A/N: MAJOR SPOILERS! DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE FILM!

'Thor 2' was an absolutely brilliant movie for a number of reasons (The feels are good! ANOTHER!), but one scene was especially amazing. When Thor went to see Loki in prison, he wasn't fooled by the illusion. But Thor should have been! He should have expected Loki to be enraged, insane…yet he knew his brother so well that he correctly gauged this wasn't the case. Even better? Loki, instead of protesting Thor's statement, took down the illusion and revealed his real self. Loki knew he couldn't fool his brother and didn't attempt more than a shallow facade.

If we then assume that Thor can see through Loki's enchantments, the ending was nothing like what it appeared at first glance. Especially since Thor wasn't surprised by Odin's absence or Loki's 'resurrection'. Thus, this story contemplates what might have occurred behind the scenes.

Also, I finished this at a Halloween party while dressed as emo!Loki. My boyfriend, as Jack Harkness, was incredible and put up with my constant questions on Tony Stark and Asgardian speak.

General Disclaimer: As there is no Stan Lee cameo in this fic, I'm certainly not affiliated with Marvel.

It had been an old, childish race, and began before any ambition settled on their minds. Thor had adored it for the theatrics; Loki for the cleverness. Their mother was simply relieved it seldom ended with her boys in an all-out war that sent visiting dignitaries running. Their father accepted it to an extent, but ordered Heimdall to keep his boys (as well as the destruction in their wake) to one realm.

The rules were simple: a game of tag where Loki could use any enchantment and Thor could recruit anyone to help. The boundaries were the borders of Asgard. For the first few years of playing there was chaos and laughs, and the brothers almost equally won. This was largely due to Loki's increased focus on magic and Thor's growing closeness to the Warriors Three.

But after a certain point, Loki became almost impossible to catch. Thor, not one to continue a losing fight, admitted defeat. The game dwindled off and Loki smirked with victory whenever their childhood escapades were mentioned.

"How do you know he will not betray you?" Lady Sif's extreme reluctance was clear. Her expression was one which appeared whenever her male company had done something particularly moronic. Needless to say, her friends saw this look a bit more than was healthy.

"He will." Thor stated almost carelessly, though his troubled gaze told far more. "I count on it."

Sif's 'dear-Odin-we-are-all-to-die' frown deepened.

"Then why go to him?" Fandral said, exasperation dripping. "There must be other ways out of Asgard!"

"There are none." Thor replied evenly but with a hint of force. "I promise you, my friends: Loki shall want to see this plan through as well."

This stopped the rest short. Likely through a mixture of disbelief and their own ignorance of what precisely Thor was plotting.

"A plan which," Sif paused to close and reopen her eyes, trying to keep whatever remained of her patience intact, "will end with you and us facing banishment?"

"Hah!" Volstagg snorted, unamused. "Only us. They will be killed long before that point."

"No," Heimdall disagreed, scrutinising Thor from his standing place above the warriors, "he is hoping for far more. As for us, I feel there is something more."

"Indeed." Thor nodded shortly to both, not meeting their eyes.

"Which is what?" Hogun squawked, the impatience contagious. "Is there some goal apart from saving your Lady Jane? What of us?"

"Heimdall is father's trusted advisor; he shall certainly be pardoned while Odin places the reckless blame on me. For you warriors, your hands should be nowhere on this aside for circumstantial friendship. As for 'the goal'?" A small smile lit Thor's lips, a mischievous one which would have looked more at home on Loki. "Anonymity, my friends. Which is more than enough incentive for both my brother and myself."

The continuing, disbelieving looks communicated that little had been cleared up.

Thor eyed Loki's furious, insane facade for a heartbeat. He remembered their games as children. Of the hundreds of times Loki had so proudly displayed his ability, and the thousands of smirking figures that had been disillusioned with a touch.

Right now, he had no time for games.

"Take off the illusion, brother."

Loki barely hesitated. Though with the reveal, Thor almost wished he had not spoken.

A view of a distant group of guards caused Thor to shove the two of them into a weaponry, quietly shutting the door and listening against the wood for the passing footsteps.

Loki stared at the back turned towards him, eyebrow raising. He glanced down at the handcuffs and back up. "You have yet to explain what shall happen if we are not killed by Dark Elves."

There was no answer. Thor didn't turn around.

