Once inside the elevator, Thor remarked casually, "Tony Stark has many of these contraptions. I imagine it must be hard getting around in such massive structures without the ability to fly."
Loki rolled his eyes slightly. "You get used to it after awhile," he replied as the elevator door slid closed and the elevator slowly started on its way up. He sighed slightly, leaning against the wall and resting his head on the cold metal for a moment, allowing his eyes to close as he waited for the doors to open to his floor.
"Well, not that I could fly in the first place without shapeshifting," he mumbled, his eyes slowly opening to stare at the wall opposite of him. The elevator gave a short, high-pitched sound before the doors slid open again to reveal the fifth floor. Loki pushed himself off of the wall and led Thor out into the brightly lit hallway, turning down the left corridor.
"You still had the option," Thor pointed out before following Loki down the hall. It rather reminded him of a maze, and was quite grateful that Loki knew where he was going, as he feared he might get lost on his own. He would have to make some sort of landmarks, in case they were ever to be separated. It was a bit strange to him, going from living on his father's massive estate to being inside a building nearly as large, but only really owning a few rooms, as he was certain was the case. It was likely much like the building he had stayed in with Jane, when he first taught her about the realms... Pushing all thoughts of her to the back of his mind, he heaved a sigh. He would probably never see her again, though he was in Midgard, as promised... He understood that it was never really meant to be. His father had helped him come to terms with that.
Loki shrugged, chuckling lightly. "Yeah, I guess I still had the option," he mumbled as he took a right at the end of the hallway before stopping in front of the second door on the right; it read 514. He grabbed the ring of keys out of his pocket before unlocking the door and pushing it open.
"It isn't grand but it isn't absurd," he said, sitting down in the corner of the suede couch. "There's my room and then a guest bedroom as well as the bathrooms and the living-room and such." He sat back against the large cushion and looked up at Thor expectantly.
Thor was quite impressed by the size of the place- though he couldn't begin to fathom what Loki would need a guest bedroom for. Smiling to his brother, he complimented, "You really are doing quite well for yourself here, brother." He strode across the room, taking his time to admire his surroundings, before eventually settling on a chair.
Loki chuckled slightly. "Mm, thank you. I wouldn't have been able to afford much more at the time but this is far more suitable for me anyway. Plus, everything is just down the street," he added nonchalantly.
Serious once more, Thor asked, "So? Tell me, what is it that's got you so upset you're losing sleep. What happened when you fell?" Of course he was curious, but more than that, he was genuinely concerned. After all, he still saw Loki as his brother, even if Loki had lost touch with that sentiment. Perhaps, one day, they could return to the way things were, but for now, he needed to figure out what was causing so much turmoil.
He sighed slightly as Thor quickly brought of the former subject but he hadn't expected anything less of him. Stretching out a bit on the couch, Loki laid his head on the armrest of it and looked over at Thor. "After I fell... Well, I actually was falling for a while, a few days at least through that darkness; I'm not sure the exact amount of time. Just that in itself is one issue but it's smaller than the others. When I finally landed on something stable, it was nothing more than a barren wasteland of a planet but there was a species that inhabited it; the Chitauri. I actually fell unconscious soon after arriving there and when I woke, I was in a different place entirely, a ship which I later determined to be that of the Chitauri's as well. Their general, the Other, thought that they might find some use in me so he brought me to his...master.
He fell silent for a moment, his gaze falling to the floor. "His master was, and still is, Thanos, Thor. He tortured me until I was weak enough to comply with his terms. I was to retrieve the Tesseract for him and return or else there would be even more consequences which is, undoubtedly, more torture, and eventually death. Everytime I try to sleep I'm plagued with night terrors of my time there."
"Thanos?" That name was familiar enough to ring a few bells. He'd heard of the mighty villain several times in old war stories and legends, but he had mostly blown them off. There was simply no way a being that powerful could exist! Still, try as he might to find any evidence of untruth in Loki's expression Thor could find none. Still, one thing was not sitting quite right with him. "Why has he not returned?" He wondered aloud, "If it's true that he demanded you bring him the Tesseract, lest you face fate worse than death, why has he not come to Midgard for you?" Considering this, he smirked, "Could it be that he actually fears the Avengers?"
