Splitting branches

Thor is sitting in Loki’s cell when the alarm blares throughout the base, cutting into the awkward silence that's fallen between the brothers which have lasted for hours.

Their eyes find each other the moment a wave of energy, powerful enough to be felt-- to make the hairs on his arms stand-- and so, so similar to the tesseract, passes them. “You should go.” Loki says softy, the first he's said to him since the battle. Another pulse of energy goes past them and a sick, desperate look crosses his brother’s eyes before he can cover it up with his blank expression.

With a nod, Thor leaves, Midgaardians scuttle along the hallways, rushing frantically in all directions as Thor finds the nearest window. Carefully, he twists the fragile handle and slips out over the edge. He spins Mjølnir as he falls, surging up and flying over the building and around to the other side. He lands on grass and looks around the area. The base Shield insisted on keeping Loki at, is far from the city and in the middle of a forest. Finding nothing with residue magic in the area, Thor looks up where the energy is gathering about two hundred meters in the sky.

Tesseract blue and green similar to his brothers magic swirl in a circle, rapidly forming a portal. This is not good, he thinks and looks around at the gathering humans. The Lady Natasha and Rogers are walking towards Thor.

“What are we dealing with?” Natasha asks first, taking command where Rogers stagger despite the human media's claim he's the leader and one with most authority. Thor understands well. It is quite a challenge to adapt when you are thrust into a new world so unlike the one you came from.

“It's a portal.” Thor says, staggering back as another wave of magic pushes past him, into him, pressing against his breast as it passes with an uncomfortable tingle. The feeling of power, and just what the power belongs too, is unmistakable.

He ignores the odd looks that the magic blind humans gives him and tightens his grip on Mjølnir, “It's almost done forming. I will go first if something appears.”

With a nod, Natasha taps at the device by her ear. “Everyone stand back, let us handle it if it's a hostile.”

“Yes ma'am,” says the voice on the other side as all around the similarly dressed humans back away. “The scientists say the energy reads like the tesseract, that someone new might be coming to get it.”

“Copy that,” Rogers says and turns to Thor, “They said-”

“-I heard,” Thor interrupts before they can waste time sharing useless information, “I recognise the Tesseracts signature-- it's done forming.” as the words leave his lips, another pulse bursts from the gathering of energy and a humanoid shape falls out as it disappears.

“Is that an explosive?” Lady Natasha asks.

“No.” Mjølnir spins in his fingers as the figure falls, they must be unconscious. He will have to catch them, even an Asgaardian could die if they fell on their head from that height. He lets Mjølnir go and flies. Thor takes in the form in the seconds before he catches him, male, wearing dark Asgaardian amour with an axe strapped on his back. His Hair is shorter than what is normal on Asgaard, more alike how Midgaardians style their hair.

Deftly landing on his feet, Thor gently lays the warrior down on the ground and looks down at his face.

He freezes.

“It can't be.” he whispers disbelieving and staggers a step back.

“Thor!” Roger's says as he and Natasha approaches at a jog. “Do you know who it…”

They've seen it. Thor looks up at the humans and catches Rogers wide expression as his eyes fling up to meet Thor’s.

“You wouldn't happen to have an evil twin?” The lady Natasha asks dryly as she goes down to inspect his-- his duplicate.

Except he's different. The man on the ground has the shorter hair and there's a long scar going over his right eye, like someone had tried to gouge it out. It looks only a few weeks old. He watches as Lady Natasha pulls out a pen-like object and opens the other Thor’s lefteye and shines a light into his pupil. She opens the right and frowns at the brown eye.

Thor narrows his eyes in suspicion, the other Thor isn't from Asgaard. They'd have healed the eye, and any eye that is unhealable would never be able to hold a mechanical eye.

It's strange.

Crouching down by the other, on the opposite side of where Natasha is doing odd Human tests for life, Thor places his hand on the copies chest and both he and Natasha jerks away from the copy as lightning surges up his palm.

“What was that?” Rogers asks faint.

“He…” Thor starts but loses his voice, impossibilities he'd refused to acknowledge screaming in his head. It would've been easier if the other was a clone made by an enemy, or made on accident during one of his friends and his adventure. But clones don't have the same energy signature, no cloning, no matter how advanced as been able to achieve that feat. “He's a version of myself.”

“Is that even possible?” Natasha asks, and taps her communications device. “Possible hostile down, prepare a holding cell,” she glances over at Thor and he nods his agreement to her judgment. “Heads up boys, we've got a different version of Thor on our hands.”

Thor looks at the other version of himself, at the differences. Many small scars he'd used years to catalogue are there, fainter than they are on himself, yet there are more, like the one running over his missing eye. On the same side as his father, the cut looks deliberate, measured, like his other had been held down as someone cut into him.

