2Thor had come to accept a few factors in his life. Fact one: every time he started to get comfortable somewhere, that place got destroyed and/or attacked. Fact two: it is extremely difficult to maintain a relationship when you're always realms apart. Fact three (and this fact was the most certain of them all): at the first opportunity that presented itself, Loki would betray him. His brother's nature was one of the few things left in his life that he felt certain about. He wasn't certain of his worthiness or his powers after watching Mjolnir shatter to pieces like a mug of glass. He wasn't certain where they even were after being flung out of that wormhole and manhandled from the throne room into this cell.
It was all very up in the air.
As of now, he was certain of something else. Loki has been losing weight. It's obvious in the thinness of his wrists. His whole person just seems…smaller. Has he not been eating? He'd been impersonating their father for long enough to gain a few pounds. With all the feasts. Thor had heard tales of the celebrations in Asgard even at the furthest reaches of the realms. With all that power and access to wealth and food...why had his brother's size decreased? Thor tilts his head as he contemplates this. His eyes are glued to the back of the other man in the room with him, as said man gestured toward the cell door with the sort of theatrics that only a God could muster.
"I hope you know this is all your fault," Loki says, finally looking his way for the first time since this rant began.
Thor feels the air leave him very slowly. Fatigue is weighing heavily on him and he's finding it difficult to drum up the energy to respond. He didn't feel like participating in Loki's little drama. He just wants to rest. And for his homeland to not be in imminent danger.
Exhausted, he says, "Tell me, just how is this my fault?"
"You just kept insisting we knew each other! Even though I was clearly signaling you to state otherwise. Can't you understand a simple signal? You can throw out orders just fine but when you have to take them? Forget it. Unless you're bellowing out some obnoxious tale of triumph or swinging that God forsaken hammer around you're absolutely useless." Now Loki had lapsed into his typical "lecture" tone that he reserves for monologuing villainously and telling everyone what an idiot they are. It's a tone Thor is very familiar with and its effects have long since worn off.
There's a finger in his face, but all Thor can focus on is how small his brother's hand looks. His hair is long enough to touch his shoulders, but it's even and neat. He's cut it since the last time they'd seen each other. He's been living in disguise for a while. How long has it been? Time has been flying by during his travels between realms. Thor hadn't thought to check in with the Asgardians at the time.
The idea of living as someone else was something that in the past Thor could never understand. He used to scoff at the idea and preach about how they should be proud of who they were. The look he received from his brother then had made no sense. Hurt. Isolated.
But now it was starting to dawn on him. Because of who they were-because of who they are there are many things that are out of their control. There are many things that have to be done and expectations of what they will do. Loki has taken the role of the villain and thus has removed himself from the comfort of having a home, friends, or family. The inclusion he had wanted so desperately as a child may be lost to him forever after the things he's done.
Loki was many things; coy, intelligent, selfish, mischievous. There was a predictability to his nature that Thor found to be calming. He knew what to expect from Loki unlike so many of the new figures that had begun popping up. But in all this time he had never wished Loki was anyone else. He was a foil to Thor in all the best ways. Where he was impulsive, Loki was methodical. Thor was quick to let his temper flare, Loki was quick to tamper down all emotion in favor of logic. Thor knew how to fight, but Loki could exchange wits with the most cunning politicians. He played the royal circuit and its members like puppets on strings.
It was nice that after all this time, at least some things never changed.
Loki has taken up sulking with his arms and legs crossed. For all intents and purposes, Thor recognized this as one of his pouts. He's on the opposite side of the room, using all his energy to glare.
The walls are clear and made of a strange, cool material that bends slightly when pressed but is sturdy enough to withstand physical force. Underneath one's fingers, it almost felt like the beds in this water realm Thor had been to recently.
Even with his face pressed against the wall, Thor can feel the other man's glare on him.
"How long are you going to glare for?" His voice is deep and rough from lack of sleep.
"For the rest of eternity." Loki says flatly, seemingly unsurprised by the comment.
Thor chuckles.
Honestly? He's missed Loki's flat tone. He's missed the banter and the way the other man looks for any chance to be the smartest in the room.
"Don't you have anything better to do? Isn't there someone to betray?" He offers, aware that he's fanning the flames of Loki's irritation.
"Well, considering you're stuck in the room with me...no. Not really."
"Awww. Now be honest…" Thor shifts, letting the wall cool the left side of his face so he can offer Loki half an amused look. "Am I your one and only?"
Loki bristles, Thor can see the fingers on his arms tighten briefly before smoothing out over the gaudy green and black fabric he always wears. Like a peacock preening its feathers into place.
When he speaks its nothing more than a whisper, "Don't flatter yourself."
It feels like a secret. And an admission.
Thor isn't sure when it happens or how, but he falls asleep against the wall he'd been leaning on for the better part of two hours. The rest of the room is heavy with humidity. Perhaps as a result of the two beings exhaling carbon for such a long period of time. This cell is different from the endless loop he'd been stuck in before the fight with the Hulk.
He really shouldn't have tried to push his luck when he spotted Loki seated beside the Grandmaster. A clarity had washed over him at the sight of Loki sitting beside a throne, like looking at a portrait and remembering the day it was taken. It brought back so much, their father, their mother, the frost giants, exile, their constant struggle over the throne on Asgard. All of it.
Now here they both were. Everything that was-everything that they are has been stripped away. Loki was mirroring his position on the opposite wall. His head was lolling slightly to the left, his chest minutely rising and falling. There was a softness that he lacked during consciousness. The Inky strands on his head were starting to curl with oil and sweat.
Thor isn't sure why he does it, but his feet carry him to the other side of the room before he can dwell on the thought for too long.
He wants to be closer. Closer to just a piece of the past. A piece of home.
Loki's cheek is soft under Thor's fingers as they drift along the skin toward his ear. Despite the heat of the room, his skin remains cool. Then again, frost giants always kept a lower than average temperature. Asgardians tended to run warm. It was one of the first facts Thor could remember from their youth.
The other man stirs under his touch.
The first thing he does when his eyes flutter open is glare. Thor hadn't expected much else. His fingers slide under Loki's chin. His arms are still crossed, Thor reads the posture as defensive. Still, Loki does nothing when he leans forward, tilting the man's chin up as he moves.
"We should go." His mouth brushes against Thor's as he speaks. The voice is brittle. A few more moments and he might break.
"How do you propose we do that?"
From afar it might look as if they were delicately kissing each other. But their mouths keep a few centimeters between them, a slight fleeting touch. It's the words that keep them apart.
"They might be of help."
Finally, Thor leans back, following the line of Loki's finger. He's pointing to a bewildered-looking scientist and a valkyrie.
"I was ah...gaining his allegiance if you will."
Valkyrie looks less than convinced at the door of their shared cell. She twits something and the door and walls around them dissolve.
"Oh really? Is that what you were doing?" She says.
Thor stands, trying to abandon the feelings that were stirring within him. Loki stands beside him, making himself busy by brushing the dust from his pants.
"Loki playing mind games with Thor? Man, that really takes me back." Bruce says. He sounds like he cant tell if this is a dream or reality. Like a man waking after a long hibernation. He surely doesn't think much of it, he's been off Earth for years. But it sends a pang through Thor's heart all the same. Not wanting to linger, Thor claps a hand on the man's shoulder and steers him away from the cell door.
"You have no idea."