Loki glared at the worn and frayed pages of the book his thumbed through, his loathing altogether misplaced. He summoned patience as the thud of another leather-bound book hitting the carpeted floor hummed in his ears. "Stop it," he ordered scathingly.

Thor glanced up from his browsing, wide-eyed and surprised. "Stop what, brother?"

Loki flinched as the next book hit the floor, briskly closing the distance between himself and his brother to seize his wrist in a vice-like hold. His fingers barely made it halfway around Thor's brutish hand. "Stop dropping the books," Loki hissed, glaring. "It's bad for their spines."

He turned back to his own book as Thor glanced down at the papery trail that followed him, bemused. "But the lady seems quite content-"

"She's cleaning up after you, Thor," Loki said dully, not even bothering to glance up this time. "And I can assure you that she's most displeased with how you're treating these books."

As he said it, the small plump little woman trotted down the aisle, her brow knitted over her half-moon glasses and pulled into a permanent scowl. She glared disapprovingly at Thor as she stooped to retrieve his discarded books, her red lips pursed unhappily. Loki hid a smile at Thor's apologetic expression as he sidled up to his brother, so out of place in this labyrinth of paper and leather.

Loki found his brother's lack of comfort oddly amusing, and somehow familiar. Back in Asgard, Thor had been stalked relentlessly through the Hall of Records and Royal Library, never able to stray too far from a librarian's condemning glower. He had earned a reputation for toppling bookshelves and unknowingly mistreating books, and so had stuck close to Loki's side to gain passage. For once, Thor had been cowering in Loki's shadow.

The God of Mischief pushed the thought aside with a disapproving hum, replacing the book he held and returning to surveying the shelf. Thor shifted uneasily beside him, looking ridiculously cramped between the huge shelves.

"Loki?" he asked tentatively, and Loki's brow lowered in mild irritation as he focused on selecting his book. "Are you nearly done?"

"If I was nearly done, brother," Loki responded, a hint of annoyance tinging his tone, "then you'd be proving your use holding my many miscellanies."

At Thor's somewhat lost expression, Loki sighed and dropped a heavy book into his fumbling hands. The God of Thunder regarded its cover curiously as Loki returned to browsing the shelves. "This is a dictionary, brother."

"Once again, your observations render me astounded, Thor," Loki responded with delicate sarcasm, selecting another two books in rapid succession. If Thor recognised the jab, he ignored it.

"These publications are very diverse, brother. What relation do they hold?"

"They don't Thor; I'm studying."

"Studying what?"

"Humanity." At Thor's concerned expression, Loki rolled his eyes. "Nothing nefarious, I assure you," he added on a sigh, depositing a few more books in Thor's upturned arms.

"Are you finished now, brother?"

Loki selected one last book, and turned to appraise his escort. Thor was sandwiched between the tight bookshelves, laden down with an excess of books. His casual attire did very little to hide him from the mortal's fascinated gazes as they peered around the aisles. "Follow me," Loki ordered, heading briskly for the front counter, his obedient handler close on his heels.