The thought of someone strong enough to hold him down long enough to cut him open brings a shudder through Thor's body. He swallows and gathers himself, it's a danger from another day he reasons, and picks the other up. The axe on his back dances with faint lightning as Thor's arm touches it, recognizing its owner, even if Thor is the wrong version.

The lack of Mjølnir, the possibility of needing to replace an old companion, is a heavy weight on his thoughts.

They're met by Lady Hill at the door, she watches Thor holding his other and sighs, her eyes falling shut, her eyebrows furrowing. “Come, we've got a few holding cells left.” she says, tiredly and leads them to one of the midgaardian healing rooms.

It's white with polished metal furniture with almost no dust or moist in the air besides what they bring with them. It is strange, the humans aversion to their natural environment.

Rogers follows him inside as Thor puts the other down on the far right metal table. Thor positions this version of himself on his side, pulling the axe from his back. Holding the axe in one hand, he carefully nudges the other into a position he knows he'll find comfortable. Thor would.

Midgaardian healers arrive quickly enough with their strange white coats that seem to have no use. One of them, the younger woman stops when she sees Thor and Roger's standing by his other. She swallows, her fingers dance with badly hidden energy, as she quickly asks, “Would you mind if we tested your blood against each other?”

He agrees and she takes out a syringe, and searches around his other’s arm before plunging it in. It goes skin deep before the small metal needle bends and snaps.

Rogers makes a small sound as the healer stares bewildered at her broken syringe. Thor winces, he thought their syringes, as strange it is so see such an old concept used, were sharp and strong enough to pierce his skin. He remembers being injected during his exile to Earth. But that had been when his strength was taken from him by his father.

“Here.” Thor offers and stabs the nail of his thumb down into his forearm. Blood blooms from the small wound. And the healer is quick to take a new syringe and begin sucking in the blood. She takes quite a bit, but he isn't an expert on the humans advancement in blood magicks. His other is a bit harder to pierce, but he manages and the healer claims some more blood with a look in her eyes that reminds him of Loki when mother would gift him with a new Seidir text.

The male healer is preparing some type of technology, and he'd be disappointed in the humans if it was not some sort of scanner.

Thor takes a few moments to do his own scan of his other with a quick flicker of his hands. While he's not as proficient as his family at healing magic, he's talented enough to do a basic scan. It's saved Loki, in the rare moments when he's the one left defeated on a quest, and his friends more times that Thor would like to admit.

There's little wrong with his other besides some internal bruising, slight fractures along his bones, and tears within the muscle, from too much strain, he suppose. He's healing and will most likely need no less than a few weeks to be in top shape again. That is, without having a healer tend to him. It's clear that no healer had seen to his injuries since what took his eye, there's still a faint trace of magical healing in the patterns of the repair that reminds him of Loki's magic.

Thor frowns at the image in his mind, and looks over to Rogers. The man is frowning slightly, in confusion of Thor's basic magic gestures, (Loki wouldn't even have needed more than a wave of his hand) and Thor flashes a kind, reassuring smile.

Guards are in position outside as Thor walks out with Rogers who casts a last glance at his other. Thor feels slight indignation at the guards, he knows another version of him wouldn't be an enemy. Hostile upon awakening maybe, but Thor can't imagine himself an enemy of Earth.

Clint Barton is already there when Lady Hill leads them into a conference room, where a large table sits in the middle, surrounded by chairs. Barton is sitting on one of the middle chairs with his legs up in front of his chest as he dangles an arrow in his fingers.

“Hey,” he greets, his eyes shifting around almost nervously as they sit.

Lady Natasha sits down besides her friend, Rogers sits on the other side, across from Natasha, so Thor sits down across from Barton and leans the axe against the table.

“Clones huh?” Barton says and nibbles oddly at the tip of the arrow.

Thor blinks. “No, he's not a clone. Copying a person's magical signature like that is impossible for any but the most skilled of mages.”

“So it's possible?” Rogers asks.

“Not for that long,” he says, pausing as the door opens, revealing their missing teammates. “And not while unconscious.”

“What's so important that you needed to drag Brucie and I from our sweet science?” Stark asks as he flops on one of the chairs carelessly. “It is your ticket home we're building.” he aims at Thor with a pout.

Banner sits down with a pained expression and doesn't comment.

“This,” Hill says and taps the table, a hologram lights up with a still image of his other lying prone on the bed he'd left him on. She glances at Thor and mirrors his words. “Is another version of Thor.”

Starks mouth drops open at the hologram, he works his jaw in silence and slaps rapidly at Banner’s arm in excitement. Banner sighs and asks, “Do we know if he's from the future or another dimension?”

