Thor: The King of Nothing.
Summary: "(An AU with Loki "surviving" Thor 2, and other major/minor changes) After saving his brother's life, Loki is unexpectedly granted a second chance- but with a catch: he will never be allowed to leave Asgard again. Now, trying to regain the trust of his father, brother, and former friends, while at the same time trying to keep his crumbling sanity and soul intact, his life has never been more difficult. But when he's forced to decide whose side he's really on when "home" is attacked by an enemy only he can stop, Loki may find that dying may have been the best thing that could have ever happened to him."
Warning: "This will be a relatively tame fanfic, with the exception of some blood, violence, angst, some language, a character death or two, and other adult situations. So, to be on the safe side, we'll be going with Rated T. I have watched both Thor movies and the Avenger's movie, but this does not mean that I am perfect and/or know absolutely everything there is to know about, and I'm bound to forget or misuse something. So, with that, please forgive me if I screw up, and just enjoy the story."
Disclaimer: "I do not own Thor. Please don't ruin my day by thinking I do."
N._.s._.S
Chapter Twenty-One: Sleeping on the Job.
"Details matter, it's worth waiting to get it right."
- Steve Jobs.
Loki had in his lap the book on the Vael, a few pieces of loose paper, and a pen. As he thought about what he would write, he absently played with the Rubik cube Jane had given him.
His conversation with Thor in the courtyard had lightened him in a way he hadn't expected.
He found it was easier to concentrate on the future instead of dwelling in the past.
An added mercy was that he no longer had to worry about what Thor thought of his Jotun side- his brother had never seen that part of him as anything but still him.
It didn't seem to matter to the God of Thunder that they weren't blood at all.
The fact that Thor had only seen him as someone that needed to be stopped other than just someone evil or insane (or, of course, both) certainly helped too-
And even helped reinforce Loki's own personal belief (and hope) that he wasn't crazy to begin with, which was heartening in its own right.
Loki had never imagined he would ever get the chance to tell his brother the things he did tonight- he never expected to tell anyone those things in fact, though they were the best explanation, and even the best excuse he had, for all of his actions, bad or good.
Left, right, up, up, down, up again…
Now that Loki had a few months to think about everything he had done up to now, he came to realize that the dark voice from the back of his mind had preyed on his reaction to finding out his true heritage and the assumptions he'd made after the fact (such as he and Thor not being equals all their lives) and had essentially used that insecurity not only to control him, but against him, as well.
But now that he knew that, Loki could have kicked himself for letting it run so wild.
But, selfishly, he couldn't bring himself to regret some of the things he'd done, even now.
Sure, he regretted hurting and betraying Thor and Odin, of course, but he did not, and would never, regret killing Laufey or nearly destroying the Jotunheim. Doing both, though it had obviously allowed his madness to completely consume him later, had allowed Loki a tremendous personal victory.
It proved that he was not his biological father's son- that he wasn't, and never would be on his side- and killing the Jotun King himself was an added bonus of sorts, even though it turned out later that what Loki had done was the last thing Odin had wanted him to.
Left, right, right, down…
Now, though, he was, for the first time in a year, on the same page as everyone else. He understood that while what he had done was wrong, he did have a chance at forgiveness- which was proven to him by Odin when he brought him back. He understood that he had acted out of anger and even fear, and allowed that to control him as he lashed out at everyone he could.
He had become so wrapped up in what he was, that he'd forgotten who he was.
And it showed.
Ah-ha!
Holding up the completed Rubik cube, Loki Odinsson slowly turned it in his pale, suddenly shaking hands, and smiled, admiring how the childish, bright colors glinted, somehow knowingly, in the faint light.
He had found himself again.
And beyond that, he had finally found his path.
On an impulse, he reached into the deepest part of his coat pocket for the sapphire-embedded dagger and sheath, and when he didn't find it, hurried to his feet and patted his pockets, feeling for the weapon. When he didn't find it, he suddenly remembered shoving Thor when he'd went to speak with Odin.