Loki sighed. "I cannot answer your questions with full knowledge but only my own thoughts about the situation. He's biding his time I guess, healing a bit before he attacks. I think he's also replanning his strategies because he hadn't known that they were so strong until they defeated me. I highly doubt that he holds any kind of fear for him though."
He fell silent for a moment, watching Thor. "And if you honestly don't believe me, I can offer proof, Thor. Ever since I lost my powers, I heal far slower than before so I still have some of the...scars because they've yet to heal. As for why he hasn't come back for me yet...Well, I don't know. He could come any day now for me," he added, a slight bit of fear edging into his voice before he managed to cover it.
Thinking about this, Thor looked Loki over. His brother was strong- he knew that. When at his full potential, he could take whatever he wanted by force- as Steve had said, it had taken all of the Avengers working together to get him into a state of submission... If Thanos had been able to do that on his own, he must have been far more powerful than he had imagined. Which meant only one thing, to Thor. "Fight power with power." He mumbled, getting to his feet as he began to pace about the room.
"If he's really as strong as you say, the Avengers alone won't be enough. We'll need an army, not just a few rogue soldiers..." He paused in his pacing, turning to Loki, "That starts with you. We'll need you to get your power back, and summon all of our finest warriors from Asgard and Midgard combined..." Then it hit him- that was exactly the sort of problem Loki was talking about. Falling back onto the chair, he confessed, "I can see how you might feel trapped."
Loki nodded slightly, glad that it hadn't taken Thor long to reach the conclusion he had. "That's because I refuse to bring anybody else into my problems. Thanos would undoubtedly try and hurt them before me simply to injure me more as he has some kind of fascination with the fact that I have escaped him for the time being.
"Even if I were to turn myself over to him, it wouldn't matter because he would still attack Midgard and Asgard would likely follow afterwards," he shrugged and exhaled heavily. "I'm glad to say I'm not fully helpless though, I didn't mention anything before because I don't need the Avengers knowing that I still pose a threat. What I do have doesn't stand a chance against him though because even at my full power..." He shook his head allowed his sentence to trail off. "I just don't know."
Thor was a bit surprised to hear that Loki was not as completely defenseless as he had thought, but knew better than to question it. It didn't matter what power Loki currently had, all that mattered was returning him to his full strength. Instead, he encouraged, "On your own, perhaps... But not with me- with us! If there is a threat to Midgard, you can bet that the Avengers will want to get involved, all that remains is to convince them that Thanos is a common enemy..."
Looking over to his brother, Thor wondered, "Why did you not tell me about this sooner? You had several opportunities between the time the war for Midgard began and the time you were taken from me in Asgard."
Loki fell silent, watching Thor for a long while before he spoke up. "Thanos threatened to kill you if I spoke a word of it to you during my time here on Midgard. He was watching my every move so I had to be as convincing as possible.
"And without me at my full power Thor, I doubt that the Avengers would be able to take him down. He won't be alone, Thor. There are still many Chitauri that he didn't send on my earlier attempt to take Midgard. He'll just kill them or make them retreat if we try to take him on alone, you have to understand that. " He stretched out on the couch more, rolling over to lay on his back as he stared up at the ceiling.
This confession came as quite a shock to Thor, who had been questioning whether Loki had completely thrown away all of their former connections. To think that his life meant enough for Loki to spare... Of course Loki knew that Heimdall would have heard their conversation, that there still would have been war against Thanos in retribution, but even so... "I do not doubt you, brother," He said finally, easing himself back against the chair, "As Steve said earlier, it took all of the Avengers working together to force you into submission before, if he was able to do so on his own, taking him on on our own would just be suicide."
Still, Thor refused to despair, "Which is why we need to get your power back before he decides to show up looking for you. What have you tried so far to win father's favor? What hasn't worked? What is there still left to try? Don't just roll over and give up now, after all that's happened, you finally have your chance to make things right, brother, and it's not in your nature to submit."
