Thor blinked as he was standing in front of a giant metal door that he was being told was pure led… Also that the entire room in there was coated in led to prevent any gamma radiation leak.

Bolts and locks were keeping away any intruder and above the door was a big red light, apparently the light would switch to green when it was okay to knock.

… Thor had kept an eye on that light ever since morning, checking now and again, it had yet to turn to green.

Now it was nearly nighttime, Banner had to come out sooner or later…. Right?

Thor just stood…. Stood forever, he started to feel drowsy and was considering if he should just give up and try his luck again the next day.

Then suddenly the light turned green and Thor looked up, then he hesitated and he lifted a hand, knocking. "Hello," he tried. "Friend Banner."

He couldn't hear any sounds in there, probably due to the door being massive and led, then suddenly the bolts were removed and the door opened, only for Thor's eyes to widen.

Because there in front of him stood… Thor was ready to swear that the last time he and Banner had seen each other, Banner had been a good head shorter than Thor. Now though, they were the exact same height, and Banner's skin looked part way green. Thor gaped.

"Oh." Bruce blinked. "Thor, what a surprise. I haven't seen you in forever."

Thor was still gaping. "Fri-Friend Banner?" he asked.

Bruce smiled lightly.

"What?" Thor asked.

"I am… exposing myself to very controlled steady streams of Gamma radiation every day," Bruce informed. "By the constant exposure I should be able to control my other half much more easily. We will meet each other halfway there," he said. "It's a long process, and it needs to be done every single day but… I think it is working."

Thor was still blinking when Bruce cleared his throat. "What can I do for you, Thor?" he asked.

"Hey." Thor pouted. "I might just be here to see an old friend," he pointed out.

"You are currently caught between two timelines, and have successfully managed to transfer one Infinity Stone from one to the other," Bruce informed.

"Huh?" Thor asked. "How?"

"Nat told me." Bruce smiled. "I do have an intercom in there. She also said you wanted to see me about something. Though, honestly, I thought you would have gone to bed by now. I was planning to talk to you in the morning."

"Oh," Thor realized.

"But now we are both here. How can I help you?" Bruce asked, actually looking sympathetic.

Thor blushed as he glanced down. "Well..." he blushed. "You are a doctor, yes?" he asked. "An… Midgard Doctor, and Midgard actually has ways to deal with..." He scratched his cheek. "Things of the mind... Yes?"

Bruce groaned. "I am not that kind of doctor! How many times do I have to say it!?" he asked. "I'm a physicist, NOT a psychologist, those are two very different things!"

Once again Thor had to admit he was clueless.

Then Bruce groaned. "We are friends though, so I suppose I can listen over a beer or something. As a friend!" he held up a hand. "Not a god damn psychologist!"

Thor smiled lightly. "I would like that," he stated. "Except… erhm. No beer for me."

"Really?" Bruce asked, clearly surprised.

"Well, you see… These days... If I begin I won't be able to stop." Thor blushed deeply.

"Oh," Bruce realized. "Well, that's a very wise and clever approach," he admitted. "So let's both get something different, there are plenty of alternatives."

Thor smiled lightly as he nodded his head. "Aye. Thank you."


Thor and Bruce ended up sitting each with a glass of lemonade, freshly squashed lemons with some elderflower juice. It was quite delicious and Bruce informed him it had many good nutrients in it, and then talk just started to flow naturally.

"So Loki, huh?" Bruce asked.

Thor nodded. "It is… just so good having him there," he stated. "And, he hasn't done anything… Not yet." He sighed. "Well, he has done things, but nothing truly serious. However..."

"You now know he is capable," Bruce commented.

"So many things went wrong before," Thor spoke sadly. "I fear Loki discovering he not only wasn't Odin's son by birth, but an entirely different race than Aisir sent him over the edge… I mean, there was darkness within him before. Darkness I turned a blind eye to, which I fear is also why I failed to catch him... To help him. But, that revelation seemed to be the final… major push."

