Archive of Our Own

Thor was having what he considered to be his most restful night of sleep he’s had in a very long time.

Living on a giant spaceship floating endlessly through space with a couple hundred refugees was no easy task. Not to mention the fact he was King of them all. Meaning he had many more responsibilities compared to the other passengers on the ship. Keeping track of supplies, steering the ship so it stayed on track to arrive on Earth in a timely manner, making sure what little left of his people there was were supported well enough given their current situation. It’s a lot for a King to handle.

But despite everything that had happened since Ragnarok, Thor was sleeping very peacefully. Dreaming of what Asgard will look like once they settle onto Earth. A peaceful village with him leading. Having Loki, Valkyrie, and Heimdall as his council to help lead their people. Being fully reunited with his Avenger friends. It was a nice break from the numerous nightmares he has had over the past couple years.

Unfortunately nice things don’t last forever. Thor was suddenly awoken from his dream with the feeling of ice cold water being thrown on his face.

“Agghh! What the Hel!?” Thor looked up to see none other than his younger brother Loki standing next to him. Empty glass in hand.

“Wonderful. Now that you are finally awake we can start getting ready for the weekly council meeting,” Loki said smugly.

“Was the ice water necessary? You could have just shaken me awake like a normal person,” Thor grumbled.

“I suppose I could have, but seeing your reaction was far more enjoyable for me. Here, use this cloth to dry yourself. We don’t have time to spare today.” Loki used his magic to materialize a small cloth and threw it at Thor.

Thor dried himself with the cloth. Once he finished, he stood up and went to the bathroom to prepare himself for the long day ahead of him. First it would be the council meeting which hopefully shouldn’t take too long as none of them liked the long drawn out meetings. Then the longer part of the day would take place, going around the ship checking to do routine maintenance checks making sure everything is operating correctly, and talking with the people. Such a schedule did not allow any relaxation time for himself, so he took his time getting ready.

“Hurry up brother! We don’t have all day,” Loki yelled impatiently.

Thor let out a sigh. He loved his brother, and while he was extremely grateful they had finally reconciled after so many years of fighting one another, Loki still successfully managed to get on his nerves very easily at times.

Thor opened the bathroom door. “You of all people should know that a King needs to take the time to look presentable.”

“Yes but I never take as long as you do.”

“Well not all of us are lucky enough to be gifted with the magical abilities to fully change their looks. Illusions truly make the morning routine go quicker,” Thor smirked.

“Oh shut up. Let's get going. I’d rather not spend the entire day in the council room when there's a lot of work to be done.” Loki headed towards the bedroom door and into the hallway.

Thor let out a small laugh and followed Loki out of the bedroom and into the hallway.

The two walked in silence. Thor was making a mental checklist of what he needed to check on.

Engine health needs to be looked at, maybe Banner and his PHD’s can help. Need to make sure the plumbing system is working well, some were complaining about minor issues yesterday. Need to double check with Heimdall at the meeting to make sure we are still on track for our arrival, and I need to see-

“Oh damn it.” Loki suddenly said, breaking Thor from his thoughts. Thor looked over at him.

“What is it?”

“I realized I forgot my notes I wanted to bring to the meeting in our room. You go on without me. I'll catch up with you,” Loki said.

“Your complaining about my time management skills has made you forgetful of the small things brother.” Thor said in a teasing tone.

Loki huffed, “Well if the King of Asgard was better at keeping a watch on him maybe the small things wouldn’t be easily forgotten about. Now, go on. I’ll be very quick.”

“Yes mother.”

“Ha ha.” Loki said sarcastically. He turned around and started to walk back down the hallway to their shared bedroom.

“If you're one minute late to this meeting you can’t verbally complain about anyone else being late for the next three meetings!” Thor shouted.

Loki didn’t respond, just kept walking down the hallway towards their room. Thor smiled and walked into the council room.

__________

Loki wasn’t going to be allowed to complain about anyone being late to council meetings ever again if Thor had anything to say about it. It’s been almost ten minutes since the council meeting was slated to begin, and there was no sign of his brother.

“How much longer is he going to take? I mean it's just his notes,” Valkyrie groaned. She was beginning to grow very impatient. They all were, but Valkyrie was the first to admit it out loud.

“Maybe he got caught up helping someone out? Or he’s trying to hide?” Bruce said.