“We do not,” Thor admits, hoping that he's from another dimension, no matter how Yggdrasil would have to suffer for that to happen. He does not want to see the future that could have taken Mjølnir and his eye from him. “Though it is hardly relevant anymore. He's from a future, and whether it was a different one, than the one we were set on is inconsequential as our path on the World Tree will have diverged with his appearance, unless this was always what fate had willed for us.”

“Sure Doctor Who,” Stark says and shifts his eyes around and slides a square human phone sized device out on the table, the see-through screen blinks and then shows the image of the other Thor before being replaced with a wall of human english. “The tesseract sent him? What about the other signature? Do we know anything about it?”

“Besides that it's similar to the tesseract?” Hill says smoothly with humor, “It looked green.”

Banner pales lightly at the comment. “Green.” he repeats and rubs his neck.

“Not Hulk green,” Lady Natasha says lightly. “It looked like the Tesseract’s portal, just with some green in it.”

Thor thinks it over and speaks up. “We should ask my brother.”

“Hell no!” Barton hisses, slamming the arrow in his hands down on the table. “We're not letting that psychopath out!”

Thor lets the comment slide, it wouldn't do to lose his temper at Barton. He cannot fault Barton in hating Loki with everything that he'd done. “Loki is an expert on Yggdrasil, he walks her branches and roots with ease. This other version of myself will have pierced through her to find our time. Loki, as an expert, will be able to tell more about where he came from. If we do not waste hours squabbling among ourselves.”

“Or we could ask the other Thor?” Rogers suggests. “If he's from the future I doubt he'd be hostile to us.”

Lady Natasha hums as she leans back and neatly folds her hands. “He might be here to warn us about a future danger. Though it is highly suspicious that he'd be unconscious, so he might not be here by his own will.”

“So we ask terminator? Come with me if you want to live?” Stark asks, voice deepening.

Thor frowns and tightens his lips but agrees with their judgment. The humans are wary of Loki, so he'll inquire with Father once they're home to assess potential damages to Yggdrasil.

He wonders if Father will see this other Thor as a son, just like himself. Part of him hopes he will not, but he knows his mother and she will not reject Thor, no matter how changed he is. And with his mother’s acceptance comes father’s. Maybe he can leave him on Midgard to keep the realm safe? The other him would certainly need something to do, it is Thor who's the crown prince and who everyone knows. Not this unknown older version of himself.

--:--

Thor is with Loki again, sitting in the awkward silence brought to by the distance that's grown between them. Thor finds himself unable to formulate words to his brother, lest some that aren't charged with Loki’s betrayal.

He doesn't tell Loki about his other at the request of the Avengers.

There's a mirror on the wall to the right and Thor finds his eyes drawn to his reflection, cataloguing all the differences between himself and his other.

A guard knocks on the door, “It's time.” she says and let's the metal door open.

“I'll be back later.” he tells Loki and walks out, meeting the Avengers where they've gathered outside the room his other has been brought to.

“He's waking,” Hill says and looks around to them before pinning Thor beneath her gaze. “Who do you think you'd react least violently towards?” she questions.

“Banner.” Thor says immediately, there's something very calming about the human, the giant green Hulk as well. Banner is calm and doesn't try and insite conflict-- Hulk is intelligent but like an animal he doesn't hide behind a front, you'd always know what he's thinking.

“What? Me?” Banner stutters and fiddles with his fingers, he looks away and catches the gaze of a guard. He turns, shifting away from the armed man. “Because of the Hulk?”

Thor frowns, he's come to realize that Banner dislikes the beast laying within. “No, because you're very pleasant to be around. Calm. Though the fact you could survive if he becomes violent is a factor. The fact you could punch him through a wall would help in this situation too.”

Banner’s face rises a tone and he looks to Lady Hill briefly who taps at one of the humans larger phone devices.

“We'll be in the next room over, so we'll just be a call away.” she says and leads all of them into the room to the right.

The left wall is a window to the room besides it, a looking mirror. He didn't realise the humans knew how to make those.

Through the mirror he sees his other laying on a bed inside a room, not unlike the cell they have Loki staying in. The room is considerably larger, with more desk space and chairs, the colours are warmer and brighter, less soul thieving. After the quick observation Thor brings his sole attention to his other, he twists in his sleep, electricity dancing on his skin, twisting in arches. Thor stares, his eyes widening. He hasn't accidentally discharged energy like that since he was twenty-four Asgaardian years.

His other wakes with a shout mixed with a sob as lightning flies everywhere, a lamp sitting unprotected on the desk explodes into a shower of light. The Avengers watch in silence as the other slowly calms his breathing, a few of them glances at Thor's stony face between watching his other, concern written in their features.

“Banner.” Hill says and the man in question freezes for a second and swallows.

“Okay,” He says and leaves, the door closing behind him before the one to the others room opens and Banner hesitantly steps in. “Thor.” he says, his voice carrying through the walls and out the speakers installed for the humans with a small delay.