Loki shrugged. "Well you have to put it this way, Thor. He had me for a long amount and time and used various...things to get to me. It took a long time before I finally gave up and allowed him to do as he pleased," he said, catching onto a different word. "Suicide," he repeated, glancing at Thor out of his peripheral vision. "If that would've just worked in the first place we wouldn't have to be worrying about this problem. Otherwise, I haven't done anything, Thor. I know not how to win his favor. You fell in love with your mortal but that is not an option for me. You lost your arrogance, well most of it," he added, "and regretted what you had done. I do regret what I did to Midgard but I also know that the few that died here in New York was far better than the whole realm ceasing to survive," he said. "I'm not sure what else to try."
"So what, then, are you just waiting for death to come?" Thor demanded, getting to his feet once more and grabbing Loki by the collar, pulling him up so they were eye to eye, "Who are you and what have you done with my brother?! Where is the Loki I knew, who laughed in the face of death, only to slip right out of her grasp at the last moment? We're here, brother, THIS is the last moment- where are your tricks? Why do you lie like a log waiting for the blow of an ax?"
Loki shook his head, growling slightly as Thor pulled him up to his feet once again. "My tricks? Thor I had my magic, my power. I had hope in those moments Thor, and I felt that I had people that would stand behind me should I need them! I have none now. I cannot win against Thanos without my magic. I'm not waiting for the blow of the ax! I've already been shredded into pieces! Why do you not understand that?!"
Finally releasing his grip on Loki, though he made no effort to back off, he went on, "You say you know not how to win father's favor, yet in the same breath, you deny wanting to accept the answer! Regret, Loki, that is what he wants. He wants you to see what you have done and repent, to swear sincerely that you will never do anything of the sort again. I wasn't even present at your trial nor banishment and I know this!" Unfortunately, Thor had no idea how to even begin to teach the lesson of regret, and the way he had learned it, he would not wish upon his brother. "You said once that you remembered a shadow, living in my shadow growing up... So step outside it and forge your own path... Is there nothing, in this world or in Asgard, that is worth your pride? Worth living for?"
"You obviously cannot get it through your mind. I just told you I regret what I did! I cannot sincerely swear I will never do anything like this again because I don't have that kind of certainty anymore!" Loki fell quiet, still glaring up at Thor. "I don't know what I live for Thor. I guess I..."I guess I still have hope. He sighed, looking away from the thunder god then.
Apparently not picking up on the fact that Loki was having a hard time voicing his thoughts, Thor demanded, "You what? What do you guess?"
"I guess I still have hope, Thor. I guess there's some part of me that feels like I need to save the realms from the same pain that was inflicted so deeply into me. I'm not ready to die but..." Loki took a deep breath. "I'm just so tired, Thor," he said, allowing all of his stress and fear to show in his tone.
With an annoyed sigh, Thor grabbed Loki's face roughly and turned it to face his own, "You understand, probably better than I do, the severity of this situation. Tell me you want this, you want to live, or I will simply be forced to let Thanos have you while I assemble an army of my own to defend at least Asgard." Naturally, he knew that he would never find enough soldiers to replace Loki, but... He would have to try if his brother refused to cooperate. If Loki had given up on life itself, there was no point in trying to intervene.
"I do regret it Thor but I have no idea how I'm supposed to show that to Odin. I don't even know why he still has hope that I can somehow manage to pull through this. It just seems hopeless without my magic. You don't understand that Thor," Loki growled. "Magic is more than just an art, it's something you're born with and when you've developed it and you've spent so much of your time working on it and then it's suddenly ripped away from you because of something you didn't do, it hurts; physically and mentally.
"Magic is the only thing I really strived in Thor. You had your strength and I had my magic, yes my intelligence as well but we aren't battling with intelligence, we're using our power."
"There is strategy in every war," Thor said quietly, letting his hands fall heavily onto Loki's shoulders, "And as long as you have hope, there is a way to get your magic back, just as I was able to get my strength back... and I do know what it's like, brother. You forget that I was once in a similar position, without my strength, the strength I had been born with, had trained so hard to build up... To have that stripped away and be banished by my own father- yes, I know what it's like, but you must overcome that despair."