“Loki has not hidden himself from my gaze. He appears to still be in his quarters. He is staring at himself in the mirror.” Heimdall said.

Thor let out a small sigh.

“Val, can you go get him? I’m not in the mood to potentially bicker with him on the way here.”

“Fine. But if he tries anything I hold the right punch him in the face as hard as I want.” Valkyrie stood up from her seat and headed towards the door.

“Thank you.” Thor called after her.

Valkyrie waved her hand at him in response.

Thor sighed again and sunk into his seat.

“Something troubling you my King?” Heimdall asked.

“It’s Loki. So much has happened with us in such a short timespan it’s hard to know what to think anymore.”

“You’re worried about whether or not you can trust him?”

“I want to fully trust him. I truly do, but…”

“Your history with him over these past years makes it rather hard.”

“Yes.”

Heimdall hummed at Thor's response, “It is a hard decision to make. Though it’s not one that has to be immediate. Trust is built, not bought. While I did not agree with his actions when he paraded around as Odin for four years, he did always make sure the people of Asgard were well looked after.”

Thor didn’t respond. His brother’s temporary ruling of Asgard was not great, but it could have been much worse in the grand scheme of things. The people were happy despite the other eight realms being in chaos.

Thor rubbed a hand over his face.

“I just hope I can have the same amount of trust I had in him when we were younger.”

“Maybe that day will come. You’ll both have to work for it, if it's what you both truly want.” Heimdall said.

Thor nodded his head in response, taking in Heimdall’s words.

“Not to get too off topic, but what are you going to do with Loki once we reach Earth?” Bruce asked.

“What do you mean?” Thor raised an eyebrow at Bruce.

“Well you know. I don’t know how keen the governments of the world are going to be at the idea of Loki, leader of the New York alien invasion coming to live full time on the planet.” Bruce said.

Bruce had a point. It’s something Thor has thought about off and on since he decided that Earth would be the new home for Asgard, but he has yet to think of a plan on how to handle bringing his brother with him. No matter what, he wanted Loki to stay with him. He wants to live with the last piece of family he has left, and he will argue with the governments of Earth to make that happen.

“We will figure something out. It’s a discussion Loki and I need to have. I was hoping to have it with him later today. I may need to use you as a witness for discussions once we reach Earth Bruce. I want my brother to be with me to help lead.”

“Oh. Yeah of course, but I’m only doing it because I’m your friend and you got me off Sakaar,” Bruce said.

Thor smiled. “Thank you my friend.”

The door to the council room suddenly opened. Valkyrie entered and walked straight towards Thor. Loki entered shortly after her.

“Your brother is acting strange,” She whispered in Thor’s ear.

“What do you mean?” Thor whispered back.

“When I walked into your room he was staring at himself in the mirror like he was a lost puppy. When I called after him he looked at me as if he had never seen me in his life before. He started to walk in the opposite direction of the council room and I called him out on it. He didn’t even remember waking you up today. He tried to play it off, but failed miserably. For being the God of Lies, his lies are full of shit today.”

Thor took a small glance at his brother who had not moved from the entryway. He could tell how Loki was looking at him that something was clearly off with him. Loki was looking at Thor with almost the exact same look on face as he did when he first saw Thor’s missing eye while fighting Hela on the Rainbow Bridge. A look of confusion, and concern is very evident on his face. What is going on with his brother?

“I’ll try to talk with him after the meeting.”

“Good luck. For once he doesn’t appear to be chatty.” Valkyrie shifted into her seat next to Thor.

Thor looked up, and made direct eye contact with Loki. Trying to read his brother.

“Ah, brother! Glad you finally decided to join us for the meeting.” Thor said in a teasing tone.

“Well it’s not a meeting without the God of Mischief now is it?” Loki said while seating himself in the chair next to Valkyrie.

Thor hummed at Loki’s response. He wanted to question his brother’s lateness, but he also knew Loki well enough that he would just get defensive and refuse to reveal anything if he were to be questioned in front of everyone.

“Well now that we are all finally here we can get on with the meeting. Heimdall how on track are we with getting to Earth?”

_________

The meeting seemed to be going normally for the most part. The main thing missing from the meeting was Loki’s constant interjecting with his thoughts and ideas. It was not unnoticed by anyone.

