival instinct?
"It is. I found him." He added quickly, before Thor´s expression darkened even more, and watched in amusement, as it shifted between confusion, to wariness, to disbelief.
"How?"
Tony scratched his nape and cleared his throat. "Remember the thing with the birds?"
"Yes, I was informed on the unusual attack."
"Well, turned out it was his doing. Peps and I caught him in some amateur videos, and well, I found him." He shrugged.
"The Lady Pepper is aware of my brother´s residence in Midgard?" Thor´s brow furrowed, in worry.
"Let it be. It´s safe with her." Tony reassured him. "And, well I just… Figured out you should know, just so you could stop with the rain and all that stuff."
"Is he alright now?"
"He has a place to stay, and a way to communicate with us."
Thor´s brow furrowed again, and his face twisted for a bit. "I should go meet him…."
"Ahem… I… Don´t know if that´s a good idea, actually…" He smiled, shameful. "I think he didn´t take it kindly that you told me the Chitauri thing."
"Aye, that was a slip on my behalf." Thor finally admitted, and Tony felt his stomach sink when his expression saddened all of a sudden. "I think I deserve his silence, then."
"Now, wait." Tony thought for a moment. "Maybe if he´s hungry again…"
Thor raised an eyebrow. "You gave my brother a roof, but you did not give him food?"
Tony felt his face reddening, and he jumped to defend himself. "Hey, you gave your brother an early stormy season and not as much as an umbrella!" Really, who did Thor think he was to look at the teeth of his gifted horse?
The blonde raised both hands in a surrender gesture. "You´re right, my friend. Go on with your suggestion?"
Tony smiled, and pulled at the blond down the hall.
"Come on, big guy, I´ll teach you some magic."
-
When Thor understood he was being led to the kitchen, he fidgeted on his feet, eventually making Tony stop.
"Friend, as much as I appreciate it, I´d rather not… Accidentally poison my brother. He might take it as an unpleasant gesture, rather than a token of our good intentions."
Tony frowned.
"Your lack of faith hurts me, Thor." And, mustering all his might, he pushed the blond through the kitchen door, leaning in for just enough time to shout some instructions. "Don´t let him out until he can make killer pancakes, Steve!"
The blonds stared at each other from across the wide kitchen, the table between them crowded with pancake mix boxes. Finally, Steve managed a small smile out.
"I guess we should start, then."
-
Loki stared at himself on the reflection of the elevator´s wall, and fixed a stray strand of raven hair behind his ear, with the hand that was not holding his stolen coffee mug.
The doors opened silently, and he walked down the hall, digging into his pocked, in search for the key, when he noticed he was not alone.
Broad back against the wall, and a mountain of plastic bags surrounding him, Thor´s wide shape waited right next to his door.
Loki stopped dead on his tracks, summoning the deadliest of his death glares, and casting it at the thunderer.
"What are you doing here?" He hissed.
Annoyingly enough, Thor just turned to look at him and smile broadly.
"Why, brother, I wait for you to return to your chambers." He explained. "And I bring with me many possessions that will make your punishment bearable."
Loki frowned. "What would make my punishment bearable is not being caged in this useless realm, pitied by you and your idiotic teammates." Of course he preferred this over any other idea that could have passed through Odin´s mind, but he wasn´t going to tell Thor that. "Now go away."
"But brother, how long has it been since you had a proper meal? I know you have never been one for great feasts, but not even you could survive on nothing but Midgardian beverages for too long."
Loki walked past him, deliberately kicking one of the bags aside, and jammed the key in the lock.
"Seeing that I survived a fall from your Father´s Bifrost, I´m quite sure I can manage a little hunger."
"Our Father."
Loki looked back, smirking.
"Your Father, Thor. I will have nothing to do with him, thanks." Thor sighed, dropping the matter, and pulled out his last resource, before Loki could slam the door on his face.
"Anthony told me you fancied these… Cakes of Pan." He held the box up for Loki to see. "Steve, who is not only a fearsome warrior, but also a mighty cook, taught me the secrets of their making."
Loki eyed the box, and Thor´s hopeful face, his own hand still gripping the door´s edge, wishing for nothing but to slam it closed.
However, he could feel it. He felt it the strongest when he walked past Thor, just an inch from him, and it remained. His magic had strengthened, and if he could store some of this increasing energy…
All he had to do was to put up with him for a while, the same way he had for centuries, he thought, feeling a hollow pang in his chest.
"I´m pretty sure I can cook them myself. Give me the box and go away, I don´t want to see you." He insisted. He had to be convincing, right?
Thor shook his head. "It is quite an art, brother. I would be delighted to teach you" He didn´t miss the grimace that appeared on Loki´s face whenever he spoke, and the way he frowned lightly when being called "brother" yet again.
He kept staring, until Loki´s frown deepened, and his grip on the door tightened for a second, before roughly letting go.
"Listen, and listen well, Thor. I´m just doing this because you won´t leave until I do. If you can´t even cook the damned pancakes, I swear you´ll be jealous of what I did to Sif´s hair." He hissed, threateningly.
Thor smiled, getting up and quickly gathering the bags.
"You couldn´t."
"Oh, do try me, please. Not much energy is needed to set your head on fire."
Thor stopped at the threshold, his smile widening. "Thank you, Loki."
And his hands were busy with the bags, and there was no way for him to actually touch him, but Loki still flinched away and grunted something hurtful in return, too low to actually be heard.
He stepped away from the door to let him in, because, and just because, he told himself, he could feel his energy increasing with each passing second.
He ignored everything else, and started looking for a way to store his energy, before Thor went away and he was once again weak.
Unfortunately for him, Thor was bound to be Thor, in the end.