Had his brother managed to…
Loki couldn't help but laugh out loud as he sat back down again.
The God of Thunder was learning the art of mischief!
As he returned, still chuckling quietly to himself, to his place, sitting on the edge of the balcony's fence with his back against the wall, he slowly opened back up his book, returning to where he had left off, shrugging off the disappearance of the weapon without a hitch.
And now, with his thoughts clear, finally unburdened by the past, and the path he would take clear at last, he worked to save the future.
N._.s._.S
When it came to his status of Head Medic, Sanat Eir pretty much knew everything there was to know, and certainly those few lucky enough to see him work knew that by now.
No one else even dared even to question him anymore except Odin; but even the great All-Father trusted him enough to check up on him only when he felt it was important enough.
Like this business with his son, Loki.
That certainly was important.
However, something that even the All-Father had to respect was that the medic had once been a General under King Borr himself during the times of peace with the Jotunheim, and he had studied their bodies closely; and was even given special permission by a then (sort of) affable King Laufey to study under them, something that was rarely given and had never been before nor since.
And, incredibly, as he learned more and more about the Jotun, his interest in them never faltered, in fact, it doubled along with his respect for the hardened, battle-worthy creatures; and not even the War that followed broke his quiet reverence for them, which still lasted to this day despite everything that had happened.
Knowing all this, the chance to look at a Jotun whose very psyche was embedded with Asgard reasonably intrigued the old medic, and while he wished to study him a bit more, his even deeper respect for Odin stopped him from delving too deep, and he simply did what he was told.
Like now, for instance.
The All-Father had asked him to check in on Loki at least once a day, from a distance, which Eir had certainly been doing all along. Thankfully, the Jotun had been much too interested in whatever book he was reading in the library the past few days to notice him, and aside from nearly being caught when the God of Thunder showed up and unknowingly passed right by him, he had been doing his task well enough.
Now, he slipped into the God of Mischief's bedroom to check on him once more. He had hoped to catch him awake so he could observe him, but it seemed that the medic was finally out of luck, for Loki had fallen asleep by now, slumbering quietly out on the balcony, his strange old book sitting on his lap, still open.
Eir stared at the young man before him before venturing silently closer, his bright, beetle-black eyes narrowing as he stared hard at him, as if looking for something only his practiced eyes could locate. Knowing it would not be wise to wake the God (it would be akin to poking a sleeping dragon in the eye at this point), Eir simply watched how he slept; his great skill allowing him to see what others couldn't.
From the way his eyes were closed, gently but tightly, with no wrinkles of force, told the medic that Loki was not unconscious, and the way his eyes shifted quickly and quietly under the lids said that he was experiencing intense dreaming, but not a nightmare. His breathing, thankfully, was deep and light; that meant that he was calm and not in any pain on the physical level, and that he was not injured to the point where it was affecting his vitals, unlike how it was at the end of the battle.
The only thing that caught his concern was that the Jotun was twitching occasionally, and his hand was almost unconsciously, instantly placed over his chest, and with each twitch, came a clench over that area every time, timing up perfectly with each other with every instance Eir counted.
Twitches of this sort and area pointed to a pain that clearly pointed toward the psyche. Either Loki had traded conscious, physical pain for the unconscious sort, or he was feeling the onset of a case of PTSD; which was expected of someone who'd gone through everything that he had recently.
Eir kept timing the beats of the twitches to the clenches, and still, they timed perfectly.
After a few more timings to confirm his suspicion, the medic slowly rose to his feet and, his job complete and a mental not to tell Odin of this new development added, he pulled off his own black scarf and rested it over the Frost Giant's shoulders before making his way out of the room again, nearly running into Odin himself on his way out.
"Good eve," Eir greeted him with a bow of his head, "How now?"
The All-Father simply inclined his head.
"Your son is doing well," Eir stated, "There are one or two things I'll be watching for, however."
"Such as?"
"He displays the beginnings of PTSD- it's a stress disorder," he added when Odin's brows shifted together, "Nothing to worry about, plenty of rest should do the trick. However, if I were you, I'd keep someone like Thor close to him."
