This story was inspired by NEEDTOBREATHE's song, HAPPINESS. (Why they like their caps lock so much, I'm not sure, but the song is great.) For optimal story experience, I'd advise you to listen to the song before or while you read. Or even after, it's worth listening.

Happiness. It seemed like such an enigma.

How did one man walk through life, and simply be happy?

Thor had managed it. Despite what life had thrown at him, he still kept up his stupid, cheery, positive attitude. It made a sadistic part of Loki wonder how far the man could take before he broke.

Of course, Loki would never do something of that caliber to Thor, again. He'd learned his lesson the hard way. When Thor was crushed, Loki always dealt with the fallout.

He'd fallen a long way.

Even after he'd come back to Asgard, and Odin had sentenced him to be confined to the palace walls, it didn't seem like he was truly home. Everyone treated him different. Everyone looked at him as if he was a volatile monster, about to snap, and murder and/or subjugate an entire race, again, if he was set off.

Redemption?

What was that? Loki had never heard of such a thing. At least, he would never experience it. He'd be old, with white hair and rheumatism, and some child would still be bursting into frightened tears at the sight of him.

If only he could find a way to prove himself, to prove that he wasn't the monster they feared he was. If only Odin hadn't given the stupid decree, sentencing him, not only to a life of regret, but also penance. He would never stop paying for his crimes.

He was a good man. (He thought.) He could rise above this, if he were given the chance. He never would, though.

So, as he lay on his bed, late at night, tossing a cup into the air, and catching it again in sheer boredom, he was hopeless. The resentment his family still felt towards him gnawed through his soul, sapping the last dregs of his peace of mind.

How was he supposed to think anything of himself, when everyone looked at him as if he was the scum of the nine? (He was.)

Perhaps the only reason to be happy was for the family that had scorned him? If he could find his peace of mind, that would prove he wasn't a madman. That would, possibly, redeem him. Then, perhaps, they would smile on him, again, they would forgive him, and it would be over. Water under the bridge, as the Midgardians say.

He'd been working so hard, trying to find something to do that they could see had no ulterior motives. Helping the servants in the scullery until his knuckles bled from scrubbing pots. Making gifts for his family members, all turned down, in fear that they were poisoned, or booby-trapped. Aiding Thor in his studies, necessary for his impending coronation-take-two.

It all boiled down to nothing. Nothing. Nothing.

It didn't help. He doubted they even noticed.

With a hopeless groan, he draped his arm over his face. He was never getting his life back.

Jumping off the bridge truly had been throwing his life away, just it hadn't ended, as Loki had hoped it would.

In his despair, he almost missed the sound of a Guilty Jump.

What, you ask, was a Guilty Jump? It was the noise someone made when they were caught doing the wrong thing. It typically manifested itself in a quick, hasty scuffle, as whoever was doing the deed hastened to reverse it. This one, however, was a sharp intake of breath, and the teensy squeak of boots on tiles, just outside Loki's chamber doors.

"Thor?" Loki called out in frustration, hoping to catch his brother in whatever act.

No.

No.

If Loki wanted to be the good guy, he had to be glad to see his brother, even if it was at two in the morning.

"I'm sorry." He called out, again, and shuffled to his feet, dragging himself wearily over to the door. "You came so quietly, and I was almost asleep, so I thought you…"

He flung open the door, not bothering to finish his sentence in his exhaustion.

Darkness there, and nothing more.

A prank.

Someone, most likely Thor, had been walking outside the door, knowing Loki was a light sleeper, to wake him up at this unholy hour.

Turning back into his chamber, Loki shut the door with a mental groan. Just before he flopped face-first on his bed, though, he was arrested by the faint whiff of…

Sedir.

There had been a sorcerer in the hall, and they had used their arts, most likely to conceal themselves from his bleary eyes.

Loki was too tired to care, and rolled over, promptly falling asleep.

It seemed like moments later, when he was awakened by the door blasting in. "Loki!" Odin boomed threateningly, and he flipped over in panic, hands immediately flying to his daggers. "What have you done with Thor?!"

"Me?" Loki breathed, his mind still clouded with sleep. "I don't know what you're talking about… I haven't done anything to him."

"Then where is he?" Odin growled, as he ripped the covers off Loki's body, snatched his arm, and dragged him out into the hallway.

That's when it clicked. The shuffling outside his door, the whiff of sedir, the lack of an answer when he opened the door. "It wasn't me." He immediately blurted, rubbing at his eyes with his free hand. "Whoever it was, they were in the hall, last night, but I was too exhausted to suspect anything, but I heard them, and I sensed their…"

"Enough of your lies, Loki." Odin growled. "I knew you weren't putting up this nice-guy façade for nothing." That was true. He hadn't been. He was doing it for the purpose of them finally believing that it was real, that he didn't want their doom, he was the good guy, he was on their side. Of course it would only make them suspicious.

