"I am NOT your brother!" The words felt heavy and dull, despite his silver tongue. The god's hands formed into fists, eyes glazed with a spark of madness. Strands of hair swayed across his face as he took in shallow breaths, face flushed. It had been long since Loki had lost control in such a way.
It frightened him.
"I am not your brother." The god of lies repeated, with a hint of false conviction. But who was it that he sought to convince? Was it himself? He who excelled in numerous forms of magic and yet spent years in shadow, or was it Thor-
Thor.
The god who stood before him, close enough to touch. His golden hair was, perhaps, longer than Loki recalled, but nothing else had changed. Thor was as the trickster remembered, with piercing blue eyes that would light up at one of Loki's tricks, or soften as he smiled with a mouth that rarely shut up. Yet in this moment, he was silent.
"I never was. Why do you insist upon this mindless charade? I was always in your shadow, Thor ALWAYS. What good were the trickster's feminine illusions compared to the mighty Thor's latest battle?" He was infuriated, and so weary of his own lies. So the god hated and withdrew, distancing himself until he felt in control. He had been angry for so long it was all he knew anymore.
It was because of this that he didn't pull away when his not-brother reached to embrace him. Loki was desperate to feel something other than hate and anger, as much as he desired to deny it. So when the dark-haired god's own arms gradually wrapped around Thor, Loki did not question it. He wanted this. He needed it.
"No, you are not my brother." You have always been so much more
He woke, wiped the wetness from his eyes, and squinted against the sunlight.