Finally, Thor took a step back and inhaled deeply, trying to think. "And while I cannot speak for Father, I presume that, on some level, he feels the same way I do. We've been with you since you were an infant- blood or not, you are family, and as family, we have faith in you. At least I can say that much is true for me. You were never one to surrender with odds stacked against you, and you always managed to come through in the end, then..." He hesitated a bit before adding, "I know this may not come as much of a comfort to you, considering your dislike of me, but... At least know that this time, you are not fighting alone."
Loki took a deep breath, falling silent for a long moment as his gaze drifted to the floor. There was no way he was going to be able to live if he was simply going to stress over the situation he was caught in. There had to be some way to get out of this, like always, some way. He nodded slightly, his gaze rising back to look at Thor. "Maybe there's something else Odin wants though too. I just don't feel like that's everything," he mumbled.
He pulled back from Thor slightly, turning and pacing a bit. "If I can just get my magic back, we do stand a chance against Thanos. Now just to figure out exactly what it is," he mumbled. "I doubt that it's something like forgiving him simply because Odin wouldn't center it around himself, he would center it around someone or something else."
Glad to see his old brother back, Thor was more than happy to help him brainstorm. "There are people aside from Father himself that you resent, are there not?" He pointed out, trying to phrase it so that he wasn't just talking about himself.
Loki sighed, shrugging slightly. "There's nobody else that I resent that he would be worried about I believe. It's only really you and him that are even relevant to this subject but you're right; it's not likely my resentment that he is centering around."
Quickly changing the subject off of himself, Thor went on, "But it might not be forgiveness, either. In that moment, when my Mjolnir returned to me, I felt, more than anything, shame. I was ashamed of my actions that brought me to where I was, ashamed that my friends had to come and rescue me, and, most of all, ashamed that I had let down not only my friends and the people of Midgard, but my family as well, because I knew that if I were to die there, I would not be the only one I was failing."
After a moment of consideration, he added, "Not to mention, I felt my heart was breaking. Not only had I endangered Jane, but I had sincerely believed that you would have spared me. I did not know what I had done that caused you to harbor such hatred for me."
"Shame for my actions...I'm guessing that involves everything before as well: having you sent to Midgard in the first place and then sending the Destroyer after you, as well as trying to destroy Jotunheim and maybe...likely killing Laufey as well. And then letting go of course because I didn't want to deal with the shame of it then and just wanted to escape it," Loki mumbled.
He suddenly looked up at Thor again, thinking about what he had said. "How do you not hate me, Thor? After everything I've done and everything that has happened, how can you even think of still calling me your brother? I just don't understand that."
Smiling a bit sadly, Thor replied, "That's the difference between you and I. To me, family is family, and I'll always cherish the memories we share, while you seem to be able to whisk them away at will. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, everyone craves power- who am I to cast you aside for that?" Returning to his place on the chair, he went on, "Don't you remember the root of the problem, why I was banished in the first place? Because I craved power. I wanted to force father to let me have the throne for my own glory, to destroy the Frost Giants and gain even more power. Did you not accomplish the exact thing I was aiming for? You were simply more successful."
Loki chuckled harshly, shaking his head. "Maybe I was more successful but look where it's got me now, Thor. It's even worse now than it was before when you were sent to Midgard," he sighed as he sat back heavily on the couch, placing his head in his hands. "Besides, it wasn't really even power that I craved. While you were gone, do you think it had been my plan to cast Odin aside and take the throne? No, it wasn't. It was an accident that he fell into his sleep at that time. I had just..." Loki rolled his eyes, sitting back against the cushion and letting his hands fall into his lap. "I'm not even sure anymore." He didn't want to respond to Thor's first few statements. He couldn't just allow Thor back into his life after the former show of everything. It wasn't that easy and it never would be.
Thor was not entirely sure he believed this. Leaning forward, he asked, "If not power, what then? If it was not power you were thinking of when you came to fill my head with lies of father's death, and, indeed, when you sent that Destroyer to slay me, what, then, were you thinking of? Did you not long to get me out of your way, to secure your spot on the throne?"
