All In a Brother's Love

Chapter Three: Reunited, But at What Cost?

If anything, Thor wished that Loki was safe and happy, even if it meant that they weren't together. As much as that thought hurt, Thor knew that it was probably going to be true. Their paths had diverged a long time ago and Thor knew from experience that expecting anything else was going to leave him even more hurt. The truth was damaging, and it left Thor emotionally drained on top of his physical pain.

Touching his eyepatch again, with slightly trembling fingers, Thor stared sadly at himself, assessing the damage that Hela had done. He had time to clean up but now he just wanted a nap.

However, a sudden flicker of green caught his attention, reflecting in the mirror. Dismissing it as a trick of his eye, Thor messed around with the diamond bottle stopper on the table, not thinking anything at all.

"It suits you," a familiar voice said from behind him.

Startled, Thor turned around to see that his eyes were not playing tricks on him. Or maybe they were, since Loki stood in front of him, dressed in his battle armour. He looked tired but he still managed to give Thor a small smile. Thor gave him a small smile in return, tossing the diamond back and forth in his hands.

"Perhaps you're not so bad after all, brother," Thor said, trying his hardest to focus on the mirage in front of him. A part of him told him that Loki wasn't there, just projecting his usual illusions to probably say his goodbyes to Thor.

"Maybe not," Loki said in return, shifting on his feet.

"Thank you Loki," Thor said, grateful that Loki thought enough of him to say his goodbyes, even if it wasn't in person. A stupid thought suddenly came across Thor's mind. "If you were here, I might even give you a hug." Thor shifted the diamond in his hand before suddenly tossing it at Loki.

The dish sailed through the air, missing Thor's intended target of Loki's face, expecting the dish to go through Loki's body. However, Loki's hand whipped upward and easily caught the dish.

A grin spread across Thor's face as Loki smiled back at him.

"I'm here," Loki assured.

There was a slight pause as Thor realized that Loki was standing there before him, in the flesh and blood - he was there! A grin slowly crossed Thor's face while Loki smiled fondly back at him.

Thor's feet were moving on their own, crossing the distance between himself and his brother in a few seconds. Loki had moved toward him as well, tossing the soap dish onto the small rug. The two brothers collided in a warm embrace. Thor tugged Loki closer and placed a large hand on the back of Loki's head, being mindful of his strength to not crush Loki with his bear hug.

Surprisingly, Loki leaned into the embrace, resting his chin on Thor's shoulder and wrapping his arms around Thor's shoulders. Loki was either exhausted or losing his mind because the younger god would never have let the hug go on for this long.

Yet, neither of them let go. Thor closed his eyes and relished the feeling of Loki. Even with Loki's lower body temperature, it was comfortable and he fit perfectly in Thor's arms. Loki smelt smoky, probably from being so close to Surtur. The thought of Surtur caused Thor to mentally kick himself for sending Loki off on a dangerous mission and he held Loki tighter.

"I'm glad you are back," Thor said.

Loki gave no response but Thor noticed that Loki was suddenly shaking. Was he crying?

"I'm sorry," Loki whispered, slightly choking on his words. "I'm sorry, Thor. I-"

"It's alright," Thor replied, gently grasping Loki by the biceps and holding his younger brother out at arm's length. Tears rolled down Loki's pale cheeks, leaving little lines through the thin layer of dirt on his face. Loki's lower lip quivered slightly as he tried to hold it in.

"It's not alright, Thor," Loki muttered. "Do you know what I have done?"

"It doesn't matter," Thor assured and it was the truth. He would be lying if he said that he wasn't upset at Loki's previous actions, but Thor was glad that his brother was back and that his hope of Loki changing for the better had become true. He was willing to forgive Loki because he could see that Loki needed help. Thor had been arrogant of Loki's feelings in the past and it had cost them their relationship as brothers; he wasn't about to lose his little brother again, not when he had a chance to fix their relationship. Having Loki show up here was a nice foundation to rebuild their relationship, even if it felt like they were starting at the bottom.

"You are not mad at me?' Loki asked, his green eyes staring expectantly at Thor as if waiting for Thor to yell at him. And Thor would have if he had been younger, but the past few years forced Thor to realize that yelling and getting angry at people usually made them fear him - and that was something that he didn't want to do to Loki.

"I am glad that you are safe, brother," Thor said. "I'm truly happy that you are here. I don't know what I would have done on my own. I doubt that I would have enough patience to handle the responsibilities as king by myself."

Thor must have said something wrong because Loki's knees gave way and he would have collapsed completely if Thor hadn't caught him. Gently kneeling on the ground, Thor held onto Loki as Loki clung to Thor's arm. Looking down at his brother, Thor could see the exhaustion etched into the younger's pale face.

"Speaking of being king, you should probably get ready for your coronation," Loki said, his voice quiet and slightly hoarse.

"Not until I know that you are alright," Thor said stubbornly. "I want you to be there."

"I'm fine," Loki shot back and tried to stand back up. However, his body protested against him and he sat back down on the floor.

"You're not fine," Thor pointed out.

"Maybe not," Loki muttered. He clenched his jaw, struggling to hold something back. Thor waited patiently for Loki to figure out his inner turmoil. It didn't last very long, just a few minutes, but Loki's resolve diminished completely and he seemed to release all the tension he was holding in his body.

Loki's mouth opened to speak but no words came out. Instead, Loki wrapped his arms around the back of Thor's neck and cried into Thor's shoulder. Thor, who was trying to hold back his tears - even though a few slipped out - let Loki cry. He rubbed small circles on Loki's back, just like how mother used to do whenever either of them was upset.

They must have looked ridiculous - the soon-to-be king holding onto a sobbing delinquent while sitting on the floor of a stolen party ship. Yet, Thor felt at peace, knowing that things were going to turn out alright. His brother was back, and that was all that he needed.

Happy Holidays! :D