Thor kept eyeing Loki while Valkyrie and Heimdall discussed the lack of food supplies. He was just sitting in his seat clearly lost in thought. His face almost looked as if he was hearing the information about their situation for the very first time. What the Hel is wrong with him? He’s usually talking up a storm by now. Thor thought. Thor then had an idea on how to get his brother to talk.

“What do you think Loki?”

No response. Loki was still deeply lost in thought.

“Brother?”

Still no response from his brother. Not even a flinch in his eyes.

“Loki!” Thor was much louder this time.

“Oh, uh yes brother?” Loki seemed incredibly startled by Thor’s sudden loudness.

“I was asking if you knew how much water supply we have, and if you are aware of any nearby planets that may have enough supplies to last us the rest of our journey?”

Thor saw Valkyrie raise her eyebrow at him. He quickly shot her a look that said, I know what I’m doing. She gave a small nod back at him.

“Well, water. There should be enough for about two weeks,” Loki said. Thor could hear the uncertainty in Loki’s voice. Definitely a small red flag.

“As for planets. We could always go to Xandar. The Nova Core are known for their help are they not?”

Another red flag. At the very start of their journey they all had debated whether or not to go to Xandar to get the Nova Core’s aid. Ultimately they decided the distance between Xandar and Earth was far too great compared to the length between the remains of Asgard and Earth. Loki had been at the forefront of that debate, claiming it would be easier for their people if they got to Earth as quickly as possible. Something was very wrong with Loki. Thor was certain of it.

Before Thor could speak any words, Heimdall had begun poking holes in Loki’s line of thinking.

“Xandar is on the complete opposite end of our journey. We would have to completely turn around. Which would double the length of our journey to Midgard.”

Loki’s face went red with embarrassment at the gatekeeper's words.

“Well then I am not sure where to go. Perhaps the gatekeeper with the eyes that can see the whole universe would be better suited for solving this predicament.” Loki said. Deflection laced in his tone.

Thor looked at Loki with concern. “Brother, are you feeling alright?”

“I’m fine,” Loki said sharply. “I didn’t sleep the best last night. I think I shall go lie down.” Everyone watched as Loki quickly stood up and exited the room. The door slammed loudly behind him.

There was a long silent pause as they all stared at the door.

“That's weird behavior even for Loki right? He almost looked like he’s never been in this room before.” Bruce said.

“In all my years of knowing him I have never seen him act so absent within a conversation,” Heimdall said.

“He was acting like a lost puppy when I went to get him from his room. I thought he would snap out of it once the meeting began. Usually I’m glad when he finally shuts up, but this is strange behavior for him.” Valkyrie said.

“What do you think Thor? You know him the best out of all of us,” Bruce said.

Thor said nothing. He just kept staring at the door. Trying to think of a plan of what he could say to Loki. He just wants to know what's going on. This wasn’t the first time Thor had seen Loki exit a room quickly, but in the past he would at least have somewhat of an idea what set him off.

Volstagg endlessly teasing him about his magic. Some random dignitary from Alfheim saying something insulting at a party, or even cases of Loki just being tired and done with whatever situation they were in, would all be known reasons for him to get up and leave a room without many words spoken. But today, Thor had absolutely no idea what set Loki off. Everything was going completely normally before the meeting. What suddenly changed?

After a long moment of silence Thor stood up from his chair. “I say we take a recess. I’m going to go check on Loki.”

“Do you want me to come with you? Just in case he tries to cause any trouble?” Valkyrie asked.

Thor shook his head, “No no. I can handle my brother and whatever trouble he might try to throw at me. Besides, it’s hard enough to get Loki to open up with just me. If any of you were to join me it’ll make it impossible to get any real answers out of him.”

“Yell if you change your mind,” Valkyrie said.

“I will,” Thor said while exiting the council room.

_________

Thor stood at the end of the hallway where his shared room with Loki was located. He could see the bright green glow of Loki’s magic illuminating through crevices in the doorframe. He decided to stand and wait in the hallway until Loki was done with whatever spell, or spells he was doing. He was not in the mood to be in the crossfire of Loki’s magic. He doesn’t want to deal with being flung into a wall, or potentially be turned into a frog again. What the Hel is he doing in there? Thor thought.