Bruce nodded thoughtfully.

"It's so confusing… What I ought to tell him and what I shouldn't, I… I don't wish to lie to him but..." Thor trailed off.

Bruce sighed deeply. "I fear at this moment you ought to prioritize. You need Loki to be at his full capacity right? For him to find out about his true heritage at this point would be a distraction neither of you needs."

"What if he finds out by himself?" Thor asked. "Wouldn't it be better if I told him?"

"Probably," Bruce admitted.

"I don't want to lie to him, but neither do I want to hurt him. Nor endanger the two realities," Thor groaned.

"I'm afraid there is no correct answer to this question," Bruce admitted. "Thor... our very existence hangs in the line. You must prioritize that. You know that, right?"

"Aye... I do." Thor nodded.

Bruce was quiet. "You really think Loki has the ability to save both?" he asked. "I mean... You are admitting that you can't. But you think he can?"

Thor closed his eyes, then spoke softly. "He has…. so much potential," he started. "He has more potential than anyone I know… He is brilliant. Powerful, witty, fast thinking." He sighed deeply. "He has it within him, to save the world. Both worlds. I know he does."

"Then… you should tell him that," Bruce commented.

"I did." Thor smiled lightly.

"How did he react?" Bruce asked.

"Mostly with confusion," Thor admitted. "But he seemed to take it in."

"That's good," Bruce stated. "If he is listening to you, then you can work on it! You can talk about these subjects. He was of a different race, right? Talk about this race with him, normal, regular, mundane conversation."

"Oh, I am afraid no talk of the Jotnar will just be regular conversation," Thor admitted. "They are… It's complicated."

"All the better reason to normalize them in conversation before dropping the bomb," Bruce commented. "Perhaps wait with dropping the bomb until after you have saved two universes. But… You know."

Thor nodded as he smiled lightly. "Thank you, Friend Banner, you truly are very wise."

Bruce smiled lightly. "Any time, Thor… My advice though is only a friend's advice! Not a psychologist's, just so we are clear!"

And Thor laughed. "I shall keep that in mind," he assured, still having no idea whatsoever what a psychologist was.


Waking back to this place, in the spaceship on its way back to Svartalfheim… It was still some hours away, Loki was still laying with his eyes closed, yet the way he breathed suggested he wasn't entirely asleep.

"Loki?" Thor asked.

"What?" Loki asked in a murmur.

"Well… This might come across as an odd question but…. What are your thoughts on the Jotnar?" Thor asked.

Loki rolled around to face Thor, looking up with sullen eyes. "Well, that's a weird, out of nowhere question," he commented.

"I just… wish to hear your perspective," Thor sighed.

"What is there to say? They are a stupid and brutish race. Acting on rage and brutality rather than common sense, they are worse than you," Loki commented. "I suppose they have their uses, their strength is great, and their stupidity makes them easy to manipulate," he grinned. "Plus, a few Jotunn casualties is hardly anyone's loss, is it?" he asked.

Thor's eyes were harsh, his heart aching. "Is that truly what you think?" he asked.

"Erh… Yes." Loki blinked. As if it was the most obvious response ever made.

"You do not think the Jotnar would have anything to offer you?" Thor asked.

"What would that be? A bigger club to swing around?" Loki asked as he now sat up in a sitting position, looking honestly confused.

"Knowledge perhaps?" Thor asked.

Loki snorted. "What? I am to learn five different words for snow?" he asked, then he rolled his eyes. "They are brutal beasts with barely one brain cell to share among all of them. Father probably did them a favor, killing most of them, too bad he didn't finish the job."

Thor closed his eyes. He had been afraid that Loki, deep inside, feared the Jotnar, that he was disgusted by them, but it was even worse. Loki viewed the Jotnar as being far beneath him in every shape and form.