His other's head snaps up and the grief and sorrow washes away for a smile Thor hasn't felt on himself since before Loki fell. “Banner! It is so good to see you!” he cheers, and rises from the bed, taking two large steps into Banner’s personal space and clasping him on the shoulders.

“You've grown out your hair again!” he runs his palm through Banners hair, a friendly gesture that shows trust. If his other notices the uncomfortable stare the human scientist gives him, he doesn't acknowledge it even as his smile falls and he grows serious. “Is everything alright? How long have I been out? Two years? Is that how long it takes for humans to grow their hair like that?”

“I uh-” Banner says nervously, unable to speak as he carefully peels the others hands off his shoulders.

“What's wrong? Did something happen to the Avengers? To Brunhilde?”

“I-I don't know who that is,” Banner admits as Thor searches his mind for the name, it's a decently common Asgaardian name, but he knows whoever the other is referring to could just as well be human.

The other's hands fall limp by his sides. “What do you mean?” he asks slowly, his eyes narrow dangerously as they glance towards the mirror. Besides Thor Barton takes a step back as the other’s mismatched eyes travels and catches his before looking directly at Thor.

“Uh, you've traveled in time? I met you three days ago?” Banner explains.

The intense look, as if he can see through the mirror, disappears and focuses back on Banner. “So you don't know where Sakaar is? Or what the Devil's Anus is?” his other questions nonsensically, backing slowly away from Banner.

“The Devil's Anus?” Banner repeats faintly brows furrowing as he taps rapid and uneven patterns into his arm.

Stark sniggers, repeating “Devil's Anus!” under his breath.

The other nods at Banner, shooting a glance at Stark’s position. Stark stops, his eyes widening as laughter dies in his throat. Clearly not expecting Thor’s other to be able to hear them.

“It's a giant wormhole,” the other says, sounding strained as the back of his knees hit the edge of his bed and he slowly sits down with a hand to stabilize himself. “They're everywhere on Sakaar.”

“How are you here?” Banner asks. And fidgets. And wipes his hands on his pants.

The other Thor remains silent, watching Banner like a new and disturbing creature, as his knuckles whiten against the bedside. Clenching, though not enough to ruin the metal. There's something in his eyes that Thor doesn't like, quite like a hunger for battle, something he's sworn off. A chase for conflict, to harm others unprovoked.

Eventually the other speaks, “Why don't we all talk?” he says and looks over at the mirror, looking at them again as he rises with a wide smile placed on his lips. He strides to the door without a care, pats Banner’s shoulder on his way, and without pause opens the unlocked door and steps into the guarded hallway.

“Shit!” Hill swears when voices begin shouting over her communications device, she rushes out the door and the others follow, Thor at the front. He is the only besides Banner who can subdue his other. They crowd out in the hall where the other is grinning foolishly, his hands raised in an unthreatening gesture as humans points their guns at him.

His eyes meets the Avengers, one at a time and grins madly with an edge similar to what Thor has seen in Loki these past days, “Take me to your leader.” he says causing Stark and Barton to huff an abruptly cut-off laugh.

“I can't believe he said that!” Stark whispers as Rogers whispers his confusion. “it's from after the war.” Stark says.

“Stand down,” Lady Hill orders of her men who backs down from his other and gathers in two groups. Letting the Avengers easier access to the other of the situation turns violent. Hill turns to address his other, “We have a briefing room down the hall.”

“I remember.” he replies and glances over the Avengers. Thor doesn't miss how his eyes linger on Mjølnir at his side before he turns and walks, expecting them to follow.

There's a powerful and self-assured step to his stride, Thor thinks as he watches his other walk easily, navigating the halls without pause.

Like he's a king.

--:--

Thor takes the place furthest from his other when he sits at the conference table, the other has sat at the end of the table and he looks at Thor with a knowing smile as he noticeably takes the place furthest away. The other Avengers scatter themselves around the table, the one closest to his other is Stark who has placed himself up in the closest chair.

“How about I introduce myself?” The other says first, his chin tipped up. “Thor Odinson, second born,” He pauses there, his mismatched eyes catching Thor who finds his breath shorting at his throat. “Former King of the realm known as Asgaard prior to Ragnarok. One of the thirty-two surviving Asgaardians. God of Thunder, Avenger, bringer of Ragnarok, and wielder of Stormbreaker.”

“That's impossible!” Thor roars the second his brain catches up to the second last title his other gave, (that he gave with an amused tilt to his voice-- like a joke Thor is not privilege to) pushing the chair away as he rises to his feet, slamming his fists down on the table. The table gives, the end bending under his skin. “I would never--!” even saying the words feels like a betrayal to everything he's vowed to protect.