"Nor have you given me due incentive." Loki continued in a narrowed voice. "We both know you would not trust me solely from mother's death. It is a fool's bargain." He paused. "Then again, that would fit you perfectly."

Silence redescended. There was a short shuffle of noise outside, making it clear they could not yet venture forth.

"Perhaps you cannot confide in me." Loki continued more slowly.

Thor, having expected but not heard a punchline, warily turned around. In seeing his brother he had to resist banging one of their heads against the wall. "Enough of this game! Have you not had enough?"

"A game?" Tony Stark smirked, waving his shackled hands around the shining reactor. "Come on, you're supposed to be the Norse god poster boy! What happened to the wenches, the mead, the Mardi Gras hats, the stupid heroics you're famous for? That your parents so fawned over? Don't tell me you're bored already."

"Brother…"

"Nuh uh uh!" Tony wagged his finger. "You don't want a game? Then don't lie. I'm 'adopted', right? You said it yourself! All for killing a few of your beloved humans."

Thor stilled. "I did—not realise you had heard that."

Tony snorted. "Like it matters. But don't avoid the point! You came to me, knowing full well I want a knife in your back. Why?"

"Because you do not truly wish that." Thor said. To his companion's scoff he merely continued. "At least not to me. You want father to fall. You know I am not the one at fault."

Loki in Tony's guise fell silent. "Innocent? You ruined my plans!"

Thor resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "The god of trickery ought to be able to lie more convincingly. I am a pawn to you, Loki, nothing more. You have always been after the king."

"A chess metaphor? Quaint." Tony humphed, though his stance had become thoughtful. "So what? If we survive you'll give me the crown? Hah! Like you'd go against Odin."

"I am committing high treason as we speak." Thor answered testily. "But no, that is not what I offer. I…for all that is holy! Loki, would you take down that illusion?! It is impossible to talk to you as the Man of Iron!"

"Oh, but I like this body. It comes with a few surprises." Tony smirked, resembling more and more each moment his human counterpart. "Ruggedly handsome, questionable facial hair, and nightlight combined! Come now," his voice took on a teasing note, "doth fog so cloud your judgement as to be blinded to the glory within this puny frame? Shame."

"I know how you truly are." Thor's quiet answer made everything halt. Both had long forgotten that they were waiting for guards—now half a palace away—to pass. "The problem is that you are not seeing me. Brother, I am risking everything for Lady Jane. Where do you think my priorities lie?"

Tony gazed at him, eyes narrowed speculatively. "I see. You wish to disappear?"

"As much as I can."

"Quaint." But Tony's thoughtful frown lessened the harshness. "As for myself?"

"Anonymity as well." Thor gave a small grin of amusement. "You're perfectly capable of returning to Asgard under any face you so desire. What you do following that is none of my concern."

"Your 'friends' will still be here."

"They are aware of this." Thor eyed him with renewed seriousness. "Make no mistake: they will murder you if you begin to kill. But anything else…well, you've been able to persuade them before."

"Giving jobs to your minions?"

Thor didn't even warrant this with an answer. Instead, he strode over to the rows of weapons and pulled out a dagger.

"I thought you were besotted with that hammer of yours?" Tony grinned. "And by 'hammer' I mean your—"

"It is not for myself." Thor sent him a glare, knowing precisely where that was headed. He flipped the dagger back and forth in his hands. "You think I am a fool for trusting you."

"I'd think that of anyone. Not only reckless, fumbling 'heroes' who rescue damsels in distress." Tony glanced from Thor to the dagger, amusement fading. "You've never changed at all, have you Thor."

"Nor have you."

This stopped Tony short, recognising this was as far from an insult as could be.

"Brother," Thor said forcefully, gazing at the door, "our time grows short. Do you agree or not?"

Tony gave one last blink before fading back to Loki. He gazed at his brother. "You have never been a pawn."

"I'll take that as a yes." Thor said gruffly before putting the dagger in Loki's pocket.

Thor had realised the problem in London.

The rest were hurrying around, collecting bits and bobs for Greenwich, and he—so lost in this culture, only faintly aware of what the odd metal rods would do—focused on Mjölnir, hanging limply from the coat holder. A small grin flickered across his face in remembering his comrades' panic, their fright that it would take down the wall.

