1.
Thor chuckled, looking down at his hands as they waited. It was warm, the wind just enough to bring some comfort and while he was a bit squished in his seat, Thor was sure that there was nowhere else he’d rather be. The sun was shining through the leaves and flowers of the nearby tree, creating a beautiful pattern on the black suit of his companion.
He glanced up with warm eyes and his heart melted just a little bit when he met Loki’s smiling face. He was sitting with his legs crossed, the jacket of his suit open and hair loose around his face. Loki looked actually radiant, smiling in a way Thore couldn't remember seeing in years. He was...beautiful, not that he would ever say that less Loki would kill him with teasing and laughter.
“What are you smiling about, you oaf?” Loki asked, the sentence rude yet his voice gentle and happy.
It had taken Thor centuries to learn to listen to Loki’s tone and eyes, instead of his words. The Mischief God was always hiding behind a mask, but slowly, piece by piece, Loki allowed him to look behind it if only Thor tried. And by the Norns, did he try, delighted every time he saw something new, a side of Loki he’d never thought was possible.
Like that, sitting in a small cafe on Midgar, two coffees next to them waiting for Thor’s fries. It was so domestic and he felt a bit as if they were just...normal. Just two guys one a coffee date, smirking and smiling, teasing each other in a way that spoke of a lifetime together. They weren’t Loki Laufeyson and Thor Odinson, two gods. They were..just themselves, discovering anew the sides of them that they’d both thought to be lost for centuries.
“You’d like to know, wouldn’t you?” Thor teased back, making a proud gleam appear in Loki’s eyes.
His brother chuckled, not his normal, sarcastic laugh, rather a calm, happy one. It was like music to Thor’s ears, because it’s been so long since he’d heard Loki sound so carefree, so content and happy.
“You never could keep a secret from me, Thor, and you know it,” Loki replied, leaning closer to the table and Thor just smiled, nodding.
“I’m just quite happy and it is not something I’ve felt lately. It’s good to have you back,” he said timidly, suddenly shy.
They’ve never been good in talking about their feelings, but this time without his brother had taken their toll on Thor. He was willing to show his cards if that would help Loki to understand how important he was to Thor.
“I’ve never truly left,” came the equally quiet response, and suddenly, there was a hand covering his own.
Loki’s long, pale fingers tangled with his own and Thor smiled, turning his hand upright and squeezing. By some miracle, his brother didn’t move, just smirked at him gently and remained silent. For all of his words, Loki stayed silent during important moments, letting his actions speak instead of words.
He sent a small pulse of energy, making Thor jump slightly and chuckle, still not moving his hand as green seiðr enveloped their joined hands. Loki smirked at him again, before turning slightly to watch the world around them. He didn’t move his hand.
They sat like that until the waitress brought his fries, her eyes instantly focusing on their joined hands. She smiled kindly and set the fries down, staying silent. Thor glanced at his brother, who only squeezed his hand and smile charmingly at the woman.
“Thank you,” he said politely, always a gentleman and she smiled in return.
“It’s really nice to watch you two interact,” she said with a smile, not sounding intruding, just kind. “You know how to show love with little things.”
With that, she left, leaving them both in silence again.
Thor risked a glance at his brother, who was staring after the woman with a contemplative look in his eyes.
“Well, maybe we need to stick with those little things,” Loki mused, turning to face him. He didn’t look angry, rather thoughtful and there was a small smile dancing in the corner of his lips. “Since the grand gestures hadn’t really worked out, for either of us.”
“I’m happy with this,” Thor agreed, squeezing Loki’s hand one last time, before taking it away to eat it fries.
He pushed the basket slightly towards Loki, and his brother just smiled gently, leaning back in his chair. It was...nice and calm and Thor smiled widely into his ketchup, as Loki watched him with fond eyes.
Maybe this was enough.
Thor was certainly content with how things were looking when they finished the fries, Loki stealing one or two, and drank their coffee. Sometime during that, Loki hooked their ankles together, making Thor aware of his brother’s warmth pressed against his leg. It was nice and calm and happy, as if the sun that was shining outside, was also in their souls. Gentle, warm and not burning, like their passion, had done thousands of times.
Suddenly, Thor was angry at himself, for not seeing it sooner. They didn’t need grand gestures and long speeches to know their love for each other, and somewhere along the way, between said things, they’ve lost the sight of that feeling between them. Sometime during their lives, making big things became more important than showing actual love and adoration and Thor despised that it had to come to him losing Loki, what seemed one last time, for them to take a step back.
