Warnings: AU, OneShot, (minor) character death.

AN: So what happens when I am bored? Well…this happens. I apologize in advance.

I didn't do it

Thor stepped around the corner, holding his breath as he had little knowledge of what would happen next. He told himself to prepare for the worst, but never had he felt this shocked. Before him was a small cell and even though he knew this was only a temporary measure, it still hurt him to see his little brother in it.

He stepped closer to the bars, feeling the ominous presence of a police officer nearby. He wasn't allowed to speak with Loki in private, but Thor didn't care. He only wanted to see him, make sure that he was treated well. It was almost ridiculous how much Thor still cared for Loki even after his horrid act. Still, Thor wanted answers – as did Frigga and the rest of the world – and this might be his only chance.

He tried to remember the advice he had gotten from the appointed psychiatrist, but Thor could barely remember what the man looked like let alone what he had said. His mind was confused, angry, but most of all; tired. Thor was desperate for sleep, but he wouldn't get any soon. Too much lay on his weary mind.

He cleared his throat and saw how Loki's eyes instantly snapped open. The younger brother looked terrible. He had pale skin and sunken eyes that stood glum. They began to shine brightly when tears invaded them. Loki quickly moved away from his iron bed and grasped the iron bars with his thin fingers. He had definitely lost weight.

"I knew you would come," Loki spoke hastily, his knuckles turning white by the mere force he used to hold on to the bars, "I knew you wouldn't abandon me, Thor."

The words hurt Thor in more ways than possible because he didn't know whether they were true or false. Had he abandoned Loki? Should he abandon him? Would he?

Their eyes looked into each other and revealed truth.

"You do believe me, don't you?" Loki asked anxiously. His grip on the bars loosened.

Thor bit down on his tongue until he could taste his own blood. He didn't trust his voice or the words that would roll from his tongue.

"I didn't do it, brother," Loki insisted, "I did not kill our father."

Those words made tears come to Thor's blue eyes. He wanted to believe everything Loki told him, he wanted to comfort him and tell him all would be well, but that would be a lie and lying was a sin. Besides, it would be cruel of him to mislead Loki. Dark times lay ahead of them and Thor wasn't even sure if they would ever disappear.

"I wish I could believe you," he finally said, relieved that his voice was strong and unwavering, "Loki, I wish I could help you, but I cannot. I have seen it with my own eyes and I-"

Loki banged his head against the bars, producing a loud and awful sound. It was the first real sign that the psychiatrist was speaking the truth.

"Calm yourself, brother," Thor said soothingly. He placed his own hands on top of Loki's and found them icily cold. He promised himself not to confront Loki with the truth. It clearly pained the young man and Thor hated seeing Loki in agony. Still, could Thor bear this burden alone? Should he bear it alone?

It had been so horrible. Thor had returned home only to find his father dead and Loki still stabbing into his heart. The shock had been so great that he had puked instantly. Only then had he found the strength and courage to pull his little brother away, making him drop the knife. There had been something in his eyes, something wild and feral, and Thor was sure he had never seen it before. Immediately, Loki had begun to beg him, claiming that he was innocent, that he had no idea what had happened.

And now they were here and Thor felt utterly lost.

"I can see it in your eyes," Loki said, calmed again, "you do not believe me, you think I have killed our father."

You did kill our father, Thor thought.

Loki retracted his hands and moved back to his iron bed. He curled up on it, his arms pulling his knees high up to his chest. It was heartbreaking to see him lying there and Thor wished he could turn back time. He wished he could undo it all.

"I didn't do it. I didn't do it. I didn't do it. I didn't do it. I didn't do it." Loki repeated the words again and again like a mantra soothing his own mind. Like a prayer that would lead him to his dispensation. He closed his eyes, his face relaxing for a few moments and then something snapped within him. Thor could see it happen and it scared him. "I did it."

Thor, stunned by what he was witnessing, involuntarily dropped his arms and stepped back. He no longer saw sadness and confusion in Loki's eyes, but instead he saw a feral, almost savage creature before him. The Loki he knew had gone and this was the man he had pulled away from his father's corpse, the knife still in his hand.

This was the Loki he feared.

"I did it," Loki repeated slowly while menacingly rising from his bed, "I murdered Odin, your father, while he lay asleep in his bed."

Thor, whose breaths came out raggedly from his chest, tried to calm himself, but he failed. "Why?"

Loki, with an almost graceful composure, came forward again. He smiled.

He smiled.

Thor felt sick.

"He had it coming," Loki explained, "he was a liar and a deceiver and he thought he could use me, but I learned the truth. I discovered who I really am and so should you, Thor Odinson."

The words made no sense, but Thor listened intently none the less. He might not understand this now, but he would in perhaps a minute, or an hour or a decade from now. "Then tell me who you are."

"I am not your brother," Loki almost lulled the words, as if they were meant to bring tranquility and clarity, "I never was. I am the son of Laufey, taken away from my true family by Odin. He raised me to think that I am your equal, that I matter as much as you do. The truth cannot be further away."

"You are my equal," Thor countered, "and you are my brother."

Loki's sly smile changed into something quite different. Something dark and vicious. "Never!"

Thor felt his heart break into a thousand pieces. He couldn't handle this, he couldn't cope. Was this who his brother had become? His sweet, loving, kind brother who was always one for tricks and mischief. The man standing before him was an abomination. A vile extract of the Loki he once knew.

"I am sorry, Loki," Thor said, swallowing away his emotions, "truly I am. I cannot help you and I'm afraid I can never forgive you."

Loki stepped back and sat down on the bed. His eyes never left Thor's. "I didn't expect you to."

For a short few seconds, Thor closed his eyes. He needed a moment to steady himself, to remind himself of what he had just said. Was this the end? Would this be the last time he ever came to see his brother?

When he opened his eyes again, he found Loki lying down with his legs again to his chest. Gone was the vicious and poisonous Loki and back was the broken, hurt and sad one. Tears streamed down his face. "I didn't do it. I didn't do it."

"I know, brother," Thor sighed, falling to his knees while holding on to the cold iron bars, "I know you didn't do it. The man who did has gone again."

"I didn't do it."