"I don't know what I was thinking when I sent the Destroyer after you, Thor. I know now that I shouldn't have. I didn't want to kill you, believe me when I say that. Maybe I guessed that was how to get your power back; you did get your powers and Mjolnir back when you were fighting it," Loki said, though his gaze was on his hands in his lap. "I told you before, I only wanted to be your equal. I didn't want to be the second prince, or 'Thor's little brother.'"
After a moment of consideration, Thor's own words began to sink in a bit, spurning his curiosity. "Tell me why, brother," He said in a tone far more confused and pained than demanding, "Why do you loathe me so? What have I done to wrong you? You know I never meant to make you feel inferior..."
"Maybe you didn't mean to, Thor, but you never noticed either, did you? I think that's what it is. I feel like I'm beneath your notice because you never seemed to care before and now you're probably only here because you know that I am needed to help you defeat an enemy that would destroy the realms," Loki growled slightly though his voice didn't have as much of the usual bite of venom in it.
"I came here before I knew any of that," Thor pointed out, "I came down to Midgard because I heard from Heimdall that you were in danger. I didn't know any of this before you told me; I presume Thanos is beyond even Heimdall's sight."
"I think it was because you were scared that your friends would be injured in a battle with me if you weren't present," Loki growled. "Thanos is beyond Heimdall's sight. If Heimdall was able to see him, you would have known that I was still alive the entire time. Did you even think of searching for me, Thor? Did you? You probably wrote me off as dead the moment I let go without giving it a second though."
Though he was not entirely sure he believed that Loki had not intended to kill him before, Thor refrained from dwelling on that. Whatever it had been seemed to have passed- they were having a far more normal conversation than he could have imagined them ever having again in that moment. "I am truly sorry, brother... but you are right. I was arrogant and foolish, and I should have paid you more mind. I was so intent on making myself stronger that I was oblivious to how it might affect you... I suppose that, because you never openly complained about your treatment, that you were fine... But I see now that I should have been there for you more. I have not been the best brother to you, and I truly do regret that more than anything... I was told that you had lost your power- how would I think you could do them any harm? Most of them can hardly be considered average mortals, anyway, I knew they could hold their own. I was concerned that I might lose you, again- I wanted to look for you, but what was I to do? Jump in after you to certain death? You may not believe me, but I mourned for you every day you were gone." Thor said quietly, eventually lowering his gaze. Of course he had thought Loki to be dead- was that not his intention in the first place?
Loki fell silent, watching Thor for a long moment before he spoke again. "It was fine before in our younger years. When I would have night terrors you were always there to comfort me. Do you remember what was usually the subject of them Thor? It was the Jotnar. I probably should have noticed everything far before I found out on our trip to Jotunheim. I should have noticed I was different; I don't even look near the same with my dark hair and pale skin. We're exact opposites, Thor, did you ever think of that? Maybe that's why we aren't compatible, even as brothers, maybe that's why it hasn't worked," he said, keeping his voice emotionless, his gaze falling from Thor back to the floor.
Deciding that he had had quite enough of this conversation, he got to his feet, "Never mind all that now, this talk is exhausting on an already long day. Let us retire for now, and try tomorrow to come up with some plan of action."
Loki sighed and shrugged, adding on, "I expected something, Thor, anything," he growled, his gaze rising to look at the thunder god. "Maybe that was asking too much," he mumbled quietly
before looking down again and shaking his head. He looked up at Thor again when he rose from his chair, nodding slightly. Reaching over, he grabbed the television remote from the coffee table and turned the television on. "Sleep well, Thor," he said quietly, glancing up at him before sitting and pulling his knees up to his chest, resting his chin on them.
Though he had been intending to leave it there, at least for the night, Loki's words bothered Thor far too much, and he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep with them weighing on his mind. Instead, he grabbed the remote from Loki, and, after fumbling with it for a bit, managed to turn the television off. "Expected what?" He asked, "What more do you want me to say? If I throw any more apologies at you, the words will start to lose their meaning, I've tried explaining myself to you, but you don't seem particularly keen on believing a word I say, in spite of the fact that I am not one who is known for his lies. What more do you want from me, brother? You speak as if I am unwilling, but I seem to be the only one of the two of us that is at all interested in mending our relationship!" Trying to calm himself with a deep breath, he repeated, "Tell me, what is it you want me to say? What do you want to hear from me?"
