It was a nice, warm evening.
The sun was about to set and the brothers were sitting on a bench on one of the many impressive balconies of the palace.
Three days had gone by since the Avengers had returned to Midgard.
Thor and Odin had tried to find out what Loki gave Hela in return for the souls, but they had no success.
Not even Heimdall was able to help.
Odin finally talked to Loki about all the things that had happened in the past days.
Thor had been standing outside the door and was able to hear every single word.
Surprisingly they hadn't been fighting.
Odin apologized and even Loki said that he was sorry for showing Thanos and his army the way to Asgard.
The god of mischief seemed so humble and somehow he really meant what he said.
There hadn't been a hint of deceit, neither in his voice nor in his words.
And in the past days, Loki had avoided everyone.
He stayed in his room or went outside and wandered around without any obvious destination.
No one had seen him talking to the dark voice again.
But at night, Thor was sure that he sometimes heard them arguing about something.
Once he went over to Lokis bedroom and entered without knocking.
His brother had been standing in the middle of the room, red eyes, tears streaming down his face.
He was banging his head against a pillar in front of him but stopped when he became aware of Thor standing in the doorway.
"Go back to sleep, Thor", was the only thing he said.
Seeing so much weariness in those tear filled eyes, Thor decided to ask questions later and went back to his own bedroom.
But now the time had come.
Thor got the feeling that Loki was willing to talk.
Maybe not about every detail, but that didn't matter.
His brother seemed to carry so much weight on his shoulders lately that even a bit of talking might do good.
Thor had met him wandering around in a corridor and had asked if he'd liked to join him on the balcony to enjoy the last bit of sunlight.
His brother had simply nodded.
"I know that you have some kind of dark voice inside you. And you know that I know, so let's talk about it." Thor thought that it might be best if he cut right to the chase.
"No small talk then? Good. But what is there to talk about. You already know." Loki looked down at his hands to avoid eye contact.
"Why is it there? Where does it come from?" Thor wanted to know.
"I have no clue. I woke up after I've killed the Avengers and there it was. I have no memories of killing them, so it must have been him."
"Him? Who is he? Does someone possess you? Is it a demon, a ghost?" Maybe Odin was wrong and Loki wasn't insane after all. But as fast as the hope had risen, it got shattered again.
"It's me, Thor. I don't even know if he is the one who's new or if I am. All I know for sure is that he is much more powerful than I am. He can take over my body whenever he likes and he does not stop to get what he wants."
Thor frowned: "Why the sudden candor? He lets you talk to me about him like that?"
Loki smiled. "He's laughing at you right now. He is always there, listening, commenting about everything. I can't get rid of him. But he gives me a kind of freedom, though. Like a dog on a leash. As long as it is not jeopardizing his plans, I can do and say what I want."
"Plans, what kind of plans?" Thor asked.
"See, that's what I can't tell you."
"I understand. Can you at least tell me what you did to get the souls back?" It was worth a try, Thor thought.
"I planned on giving her my soul, but then the other Loki took over and gave her something else instead." The trickster pressed one hand at his temple and growled: "Shut up! I know I can't tell him!"
And then he mumbled an apology. "I'm sorry, Thor. But he starts screaming at me, if I go there and it hurts like hell. So stop interrogating me, please….Can I ask you something instead?"
Thor nodded.
"Do you despise me? I mean…deep down? Did you lie to me when you said that you would always love me, that I would always be your brother, no matter what happens?"
"Oh, Loki. You know that I can't lie. I told you the truth. I don't despise you. I mean, come on, you killed my friends and sent them to hel and I'm still sitting here with you, watching the sun go down. Isn't that proof enough? You will always be my brother and whatever you do…nothing can break our bond." Thor said and smiled, but he stopped immediately when he saw that the other god was crying.
"What's wrong, Loki?"
"Oh, Thor…I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry…what I promised Hela, I didn't mean to, but now I have to…aaarrrghhhh….SHUT UP! I know, I KNOW!..." Loki screamed out in agony and pressed both hands against his head. But then the pain subsided, leaving him sobbing.
Thor felt stranded, there was nothing he could do to help his brother. He wished he could just rip this voice out of Lokis head and destroy it once and for all. He took him into his arms instead and told him that it was okay, that he didn't have to tell him what he promised Hela.
"But…If you knew, Thor…you would hate me, you wouldn't call me your brother anymore." Loki sobbed.
"Shhh….calm down, I told you that nothing can break our bond. Do not put it into question again! You hear me?" Thor wondered what horrible thing his brother had promised Hela.
Suddenly, Loki kissed him on the lips, got up and walked back to his room as fast as he could.
He left a confused Thor behind. What did just happen?
That kiss had made him very sad but he couldn't figure out why.
But as he walked back to his own room it suddenly dawned on him.
It had been a farewell kiss.