A/N: Huzzah, a fic that will grow other chapters! Once again, angsty. I'll do my best not to disappoint, though~ Rated M for angst, other stuff later down the road, and...safety, I guess. I don't trust my mind to stay kid-friendly, so neither should you. ;) -Taco
Thor's charge had been simple, in theory. Bring Loki back to Asgard to face justice. He had made a promise to himself, too, to return and tell his fellow Avengers of Loki's fate. He felt duty-bound to both his charge and his promise.
If only the simplicity stayed once the words became actions, he may not have struggled comprehending the events. By duty, he delivered Loki – his brother – into custody. He had stayed through the trial, but had been forbidden to testify at all. Something about biases. And so he stayed silent while Loki was sentenced to be bound, powerless, until Ragnarok. He watched with unreadable eyes as the god he had spent a lifetime calling a brother was taken away to serve his sentence.
He watched as his brother was taken away from him. He retreated to his room to prepare for his return to Midgard. He had refused to speak with anyone, choosing instead to focus on keeping his thoughts inward and his expression unreadable.
He came undone as soon as his door was shut, if only for that moment. His brother. Liesmith. Destroyer of worlds. Silvertongue. Thousands dead. Loki responsible. His brother. Guilty.
Asgard had mourned for Loki once. But that mourning was over, now, for the rest of the gods and their allies. Thor knew this. He knew the words, the customs. Loki was alive, so there was no room for mourning. Loki had betrayed all of them, making deals with the Chitauri. It was not proper to mourn traitors.
Thor knew this. He told himself this, over and over. And yet, they were still just words to him. He could not find the feelings – no, the convicted belief – to make them more than words he was expected to follow, as the prince of Asgard.
The words were simple. Not being allowed to mourn his brother was not. He could never care for the lack of shared blood between him and the other god. They were raised as brothers. Played as brothers. Fought as brothers. We they found the truth, Thor had hoped Loki, the Liesmith himself, could understand how a lie could be lied enough to become a truth. But Loki did not share Thor's aspirations.
Wincing in realization, Thor allowed that he would have to learn to accept the way thing were. And so he steeled himself to return to his fellow Avengers and relay the news to them.
Thor had received a warm welcome. He was pleased to find Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, and Steve Rodgers now living in Stark Tower.
"My friends," Thor said once they were in the tower's lobby, "I have new of Loki's trial and conviction."
Tony opened his mouth, but Steve noticed the pain on Thor's eyes and spoke first. "If you want to wit until we're all here, you can," he said, adding, "So you only have to go through it once," when he saw the look on Tony and Bruce's face.
Thor considered a moment, making sure his composure was still in place, and then simply nodded.
"Hey, look big guy," Tony offered, "We're still reconstructing the damage to the tower, but if you want to stay here, there are plenty of structurally sound rooms for you to choose from."
Steve seems to pause a bit. Generous offers with no strings attached from Tony startled him every time. Clint had joked he was continuing to adjust to this time period rather well, new people and everything. Steve had offered a noncommittal laugh, but had silently wondered if he would ever view Tony as benevolent. If flying a nuclear missile into space didn't count as generous, could anything?
Steve had been lost in his own thoughts long enough for Tony to have started walking off with Thor. Bruce placed a gentle hand on Steve's shoulder, bring the man back to the rest of the world. Steve offered a grunt of thanks, and Bruce returned it with a weak smile that didn't even try to reach his eyes.
The shift in power had been strange for Steve. He wasn't convinced Tony was the best choice for leader of the Avengers, but Tony had secured the spot almost by accident. Steve tried not to hold any resentment, but he knew Tony knew.
If that was going to be a problem, that could be a problem later, though. Until then, they had clean-up to do.
Once Thor had become acquainted with his room, Tony suggested that he "shed the armor and wear Earth clothes" for a while.
"But what ever for?" Thor had asked, perplexed.
"Well," Tony said, "Aliens just destroyed a good chunk of this city, and the people are angry. The aliens are all dead, and enough of them are blaming the Avengers that it may be dangerous. And before you go on about how they couldn't kill a god, I don't think that will stop them from trying. And any violence, even in self-defense, would be more than a bad idea right now."
Thor stood motionless for a moment, letting Tony's words sink in. "But...we saved them.." Thor managed before the words sunk in enough to damage, "We saved their lives, their city, and brought the aliens down. Surely, they know this!"
Tony shook his head, more in sadness than disagreement, "Some of them do. Hell, most of them do. But not enough of them that we're not already having problems, and not even two weeks have passed."
"So how do we remedy this?" Thor asked, forcing some hope in with his inquiry.
"Time. Press conferences. Making sure I'm the only one who the press and the people can find outside our Avenger's identity," Tony replied, his cadence marking a practiced speech that would never flow naturally from his lips.
Thor nodded, attempting to make just one moment truly simple. A small part of him realized his simplicity rested on a nod, but that would have to do. He didn't want Tony to know he was so badly shaken by his broth – by Loki's – sentencing.
"I'll get you some civilian clothes, big guy," Tony offered, putting a hand on Thor's bicep, "It won't take long. Feel free to do whatever until then."
"Thank you, Anthony Stark," Thor said, "for your hospitality and generosity." Tony hid a frown, his conscious thought finally recognizing how strained the god was.
"If you need anything, just tell JARVIS," Tony instructed, turning to walk out, "He'll hear you, don't worry about that."
Thor nodded again, getting comfortable with the motion. He had almost missed Tony sigh as the door shut.
Thor sat down on his bed, staring at the mirror across the room. He focused on the image his reflection presented him, fighting down the turbulent emotions that threatened t make him come undone, this time possibly for longer than a moment.
'Yes,' Thor thought to himself, 'This is what is, and what will be. I will tell them Loki's sentence, and then I will dress...as appropriate...and help fix the damage my brother has brought upon this city. If I cannot mourn my brother according to tradition, then I will honor his memory by helping restore this city.'
A/N: Okay. Wow. This is getting off to a slower start than the rest of the chapters are promising. I had to set up some basic things before I got the story rolling a bit. I didn't want any of you (or me, for that matter..) to get later in the fic and go, "Where did THAT plot point come from?!"
Please don't lose faith it'll get good! But, uh, until then...if y'all have any comments, questions, or whatever, reviews are welcome! I don't bite, promise! 3, Taco~