Thor's words sent a pang of anger through him as he let his legs unfold, glaring up at the thunder god. "What did I expect Thor?" He snarled. "You honestly want to know? Okay, fine!
"I guess I had some idea, some faint hope that you would save me, Thor! When I screamed your name through the pain and hallucinations I was being dealt, I had some hope, some idea that you would save me as you always did when I needed you! That you would come flying in and smash everything with your hammer simply because you knew they had hurt me and that I needed you! Even after that, when I arrived on Midgard, I hoped you would notice but you didn't! I limped with each step I took, I had dark circles under my eyes as I do now, and I was sickly pale but you noticed none of that! I hoped you would notice but you didn't," he snarled, blinking back the slight sting of tears that had started in his eyes. "I guess I just wanted you to say that you were here for me and I wanted myself to believe that but I can't," he continued.
It took a moment for Loki's words to really take effect, but once they did, Thor felt absolutely horrible. "It would have been a lie," He confessed, "At that time, although I was glad to see you, I knew only that you had to be stopped. Had I known then what I do now, I..." Taking a cautious step toward Loki, he said again, "I am sorry brother... But I'm here now. And we will destroy Thanos and his minions, and return to Asgard victorious, together. This time... I won't leave without you, I swear it." Smiling gently, he brought a hand to rest on Loki's shoulder, looking him in the eye as he said sincerely, "I know this may be coming too little, too late, but... I will pay more attention to you from now on, prevent anything like this from ever happening again, to the best of my abilities, I vow it..."
"You just aren't very observant and I should know that," Loki sighed, shrugging slightly. Relaxing back into the couch, he looked up at Thor, watching him for a moment before speaking once again. "Okay, Thor," he said, nodding slightly. "That will have to work for now but it's...appreciated," he said with a small smile, his gaze falling to the hand on his shoulder though he didn't shrug it off or try to move away. He grabbed the remote again but he didn't turn the television on yet, waiting for Thor to decide what he was doing before he did. "Oh, do you actually need me to show you where everything is first or...?" He questioned slowly.
"That would be helpful, yes," Thor admitted, lowering his hand to offer to help Loki up. "Thank you for talking with me like this, brother. I know it is not usually in your nature to want to discuss such things, but... I do want to help you, to be the brother you deserve." It might have sounded strange to most people, saying Loki deserved a better brother after all he had done, but... In Thor's eyes, most of it was justified. Besides that, if he and Loki could overcome their differences, perhaps his brother would have less reason to act out and cause trouble.
Loki nodded slightly, taking Thor's hand after a moment and allowing himself to be pulled up. "It's admittedly easier than never saying anything," he said, turning slightly and walking down the hallway. "My bedroom is the one on the left, the guest room is here on the right and the guest bathroom is at the end of the hall," he said, nodding towards each room in turn. "The kitchen is on the other side of the living-room which is where I will be should you need me."
He turned back to Thor, raising a brow slightly as he looked at him. "Is there anything else you need for the night?" Loki asked a bit tiredly. "I don't have anything planned for tomorrow so we'll figure that out then," he mumbled.
Thor frowned a bit, concerned, "You should at least try to get some rest, brother. Some sleep is better than none at all..." Thinking on it, he decided, "I could sleep in your room. That way I can wake you if you grow restless. You never have been particularly quiet when you have unpleasant dreams, I'm sure I will hear you if I'm near you." Smiling once more, he clapped Loki on the shoulder, careful not to be too rough, "It'll be just like old times. Besides, you need to be rested if you intend to get anything done."
Loki fell silent, raising a brow at Thor's suggestion. The thought of sleeping with Thor in the room wasn't terribly attractive but the thought of actually getting some rest made it not seem as bad. He sighed, running a hand through his hair and shrugging slightly. "I...okay, fine, but, if it doesn't work, it's not happening again," he said a bit sternly before turning and opening the door to his room.