And suddenly, Loki's actions did make a kind of sense… Loki had wanted to distance himself as much from the Jotnar as possible, to prove he was still far above them, and them beneath him… In a twisted way he had been trying to prove his loyalty to Asgard and prove he was not to be compared to any Jotnar, that even comparing them would be madness in its own right…. He had even tried to erase his own origin! To do what? Make people forget they even existed? The world didn't work like that though.

All Loki had proved… was that he was going mad.

"What? Don't tell me you developed a soft spot for the Jotunns as well?" Loki asked, then his lip curled into a smile. "Perhaps a little blue Jotnar sweet heart, I heard those women can be quite wild in the hay."

Thor shook his head. "No, Loki," he stated. "Nothing of the sort… I only..." he halted. "Came to a greater understanding. I came to understand that all living beings have worth, the Jotnar as well. They too have family, loved ones. Hopes and dreams. They are as alive as you and I. And all life is precious."

Loki frowned, clearly annoyed.

"I witnessed too many people die to not appreciate what a fragile and precious thing life is," Thor then spoke softly, and that made Loki blink.

Then finally Loki seemed to find himself again as he returned to a frown. "Some warrior you are."

Thor smiled sadly. "It is wrong to fight only for the sake of glory. I was wrong to do that," he stated. "Whenever I enter battle… There must be a good cause. Only if it is to protect life will I now enter serious combat."

Loki's eyes were on Thor, his head tilted, his face riddled with confusion, but he was listening.

"You have yet to kill, Loki," Thor breathed, his heart pounding in his chest, it was true! It was a line Loki had yet to cross.

"Killing mostly seems like it would leave such a mess," Loki replied as he quieted. "You though… killed Thanos."

"He was not the first," Thor admitted. "And... the way I did it to him. It wasn't right. Even if he had done wrong, even if he had hurt so many. He was of no threat to anyone anymore, no one was protected by my actions that day… And for that I only feel shame."

"That I still don't get!" Loki exclaimed. "It was your right to seek vengeance!" he stated. "And yet the image of his head seems to be in the forefront of your mind. That makes no sense!"

"Loki… What good does vengeance do?" Thor asked. "Who does it save? What does it fix? Nothing. That is the answer. It is but a waste of time."

"It is the honorable thing to do," Loki countered. "By Asgardian tradition! If your kin has been slain you are to seek revenge in their honor! It is what we have been taught and raised with!"

"It is wrong," Thor stated. "Odin is wrong."

"What?" Loki's eyes widened. Suddenly he seemed shocked, beyond shocked. "What did you just..."

"Our father, Odin," Thor breathed. "Is a very flawed man, with a dark and gruesome past. He is not a shining light to be guided by. In many areas… he is wrong."

"Watch your words," Loki gasped, suddenly frightened as if anyone could hear them. "What you are saying is basically treason!"

"Even disagreeing with the All Father is considered treason?" Thor asked, then sighed. "No wonder everything is so messed up."

"He is the All Father, he knows all," Loki pointed out.

"Loki… If I had been crowned, I would have been the All Father. Would I, then, have known all?" Thor asked.

Loki halted.

"No, I wouldn't have known any more or less than I did before. Only the same," Thor stated. "For I am but a man… And so is Odin."

Loki took in a deep breath.

"Loki, I… I witnessed you, trying to prove you were as great as he is," Thor spoke softly. "It nearly destroyed you. It would destroy anyone because of that image we have of him. It is a fake, no one can be as great as what we believe Odin is. No one," he stated. "Not I and not you… To chase his image is to chase a golden dream. It can never be reached, because it does not exist. It isn't real!"

"What are you saying, Thor?" Loki asked. "No one would..." he halted.

"No one would ever dare speak against the All Father nor the All Father's wisdom," Thor finished for him. "Well, I am doing so now," he stated. "You should as well."

"I… I dare not," Loki admitted. And true enough, Loki seemed to be shaking. Loki who was not the slightest bit afraid of the Jotnar or Kronans, whom would face big ogres and giants without breaking a sweat. Was shaking by the thought of speaking against Odin.