It was a bit of a secret that Thor could control Mjölnir's gravity. This wasn't because the knowledge would be dangerous; on the contrary, the reactions to his 'carelessness' were simply amusing. Man of Iron fainted when the hammer had been placed on a metal box containing one Lord Jarvis, Nicholas of Fury had lived up to his name when he thought the weapon's weigh was about to puncture a hole in his Helicarrier, and Hawkeye had actually attacked him when Mjölnir had been leaned against his precious bow.

Thor couldn't help a snicker of laughter escaping at these thoughts, but it turned to sorrow when he recalled whose idea it was to start this trick. This illusion. This game.

Rolling his hands into fists, Thor silently cursed that fool. He was not the one to jump into danger! He was the one who would fake everything, before stepping out (smirking, as always) from the shadows! Loki was never supposed to die. It was impossible that his brother had perished in his arms, quietly escaping to Valhalla without a joke or murmur…

Thor froze, eyes widening. "Not my brother." He murmured as hope sprung forth.

Darcy, pausing in her race by with arms full of notebooks, quirked her head in curiosity. "What?"

"Loki was not my brother!" He practically cheered, beam spreading across his face.

Blinking, Darcy continued racing on. "JANE! YOUR MUSCLY BOYFRIEND'S FINALLY CRACKED!"

"He was never of Asgard." Thor continued on quietly to himself, slumping against the wall in sheer relief. He didn't much care about Lady Darcy's shout. "We bleed, but he?"

Loki of Jotunheimen would not have perished quietly. A Frost giant would return to his original form and freeze. Perhaps Thor had simply left too early, but now as the grief faded, he recalled ever more of the tricks that had defined their childhood.

"He is alive." Thor choked out, leaving the humans watching him fall into even deeper concern. "One last game!"

"…there was a body found."

Odin closed his eyes. Because of the sorrowful gesture, he missed the guard's fleeting mischievous grin. "Whose?"

"Loki…Odinson." The guard frowned at the spasm of pain on the older man. Perhaps it was because of this that he hurried on. "There was something else, my liege. Not a body but as good as. I am sorry, but Thor Odinson is almost certainly dead."

The signs of turmoil increased. Odin could barely get out the next words. "But how? How could you know! If there is not a body—"

"The enemy," the guard paused, deliberating, "they utilised dark matter to surge over our comrades. Anything outside of a perimeter would be left. Thor…an object of his was found."

"An object?" Odin emphasised in angry denial. "First you tell me Loki is gone, and now I am to believe both my sons have perished because of 'an object'?! Solely just because Thor left something behind does not mean…" his voice trailed off as realisation sunk in. The All-Father collapsed back against the throne.

The guard sensed no more evidence was needed, but couldn't resist driving the dagger in as far as it could go. "Mjölnir was found. I am sorry, but no one could lift it."

Odin closed his eyes once again, displaying more weakness than he had ever permitted himself. "And Loki? Has my son's body been brought back?"

The guard winced at the phrasing but answered. "Mjölnir was on his chest. It is unknown what occurred, and it may have been an accident, but neither can be moved from the scene."

There was a stormy silence, where neither companion comprehended the other's grief.

"I see." Odin at last replied, having aged centuries in a moment. "My family dead, a legendary enemy at our borders, the convergence upon us…"

"I recommend sleep, All-Father. If I may." The guard bowed respectfully, taking in the exhausted figure before him. "Even the darkest night shines with the morn."

The following day saw a sweep of rumours throughout Asgard. Of the destruction of the royal sons, a King afire with rage and purpose at the Dark Elves, and a renewed spirit from the two who would rapidly become martyrs.

In a locked chamber deep in the palace, Odin Borson slept.

Thor hadn't been sure what to expect. That he wasn't taken to the prisons immediately upon arriving in Asgard was a perhaps a good sign, but being waltzed by countless soldiers into the palace was less of one.

Thoughts drifting to his 'perhaps-not-dead-kin' and his endless disguises, Thor spent the journey on guard for a flying sceptre aimed at his heart. For though he trusted Loki to follow their initial plan, but now? He trusted in his rage, in his urge for betrayal. There was nothing left that Thor could offer, and his estranged brother could be under the face of any of these guards. Or peering civilians. Or invisible.

The only relief was in spotting his friends, safe and well, gazing at him sorrowfully. Seeing Lady Sif edge towards her sword he mutely shook his head, sending a reassuring grin that all knew was faked.