That word, Ragnarok.

On Asgaard, even the most joyful parties in the palace turn silent with dread from the barest whisper of Ragnarok.

“Calm yourself!” his other hisses, standing as well, “Or are you not a son of Frigga? We know better than to lose our tempers among humans!”

Being lectured by his other does nothing to calm him, rather the opposite, but the ashen faces of the humans around him, as they stare wide eyed at the bend table end makes him duck his head in shame and sit. His other stares at him, with a gaze that reminds him of Loki’s judgemental looks, as he too sits.

A few seconds into silence Stark talks, tongue quick as a snake. “Full offense Terminator, but we humans can take care of ourselves.”

“I am well aware of that Tony,” The other says and pats the inventive human on his back. “You are quite formidable!”

Stark blinks. “Uh thanks?” and the other smiles.

“Thor, what did you mean one of thirty-two surviving Asgaardians?” Natasha asks, catching the detail Thor forgets in his rage. It's upsetting, the low number, but the fact that any of his people survived Ragnarok is a miracle.

The other blinks, “I mean what it sounds like, where I come from there's thirty-two of us left. Regardless, it's without matter now, the branches of Yggdrasil leading to that future have been cut.”

“Of course it matters!” Thor snarls, “If it occurred once it can occur again!”

The other huffs and grins, “Do not worry, that future will not come to pass while I’m here.”

Thor feels his temper spiking at the careless grin on his other. How did he become so apathetic, so indifferent to the thought of Asgaard destroyed. “You said you were the bringer of Ragnarok! How am I supposed to trust you to not destroy Asgaard again?”

“Asgaard is trivial, I'd destroy it again myself, if it would save my people. But the point is moot, everyone dead is alive and I'd like to make them stay that way,” he crosses his arms and leans back in the chair. “I'd preferably speak with father on the matter of Asgaard, but there is something worse coming than Ragnarok.”

Besides his other, Stark freezes at his words, the others around the table tensing.

“What's coming?” Lady Hill asks.

Thor stays silent, processing the others words. He'll let the humans interrogate the other and remain silent. It seems incomprehensible that Thor would bring Ragnarok to his people, even Loki would find the idea ludicrous. But the other is right, they'll need to speak with father about Ragnarok.

“Thanos.” The other says, his face falling into a pained grimace, “We were a hundred and forty Asgaardians left when he found our ship, he'd come for the tesseract. Later I was told seventy-five escaped before half of all life in Yggdrasil-- the universe--” he quickly clarifies for the humans, “-was disintegrated and only thirty-two remained.”

“What can do that?” Rogers whispers.

“A Mad Titan with all six infinity stones combined into one single weapon. We were all unprepared last time, but it is nothing to fret about, without the stones he is no threat.”

“You know this from experience?” Lady Natasha asks.

The other says nothing, nodding once before speaking, “I believe all of you have just fought a small portion of his Chitaurian army. Banner said he met me three days ago, that would place this shortly after the battle of New York, correct? Thanos was the one pulling the strings behind the scenes.” Thor blinks at the others use of the human idiom.

“Wait you're telling us it wasn't Loki’s army?” Rogers asks disbelieving.

As Loki’s name leave the humans mouth his other flies to his feet. “Loki!” he exclaims. “I must see him! He is here if I remember correctly right?”

“You can see him after we've talked,” Stark says as Barton's face twists with anger and he taps the arrow head into the table, “Okay buddy?”

Tap tap tap.

“I don't see why anyone would want to see him.” Barton mutters angrily. The human has been quite the hornets nest for a few days, quick to anger whenever something with Loki comes up.

Tap tap tap.

“He's my brother, of course I'd like to see him.” The other says softly.

Tap tap tap.

“No.” Thor finally injects his piece as Barton mutters a hissed, “Some brother you are.”

Tap tap tap.

The other glances at Barton’s comment but let's it glide off, “I see you'd refuse me from seeing our brother?” he asks Thor, with an angry tilt to his mouth.

“Yes.”

Tap tap tap.

Sparks dance unnaturally on the others skin, the air feels tighter as magic seeps the room. Stark looks equally ready to bolt and to come closer for a clearer look, and Thor is about to grab Mølnir when Lady Natasha intercepts. “Please shelf the family issues for later, Thor and Thor. We need to know more, how did Loki get this Thanos’ army? Is he working with him?”

Tap tap tap.

The threat of the other vanishes. “No,” he says-- he spits, “He fell into his domain and was ‘persuaded to retrieve the tesseract in exchange for ruling Midgaard.’ Those are the words Loki used but the meaning is clear, even if he did not want to say.”

Tap tap thud.

“He was tortured.” Lady Natasha states bluntly.

“Aye, and the scepter played its part on my brother as well.” is the quiet reply.

