"This… Is this normal?" He breathed, blinking up at Thor's face in utter bewilderment. "What… what's happening?"

Thor was crying, and it was stressing Loki out like there was no tomorrow. He hated seeing him cry, even though he couldn't recall seeing it happen ever before.

"What… Please, your majesty…"

"You told me so." Thor sniffled. "You told me. And you can rub it in my face now, if you'd like."

"What?"

Thor wiped hopelessly at his face. "You said the sun would shine on us, again. And I didn't… I gave up hope, but you're. Holy norns you're freezing, give me that."

Loki numbly handed over the box, still just as in the dark as before. "I… I have no memory of ever telling you something like that. What are you getting at?"

"Look." Thor took his hands, and rubbed them until their pale color came back to them. It was such a tender, loving gesture that Loki nearly joined him in tears. "You're blue. You turn blue. And you don't feel cold. Because… You're… You actually are my brother. I'm… I'm sorry. I didn't believe you."

"I didn't believe me." Loki yelped. "What are you talking about? Loki turns blue?"

"Yeah." Thor shrugged, as if everyone knew this. "Of course you do. You're Jotun. Oh…" Grave concern crept into the corners of his gaze. "You still have the… the memory problem, don't you? I wonder if that's from… the oxygen deprivation."

Oxygen deprivation. Choking. He was terrified of being choked. Had Loki once been choked? Had he been choked to death? Is that why some remnant of that fear remained in his brain.

"How did you get here?" Thor demanded. "You were in space."

"Don't ask me." Loki shook his head. "I don't… I don't even…"

"You're still leaving, tomorrow." Thor realized, his face falling. "Already. But… You'll come back? To visit?"

"I… Thor." Loki insisted. "Are you sure? I don't want to… I don't want to let you down. I'm barely aware of who Loki is."

"You is Loki." Thor cast grammar to the far corners of the earth. "All the other Jotnar are dead. You're the only one left."

"Surely some other kind of person turns blue."

"Not when they touch a Jotun relic." Thor gave a flat look. "Please. Just… Believe me. You are Loki, of Asgard. And… And I love you."

Oh, how unbearably sappy. Still looking into Thor's eyes, he could tell the poor oaf meant it with all his heart.

"Well… if you're sure." He sighed. "But… Sigyn."

"Sigyn's your betrothed." He bounced in excitement. "Of course you'll go with her. And even if you weren't intended, I've seen the way she looks at you. You're perfect for each other. I… guess you've got a life planned out for each other, don't you?"

"Yeah." Loki couldn't help the smile tugging at his face. "We do. And… Oh good gracious, we're leaving in three hours."

"You'll have plenty of time to rest when you're there." Thor insisted. "You'll be fine. You'll write me?"

"If you'll write back." Loki agreed. "I don't… This is really sudden, you know."

"I know." He replied. "Oh, trust me, I know. I've gone a decade mourning you."

A decade… Logan couldn't even imagine. He had trouble remembering more than two weeks ago.

"I thought we were connected somehow." He confessed. "When I first saw you, it was like… It was like I was… home."

"I was very rude to you." Thor blushed. "I'm sorry."

"You treated me exactly how you should've if I was an imposter." He corrected. "And with far more civility. I heard you got them coming in a lot. I can't believe the audacity of those people. You were mourning, for heaven's sake."

"Then why'd you come in?"

Loki heaved a sigh, trying not to beat himself up. It had turned out okay, and that was what mattered. No one was hurt, and he had a brother back. "Well… Fafnir said it was my identity. And I was… I was so lost. I didn't… I didn't think I was worth anything without a name to call myself by. I've… I've learned better since then, and Sigyn and Fafnir have been really supportive, regardless of what identity I wanted to pursue. But… I suppose I just wanted a place to belong."

Loki glanced up to see his brother had the most tragic and heartbroken face he could imagine on this golden retriever of a man.

"That was all my fault." He whispered, his voice all shaky and wobbly.

"No…" Loki sighed. "Please don't give me that look, you look like someone preformed a vivisection on your puppy. I don't… I don't know where all this sentiment is coming from, but I really need you to not be sad."

Thor snorted, the tragic self-blame melting into amusement. "You're certainly Loki, aren't you?"

"So you keep telling me."

Fafnir's car pulled into the driveway, his headlights flashing through the window's curtains.

"Crap." Thor grouched. "I thought we'd have more time."

"Don't we always?" Loki shook himself, and stood up, the blanket still wrapped around his shoulders.

Thor narrowed his eyes at him. "You're taking the blanket, aren't you?"

"Absolutely." Loki snickered. "Just you try and stop me."

"Do you still have the illusions?" Thor asked hopefully.

Loki could only stare blankly. "What illusions?"

"Yes!" Thor cheered. "I'm safe! Well, for now. Keep the blanket. Consider it a parting gift."

Loki gave an awkward smile, rather stunned at how quickly they were able to simply fall into sibling banter. They hadn't even planned it, it just… went that way. "I… I suppose this is farewell?"

Thor's eyes grew panicked, and he snatched his brother's hand. "If you don't write me and visit me at least once a month, I will spam your rookery with too many ravens to count and they will spill over into your house and fill your house with ravens and let me remind you how difficult it is to get raven poop out of upholstery."

"You have my word." Loki giggled, with a mock-bow. "I would not risk your wrath in a million years, brother mine."

"Until we meet again, then, brother." Thor gave a shaky smile. "Now get out of here before I start crying again."

Loki glanced at the door, and then back at Thor. "May I… May I hug you?"

Thor didn't even bother with an answer, only darted forward and squished him in the warmest bear hug he could manage. "I love you, Loki."

Loki's breath caught in his throat, and he nearly started sobbing, himself. The phrase felt so right, especially coming from Thor's mouth. "I love you, too, Thor."

He really couldn't stall any longer. Carefully, he peeled away from his brother with a sad smile, and slipped out the door, the blanket trailing behind him like a cape.

Fafnir was waiting, half-asleep in his car. As Loki opened the car door, and slipped into the shotgun seat, he gave the house a long, last gaze. He'd just barely gotten everything back, and honestly, he didn't feel a bit different.

He had a name, two separate titles, a brother, a cousin, a girlfriend who'd show up at Fafnir's door in just a few hours, and… he had a life.

He had a name, an identity. He wasn't exactly sure how that had happened. It had only come about when he'd stopped chasing it, when he'd decided there was so little point in trying to be someone everyone else thought he was, and was better to simply be whatever he felt was right, and true to himself.

There was probably some sort of moral to the story, hidden in that, but for now, Loki was tired.

So he slept.

Thus It is Told.

TheOnlyHuman.