He was carted away. Tortured beyond recognition, abandoned, neglected, forgotten for what seemed an eternity… Although, he supposed, that was his ultimate price for being a war trophy child. Loki had had enough time to reflect on his past, then he'd become restless, and then… he'd lost hope. The man, broken and unrecognizable, had never really had anything handed to him in life. He'd had to work for everything – fight for everything – and the man wondered why he had been the one who had ended up like this.

Loki scoffed at himself as his shame rose to the surface. Of course it's because it has to be someone. I just happened to be the smallest. Then damned Odin decided to take pity on me… what a pathetic waste of his time…

But even though Loki, now no one's son, truly believed that he deserved his punishment, it didn't stop him from wishing. He badly wished for someone to visit him. Anyone would do. All he needed after all this time was a companion to confide in. Someone to at least talk to him! But that was about as likely as returning to Ásgard and his old life…

Loki turned to the lined wall behind him and marked the three-hundredth and sixty-five-day line next to the others. Just another eternity to go…

On his prison bed, the raven-haired man turned numbly on to his side. The realization had hit him fully as he marked that line – he was just an unwanted person. Cast away from everything and everyone he'd ever loved. He closed his eyes as he attempted to fall asleep, and possibly die that way when, suddenly, great stomps were heard down the corridor. Loki ignored them, presuming them to be from a large, possibly drunk guard. The dark haired man curled up into a ball on his well-used bed and continued to drift off to the sound of his hungry stomach, making sounds of dying whales. Gods, when had he last eaten? Loki thought it must have been over two days by now… but, he was used to it. Any fats his thin body had had were most certainly used up long ago; though Loki quickly stuffed himself when food was presented.

"Loki?"

That voice. It spun Loki around instantly, his eyes widening as he set them upon a blonde man standing outside his cell. Thor.

Thor gripped the bars of Loki's cage and peered in, as if the man was some exotic animal up for auction. Loki sat upright, not bothering with sneers or remarks. Loki was past these; he knew they would get him nowhere.

"Thor." He acknowledged blandly, scratching his left arm anxiously.

Thor looked concerned, but also incredibly happy to see Loki, which made the man confused and sad, although he wasn't sure why. When Loki thought about companionship, he meant someone who wasn't as thick as a brick! Anyone but his golden-child brother!

"H– How are you…?" Thor began, hesitantly and awkwardly, his golden hair falling neatly around his face.

"Gee, I'm just perfect!" Loki remarked sarcastically. Upon remembering that he should probably not offend the future ruler of Ásgard, lest his immortality rot in jail, Loki bit his lip to curb all further unpleasant comments. Not that it really mattered if he did or not. Thor only continued to look at him with his sad sapphire eyes, seeing right through his younger brother's pitiful charade.

"Can I come in?" Thor asked quietly, a slight softness in his tone that was distasteful to Loki.

"I don't know, can you?" Loki sneered, breaking his 'do-not-offend' rule for the second time. "I don't want to repulse the prince of Ásgard by subjecting his majesty to such a lowly cell as this!"

"Brother…" Thor murmured, rubbing his temples as if he could feel a slight headache coming on. "Do not put your walls up. Please, I came to talk to you, not argue. Every time I've visited, you've had your hackles up. I do not want to be your enemy brother!"

Loki laughed at Thor's words. "Oh dear me, I'm deeply regretful your majesty!"

"Loki!" Thor snarled menacingly.

"What would you know!?" Loki continued. "How often do you visit? Once a month? I believe it was longer this time… I believe it must've been closer to two? What do you say Thor? How long as it been?"

Thor sighed and motioned to a guard to unlock the cell door so that the blonde prince could step inside.

"I'm sorry Loki, I was caught up." Thor apologised, regret filling his tone.

"Oh, is that what you call it. I expected a little more bravado there I must say… Of course, I still am unclear as to why you would even imprison a frost giant. After all, isn't killing more your field? How many have you slayed brother, one thousand? Two thousand? More perhaps? What about the one in front of you, or am I not enough of a monster for you to kill me?" Loki spoke his honest thoughts, wedging the knife between the blonde and himself once again.

Thor became very angry at Loki's words. "You are my brother Loki! Please, stop with this! I cannot bear to look at your face."

"Then leave!" Loki yelled, full of hurt and humiliation. "Leave and never come back! That's what you want isn't it! You don't really care what happens to me, you're only here because Frigga makes you visit. Go Thor! Go start a family of your own, marry some nice Æsir woman, have a family together, and even when your kids look to you as they are leaving home, do not remember me!"

Tears threatened at the corners of Thor's eyes as he looked down upon his broken brother, covering up his despair by using a thin shield of words.

"Loki," the tall blonde sat down next to his scrawny, half-starved brother and pulled him into a vice embrace. "I will not abandon you. I swear upon my life; because I am your brother… and because I love you."

Huh, Loki thought, his moment of weakness in his older brother's arms bringing down his well built mind-walls of protection and defense.

Maybe there really is forgiveness in this world after all…

Hiiiiiii~! It's me again. This was just a one-shot I wrote a while back and then promptly forgot about.
I hope you enjoyed it - if you did, please leave a review!

See you at my next update: Much Love,
Soulhearts