It made Thor sad. He did remember, all he and Loki had been doing, was competing for Odin's favor, for his praise. But Odin was often cold and distant, an ideal image to reach for with desperation. Their desire to prove themselves to him had turned to utter foolishness. And they had become utterly blind... Blind to his faults and flaws. Blind to the fact that Odin too was capable of lies...

"It is not about the throne... It is about being your equal." But in whose eyes?

Odin's.

Always Odins. The Jotnar are stupid, Loki's wish to prove his loyalty and spirit to Asgard and not Jotunnheim, all was done, to win Odin's favor. Remove Thor from the picture and Odin would have to acknowledge him...

Father, what have you done to him? To us? Your own sons.

Thor swallowed. "That's funny, beforehand you dared long before I did," he admitted. "You were the first to truly stand up to him. Though, the way you did it wasn't..." he halted. "It wasn't ideal. Then again, those were… much different circumstances."

"I was in chains…" Loki remembered. "Why, though?" he asked, turning to Thor. "Why would Father do that? Had I disappointed him? Was I not a good son?" he asked, his voice was actually slightly shaking, he was almost whimpering.

"You were chasing a golden illusion, Odin's image. And it nearly destroyed you," Thor replied.

Slowly, Loki glanced up. Confused, searching for answers.

"Be not what Odin wishes you to be… Be yourself," Thor encouraged.

Loki frowned, confusion ever present on his face.

"If you were to stop concerning yourself with his wishes and his approval, you would surpass him. Of that I have no doubt." Thor smiled lightly.

Loki didn't reply, but looked away, tugging a strand of black hair behind his ear.

"You are the god of Mischief, you are not the type of person to be the perfect little Prince," Thor smiled fondly.

"Then what am I?" Loki asked.

"The kind of person whom belongs only to himself," Thor replied. "And only as he realizes this, will his true potential be revealed."

Loki glanced down, though he was clearly in silent contemplation.

"You choose who you want to be Loki, the power is within your hand." Thor smiled softly.

Loki snorted. "You want me to choose to do good, don't you?" he asked.

"No." Thor moved forward, then he took Loki's hands in his and looked up, meeting Loki's eyes. "I want you to do great!"

Loki blinked and Thor smiled.

"My brother." Thor grinned. "Able to create wonders no other can! Show them, Loki, let them all see… The things which only you can do."

Wide-eyed, Loki looked at Thor, then slowly he looked down, though a small smile was playing on his lips, and his cheeks seemed to be flushing in slight embarrassment.

Thor grinned as he let go of Loki's hands, then laid down next to him as he sighed deeply.

Loki looked down at him, Thor, though, was smiling.

"Why do you keep doing that?" Loki asked.

"Doing what?" Thor asked.

"Whenever you try to rest, you are moving closer to me!" Loki exclaimed. "Like a kitten moving towards its mother. It's weird."

"Your presence calms me," Thor informed. "In fact, I do not mind shifting when you are in the room with me. Then it feels like you are still with me… If only in spirit. I… I do not like shifting when you are not in the room," he admitted. "It frightens me."

"That makes no sense, you know you are not going anywhere. No time will pass while you are gone," Loki commented with a slight eye roll.

"Regardless, it brings me ease. And hope that things will work out." Thor smiled lightly.

Loki sighed deeply as he sat back. "You know… It is really weird having the great and mighty Thunder god be so dependent on me!"

"No. It is not," Thor admitted. "Truth is… I have always been very dependent on you, but always refused to admit it. I have placed great burdens on you, yet never thanked you… I demanded that you think for two people instead of doing the effort of thinking for myself. I'm sorry, Loki," he said.

Loki was quiet.

"Loki?" Thor asked.

"All of this is so weird," Loki murmured. "I don't like it."

Thor couldn't help but smile, amused, I don't like it had been a very common phrase in Loki's vocabulary recently. He didn't like not being able to predict things… Thor though was quite confident Loki would manage.