A/N: An expansion of a bit I did for a 100 themes challenge about Thor and Loki. I thought it'd make a nice sweet story.

And every Loki fan has to do at least one redemption fic.

Disclaimer: I do not own Thor.

Abandoned

A cell was a cell, no matter how comfortable it may be. That was what Loki kept telling himself.

The room he occupied was small, but clean, and with an actual bed, and, to his astonishment, books to keep him from being bored. Thor's doing, he learned from listening in on the guards. But still, a prison cell was still a prison cell.

He had been placed here almost immediately after Thor had dragged him to Asgard. He had not seen Frigga or Odin at all; he had been merely forced away from Thor and lead to this room somewhere beneath the palace. He could still hear Thor's protests upon Loki's arm being wretched away from him, his demands to know why Odin had not come to see them. Loki had been here about a week now, and no one had come, not even Thor. He had been abandoned. Again.

At that thought, as Loki paced around his prison, he heard the loud, angry, unmistakable voice of Thor, in a confrontation with the guards. He was demanding entrance, and the guards were denying him, under the orders of the All-Father.

Loki processed this new information as Thor continued to argue. Thor wasn't allowed to come and see him? He supposed that was better off for him, he didn't want to have to deal with the high and mighty prince.

Unfortunately, the door did eventually slide open, after Thor said he would take responsibility for the intrusion or that he'd simply knock the door down, and Thor strode inside, brow furrowed in annoyance.

"Disobeying the All-Father?" Loki asked, in a mocking tone.

"I am seeing my brother." Thor growled, halting, with his arms folded, in front of Loki.

Loki rolled his eyes and took a few steps back, wanting to stay a fair distance away from Thor. "I suppose I should give up reminding you that we are not brothers."

"Yes. Because we are."

Loki sighed. "See it as you like."

"Mother wants to see you."

"Then why does she not come down here and threaten the guards for entrance into my presence?"

"Father forbids it."

"You came."

"Mother cannot simply-"

"No! She fears him more than she values the sight of me. She is the wiser one for it. What shall the glorious Odin do when he finds you have come to exchange words with the prisoner he himself finds so below himself that he cannot even look me in the eye before he locks me away?"

"I do not care what he does to me. I had to see you."

Loki shrugged. "Your decision."

"I wanted you to know that I have not forgotten you."

"Why? Everyone else seems to done just that."

"I will not abandon you to be alone here forever."

"I am quite used to it by now, so you would be better off going about your business. It's not like I'm suffering."

"Used to it? Used to what?"

Loki frowned, keeping his silence.

"Loki, used to what?" Thor demanded, coming forward to put a hand on his shoulder.

Loki gave a snarl and threw the hand off, storming to a corner of the room. "To being abandoned."

"Loki, you have not been-"

"Everyone has abandoned me! The Frost Giants abandoned me! Father abandoned me! Mother abandoned me! You abandoned me!" Loki turned, his green eyes wild, anger contorting his face.

"And I will never let that happen again!" Thor shouted. "The Frost Giants did not deserve you! I intend to make father give you at least some attention, make him realize he cannot ignore you forever! I will bring mother to see you! And I swear I will not leave you down here!"

"Liar." Loki accused, turning away, so that Thor wouldn't see the flicker of doubt in his eyes. Doubt in his own accusations.

"You know I'm a terrible liar." There was a light air to Thor's voice.

Strong hands grabbed Loki's shoulders roughly, and he was forced to turn and meet the ice blue eyes.

"I will not abandon you. Not again. Never again."

Damn, he couldn't keep it up. Lying. Lying to Thor. Lying to himself. "…I want to believe you." He admitted so quietly he thought Thor wouldn't hear him.

But Thor must have must have heard him, because he pulled Loki into a hug, and whispered. "I will come back as many times as it takes for you to believe me, I will do whatever it takes to make you believe me." Thor released him after a minute, and headed back towards the door. "I will return tomorrow, and the day after that, and everyday until I persuade father to release you." And with a final meaningful look, he left.

Loki remained rooted to the spot, seemingly dazed. He had not returned Thor's embrace, and he had found himself unable to reply to his final words. Possibly because he felt shocked that he did believe Thor. That he felt slightly less abandoned.

Thor kept his word. There was never a day when he did not come to visit Loki, even if only for an hour, and Loki couldn't dyne that he started feeling glad when Thor came. Frigga began to come on some occasions, and Loki found he could not reject her words of love and her embraces. His mother's words of love and embraces.

Thor kept the other part of his promise as well. It took some weeks, but Loki was finally released.

And on that day, when the door opened, it wasn't his mother or Thor who stood there, but Odin, the All-Father.

"My son…" Odin said in greeting.

Loki pressed his lips together in a thin line, attempting to show defiance.

"I should first tell you that you actions have been kept secret. The people know nothing. We merely said there was an accident involving the Bifrost and you had been lost in it. Nothing of your life will have changed."

"So you are here to release me."

"I never planned to leave you here."

"Then… this was part of a scheme. To make me repent. Lock me up, make me feel abandoned and utterly hopeless, and then send Thor and mother to make me feel wanted again." Loki said, eyes narrowing.

"Your mother and brother knew nothing of this Loki. They acted of their own accord; I had planned to visit you myself, and wait much longer before releasing you. I should have realized Thor would take action on your behalf." Odin replied, waving his hand as if to dismiss Loki's statement. "You felt abandoned before you arrived here. Nothing could have changed that."

Truth. Loki didn't want to admit it, especially not to Odin, but it was the truth.

"I don't think either one of us want to stay here longer than we must. Shall we go, my son?"

Loki paused, but finally came forward, not shrugging off the hand Odin put on his shoulder as they left his prison together.

Loki had argued with Thor about the place Thor wanted him to stand during his coronation. "It's your day, you should be the center of attention."

"Absolutely not, it's an important day for you as well brother."

Loki had to relent, like he always did whenever they argued.

And here he stood, beside Thor, beside his brother, as Odin declared him king, and then moved to Thor's other side.

Thor climbed to his feet from his kneeling position, and, to everyone's surprise, instead of taking hold of Mjolnir and thrusting it into the air, he grabbed Loki's hand and thrust it into the air with his. "People of Asgard! Today begins my reign! I will try to rule as justly and wisely as my father did before me! To aide me in this task, I shall have my brother stand by my side as my advisor, and my equal!"

Loki was glad when Thor let go of his hand as the cheering started. "When did you get so good with words?" He whispered.

Thor turned slightly, smiling broadly at him. "I learned from the best."

Loki rolled his eyes in half hearted annoyance.

As the cheering continued, and Loki allowed himself to smile at the warmth that filled his heart, he glanced at Odin and saw him gazing at both him and Thor in pride. Saw his father gazing at both him and Thor in pride.

Loki would never again say or think of the word "abandoned" when referring to himself.

End

A/N: I think I'm going to put myself on feels overload with this stuff.