Chapter One

It was funny really, how eye opening it was when you died in someone's arms. Bonus points if it was someone you really cared about. Loki cracked an eye open as he watched Thor and Jane walk away from him, their backs turned. They truly believed he'd just died there in that godforsaken land. The trickster couldn't help but feel a bit guilty about having caused his brother so much pain, but he knew it would be for the best.

He sighed and moved to sit up, cracking his neck a bit. He sighed and figured he'd take a few moments to himself before moving on to the next part of his plan. He'd felt something shift when he was laid in his brother's arms. He wondered if it was an epiphany or just his finally getting everything together. All he knew for sure was that he no longer cared about Odin. Odin could go into Odinsleep for a year for all he cared. He didn't care that he wasn't that man's biological son or even his favorite son. He figured he didn't need a man who'd plainly told him he was meant to be dead.

He knew one thing for sure, that he was appalled that he hadn't before. He was Thor's favorite. The blonde claimed not to trust him anymore, but he could see that Thor still hoped for him. It was funny, though, how when he'd been draped in the other's arms, practically weeping as he agreed how he'd been a fool and had never once listened, that he felt himself shift. He was determined, now.

He stood up and dusted himself off. He was going to make Thor proud. He was going to make everything right for himself once again, so that he could see Asgard as his home and be able to walk down the halls, laughing merrily with an arm wrapped around his older brother. He then shifted forms to one of the Asgardian soldiers and moved to transport himself back to the other realm. Thor could take care of himself. His brother would finish everything with Malekith; he knew that for sure.

He brought himself back to Asgard before walking into the throne room to find Odin in the large golden chair. "My King, we could not find any sign of Thor or Jane." He said to the other man, looking up at him. "We did, however, find a body."

Odin just looked down at him, blinking a bit. "Loki…" he said softly. Loki would never know what was going through the other's mind when he said that and was dismissed.

For the next few days, Loki disguised himself as one of the servants, getting him filled in on what was going on with the Dark Elves from them, as most of them were gossipy women. He heard right away when Thor had returned to the realm and figured that it was time to launch the next part of his plan, which would end up being the second to last step. He disguised himself as Odin while the Allfather was away and moved to sit in the throne, reclining in it as Thor walked in. Honestly, that should've been a rather big hint for the blond, as their father was never one to recline and spread out like the youngest Odinson was.

He heard as Thor praised him, somewhat, for having a better grasp on what it meant to rule than even he did. He watched as Thor left the room, making a quick decision as he returned to his normal appearance.

He'd force Thor onto the throne he no longer cared about. Odin was growing old and, judging from how he acted, wouldn't last much longer. He'd make himself scarce for a while, watching from a distance as Thor took the throne. Then, he'd return and he figured he'd just see how things went after that.

XxXxXxXxXx

The raven-haired god had been sure something would go wrong along the way, as he kept himself disguised as a woman for the next couple years, watching from the village as Thor took the throne and became the king. He soon decided it was time to return to the palace, returning to his male form and draping himself in a deep green cloak as he walked to the golden structure and let himself in. He wasn't planning any dramatic entrance at all. He figured he'd just show up for dinner, really, and see how things played out.

He moved to his chambers and was glad to see no one had touched it in the years he'd been away. He smiled a bit, lighting the oil lanterns on the walls and moving to change his clothes. He chose a casual green shirt and brown pants, brushing out his long hair and briefly wondering if he ought to have it cut soon, as it now fell past his shoulders in a mess of waves and curls. He sighed and moved to walk down to the dining hall, where people were already sitting and chattering happily, some of their children giggling and running around happily.

He spotted Thor and an empty spot next to him and smirked at how perfectly everything was going. "Excuse me, is this seat taken?" he asked Thor from behind him.

"No, go ahead." Thor replied, waving his hand in the air as Loki nodded and moved to sit down next to him, smiling and helping himself to the food.

"I've rather missed the food here. I forgot how good it tastes." He commented with a small smile as he ate.

"Oh? Have you been trav-" Thor asked, cutting off when he looked over at the other man. "You're dead. How are you…? I saw you die, what in the Norns are you doing here?" he sputtered confusedly.

"Elementary, dear brother. It'll take a lot more than that to get rid of me." Loki replied with a smirk to him.

"I saw you get run through with a blade!"

"You seem to have forgotten that I can heal myself. Didn't you even wonder why my blood wasn't on your hands when you let me go?"

Thor paused a bit, falling silent as he looked over at his brother. He just sighed and shook his head. "You scared me. Loki, I swear if you ever do that kind of thing again…." He just sighed.

"I don't think I'll have the inclination to do something like that again. It rather hurt."

Thor sighed again and just shook his head. It wasn't a disappointed shake, but more of a 'What am I going to do with you' shake. Loki laughed and moved to gently pat the other's shoulder before moving back to eating his food.

"Loki, brother, I'll be going to Midgard tomorrow. If you promise not to lay waste to anything, would you like to come along?" Thor asked after a bit.

"I'd like that, yes." Loki replied with a nod. "Just make sure to wake me in my chambers so I don't oversleep."

"Of course, brother." Thor replied with a nod and a small smile to his younger brother, glad to see he'd returned home and was alive and well.