It’s not that Loki hadn’t used his magic since being on the Statesman. It’s the fact Loki left a council meeting he was eager to start on time, to then leave early with no explanation to practice his magic. It wasn’t making any sense to Thor. Eventually after a long while, Loki’s magic stopped glowing through the doorway. Thor waited a couple of minutes just in case Loki started to use his magic again, but no magical green glow illuminated the doorway.

Thor went to the bedroom door and opened it. He saw Loki standing staring out the giant window into the vastness of space. Loki turned his head over his shoulder and let out a small sigh at the sight of Thor.

“I know between the two of us you have always had a wider medical knowledge, but even I know that standing and staring out a large window isn’t the same as lying down in a bed after what appears to be a restless night of sleep.” Thor said.

Loki said nothing in response much to Thor’s dismay. No snarky comments, or tired insults. Loki just stared at him. Thor walked over to the vanity by his bed and grabbed a random bottle of Sakarrian whiskey and two glasses. He poured the whiskey into the glasses, and went to join Loki by the window holding out one of the glasses to him.

Loki didn’t immediately reach for the drink being offered to him. Thor knew Loki preferred fancy wines or cocktails over whiskey, but when you're out in the middle of space with a couple hundred refugees there are limited options when it comes to drinking. Weird tasting Sakarrian alcohol was all they had at the moment.

Eventually Loki slowly reached for the glass in Thor’s hand and took a sip. A small look of disgust was evident on his face. Thor, seeing his brother’s reaction to the alcohol, decided to drink it in one swig. It was incredibly bittersweet. Almost had a sour aftertaste to it. Not the worst drink Thor has had in his many years of living, but it certainly would not be one he chooses to drink willingly again.

The two of them continued to stand in silence looking into the inky blackness of outer space. Neither seemed to know how to start the conversation.

“How did you know I was in here?” Loki asked, deciding to finally break the long silence.

“You said you were tired and wanted to lie down. I highly doubt you would want to do that in any other room on this ship.” Thor shrugged.

He wanted to ask Loki about his sudden use of magic, but Loki decided he wanted to ask questions first.

“Since when do you trust my words about my whereabouts?”

It wasn’t an unreasonable question for Loki to ask. Given their history over the years Thor was well within his right to question his whereabouts. But Thor wanted to fully trust Loki again, and that means not constantly badgering his brother about where he is going anytime he leaves a room.

“Since you decided to be late to the council meeting which is highly unlike you brother. Besides, you have proven to be true to your words this past month since Ragnarok.” Thor said earnestly. Loki said nothing, so Thor continued. “You are the one who wants to start right on the dot every week. I mean, you were the one who woke me up and dragged me out of bed complaining about how we were going to be late to the meeting if I didn’t get up. Only for you to be more than ten minutes late.”

“I do apologize brother. As I told the Valkyrie I was checking things around the ship, lost track of time is all.”

Val was right. Loki’s lies are shit today. Thor thought. Thor decided he didn’t want to play the long game with getting information out of Loki. He needed a direct answer.

“What is with you Loki? This past month you have been so put together. Acting the most princely I have ever seen you act. You were breaking up fights between our restless people, and helping in the med ward. Helping Heimdall steer the ship when he needs a short break and I am unable to step in. Your lies have been awful today, which is surprising since that's been your main thing for the past thousand years or so. You are walking around as if you know nothing at all.” Thor almost sounded desperate in his voice, but reeled it in the best he could.

There was a brief pause. Loki looked away from Thor and stared out the window.

“I suppose it’s just been a lot. I mean with everything that's happened. It’s been tiring.” Loki said. It almost sounded like he was fully defeated.

Even the God of Mischief has a breaking point. Thor thought. A lot has happened in such a short amount of time, it really shouldn’t be too surprising to Thor that Loki would hit a breaking point like this, but it is.

Loki has always been strong. Always has some sort of plan. Ready for whatever may come in the future. If he ever has a breaking point no one sees it. He covers it with illusions. The only time Thor can recall seeing Loki at true all time low was after their mother died. Even then he covered himself with an illusion. Only breaking it when Thor told him to. Seeing his brother speak with defeat in voice while not in battle is an incredibly rare occurrence. Maybe it’s only surprising for Thor seeing Loki at this breaking point because he's acting like he’s already been defeated rather than fighting, and yelling his way through it like he has in the past.

“I understand. I mean our father not telling us about a murderous evil sister for hundreds of years until right before his death. Being stuck on Sakaar for weeks, and destroying our planet and home that we grew up on to then be trapped on the ship with the few hundreds of people left is tiring. We have been through quite a lot.”