"Father…"

Odin's reaction was immediate. He turned to Loki with rage in his eye, and shook him until his teeth rattled in his head. "You are no son of mine." He hissed. "Don't ever have the audacity to assume such, again."

Duly noted.

Loki swallowed down the hopelessness that swelled in his throat, and forced himself to focus on the present issue. Thor was missing, and Odin blamed him.

"I can find him." He pressed. "I can bring him back to you." It wasn't even a lie. As the Allfather dragged him down the hall, half ripping his shoulder out of socket, Loki could still sense the sorcerer's signature on the walls. They'd turned invisible, for but a moment, then teleported away, bringing something large and heavy with them. It was as obvious, to him, as if they'd written it on the ceiling. He could trace to where they'd teleported to, and, as clumsy and careless as this person was, that was most likely where they would find both the true perpetrator and Thor.

"Of course, since you put him wherever he is." Odin rolled his eye, and dragged him away from the crime scene, leaving it to deteriorate and get trodden over. "How much is the ransom? Or shall we just finally rid the universe of your worthless hide if you don't simply return him to us?"

"I'll return him!" Loki insisted, sure that his arm was going to bruise from the old king's tight grip. "You simply must believe me, though. It wasn't I who took him!"

"Believe the liesmith…" Odin snorted. "You humor yourself."

It was all Loki could do to keep the cruel words from cutting deep into his heart. Thor. He had to focus on returning Thor. Nothing else mattered, for if he didn't, he'd lose his head, and the curtain would fall on the joke production of the Redemption of Loki of Asgard.

Where was Odin dragging him, though? They'd passed the dungeons long ago, and the throne room was the opposite direction. In fact, the only useful thing this hallway led to was… the stables.

There was no logic to the Allfather's actions. Why the stables? What was he going to do, sentence him to death by trampling?

"You have twenty-four hours to bring my son back to me." Odin spat, and threw Loki, still only half-clothed, into the straw in front of the stalls, then he turned, and stomped off.

"Morning, Father." A cheerful voice spoke up. "Day's not going too well, so far, huh?"

Loki rolled his eyes, and smiled fondly at his son, leaning against the side of the stall with a hopeful expression on his face. "Sleipnir." He sighed, and rubbed the sore spot on his upper bicep that still had Odin's hand-mark on it. "Would you mind going on a bit of a quest with me? I'd rather not be alone."

Sleipnir frowned doubtfully. "Oh, I'm not sure…" He glanced at the stalls behind him. "You know Oldin's going to be mad if I shirk."

"He's already mad." Loki pointed out, scrambling to his feet, and summoning a light tunic and long coat to his body. "Please? I'm in a bit of a tight spot."

"Uncle Thor's kidnapped, and they're blaming you." Sleipnir nodded with a crooked grin. "Word gets around fast. But, really… I'll get another flogging if these stalls aren't mucked out by noon."

Loki sighed, and pulled the teenager into a fond embrace, and ruffled his short dark hair. "Alright, then. Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone, okay? I don't want to miss out."

Sleipnir chuckled, and nodded, as Loki swung up onto his horse, Svadi. It was really the only thing he had left from the days when he was still considered a prince. Even then, he wasn't exactly treated as royalty, but if anything could bring back the love – or, at least, acceptance – his family had had for him, he would jump at the chance. As bad as it had been, then, this was far worse.

Sleipnir waved his farewell, as Loki charged out of the stables.

A teleport, in theory, is a fold in the existence of the universe as we know it, opening a temporary rift into wherever the teleporter is intending to teleport to. Obviously, that puts immense strain on the fabric of the universe, and, to track a portal to the place where it came out the other end, is to follow the trail of atoms, molecules, knitting themselves back together in the wake of the portal. As the kidnapper had opened the rift only the night before, it was a rather fresh trail, and Loki could follow it easily.

He rode for most of the day, in pursuit of his brother's kidnapper, through forests and over rivers, until he finally found his destination. A large, imposing castle, perched on a high cliff like the Masada of Asgard. Dark storm clouds were rolling in above it, generally contributing to the overall feel of drama. All in all, it was extremely cliché.

The trees shielded the ex-prince and his horse from view as he surveyed the high, daunting walls for a possible weakness. Most likely, what would be the easiest route would be to turn himself invisible and then phase through the walls, tracking down Thor's signature until he could teleport the both of them back to the palace.

He had approximately thirteen hours left. This would actually be relatively simple.

Thor would be able to testify that Loki hadn't kidnapped him, after all, and maybe he'd be hailed as a hero, for rescuing the prince of Asgard. Or something. At least, he wouldn't be seen as a villain, anymore.

With a quick motion, he dismounted Svadi, and crept towards the castle. There was no need to tie his steed to a tree, or something. He was a smart animal, and would wait for Loki to return.