Flicking the light on, he glanced around the master bedroom rather boredly. One wall was filled with a large bookshelf, holding multiple books; in front of him, the dresser jutted out from the wall while across from it was his large bed, covered with a thick green comforter. His gaze flicked to the wall across from him, scanning over his desk and making sure he had turned his laptop off. He turned back to Thor then, looking him up and down. "I'm guessing you don't have anything to wear other than your Asgardian attire?" He questioned.
"I was in a bit of a rush when I left," Thor confessed, glancing down at his armor. Of course he hadn't had any time to pack, because as soon as he had heard that Loki was in danger, he'd reacted without thinking. Still, he didn't suppose he would fit in Loki's clothing, as he was a bit larger than his brother, so he suggested, "We can concern ourselves with that in the morning, unless you have some clothing that is too big for you that I might borrow." Either way, he knew that sleeping in his armor wasn't really an option. It would be uncomfortable at best, and probably damage the bed, so he began to work at removing it.
Loki chuckled, rolling his eyes slightly. "I think I might have something," he mumbled, walking over to the dresser and pulling open two of the wooden drawers. He rummaged through them for a second, disturbing the folded clothes before he finally pulled out a pair of thin cotton pants. "I accidentally bought the wrong size," he said, tossing them at Thor.
He grabbed a pair of more comfortable pants for himself and walked into the master bathroom. Shrugging off his coat and scarf, he changed out his pants and glanced at the black shirt he had been wearing underneath. It was a moment later when he pulled that off too, tossing the clothes in the hamper and hanging his coat on the hook on the back of the bathroom door. He waited a moment longer, making sure he wouldn't be walking in on Thor changing before he opened the door and walked back into his bedroom.
Thor had already finished changing by the time Loki returned, and while the pants were a bit snug on him, they seemed to fit fairly well, and he had been checking himself out in the mirror when Loki entered the room. Hearing the door, he turned to face Loki and said, "Thank you, these seem to fit quite nicely. I suppose we may still have to do some shopping later, but... perhaps I can ask a favor of Mr. Stark? He knows Midgardian fashion far better than I ever care to." With this, he slid under the covers on the side of the bed that appeared to be less used. Although for most grown men, it would be awkward sharing a bed with a brother, particularly one you recently discovered you have no relation to, but Thor didn't really see it that way. To him, he was simply looking out for Loki, and this was the best way he could do that.
Loki gave Thor a lopsided grin. "Sure, I could probably even bribe him to pay for everything," he said with an amused edge in his voice as he watched Thor slide into the right side of the bed. He turned off the lights again and walked over to the left side of the bed. He said nothing as he slipped under the covers a bit uncomfortably, laying on his side and facing away from Thor. He sighed after a moment, turning over to lay on his back and staring up at the ceiling through the darkness. A wave of exhaustion hit him then but he forced his eyes to stay open a while longer, still slightly unsure about it.
"Doesn't bribing imply a reward?" Thor pointed out playfully as Loki crawled into bed. In truth, although he was exhausted, Thor really didn't want to sleep- not because he didn't trust Loki, more because he didn't trust himself. He was not entirely sure that he would wake up in time to pull Loki back to reality, and that concerned him. He'd always hated that helpless feeling he got whenever night terrors attacked his brother in the past, and wasn't particularly looking forward to it now.
"Mm, sometimes," Loki replied a bit teasingly. He sighed afterward, finally allowing himself to relax back into the bed and closing his eyes.
Eventually, however, the Thunderer gave up on trying to keep his eyes open, and, after mumbling a quiet, "Goodnight, brother," or something to that extent- he was hardly coherent by the time he got around to saying it- he finally drifted off to sleep.
Loki heard Thor mumble something and replied, "Goodnight, Thor," he mumbled a bit sleepily. It was a moment later when he finally allowed for the exhaustion to take over and he closed his eyes, falling asleep almost immediately.
I never did mention that I'm the one that played Thor and Lokitty played Loki. I guess I thought that might be obvious, but..
Anyway, a quick note/shameless advertisement, I'm looking for more people to do Avengers Roleplays with, and most specifically a Castle/Avengers (or just Iron Man) crossover would be amazing. That's optional though. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter, we've got a lot more where that came from.