Thor noticed Loki tense and grimace at his words.

“Our father never did like telling us things did he?” Loki said.

Thor paused. Not fully sure how to respond properly. In all their years of fighting one another they never did discuss the details of Loki’s origins with one another properly. The fight always seemed more important than talking.

Maybe that's what set him off earlier. Maybe all those emotions Loki has had about their father, and his adoption are creeping out again. Not in the way they have in the past with pure anger, but with tiredness and frustration. Thor decided to say something he should have said a long time ago.

“I am truly sorry Loki.”

“What?” Loki said with confusion.

“For not being with you when you were told of your origins. It wasn’t right of father to keep that from you. You should have seen how angry I was once he told me the truth after you fell from the Bifrost.” Thor said. Finally releasing the words he should have said long ago.

“There’s nothing you could have done. Odin relished in his secrets. He never once thought how they would affect others. He probably would have never said anything at all had I not gone to the vault after we went to Joutenheim.” Loki said with a small frown on his face.

He did have a point. Their father likely never would have said anything at all had Loki not gone to the vault to touch the Casket, but that would have made things much worse for Loki. The questions would have stirred more, likely would’ve driven him more mad. Thor was grateful that didn’t happen.

“You would have found out one way or another. I’m sure of it, and I will always have wished I was there when you found out. Once father told me the truth, your words to me from our fight made sense to me, when you said you weren’t my brother. But even after the truth that you were a frost giant came out. I still knew that line from you wasn’t true. Adopted or not, you are my brother Loki. You always have been and you always will be. Frost giant and all.”

Loki said nothing for a moment. Just stared at his brother. Thor stared back, giving a reassuring smile. It felt good to finally say these words out loud to Loki. He wishes he said them sooner, maybe things may have been different in the past had he said them then, but he’s grateful to have the opportunity to speak them out loud now. They are no longer enemies. Thor will forever be grateful for that. He finally has his brother back. Loki smiled at Thor.

“Thank you Thor.”

Thor smiled again and placed his hand on Loki’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

“Well, I should get back to the meeting with Valkyrie, Bruce, and Heimdall. You stay here and get some-”

Thor was suddenly interrupted by Loki hugging him. Thor was taken aback by his brother’s actions. Loki rarely hugs him. They had shared a small hug after everyone settled on the Statesman, yes, but Thor was the one to initiate it. The last time Thor could recall Loki initiating a genuine hug that didn’t have attempted stabbing was when they were very young children. After a small moment of standing completely still, Thor wrapped his arms around Loki and gave him a tight squeeze. They stood like that for several moments before Loki broke the hug.

“Maybe you do need rest brother. Hugs without knives is not like you.” Thor said in a teasing tone.

Loki gave a small chuckle, “Maybe I do.”

Thor gave Loki a light pat on the shoulder and slowly turned away from the window.

“Well now I really need to get back to the meeting. Val was already unhappy with your late start, and she’s probably getting more restless with the forced recess I made to check on you. You should lie down brother, take the day off.”

After the conversation they just had it’s best for Loki to just spend the rest of the day resting. Thor can handle the rest of the meeting and give Loki a rundown of what was said the next day. Just as Thor was about to open the door, Loki called out to him.

“Thor?”

Thor turned away from the doorway.

“Yes Loki?”

“There's something I want to talk with you about.”

“Is it urgent? Or can it wait until after the meeting is done?”

“Somewhat urgent I would say.”

Thor narrowed his eye at Loki. His brother was apprehensive, which is very abnormal for the prince with the silver tongue.

“What is it?”

Loki let out a deep breath. He seemed to be bracing himself for what he was about to say.

“It’s all very complicated. I don’t quite have the full image myself yet. But I promise you that I am telling the truth, and everything will make sense once I explain everything. I am not fully your-AUGH!” Loki's words were interrupted by cries of pain.

Thor's single eye widened as he stood in shock, not fully sure what was happening. Loki’s body reeled back and was contorting violently. It looked like he was being ripped apart from the inside out. He immediately ran to the other side of the room to where his brother was standing.

“Loki!” He yelled.

Loki’s body continued to contort. Thor anxiously reached out and put his hands on his brother’s shoulders trying to steady him. Is this some kind of magic seizure?  Thor thought. Whatever it was, Loki's cries sounded dreadful.