It was a quick, one hundred-yard climb up the face of the rock, but what with the whole "nobody trusts Loki" thing, he hadn't been on a quest in over two years, and was pathetically out of shape. There was only so much muscle tone one could keep up in the confines of the palace. By the time he'd reached the top of the cliffside, and teetered precariously on the precipice between the castle wall and certain death, he was entirely out of breath.

After a moment, he took a deep breath, flexed his fingers, and laid a single hand on the stone wall. The atoms obligingly shifted aside to make room for him, and he slipped into the interior of the castle.

Twenty minutes later, Loki located his brother (or not-brother. After all, Odin had disowned him.) lying in a cell, beaten and bloody. Something nasty curled deep within Loki's gut at the sight of his brother so defeated.

No one lay hands on his brother (Not-brother) and lived to tell the tale.

Gnawing at his lip, he gently prodded at the protections over the cell. Impossible to open, or even pick the lock without the key. He'd have to go find the warden.

However, as he shifted to go track the key down, a soft, miserable voice arrested him. "Loki?"

"Thor, you're awake!" Loki cried softly, laughing in disbelief. "Are you alright?"

The Thunderer shifted into an upright position. "Yes, for the most part. But… Brother. You came to find me?"

"Of course." Loki smiled softly, and reached through the bars to give Thor's hand a reassuring pat. "It's what family's for."

Family. Thor had called him his brother. A wave of relief swept through Loki's body like a tsunami, and he had to blink away tears. He wasn't entirely forgotten. Thor still loved him.

"I have to go…"

"You're leaving me?" Thor asked, panic lacing his voice.

"I have to go get the key." Loki explained. "I'll be back for you, of course."

"How can I be sure?" Thor's brows lowered in frustration. "What's in it for you?

Welp.

There went the idea of Thor still loving him.

"Nothing." He ground out, forcing back the frustration and righteous anger and despair. "Did it ever occur to you that there may be some goodness in my heart for me to be doing this out of?"

Thor sighed, and leaned heavily against the wall. "Before, yes. But forgive me if it's a little hard for me to trust you, now."

"You're forgiven." Loki said in a clipped tone, then turned on his heel to go find the keys.

The look on Thor's face was a little insulting with how surprised it was, when Loki returned, twirling the keys on their ring around his finger. Biting down the urge to say, "I told you so," he quickly, quietly unlocked the door, and slung Thor's arms around his neck.

"You never cease to surprise me." Thor stated, as they teleported to the palace. Thor's room, to be precise.

"Do you truly think so little of me?" Loki demanded, his lip curling in disgust. "I should have known better than to assume forgiveness from the son of Odin."

Thor only stared blankly at him.

"Go tell your father you're alive, and that I wasn't the one who kidnapped you, and then go find a healer." Loki sighed. "I suppose this will have to be farewell, Odinson."

Thor furrowed his brow in surprise. "What do you mean, farewell? Where are you going?"

"I don't know." Loki shrugged. He was simply so fed up with the situation. "Anywhere away from the lot of you. And I'm taking Sleipnir, before you ask. Find someone else to be your stable-slave."

"When shall you return?" Thor plodded on ignorantly.

"If ever? Once I can find Happiness in your presence." Loki sighed, and dropped his head into his hands. 'I know you all think I'm a burden. You all can't stand the sight of me. I've 'gone mad' or 'I've slipped too far for redemption' or some other such balderdash. My being here isn't good for you, and it certainly isn't good for me, or my son."

Thor was aghast. "I had no idea, brother…"

"Not your brother, actually." Loki corrected. "Not by blood, or anything else. Odin disowned me this morning, so there's nothing binding us in the least."

The room went dead silent, and Loki was afraid to look up at Thor's face.

"Then… I suppose you really don't have a place, here, anymore." Thor quietly noticed.

"I suppose not."

Thor placed a large hand on Loki's shoulder. "Then, I am very sorry to have not made a place."

Loki looked up in shock, but Thor's blue eyes held no lie. "How do you mean?"

Thor shook his head. "No matter what Father says, you'll always be my brother. We were raised together as brothers, and we have a bond. That cannot be simply thrown away. If you feel unwelcome in your own home, the place you grew up in, it is mine and our family's error. I'm sorry I could not find a way to show you how much you mean to this family."

"What about the whole, 'I find it hard to trust you, now,' thing?" Loki demanded.

"Trust you, perhaps." Thor nodded. "But not love you. Besides, you said you'd forgiven me."

True, Loki had been joking, at the time, but Thor had a point. "I see." He admitted in a small voice. "Well, then. I suppose if you truly mean it, when Sleipnir and I find a home, you'll be… welcomed as a visitor."

"But not a brother and uncle?" Thor prompted with a hopeful smile.

"Not yet." Loki sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. "Forgiveness is hard, you know."

Thor nodded sadly. "I know."

TheOnlyHuman.