It seemed as if they were both happy with simple contact, a quiet cafe on Earth and quietly sharing fries. So unbecoming of two Kings, yet working better than any gift or prize ever could.
“Thank you for coming back.” Thor broke the silence with a quiet but grateful voice. He could remember that time when he had thought Loki was dead, when the whole universe seemed wrong, and not just because half of its inhabitants were gone. All it had taken was the lack of Loki for Thor to stop feeling at home. Now that feeling was gone and he was happier than he could ever remember being, even with all they’ve lost.
“I’ll always come back to you, my stupid Thunderer,” Loki replied, once again catching his hand. His seiðr sprung to life, enveloping Thor with warmth and something else. It felt as if Loki was making him a promise. “Just sometimes you’ll have to wait for me for a while.”
“I’ll happily wait as long as it takes,” Thor promised easily, watching as Loki smiled sadly.
“Then remember my promise, and wait, brother. We will be bathed in sun, in the world of living together. I swear.”
2.
Thor woke up and for a second, he couldn’t understand what was wrong. Something was missing, but in his mind, still muddled with sleep, everything had been alright. He and Loki had been sitting together in a cafe, his brother wearing that witchy, all black suit and…
And it had been a dream.
Thor’s heart broke just a tiny bit more and he closed his eyes, hands grasping the sheets desperately. It was rather warm in the room, Wakanda never cold, but suddenly Thor felt like he was freezing. The war, sun-like feeling in his soul was gone, like the illusion it had been and he swallowed heavily, trying not to cry.
That dream showed Thor all that he was longing for, and surprisingly, it had been all about Loki. Not his mother, whose death had been painful but Thor had long ago made his peace with, nor his people, taken away so ruthlessly. Just Loki, alive and smirking, more mellow around the edges than he could remember… Or maybe not.
That had been the Loki Thor had hugged back on the ship, the one that had allowed him to sleep in his room when the burden of everything had been too much. The Loki Thor had been missing for centuries.
He turned to his stomach and hugged a pillow close to his chest, trying to fill that gaping hole with something. Where before, in that dream, there had been warmth and happiness and that feeling of home all that Thor had left, was emptiness and grief, the memory of Loki’s cold, unmoving body under his hands.
Thor opened his eyes and glanced at his hand, which just moments before, had been covered by long, pale fingers. When Thor focused, he could still faintly see the green seiðr surrounding it, familiar and warm.
It became too painful to watch, so Thor closed his eyes and brought back the image of Loki in his black suit, a smile on his face and the shadows of leaves on the dark material. He finally fell asleep, silent tears running down his face, the faux memory fresh in his mind.
3.
The sun wasn’t even up yet, but Thor woke up early, the dream still fresh in his mind, and decided to go for a walk.
It was...too quiet, half of the voices quietened, maybe forever and Thor hated it. His life had always been loud, with battle or a feast or even crying, but Wakanda was almost silent in the early morning. He walked further and further away from the city, into the wild spots where nature had been allowed to run free. It was wild but beautiful, merciless yet benevolent and as a nature god, he felt better there.
For a moment, he just stood there, the sky slowly brightening, chasing away the darkness that had settled in Thor’s heart and soul. He knew that the sun would soon rise, but he couldn’t find it in himself to be happy about it, about the fact that after all, the world was still working. It was hard to enjoy it, with no lean, tall and dark figure next to him.
Suddenly, there were footsteps and Thor’s heart rate picked up. He turned around, only to deflate immediately when he noticed it was the new, young King of Wakanda. Shuri looked a bit lost as if there was too much on her shoulders and Thor felt sympathetic. The girl was too young to carry such a burden, especially as he had heard she had always been a scientist, a genius. She hadn’t been meant to be a King, but life rarely worked out the way it was supposed to.
Thor stayed silent as she came to stand next to him, staring at the horizon, It was just minutes away from the sunrise.
“Dreams are important,” Shuri suddenly spoke and Thor glanced at her, a question in his eyes. She didn’t even turn his way, eyes trained somewhere far away. “They carry truth in them and can tell you so much, if only you know how to listen.”
Silence fell once again as Thor tried to make sense of her words and Shuri just watched.
Then, the sun started to shine on them and Thor understood. He wasn’t convinced, he wouldn’t be until he saw the proof, but something akin to hope started to bloom in his chest.
I’ll keep my promise, Loki. I’ll wait.