"Do we go to the prisons?" Thor asked the air as they trampled part them and through the main doors.

"To your father." An unknown voice answered back emotionlessly.

Thor nodded, the knot in his stomach growing. Anticipation of Loki shifted to the certain present danger. In this moment, he wondered why he had not simply stayed on Earth. Odin would surely banish him to a different realm and coming here had meant giving up the freedom he had fought so hard to achieve.

But if he had stayed, Heimdall (who had thankfully been there as he arrived, at his station and appearing none the worst) would see him. Lady Jane would always be a target and it would be impossible for them to live. So, though it ached to take this risk, his only option was to trust (like he had once done without hesitation) in his father's wisdom and mercy.

Unfortunately, the illusion of Odin's omnipotence and benevolence had been stripped bare. With this Thor found himself missing his mother more than ever, to the point where in every ornate archway they passed he almost expected her to step out of the shadows, and every time she was missing it was as though another lump had been added to his choking throat.

Perhaps thankfully it was not long before they reached the main golden doors. The guards pushed them open without abandon.

"Thor Odinson has returned, All-Father." One announced in a clear tone.

Thor, head bowed, raced through disjointed thoughts of what he was to do. But before anything could be settled Odin's voice rang out.

"Leave us be." The echoing words thundered. "Thor, to me."

Without another word the guards—all but two remaining stationary by the closing entrance—trotted out. Thor, though hesitant, walked forward. Mjölnir (only still in his possession as no one could take it) swung by his side. "Father, to save Lady Jane and battle off the threat, I cannot apologise. But for going against your orders—" Thor's statement trailed off. For he had at last looked up and met the other's gaze.

Odin stared back, as wise and grim as ever.

"—I am sorry." Thor finished, eyes widening. The smallest smile puckered his lips. "Though it is good to see my foolishness has not harmed your health."

Odin glanced past him to the guards. His uncovered eye glinted with a game just begun. For no calls of banishment or execution were imminent, and both brother held precious treasure over the other. "Hello, Thor."

All those years ago the portal had been found accidentally. There hadn't been a search for the Dark World or any such silliness. The answer was far simpler.

It had been Loki's turn to race away as they played tag. His brute of a brother had ended the last round by tackling their mother (Loki had been the servant beside her; Thor would never forget his mistake), and that boy-man was more determined than ever to win.

Which found Loki in a ship by the rainbow bridge, with barely any head-start and no plans on the horizon. The last of which he would never admit to, though it irked him more than anything. Swearing under his breath, he steered towards the mountains to look for cover. But there was nothing there and he could spot the distant vessel behind him.

Thor and the other fools were gaining, and Loki had nothing.

Closing in on a cliff-face, magic was desperately cast around to create the illusion of protruding boulders. Mounds and mounds, enough to hide him and—oh. What?

Loki peered back at the mountain, distracted from his brother. There was something wrong with his enchantment. For though rock had been built up around every side of him, that one spot was empty. Which should be impossible! His spells were excellent and he had not made a mistake in years. It couldn't be his fault, it couldn't! There must surely be something already occupying that space or other magic…

The realisation hit Loki with brutal force. Shaking off his momentary stupidity, he decided to embrace Thor's recklessness and do a bit of exploring. For maybe his brother's mannerisms weren't completely useless if applied in the correct way. Perhaps, even, it would allow him to win this game.

"After all this time, now you come to visit me, brother? Why? To mock?"

"I need your help. And I wish I could trust you…"

"If you did, you'd be the fool I always took you for." From 'Thor 2'.

A/N: I'm reallyreallyreally hoping that made sense. But in case anyone got lost: Thor's plan from the beginning was for them to fake their deaths. With them being 'dead', Thor could disappear to Midgard and not be burdened with the ground, while Loki would be in Asgard and free to do what he wished.

Loki's wound might have derailed this, but Thor knew his brother and could see through his enchantments. The best part? This theory means that, at the end, Thor knew he was speaking to Loki, and Loki was fully aware of this as well. That means the essence of their conversation was heartfelt: Thor bowed out so Loki could have power, and Loki acknowledged his brother as family. So in my ending the status quo would continue because of this, and because not only could Loki give Thor what he desired but Thor could reveal Loki's trickery if he wished.