Not able to stand it anymore, Thor rises and walks away, over to the window to his right. He can just see his reflection on the transparent material, so different from the one that tells him stories he doesn't want to believe. It's easier, he thinks, to think that Loki just wanted Earth to spite Thor, than to acknowledge that he'd been tortured.

He'd suspected, of course he had, that someone had sent Loki towards the Tesseract and Earth. That someone had been behind the attack.

Thor closes his eyes and wills the images of his brother tortured into compliance that's taken root in his brain, away. Thor and Loki had been tortured before, many times on their quests and journeys. But neither of them had ever broken.

“Let's take a break.” Lady Hill says, he hears her tapping on the human phones as she quickly leaves the room.

The Avengers stay, shifting ever so often until Stark breaks the silence.

“So do we call you Thor or what? Because this will get confusing fast.”

“Stark!” Rogers hisses and Thor’s other laughs.

“It's alright friends, truthfully I do not know myself, I suppose you can call me Stormbreaker for now,” Stormbreaker says and rises from his chair, he walks over to Thor. “Thor, let me see Loki.”

Thor breathes and asks, “Is he--?” unable to finish the sentence.

“Yes.”

“I will speak to him first.” Thor decides and turns from Stormbreaker, he needs time to himself. To think about all that has been revealed to him. He needs to ask Stormbreaker about that title, second born. But it'll have to be done later. One thing at a time.

-:-

Loki does not look up when Thor enters, a show of defiance, refusing to acknowledge him, to acknowledge him as an equal… as a brother. Thor enters and puts Mjølnir on the cold metal table, it's soft impact ringing out with its true weight.

“Brother,” Thor says and sits on the chairs, again he peels the muzzle off Loki, careful and gentle fingers working at his neck until the metal dislocates. “Please speak.” He begs in Loki’s silence.

Loki looks up, glaring at him. Thor finds it hard to look into his brothers’ eyes and settles for the bags just below his eyelids. How had he not seen how tired Loki looks? How he looks frantic, desperate and a step into madness brought by despair.

He looks worse than he had on the Bifrost as they'd fought.

“What happened to you after you fell?” Thor asks carefully, keeping his words soft and non-accusing. He rubs his hands together finding them oddly sweaty. “Who found you?”

Loki’s eyes widen in one moment before his face, and the flash of fear flattens out in the next. Thor notices his slip, “Who gave you the Chitauri to command, brother?” he continues. His jaw clenches painfully down to his neck as he strains against his anger and the want to go hunting for who hurt his brother.

The anger and craze for blood that Stormbreaker holds inside is infectious.

Loki’s face twists. “I found them! They craved subjection! Just like your pathetic humans!” he spits.

“Stop these lies, brother.” Thor says tiredly, remembering Loki's remark-- I remember you tossing me into an abyss. A memory of Thor, desperate for Loki to hold on, to pull himself up on the Bifrost, twisted into him pushing Loki off.

“I am not your brother!” Loki screams, standing as he conjures a knife in the palm of his hand and slashes out, aiming for Thor’s liver. Thor blocks and grabs the knife, throwing it from them. It vanishes in green as it strikes the floor.

“I wanted to hear it from you… Loki,” Thor says watching him like a hawk, looking for anything of what they once had. For a while Thor remains silent, pleading for Loki to respond with his eyes. He doesn't. “The Mad Titan found you,” he says at last. “He will die for what he's done, I promise you that.” Even if Thor will not be the one to do it, Stormbreaker has made it clear he'll be the one to take Thanos, it'll still be a Thor who will get their revenge. Stormbreaker has more quarrel with Thanos than Thor, no matter how much he wants to demand Stormbreaker to stay back and let him have their revenge.

-:-

It's madness, Thor has fallen to madness, Loki thinks frantically, but the thought that sticks in the silence after Thor’s foolish statement, Thor will die.

Loki should be happy about it, if Thor goes on a foolish suicide quest, Loki will have free reign to take Earth for himself.

But then, what would the point be.

“You will die.” Loki says whimsically. All because Loki desired revenge, to have the Earth to spite Thor.

Thor looks him over. “I will not be the one to face Thanos.” he says, making no sense. Thor the stupid oaf he is, would never let someone else fight for him, he'd take it as a slight on his honour.

Loki frowns, puzzled. Maybe, he thinks, the one to tell him off The Mad Titan has a bigger claim on his life. Thor has to have been told of Thanos, there's no way the idiot would figure out that Loki had struck a deal with the titan by himself. Whoever had come when that tesseract like energy appeared three days ago, had told Thor and his human pets about who stalks Loki's sleep.

“Who has set their sights on Thanos?” Loki hisses, embarrassment spreading through his system at having his weakness displayed to the mortals.