Loki eventually stopped contorting. His body started to go limp under Thor's hands. Thor quickly readjusted himself and caught Loki before he fell to the ground, holding him against his side.

Loki was breathing heavily trying to catch whatever air he could. His eyes were shut tight. A pained look was spread across his face.

“Loki? Are you okay?” Thor asked anxiously.

“Th-Thor?” Loki winced, “What happened?”

“I was hoping you could tell me. Your body looked like it was being torn apart.”

“I don’t know. Aren’t we supposed to be at the meeting? You know how I hate it when the meeting starts late…” Loki’s words slurred. He felt more limp under Thor’s hold.

“Loki… don’t you remember?”

“Remember what? Ow, my head,” Loki’s words continued to slur. He shut his eyes tight again.

“You were late to the meeting. You acted like you didn’t know anything that was going on, and then left in a rush. We just talked about it. You don’t remember any of that?”

“What? No I-” Loki’s words stopped. His body went fully limp against Thor. Eyes fully shut.

“Loki!?” Thor said. He was starting to panic. He immediately put two fingers on Loki’s neck to try and detect a pulse. He let out a sigh as he felt one.

He quickly dragged Loki towards the door and into the hallway. He needed to get Loki to the medical wing as quickly as possible.

“Help!” He yelled. “Val! I need help! Anyone, I need help!”

Neighboring doors suddenly opened around him. Asgardian citizens trickled out of their rooms. Staring in shock at their King's worried state.

The thunderous sound of someone running echoed down the hallway. Thor looked to his right to see Valkyrie running towards him. Pushing past the people in the hallway. Dragonfang at her side in its sheath ready for her to unleash. 

"I heard you yelling. What happ-Oh shit.” Valkyrie's face dropped once she fully noticed the state the two gods were in. “What happened to him?”

“I don’t know. One minute he’s about to tell me something important. The next he looks as if he’s being torn apart bit by bit.” Thor said, tightening his hold on Loki.

“Being torn apart bit by bit? What do you mean?” Valkyrie asked.

“It’s hard to explain. Help me carry him to the med ward. He’s completely passed out and isn't responding to me at all.”

Valkyrie went to Loki’s side and lifted his arm around her shoulder. Evening out his weight between her and Thor.

“Get out of the way! Return to your rooms!” She shouted at the bystanders.

Not wanting to face the wrath of an angry Valkyrie, all the people in the hallway quickly went back into their rooms. Thor and Valkyrie quickly walked down the hallway.

“Your brother is just full of surprises isn’t he?”

Thor looked down at Loki. His brother still hadn’t responded. His eyes still shut tight.

“Let’s just get him to the healers.”

Thor and Valkyrie spent the rest of the journey to the med ward in silence. Carrying Loki as quickly as they could.

__________

“It seems he may have over exhausted himself,” the healer Svela said. Her golden magic hovered above Loki’s head.

She had been one of Eir’s many apprentices, and was one of the lucky few that survived Hela’s massacre. She was quite talented as healer, but not nearly as knowledgeable as Eir. Thor frowned at her diagnosis.

“The way his body was contorting and ripping apart seems to be more than over exhaustion.” Thor said, his gaze not leaving Loki’s resting form.

“I wish I could give a better diagnosis my King, but based on what you described, without seeing it for myself I have no explanation for what may have caused this. His symptoms you saw may be explained in one of our ancient texts, but none survived Ragnarok. He has no visible injuries. Over usage of magic is the best explanation I can give.”

“Do you have any recommendations on what to do once he wakes up?” Thor asked.

“I recommend having him limit his magic for a week. If the contorting happens again during that time then that might mean some kind of magical forces are at war with him. Bring him back here immediately if so. If nothing happens during that week he can slowly return to using his magic as normal. It may forever be a mystery what caused the prince’s sudden ailment.” Svela said. She stopped hovering her magic above Loki, her hands returning to her sides.

Thor sighed. That was not the answer he wanted. But he also understood that the healers had extremely limited resources, and Loki had a very strange unexplainable medical emergency.

“Thank you for all your work Svela,” Thor said.

“Of course my King. I shall leave the two of you alone. I’ll come back to check on him later.” Svela bowed her head, and exited the room. Softly closing the door behind her.

