This was supposed to be a drabble, but it ended up longer. Oh well.

Glorious Purpose

Thor stands before his Midgardian friends. He can tell by their sea of confused expressions that his most recent actions require further explanation. His declarations of time travel were met with harsh skepticism. And rightly so, he supposes. Such notions probably seem preposterous to the people of this realm. They seem preposterous enough to the people of his own realm. But they were a great deal more well received than his dragging a panicked, crazed Loki back into Stark Tower. Upon returning to this timeline, Thor apprehended the scepter almost immediately. Unfortunately, his brother was not quite so easily wrangled. Somehow he expected it to be the other way around.

"I'm losing my mind," Loki insisted. "Can't you see that I'm going mad?"

His breathing became increasingly erratic, practically to the point of hyperventilation. Thor was just beginning to wonder whether he had made a colossal mistake, when Natasha jabbed Loki in the thigh with something sharp. Loki lost consciousness shortly after. The others assured him that it was not a weapon, but some kind of medicine. It was meant only to inspire a state of deep relaxation. And that it did. Loki would have collapsed to the floor in a heap, had Thor not caught him and laid him down properly.

Now Loki is curled on his side, lying atop the sofa cushions. He's still in his black and green battle leathers, though Thor removed his helmet and jacket. Loki's long arms are crossed defensively against his chest. Although he is asleep, he is still clearly restless. The noises he makes are barely audible, but they are just loud enough to imply some ambiguous degree of anguish. And Thor knows his brother well enough. He can tell by the subtle movements of Loki's fingers that he is dreaming about something unpleasant.

He lets his hand hover over Loki's face briefly. He thinks about touching him, but he hesitates. Somehow it feels like a violation, especially in the presence of all these people. Still, he watches carefully over his brother, knowing he can't defend himself in this unnaturally helpless state.

"We were on a ship filled with Asgardian refugees," Thor explains, "and we were attacked."

"You mean…eight years from now," Steve clarifies.

"Yes…we were being boarded. We had but minutes to prepare ourselves. There were things Loki needed me to know. But there wasn't time to tell me…so he showed me."

Natasha tilts her head suspiciously at Thor's claim.

"How?"

"Loki is gifted in magic, among so many other things."

When Thor blinks again he keeps his eyes closed for a moment. He wonders if Loki is aware of how truly talented he is, how insanely clever. He can't seem to remember ever telling his brother such, not with any degree of sincerity. He's surprised to feel fresh tears burning behind his eyelids. His instinct is to hide them. But he wonders if perhaps it isn't more appropriate to allow his friends to see his grief.

Thor catches Natasha studying him closely. He watches her expression slowly change from one of disbelief to one of curiosity.

"Well…what did he show you?" she asks.

"Before he came here," Thor begins, "Loki was missing from us for a year. He learned of his adoption in a rather unfortunate way. In his distress he attempted to take his own life. We could no longer see him, and thus we truly believed him to be dead. But he'd fallen into a terrible, dark place…into the hands of Thanos. And Thanos warped him and bent his will and wielded him like a weapon."

"With that stone," Banner interjects. "You mean like he did to Selvig with the scepter."

"Yes, exactly. You see, before…when we defeated the Chitauri…"

"So, those things are gone," Stark interrupts. "I just want to clarify..."

Thor grits his teeth, attempting to veil his frustration. He knows that these people have not the benefit of viewing their current circumstances in hindsight, as he does.

"After we defeated the Chitauri," he repeats, "I took Loki home in chains. But he said nothing to me. He went with me willingly, and so I never questioned his motives. My father would have put him to death, had my mother not spoken on his behalf."

"Why wouldn't he just tell you the truth?" Steve asks. He actually looks mildly horrified by the notion of a man executing his own child. Thor breathes a sigh of relief when he realizes that at least one person is taking him seriously.

"I believe he feared the wrath of Thanos. Prison might be unpleasant, but it was also heavily guarded, both day and night. There was no safer place on Asgard, except for perhaps the vault. Two years Loki spent alone in his cell...and I never looked in on him during that time."

"But that's not your fault," Banner points out, diplomatically. "I mean...if he didn't tell you, there's no way you could have known."

The others eye him quizzically, and he knows that they can't possibly understand. They don't trust Loki, which isn't entirely unreasonable considering the circumstances. And while that could prove to be an obstacle in the longterm, what concerns Thor most is the realization that Loki didn't trust him. Loki was in trouble and he didn't ask for help. And Thor knows it's because Loki assumed that none would be forthcoming. He assumed that the answer would be no.

"I have asked myself many times…how I could look into my brother's eyes then and not see what I saw so easily today. Nay, I saw exactly what I wanted to see. I saw what I have always seen. He didn't trust me with his troubles, and he was right not to. I would not have listened."

"Yeah...I don't mean to be insensitive or anything, but this guy practically leveled Manhattan-" Stark says. "What makes you think he wasn't just playing you? How do we know you're not just playing us?"

"Are any of you without transgression?" Thor demands, gruffly. He scans the faces in the room with a bold gaze.

"Well, he probably is," Banner mumbles, gesturing at Steve.

"Loki is the least of your worries," Thor replies. "Meanwhile, Thanos is out there, looming in the shadows. You have no idea what dangers await the people of this realm-"

"And we're supposed to just take your word for it?" Natasha asks, raising an eyebrow.

"My friends," he begins. He takes a few seconds to consider what he might say to better make his point. "When I first met you, I spoke ill of my brother with ease. But I was in error. There was some truth in my words, but it was fueled by my own personal prejudices. I should have shown more...discretion."

"I understand," Steve says, with a nod.

Stark scoffs, loudly.

"Uh...you do?"

Steve turns to address him.

"Perhaps you've spent so much time up here in this monument to greed, that concepts like honor and loyalty no longer mean anything to you."

"That was completely unnecessary," Stark announces. Although he hardly sounds wounded by the other man's statement. If anything, he appears to have lost interest in the conversation altogether. He makes his way to the other side of the room and begins fixing himself a drink.

Thor can't help being intrigued that it is Steve who required the least convincing. But he knows he must still convince the others. He clears his throat before continuing.

"Had I not returned here today, eight years from now, Loki would have traded his life for mine. I am not referring to the heat of battle, but a careful and calculated choice. I watched him die. It wasn't quick. It was drawn out and painful...and he met his demise knowingly and willingly. It was-" He pauses. He's startled to find himself suddenly overcome with emotion.

No longer able to resist the urge, Thor brings his hand to rest on Loki's shoulder. He's haunted by a persistent, irrational need to prove to himself that his brother is in fact alive and real. He knows that this is a different time, that this Loki possesses only the most subliminal awareness of events that have yet to occur. But in his mind he can still see the other man gasping desperately for air, still hear the sound of his neck breaking. He closes his eyes and attempts to will the memory away. Loki doesn't stir or react to his touch. Despite his agitated state, he's been claimed deeply by his drug induced slumber.

"...it was an act of love," Thor finishes, quietly.

"But you did return," Steve points out. "And you've already altered our destiny by closing the portal and stopping those...things. Perhaps you've already altered his destiny as well."

Thor looks down at his sleeping brother. He can't help but notice how very young he seems, how vulnerable. He knows that he's not here to repair their broken relationship. He tasked with something far beyond tending to his own personal woes. But he cannot help thinking that if it is possible to mend the universe, perhaps it is possible to mend Loki as well.

He realizes that he was holding his breath, and he exhales slowly before responding.

"Perhaps, I have."