A/N: Loads of thanks to THORKISUPPORT, Guest, keske, Ireland Ranger, Loki-fan13, The Psychotic Queen, RedCardinals, Fanficfan, kakashidiot, Diadorim, Chades, Sumi, Tricky-Loki, juventus and .1 for reviewing, Favers and Alerters for Faving and Alerting, and Rue for being a squishy beta 8)

Thor awakens from a pleasant sleep, feeling well-rested and clear-headed. As he stirs and stretches, the basement lights brighten and J.A.R.V.I.S. greets him with a rundown of the weather forecast. He rolls over to find Loki snuggled close beside him, already awake, staring at nothing.

'Good morning, brother.' Smiling warmly, Thor reaches over to smooth Loki's hair. 'Did you sleep well?'

Loki is unresponsive to his touch. His eyes are dulled and hollow, with grey bags beneath them. The muscles of his cheeks and mouth are strained and drawn. Like a corpse, he simply lies there.

'How are you feeling?' Thor gently takes Loki's hand, only for it to be withdrawn. The trickster's handcuffs clink as he curls up on himself, lying in a defensive ball on the bed. Confused and concerned now, Thor pulls back, not wanting to impose physical contact on Loki. 'What's the matter? You can tell me.'

Loki's silence persists, along with his lifeless staring.

'Are you unwell? Shall I run you a bath?'

Receiving no response, either positive or negative, Thor decides to go through with his idea; and rising, he heads for the bathroom. He spends several minutes waiting for the bathtub to fill, monitoring the water's temperature to ensure it is neither too hot nor too cold, then finding a towel in the cabinet, and when he returns, his brother is gone.

Currently, Bruce Banner is making himself a cup of the blackest coffee possible. He's alone; Steve is out for an early-morning jog to clear his head, and Tony is elsewhere in the house doing God knows what. The doctor takes a sip of bitter caffeine and grimaces. Turning, he jumps to find Loki standing in the kitchen doorway, bed-haired and with his hands cuffed in front of him.

'Doctor Banner,' the Asgardian says quietly, his eyes downcast.

'Hey.' Despite his best efforts, Bruce sounds uncomfortable; the spectacle of Loki grovelling on the floor is still fresh in his mind, and probably in Loki's too.

'May I speak to you?'

'Sure. What's up?'

Looking subdued, Loki comes closer – uncomfortably close – lowering his voice to barely a whisper.

'I need your help. I've been…hearing things.'

'You mean the house making funny noises? Midgardian houses do that. Especially Tony's...'

'No, that's not it. What I'm about to tell you, please keep to yourself. Last night, Thor was…he was not himself. Physically, it was him; but the way he touched me, the way looked at me, the way he spoke to me…it was not my brother. It was Thanos. And his behaviour, his sickness, his collapse …I suspect they may be related.'

'You think Thanos is…controlling Thor?'

'I do. I know he is. I know because it happened to me.' A tremor enters Loki's voice but is immediately suppressed. 'When Thanos spoke to me…brute-forced his way into my mind…his power, his strength, his raw magic, far outstripped my own. Simply being exposed to it overwhelmed me. At its worst, it caused me to lose consciousness. It was too much for me to handle…'

Bruce examines his expression carefully but can find no trace of bullshit.

'And you think the same thing is happening to Thor?' he clarifies. Loki nods. 'Have you guys spoken again since then?'

'Yes.'

'And does he still give you the same vibe?'

'No. This morning he seems normal again, as if last night never happened. I wish more than anything that that was the case…'

'O – kay.' Bruce kneads his lower face, wondering how he came to be here – standing in Tony Stark's kitchen giving a therapy session to a Norse God – and wishing with all his might that he didn't have to be in this position. 'Do you wanna…spend some time away from Thor? I can give Fury a call. SHIELD would probably be glad to take you back.'

'Thor would not allow it. You saw how he refused to be separated from me. No cell could keep him out.' Loki takes another step nearer. 'Please, Doctor Banner. Tell me I'm mad,' he whispers. 'I don't want to be right. I don't want my brother to be – ' Loki's breath hitches uncontrollably, and he is unable to continue.

'Listen, Loki. After what you've been through, we need to consider the possibility that you are…projecting. It's to be expected that you have a hard time trusting certain people – '

Loki is nodding with increasing desperation.

'Yes. Yes. Please.' The god is losing control. 'I can't do this…I can't do this without Thor. I need him. Please help me. Please tell me I'm mad. I want to be wrong. I hope I'm wrong.'

In the middle of his sentence, Thor enters. Loki falls silent; the speed with which he hides his emotions is rather alarming.

'Wrong about what?' Odinson asks. 'What are you speaking of?'

'Nothing,' Bruce assures him. Thor, disbelieving him, turns to Loki for confirmation.

