A/N: Sorry for the long wait between chapters! I've been on vacation for the past week and some odd days and only just got back—but hey, I wasn't slacking; I was thinking about ideas the entire time! XD

Also, this is where it starts to get kinda dark. I'm really going to expand on Thor's mental state in this story, so beware. This isn't the only time they'll talk about it.

Thor disappears the second the Benatar lands. He shoulders his way out of the spaceship, stepping through the darkness of the compound's exterior and the rain pouring down. A bolt of lightning illuminates the sky, an angry roll of thunder that lasts much longer than it should following soon after. The Avengers around Loki watch the thunder god stalk away to vanish inside. No one is smiling, and many of them look concerned.

"He gonna be okay?" someone asks. There is no response.

Something nudges Loki's arm, and he blinks, having not realized that said person had asked him.

"Pardon?" the trickster questions back, turning to face them. It's Banner, his face full of worry.

"I asked if Thor is gonna be okay," Bruce repeats.

Loki frowns, hesitating; he's seen Thor upset before, but never has he been like this.

"Loki?" comes someone else's voice, this time Rogers'. "Is there something you're not telling us?"

The god of mischief quickly shakes off his feeling of dread and spins around, backstepping towards the exit of the Benatar.

"I shall see how Thor is doing—I'm . . . sure he'll be fine," Loki hurriedly answers, plastering a grin on his face before turning and practically running down the ship's steps. He tries to play it off casual, but there was something off about Thor's attitude today and Loki doesn't like it.

"Well, that was weird," Natasha comments as the trickster speedily walks off. The other heroes are slow getting out of the Benatar due to the pouring rain.

"He's worried about his brother, I think," Bruce says nervously, wringing his hands together.

"Loki, worried about Thor? Give me a break. The guy would rather stab Thor in the back and laugh in his face before he'd care about him," Tony snorts with a roll of his eyes. Bruce gives him a look before continuing.

"Look, I know you guys still don't trust Loki much, but I've seen a different side of him, okay? Just . . . I think we need to worry about Thor right now. I don't think killing Thanos helped him at all."

"Point Break is always okay, though, right . . . ? I mean, it's Thor," Tony murmurs, unsure even if he believes that himself.

"You saw how he was after Thanos snapped. The guy blames himself, and now . . ." Steve trails off, looking away.

"Well, he's gotta get over it. He had the chance to kill Thanos the first time and he didn't," Rocket snaps. Everyone looks at him, startled, and the raccoon sighs. "Sorry, I know that sounded harsh. I'm just frustrated." He sits down heavily on the Benatar's steps, furry chin in his hands.

"We all are," Steve says. "But we have to come to the understanding that the stones are gone."

"Yeah, don't remind me," Rhodey mumbles. No one says anything else after that.

Loki pads down the still dimly lit Avengers compound to Thor's room. There is a trail of water leading to the door, so he knows his brother is in there. Carefully, Loki knocks on the door and calls:

"Thor? May I come in?"

The trickster waits silently for a response, ear nearly pressed up against the door. There's no response from the other side. Loki twists the doorknob, resigning himself to simply coming in (not that he's prone to respecting Thor's privacy anyway).

The bedroom is empty, but the light to the bathroom is on and the door is closed. There is still a small path of water droplets spattered along the way, so Loki wastes no time in just opening the bathroom door.

"Thor!"

The hair on the back of Loki's neck stands up, goosebumps prickling across his skin despite the fact he really doesn't get cold, and he rushes forward.

Thor is bent over the sink, his hands gripping onto the porcelain so hard he's shattered it, pieces stabbing into his hands to leave blood dripping onto the floor. The mirror is also shattered into a million little shards, no doubt because the thunderer punched it.

"You've got to calm down, brother," Loki warns, hands floating near Thor but not touching him. The thunder god is on the verge of hyperventilation, his face pale, tears in his eyes.

"I-I can't do this," Thor stammers. He feels his heart fluttering in his chest, which tightens with every breath and leaves him winded.

"Thor, come on, just calm down and we can talk—"

"I CAN'T!"

Loki stumbles back as his brother explodes, hysterical. He shoves the mischievous god backwards, hitting him in the nose painfully. Thor stands there, chest heaving and a snarl on his lips even through his hyperventilation as he glares at the younger god.

"Brother . . . take deep breaths, sit down, ground yourself," Loki starts again, ignoring the outburst and his now bleeding nose in an attempt to help. He idly wipes the back of one gloved hand across his face.

Thor stumbles, his breath hitching through his tears, and he grabs onto the already broken sink, leaving another bloody handprint.

"I—I-I can't," Thor whispers. He feels as if he's falling apart. His chest is still rising and falling rapidly, though he's not as frantic as he was just previously.

"Yes, you can. Sit down, yes, right there," Loki murmurs, guiding Thor to the edge of the bathtub, where he falls heavily into a seated position. Both their capes pool behind them as Loki also sits. It takes a while for the trickster to get Thor's breathing back to normal, to stop the tears.

They sit in silence for a long time after that. Thor is staring ahead, numb, while Loki keeps one eye on his brother.

"I failed," Thor finally says after several minutes, his voice barely audible.

"If you failed, then I failed twice as hard," Loki responds. With wet eyes, Thor looks at his brother in confusion. The younger god just shrugs, then says, "I was there, too, Thor. We both had the chance to kill Thanos beforehand, and instead, I also chose the path of revenge. I wanted him to suffer. I should have known he'd brush it off, but I just . . . I wanted him to pay for everything he'd done, just as you did. The things he did to me . . ." Images flash in Loki's head, and he has to suppress a shudder. "We are both failures, but I suppose I am a hundred times more a failure than you, in retrospect. In light of both our lives."

Thor gazes forward again, slowly nodding. He thinks carefully about what Loki has just said, but he's so exhausted mentally that it's almost hard to grasp.

"I wish now that Thanos' actions would have killed me in recompense for my failures," Thor then admits. "I think about it." He pauses. "Often."

". . . I used to. Sometimes I still do." Loki warily eyes the thunderer. "I understand why you did not just kill Thanos. Do not blame yourself so harshly for letting your emotions guide your actions. There is no guarantee he would not have still won either way. You are stronger than these thoughts, Thor."

Thor drops his head. "Not strong enough."

"You are. Believe me, I know. You've always been strong enough," Loki replies, poking Thor casually in the side, ". . . Brother."

Thor gazes at the younger god with wet eyes, a frown on his face.

"We can get through this," Loki says. "Like I said, 'the sun will shine on us again.'"

Thor's frown tugs into a small smile. He clasps a hand onto Loki's neck, the motion filled with care.

"Brother."

"Whoa, Reindeer Games, you alright?"

Loki pauses on his way through the kitchen, seeing all the eyes on him and his still blood smeared face.

"I am fine," Loki replies, "and Thor should be fine as well. In time."