I'm Listening

Chapter 1 - Just This Once

Author's Note: My sister was wondering what would have happened if Tony hadn't attacked Thor when the latter was talking to Loki in Avengers, especially seeing as Thor seemed to be getting through to his brother. I wondered the same thing, so this fanfic was born. I hope y'all enjoy it! :D

~ Amina Gila

Thor can't understand what is causing this. He wants desperately to hold onto Loki, to never let his brother go. He wants to demand to know what happened. What did he miss? How could things have come to this? He – he doesn't know. He thought he knew Loki, but after his brother fell into the Void, he realized that maybe he never knew him at all.

"I am a king!" Loki snarls angrily, glaring as Thor steps closer to him. What caused this? What's wrong, brother? Tell me! He's never felt this helpless before. He doesn't know what to say, what to do. How can he talk sense into Loki – who was always the sensible one – if he doesn't even know what's wrong? He mourned his brother, for days, weeks, and seeing him alive is still a shock. Loki isn't dead. He's alive. Here. Real.

"Not here!" Thor counters, stubbornly refusing to let go of that point. Loki might be unbalanced, unstable even, but Thor will not allow him to drag Midgard into his madness. Whatever ails him can be sorted out between the two of them. He grabs Loki's arm and shakes him roughly, as though it might bring him back to his senses. "You give up the Tesseract!" Thor continues unrelentingly, staring into Loki's eyes. "You give up this poisonous dream! You come home." He reaches up, clasping his brother's neck with his left hand as he always used to do when they were young. Please, Loki. Please listen to me. He's practically begging, but he doesn't care.

If it were in his power, he would drag Loki back to Asgard immediately and never let him go. He doesn't know how to deal with a situation where he's not in control. Nothing he can do will let him return to Asgard at will. He needs to get the Tesseract from Loki. This, none of this, makes sense. His brother never used to be like this, which begs the question: what happened when he fell from the Bifrost? Clearly, this – whatever this is – has been building for some time, but it's all coming out now for whatever reason.

"I remember a shadow. Living in the shade of your greatness." The words are filled, not with spite or resentment, as much as they are with pain, and it hurts Thor to hear it.

"I don't have it," Loki spits, his voice becoming taunting as he shakes his head slightly. Thor jerks back as anger rushes through him. "You need the cube to bring me hone, but I've sent it off I know not where." He's nearly smirking, and the blasé attitude enrages Thor. Loki thinks this is funny? How can he do this? What's wrong with him? This isn't the brother Thor remembers.

"I have grown, Odinson, in my exile," Loki boasts, but there's something there. Something Thor nearly misses. Fear. He can sense the fainted undertone of fear. He doesn't know why he's sensing it, but he's determined to find out.

Thor extends his hand, and Mjolnir flies to him. It's now or never. He has to lay everything out for Loki to make his brother understand. "You listen well, brother. I don't know what game you are playing, but I will take you with me to Asgard where you belong." It's barely noticeable, but Thor senses Loki stiffen slightly at the words. He can't say anything right. Speech was his brother's gift, not his. He doesn't know how to talk so Loki sees what he's feeling.

"Not now, you won't," Loki shoots back, something akin to glee on his face. "You have no way off Midgard." He pauses, and Thor can almost see the gears turning in his mind as he puts his silver-tongue to work. "It must be frustrating that you can't smash your way through this like you do everything else."

"Loki." The name comes out as more of a growl. This is what Loki wants for whatever reason. He's deliberately trying to antagonize Thor into attacking him. He won't oblige. They've fought each other, of course, they have, but never with the intent to harm. If Thor gives in to his anger now, he could injure Loki. He doesn't want to do that. He doesn't want to continue ignoring his brother or doing whatever it is that has hurt him. He wants to make things right.