Thor grabbed a chair from the corner of the room and placed it on the side of Loki’s bed. He rubbed his hand over his face as he sat down.

“Loki, Loki, Loki. What am I going to do with you?” Thor said aloud.

It is going to be a challenge to keep Loki’s magic to a limit, even if it’s only temporary. His brother lives off his magic, but if it means Loki’s episode doesn’t happen again he’ll do all he can to rein his brother in. The memory of seeing Loki’s body being ripped apart sent a shiver down Thor’s spine.

“Mhmm. Ugh.” Loki softly groaned.

Thor instantly straightened himself in the chair.

“Loki?” He asked.

Loki slowly opened his eyes. Blinking them quickly, trying to get used to the bright light in the room.

“What happened?” He asked, his voice sounding very tired.

“What’s the last thing you remember?” Thor asked.

“I remember entering our room to gather my notes. After that nothing. Did I pass out?”

“You did…but not when you went to get your notes.”

“What do you mean?” Loki slowly started to sit himself up. Thor put his hand behind Loki’s back to support him.

“You went to get your notes, but you did not return to the meeting. You were over ten minutes late and Heimdall said he saw you staring at yourself in the mirror. Valkyrie went to retrieve you, but she said you looked at her as if you had never seen her before.” Thor said.

Loki furrowed his brow, “What?”

“She dragged you to the meeting, where you acted strange. You acted like you knew nothing, you even suggested going to Xandar.”

“I was the main one saying we shouldn’t go to Xandar though.”

“I know. It was the biggest sign to me that something was wrong with you. You then left the meeting in a huff and retreated to our room. I followed after you, and we had a good talk about everything that has happened. You then said you had something urgent to tell me, but right as you were about to, your body started to rip itself apart. It stopped and you passed out. Val and I carried you here.”

Loki frowned at Thor’s words.

“What did the healers say?” he asked.

“They said your condition was due to being over exhausted. But I don’t fully believe that's what happened. Your body contorted so violently. It scared me.”

There was a moment of silence between the two of them.

“It wasn’t my intention to scare you,” Loki said, looking right at Thor. “I haven’t been using my magic heavily lately. I don’t believe this was caused by exhaustion.”

“We might not know. But the healers are under the assumption that it was for right now. You aren’t allowed to use any magic for at least a week, just in case.”

Loki frowned.

“Oh lovely. Isn’t that just great? No magic for the trickster.”

“It’s just to make sure you don’t have another episode again. If nothing happens during that week you can start using it normally again.” Thor said.

“Only for a week?” Loki asked

“Only for a week.” Thor said with a small smile. It’s the best consolation he could give his brother.

Loki sighed and lied back down on the bed.

“I wonder…” Loki hummed

“What?” Thor said.

“I wonder if my ailment was caused by a possession spell.” Loki said.

“What?” Thor raised his eyebrow in confusion, “Why would you think that?”

“Well it would make sense wouldn’t it? The last thing I remember was leaving to get my notes. You and everyone else said I was acting strange. When my body contorted in front of you it would have been the spell wearing off. I passed out from the stress of the spell, which is a common side effect for possessions.”

“But who would attempt to possess you? We haven’t had contact with any other beings.”

“There are many enemies of Asgard within the galaxy, and there are many out there that don’t really care for me personally. It’s not a stretch to assume someone could try to possess me for their personal vendettas. Though clearly they aren’t good enough to make the spell last on me.” Loki said, almost sounding nonchalant. He spoke as if this situation happened every other day.

Thor shook his head, “Well whoever it was, if that is the cause of your current situation, they better not do it again.”

“Going for the protective big brother route Thor? I never thought I’d see the day.”

“Of course Loki. Like I told you earlier, though I guess you wouldn’t remember, you’re my brother you always have been. Adopted or not. I’m grateful we have finally stopped being enemies.”

Loki looked at Thor. He looked as if he wanted to object to Thor’s words for a moment, but only for a moment. He cracked a small smile instead.

“Thank you, brother.”

Thor smiled back. “Of course brother. Get some rest, you need it after the day you’ve had. We will talk more in the morning.”

Loki hummed in response and closed his eyes. After a few minutes he fell into a peaceful sleep. Thor readjusted himself in the chair, and soon joined his brother in a peaceful sleep. They may never know what caused Loki’s ailment, but they have each other. No matter what may happen in the near or far future, they will face it together.