Thor glances at the mirror, his eyes sharp and studying as he watches his reflection as if looking for something. After a moment where Loki grows increasingly impatient, his attention span has long run out, Thor speaks. “I have.” he almost whispers, his face and eyes turned from Loki.

Loki growls. “This is no time for games!” If Thanos knew of this moronic plan, he'd come to Asgaard, he'd come to Earth, and then he'd kill half the inhabitants with his army. Even Earth's mightiest heroes can't fight thousands of Chitauri on their own. Asgaard, while it will be capable of much more resistance, the Asgaardians will be overwhelmed by sheer numbers. If Odin had been a thousand years younger, then maybe they would've stood a chance.

“Another Thor Odinson has pierced through Yggdrasill from the future. He hunts Thanos.” there's a boast in the words, Thor has yet again done the impossible.

“What.” Loki says, his tongue quickly turning to lead, heavy and silent as his lips part in astonishment.

“Stormbreaker, as we are referring to my other as, has expressed the ease of which he can take Thanos’ head. I'm inclined to trust him.” there's a wry grin on his-- on Thor’s face as he says the last words, a jest. Of course he'd trust himself.

Loki watches Thor and thinks of how he would have changed in the future, he can see Thor, older, with a full beard and slowly growing lines on his brow. His eyes filled with confidence that only age can bring. With a startling realization, Loki sees how, despite how he and Thor always assumed he would, the image of an older Thor that he manifests in his mind looks nothing like Odin.

“Stormbreaker has asked to see you.” Thor says, he's tilting his head at him, no doubt curious why Loki would look at him so intensely.

“Has he come to mock me like you?” Loki asks, sees Thor flinch subtly, and slides the brief flash of guilt from his consciousness.

Thor shakes his head, “I do not speak to hurt you Loki. Stormbreaker has lost your other and would like to see you. You are… You are his brother, even if you deny us that.”

I am no one's brother! Loki wants to scream but refrains. This Stormbreaker is clearly too much like Thor, if Loki refuses to see him he'll stalk the hallways like a dog in search for its owner. Though he has to wonder. Did Stormbreaker lose Loki’s other from the travel though Yggdrasil or did Loki finally get killed?

Did Loki ever get the recognition he desires before his death?

“Will you see him? I can be here if you'd prefer.” Thor inquires, eyes big and concerned. Concern shouldn't be wasted on monsters like Jotun.

“I'd prefer never to see you again.” Loki hisses, his hackles rising. Those damn cuffs-- he doesn't look down, bring attention to his annoyance with their existence around his wrists-- if he'd been free to use all his magic, not just simple summons of his daggers, he would've sensed the other Thor when he first appeared. He could be just outside the door for all Loki knew.

Thor shifts, “Will you see him alone then?” he seems displeased, like he'd prefer his other not come close to Loki. Thor has always been quick to envy.

“Yes,” Loki says unkindly, “maybe this future version of you will be more tolerable, so I'd like you to leave now.”

Thor tenses then nods, rising from his seat he takes Mjølnir with him. “I will send in Stormbreaker in a bit then.”

Stormbreaker, Loki thinks as he watches Thor leave, is a strange title to bring onto oneself. Though he supposes it fits, Thor is the god of Thunder. Though he wonders why, why this other would not just claim his own name. Hel, the other could have requested to be addressed as Odinson.

Or-- Loki snorts, the one title he's never let Thor live down, not since the ancient humans began worshipping him as such because of his innate magics- the god of Fertility.

Loki laughs lowly at it, grinning despite himself at the thought. Maybe he should tell the humans of Thor's other title, it would certainly infuriate him.

Thor enters, though it must be Stormbreaker, his subconscious mind immediately tells him. Look glances up and the grin dies in his throat.

Loki looks up fully, taking in the dark amour, darker than he's used to Thor wearing, no reds, no blues, just grey and black, and no red cape hangs out behind him. He doesn't even look a century older, seventy Asgaardian years has passed at the most, Loki thinks, his heart hammering.

Will everything move so swiftly?

Stormbreaker is watching him by the open door, his hands fiddle around, unable to find a place to rest, a nervous tick Thor does not possess. His eyes dart around Loki, looking him over. Then finally he closes the door behind him and draws closer, he sits in one of the chairs and Loki starlets as he meets his gaze.

Why isn't his eye healed? Loki thinks, feeling faint as he takes in the scar running over the eye holding a cybernetic eye that is not Thor’s natural colour.

“Can I hug you?” Stormbreaker asks, his jaw is clenched, his hands fisted as his thighs. Not from anger, from restraint. Then quickly, before Loki can process what he'd been asked, Stormbreaker adds, “-If you're comfortable with it of course-- uh you kind of hate me right now right?”

When will I stop? Loki thinks to ask unkindly, “You think you can kill the Mad Titan?” he probes instead.