'It's nothing, brother,' Loki mumbles.

'If you say so.' Resigned to being kept in the dark, Thor decides to make nothing of it. 'Will you join me for breakfast?' He moves towards the fridge, smiling at his brother as if hoping Loki will join him, but Loki turns and walks away without a word. Thor's face falls.

Banner's coffee is now lukewarm, and he tries uselessly to stir some life back into it, the spoon clinking too-loudly against the sides of the cup. He steals a sidelong glance at Thor, but as far as he can see, nothing's changed. No weird Tesseract-blue eyes, no psychic space-wizard.

'Something wrong, Thor?' he asks awkwardly.

'Yes,' says Thor despondently, 'Loki seems distant.'

'He's had a hard time, that's all. After Tony's dressing-down and the whole…nosebleed episode…Besides, distance can be a good thing. Just give him some space.'

'Of course.' Thor sighs and glances in the direction his brother was last seen. 'He tries to hide his feelings, yet his silence speaks eloquently. I suspect that I may have done something to put him in this mood – made a foolish remark, perhaps, and hurt his feelings. He did not tell you anything, did he?'

The doctor's conscience keeps his mouth closed. If Loki's just imagining things (or worse, making shit up) then Thor needs to be told…but at the same time, what right does Bruce have to disclose what Loki told him in confidence? He merely shakes his head.

'He was just, um…apologising to me. Again. For New York, y'know,' he lies, 'I told him not to worry about it.'

'I am glad to hear it…Though I must confide in you, Doctor, I wish that this penance was not necessary – that all his crimes could simply disappear from mankind's memory and be forgotten about. It is a vain hope, but it pains me to see him guilt-ridden and frightened like this. The Loki I knew, the Loki I grew up with, was so different, almost unrecognisable.' Recollecting himself, he excuses, 'I won't keep you from your beverage any longer. Thank you for your advice – and for your kind words to Loki.'

Leaving the mortal, Thor follows his brother and finds him wandering aimlessly, with nowhere to go outside of the very few rooms he's been allowed free rein in. Lingering near the window, the Liesmith stares listlessly out through the expanse of glass. Sand, rock, water as far as the eye can see. An alien vista. How can Stark bear it? He supposes the quiet and solitude of such a place must appeal to some, yet the sight of that endless ocean fills him with nothing but loneliness.

'Loki?' Thor approaches cautiously from behind. 'Is it alright if I join you?' Loki tenses. His skin crawling, he folds his cuffed hands protectively over his abdomen as Odinson stands next to him. 'Is there something on your mind, brother?'

Loki shakes his head.

'You seem a little out-of-sorts this morning. Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?'

'No. I would like to be alone today.' Turning, he slowly heads for the door.

'Where are you going?' Thor demands.

'Back downstairs.'

'Have I done something to upset you? Have I wronged you in some way?'

Loki doesn't answer.

'Brother, please.' Thor is getting in his way now. 'Speak to me. I will listen. I will hear anything you have to say.' Loki bows his head and tries to side-step him, but Thor won't allow it. 'If you are going to lock me out, can you at least give me a reason why?' With increasing frustration, Thor grips Loki's shoulders. 'Answer me.'

Coming back to life, Loki jerks free.

'Don't touch me!' he immediately regrets lashing out, and quiets his voice to repeat, 'Don't touch me. Please.' He's trying instinctively to shield his head from the half-expected punishment, still avoiding Thor as if his slightest touch burns. His face hidden from view, he repeats, 'Please. I want to be alone.'

'I am sorry, Loki – I am sorry for my anger. I just…I don't know what I've done wrong. What did I do? Tell me. Tell me and I'll make amends.'

'Very well.' Thor sounds defeated. Loki finally meets his gaze, and sees no amusement or lust. Just worry, hurt, and love. 'When you…if you are willing to speak to me again, do not hesitate.'

It's Thor. Undeniably Thor. Not Thanos. Did it all happen in my head? Was that all it was – paranoia and a trick of the ears? Loki yearns to believe so; to resolve all his fears and hurts with the simple explanation "they're not real"; to feel the warmth of Thor's embrace, untainted by memories of torture; to feel safe again.

'It's not your fault,' he finally says. 'It's mine.'

'What do you mean?'

'I mean everything…everything is my fault.'

The look of comprehension which fills Thor's face is followed by one of pity and pain. He thinks he's gained a new understanding and finally found the root of all Loki's troubles – remorse – and the revelation both uplifts his heart and breaks it. He can't restrain himself from placing his arms around his brother, hoping that this simplest of gestures can make up for all his inadequate words and the comforts he's failed to supply. Loki aches to rest his head on Thor's shoulder, and for a moment almost does.

'No,' he says, 'No,' and pushing himself away from Thor, hurries out of the room.