The door closed behind the man with the unnaturally calm demeanour, and Agent Coulson was unexpectedly replaced by his brother.

"Loki, what are you doing here?" Thor questioned, surprised to see Loki in the stark whit surroundings, as well as vaguely embarrassed at his current state.

"I had to see you." Loki murmured, distractedly looking sideways into nothing. He was wearing some very plain clothes, as if he were to go to bed soon.

"What's happened, tell me, is it, is it Jotunheim? Let me explain to father." Thor urged, Loki could bring, if not his message, Thor himself to Asgard. He could explain, he could apologise, he could make amends.

"Father sleeps." Loki interrupted him, his voice harsh. Thor immediately understood that Loki was not referring to the usual nightly rest. Something inside turned cold, quite like his outsides. This mortal form was weary, cold and achy.

"What?" Thor could scarcely believe it. The Odinsleep was unusual and it was never certain if Odin would awaken again. Loki started to answer, but then snapped his head to the side, as if he had heard an unexpected sound, but Thor heard nothing. After a heartbeat or two Loki turned back, took a shuddering breath and started anew.

"Our actions, and the threat of a new war, it was too much for him to bear." Loki explained, and had Thor been less distraught, he would have noticed the movement of muscle and the slight sound of resentment in Loki's voice. But Thor was not looking, guilt pressed heavily upon him. There were a few moments where Thor tried to collect himself; he purposely avoided looking at his brother for fear of breaking.

"You mustn't blame yourself." Loki said, though the tone was hardly one of comfort. Thor was too shocked and too confused to name the emotion that laced those words. Impatience perhaps. Thor looked up just in time to see Loki look off to the side once more.

"It was foolish of him to leave Mjolnir here, among these mortal vultures." Loki almost sneered and Thor felt something was off, wrong somehow, but it was hard to tell if it was just the happenings of the past days, or more. "But they cannot move it, nor harm it." Loki seemed to decide; perhaps he would add some additional magic to dissuade the mortals. Thor was about to mention it, but Loki did not pause long enough. "Leave it be Thor, for they can harm you." Loki continued with unexpected advice.

"I, I..." Thor was about to balk at the suggestion, he was a warrior! Mjolnir was his right, and more, it belonged to him like his arm belonged to him. The mere suggestion he stay away was an insult.

But blood from the cut under his eye was in his line of sight. He was bruised somewhat fierce he believed; he ached. He was cold and hungry and he longed for sleep. All of that from a fight that had lasted less than five minutes.

"Yes. Perhaps you are right." Thor conceded. "You often are." Thor was once more looking at his fists, at his mud splattered legs, if not, he would have seen Loki's visceral reaction to those words. Loki didn't speak and Thor felt magic fill the room. He had no aptitude for magic, none whatsoever, but even he felt something was wrong. He was about to ask when Loki spoke.

"The burden of the throne has fallen to me now." Loki sounded almost mechanical, as if he were reading out loud from a book. Thor was startled, even if he couldn't think of how else it should be. A small spark of hope lit within his chest. He looked up and met his brother's eyes.

"Can I come home?" He was not even embarrassed at how small he sounded. There was a pause, and just when Loki seemed to start to speak, Loki's green eyes snapped up, over Thor's head. Thor's instinct made him follow Loki's gaze and look behind him. He saw a shimmer of Loki's chambers, the bed, the window. Loki had, in their long lives, often appeared as an illusion to speak to him; to pass information unnoticed and instant, but he had never conjured the surroundings along with him. Or perhaps, Thor realised, was it instead of Loki appearing on Midgard, actually Thor appearing in Asgard? The magic simmered pressingly and.. unhappily, Thor supposed. As far as magic could be unhappy.

"Loki?" Thor questioned when he turned back to face his brother, who looked rather unruffled. But Thor had known Loki all his life, and his brother was concerned.

"My magic.." Loki started, but then made a dismissive motion with his hand. "It matters not. As for your question; I Loki, Son of Odin." There was an odd tremor in Loki's voice at those words. Thor couldn't place it. It was like he should remember something, but he didn't. "Current King of Asgard," Loki, King of Asgard. Not Thor and not Odin, it sounded wrong. "hereby lift the Banishment of Thor Odinson." Thor let out a shuddering breath and he felt like he could weep with the relief of it.

"Thank you." He sighed; he was filled with a gratitude he was unsure he had ever felt before. He longed to go home, to have a bath and to sleep for a week.

"At any time you wish to return to Asgard, you may call on Heimdall to do so." Loki said, a choice of words so odd, it pierced Thor's relief and gratitude.

"I don't understand." Thor questioned. Loki looked annoyed, impatient and angry, though not necessarily at him, Thor realised.

"Your banishment is not the same as the spell that made you mortal." Loki explained. It was true, Thor realised, he was shivering with cold and he ached still. "Odin's magic is strong and I cannot break the spell." Loki seemed pained to admit it. "Yet." Loki then added defiantly. Thor's stomach dropped. The realization of it was almost as startling as the banishment in the first place. Thor stared at his hands. They trembled.

"War with Jotunheim is imminent," Loki continued, sounding distracted and almost worried. "added to that the, indisposition, of the Allfather causes old enemies to rear their heads." Off course, the Realm was in turmoil now. His doing, his fault. "In your current state you have no magical signature and your enemies could only ever find you by scouring every inch of Yggdrasil step by step. If you were to return to Asgard.." Loki trailed off, and all relief Thor had felt drained from him.

He realised that his banishment had not been his actual punishment, it had, if anything, been a kindness. He was powerless, weak, would not be able to defend himself against even his weakest enemy. Here on Midgard he was, if nothing else, well hidden. Shame, anger, sadness and weariness settled in Thor's bones.

"It is best if I stay on Midgard." Thor realized and managed to form the words, even though he didn't want to. He wanted things to be as before. He wanted to beg his father for forgiveness (but he couldn't, Odin may as well be dead). He wanted to go home. There was a heavy, dark and rolling silence in the small white room, or perhaps it was the unhappy magic.

"I believe so." Loki sounded less than certain.

"Well, I have mentioned my belief in your correctness once already today." Thor had hoped for levity, some small amount of humour, but he sounded completely beaten. "I am sorry. Thank you for coming to see me." Thor ground out, sincerely. He was sorry. So very sorry.

The oppressive silence reigned once more. Thor stared in the vicinity of Loki's knees, but even that part was enough to tell Thor his brother was on the verge of something; violent movement or harsh words perhaps. Thor felt like he would welcome anything, even the cruelty Loki was capable of when angered, anything but this promise of ill tidings to come.

"Thor, I must –" Loki started and the silence, the unhappy magic, seemed to hum with anticipation. But then a crash sounded, and it didn't come from Thor's side. Loki snapped his gaze to look into nothing once more. "Dritt!" Loki cursed. Whatever he could see that Thor could not, it must have been bad and his brother vanished.

He was replaced by the Agent Coulson. It was not a happy trade Thor decided.