Stormbreaker watches him, to Loki the gaze doesn't feel dissimilar to mothers, like every thought of Loki’s is hanging above his head for them to read. “I know I can.” He says solemnly, there's no boast, not like there'd been when Thor had told him a version of himself would Kill Loki’s foe.

“You will die.” Loki comments, the chances are against Stormbreaker, no matter how he seems so confident. Thanos has his children, while they aren't as naturally strong as Asgaardians, they're skilled. Stormbreaker will have to fight the Titan himself, those of his children present, and the Chitauri. A fool's quest.

As much as Loki desires to rip his knives through Thanos’ flesh and see him bleed, he knows he's not powerful, strong, quick, enough to come out alive once the rapid children and mindless beasts descents on their masters killer.

Thor’s other nods. “If I die, it will be killing Thanos,” he says and rubs a hand over his knees. “I am alive because fate wills it, it's fates will that I put an end to Thanos. If I must die for that then so be it--” he hesitates on his words, silence standing between them.

Loki would punch Stormbreaker, such a stupid idiot! Thinking fate cares for them, cares for anything they do. “Fate cares little for our matters.”

“Does it?“ Stormbreaker questions, amused, “Is it not fate that I would travel back here? So that I can kill Thanos long before he can wreak more havoc on the Nine Realms than he already has? Then what does my life matter?”

“Why you?” Loki asks, finding the conviction in Thor's voice, the disregard for his own life, perplexing and unlike his character.

Stormbreaker huffs, a laugh in his throat, mocking and harsh. But not at Loki’s doubt. Aimed inwards, at himself. “I am the protector of the Nine, so why not me?”

He was king, Loki swallows, Thor as a king. It is not unlike some of his worst nightmares, yet he finds the words coming from Stormbreaker less disturbing.

“And I doubt father will do anything.” Stormbreaker says it with almost the same ridiculing tone, Thor’s respect and love for Odin still present, but seemingly dimmed.

Loki wonders what Odin would do that finally showed Thor what he really is, what would temper his admiration for the Allfather. It seems almost poetic, Loki thinks, that Thor too would become disillusioned about Odin and his schemes. “Such a harsh tone Thor, what did Odin do now? Refuse you conquest to Jotunheim again?“ he says, curious, bringing up old grievances with Odin, and shames in his past in hopes of a reaction.

He blinks and then grins. “Oh little brother! I've missed your venomous teeth. But nothing happened that you need to worry about just yet! Why go skating on thin ice if the thick ice is just a couple steps away?”

“What?” Loki asks dumbfounded about the thin ice and its meaning. It's a human saying, it must be as he's never heard anything like it.

“It means don't worry, brother. But--” Stormbreaker thins his lips, and looks directly into Loki’s eyes, his eyes, real and artificial are sad, and it almost feels like an apology. “I'll need you to tell me, if you know, where Thanos is hiding his big ugly purple mug.” he does a gesture with his hands a strangling motion like that's what he'd like to do most.

“I don't,” Loki says stiffly. “I saw him once. For less than a minute.”

“He trained you in mind control.” Stormbreaker says, knowing more than Loki would ever reveal. He'd learned much from the Mad Titan, if it hadn't been for the constant anxiety and fear his presence brought, he'd be appreciative to have learned new arts.

The reminder brings cold to his heart, “Yet you don't know where I ended up.” he sneers, mocking Stormbreaker.

Yet the other only smiles. “We didn't hold sleepovers that much.” he says, again using Earthen terminology, that one he recognises, the agent Barton had used it once.

“You will kill him?” Loki asks again, when the Mad Titan is dead Loki will be safe from the punishment his failure will bring. And then he can take the--

There's a knock on the door and a human peeks her head in. It's one of the many Shield agents. “Vice Director Hill is requesting you Tho- uh, Stormbreaker.”

“I'll be there in a few,” Stormbreaker tells the agent and returns his gaze back to Loki. His hand comes up and rests on his shoulder, close to his neck. Loki freezes, it's gentle, the gesture familiar and comforting. Stormbreakers thumb rubs at Loki’s collar, his teeth clenched with a devastated look festering on his face. “I was close the last time, a bit to the right and Thanos would have been dead. I promise you brother, this time I will not miss and Thanos will die before he can ever lay his hand on you again.” he says, voice going hoarse as wet gathers in the corners of his eye.

A smile blooms on Stormbreakers face then, before Loki can react. “I will see you later!” He says, standing to follow the human woman. Loki watches his back, catching the glance thrown at him before the door closes.

Loki frowns. He'd never known Thor to be one to hide his emotions. But he did, masterfully even. Stormbreaker had been skittish, he'd concealed his words, but he's not Loki. And now Loki knows his fate.

He would die at the hands of Thanos.