"And why is that?"
"People heal better when they're closest to those they care about the most," Eir said with a slight shrug, "It's more for some emotional support than anything else-"
The medic suddenly stopped speaking, and Odin turned as he followed his gaze. It was none other than Thor rounding the corner, carrying with him a dark blue box under his arm. The young man stopped when he saw them, and then continued towards them.
"Father, Eir," he said, looking between them.
"Good eve," Eir answered as he quickly turned back to Odin, "See that you mind what I have said."
And with that, the good medic turned on his heel and walked away as Thor approached his father. He could hear the two murmuring and Odin explaining who Eir actually was as he turned the same corner Thor had just moments ago, smirking all the way back to the Med Wing.
N._.s._.S
"Where did you get that?" Jane asked as she looked over Thor's shoulder. The God of Thunder was sharpening a five-inch silver dagger with a pretty, rich blue sapphire embedded in its hilt that glistened beautifully in the light of their room, "It doesn't look like something you'd use."
"It's not mine, but Loki's," Thor answered, carefully replacing the blade into its sheath and standing up, "I made this for him when we were kids. It's never been sharpened or used in battle."
"So you're going to give it to him now that it is?"
"Well, I did steal it from him a few days ago in the library so I could do this in the first place," Thor answered with a chuckle, "I'd better get it back to him before he notices."
Jane laughed and shook her head. "You stole it?"
"Pick-pocketed, actually."
"Same thing!" Jane retorted with a laugh, "But he really didn't notice?"
"He was too busy shoving me out of the way."
"What did he have this on him for in the first place, though?" She answered, taking the silver sheath and dagger from Thor when he offered them to her, curiously turning it in her hands and running a finger over the intricate designs, "Weren't Odin's decrees still in effect three days ago?"
"Indeed they were," Thor told her, "But the dagger couldn't be used to cut hair, let alone flesh."
"But why would he carry it then?"
"Maybe just having it helped him somehow."
"A dagger?"
"You'd be surprised."
Jane handed the weapon back to Thor and smiled. "Better give it back to him, then."
Thor gave her a kiss and dutifully headed out the door.
N._.s._.S
Many years ago, if you were fortunate and had a good eye, you could look up to the golden tower on clear, starry nights and see a thin figure sitting quietly on a balcony, fast asleep with a book in hand.
That person, of course was Loki.
Thanks to a vociferous older brother who couldn't keep still for a moment, the God of Mischief often resorted to reading late into the night under the stars for the sake of some peace and quiet; only to fall asleep and be found in the wee hours of the morning by his mother, who'd come to check on him.
After retrieving the blue-velvet box from its place up in the tower, Thor went back down to Loki's room, but as he rounded the corner, found none other than Sanat Eir and Odin himself standing outside the door. They looked calm; so nothing bad could have happened, and as he approached them, the two of them looked over at them and Eir actually smiled.
"Father, Eir," Thor said, and looked between them again.
"Good eve," Eir said, politely, before turning to Odin, "See that you mind what I have said."
With that, the Head Medic brushed past Thor and left the scene, though Thor noticed that the man was moving especially more quickly than the seemingly neutral situation called for, and actually broke into a sprint as he rounded the corner when he thought they weren't looking.
"What was that all about?"
"Eir likes to keep an eye on his patients," Odin answered, with a glance at the bedroom door, "Especially those that are of a special interest to him."
"Loki is an interest?"
"He has studied his profession for near a millennium now, and some of those were spent extensively studying under the Jotun."
"So he knows how to help?"
"Of course, my son. Now," Odin gestured to the blue box, "You have something for your brother?"
"Aye."
"Then go along," his father said, kindly, stepping aside and allowing his son to pass.
N._.s._.S
Hope you all liked! XD
is being a pain in the ass, but I'm sure by now you all knew that!
Anyway, I'm back!
And yeah, we're almost done!
Hope you're all ready for this! XD
And, as always, tell me what you thought!