"You're safe now. You are safe here. I'll protect you." Thor kept saying any comforting thing that he could think of. Hoping that Loki would believe him even after all he had been put through. Hoping that what he was saying would turn out to be true. But in the meantime Thor held his little brother closer. He held him tight. He held him as he did when they were younger, as if Loki had simply woken up from another night terror.

Loki wanted to fight. Wanted to give in to the part of him that wanted to die. He gave into the other part instead, the part that melted into his Not Brother's hug. His arms tucked close to his chest, head leaning on Thor's shoulder, eyes closed. His illusion was back in place making him look completely whole. And for the first time in weeks he could almost believe that he was in fact whole.

Eventually Thor started to slowly move way. He didn't wish to frighten his brother into thinking he was leaving. But before he got far he felt Loki stiffen up beneath him.

Thor acted as if moving slowly would make his intentions less clear. But Loki could see them plain as day, Thor would kill him when he was under the false security of the hug. He stiffened, waiting for the final blackness to surround him. But after several minutes of sitting there with his head still on Thor's shoulder nothing happened. And he looked up, eyes wide.

"I'm not going to harm you brother. I wished to move before my legs gave out. You might be sitting but I most certainly am not and it is rather difficult to lean over to hug you without falling." Thor gave a small smile and backed away. He tucked a few strands of hair behind his ear before he sat back down across from his brother.

Loki just sat there stiff and shaking. The shaking only slowed down when Thor sat back down. For a moment he couldn't remember where he was or if it was all an illusion. Couldn't recall if he was under Thanos's thrall or stuck in some half memory of his mind. As Thor sat back down it all seemed to click and he remembered all the promises that Thor had been saying. He gripped his left wrist till he felt the bones shift, just to make certain that none of it was a dream.

As Loki reoriented himself Thor could only watch and worry till Loki gave a little smirk. Thor figured that meant his brother was fine. He reprimanded himself for thinking that. How could his brother be fine, when he most certainly wasn't. He checked the tea kettle and realized that it was empty. So he stood up and grabbed up the kettle, "I'll just go refill this for you."

Thor walked away and Loki wasn't sure how he was meant to feel. Relieved to be left alone or terrified of abandonment. So he just sat with his cup rattling against the saucer, letting it get louder and louder till it drowned out the voices of the customers.

Eventually Thor returned and placed the kettle in front of Loki. "I found this behind the counter." Next he placed the envelope right next to the steaming kettle. "I believe it is meant for you to read."

The second that Thor returned Loki breathed a sigh of relief and reached for the kettle. He placed a few leaves into his mug then poured the water so they could seep. And once he had ran out of things to preoccupy his time he tentatively reached for the envelope, ripped open the seal, and pulled out papers that had been inside. His eyes flicked over the words and the pages turned every few seconds. He read what the pages said, over and over till finally he put them down and replaced them with his tea.

"What did it say?"

Loki smiled at Thor. "It seems that SHIELD feels the need to no longer monitor me. Actually they've offered me a job."

"That's great news! We can stand side by side and help-"

"I'm not going to accept. It's a kind enough offer but I don't want it."

"Brother-"

Loki cut off Thor once again, "It's not because I have any quarrels with them or Midgard or anything else to do with this realm. I simply don't wish to engage in fighting, at least not right now."

"I'm certain they would be fine if you..." Thor paused as he thought of the appropriate word, "consult. You could help them understand about seidr."

"Understand about being argr you mean." Loki gripped his tea cup till it started to chip in his hands.

"You know that's not what I meant."

Loki put the cup down before it could completely shatter. But in its absence his hands started to shake. And his voice started to waver, "How am I ever supposed to know what you meant? I suppose I'm meant to simply accept this job. As if it is what I want, what's best for me. But if anything it's what's best for you and for them. Well you can let them know that I don't accept. That I would prefer to be under the view of every camera at their disposal then have my movements controlled by yet another person-"

"And how is this better? Here where you are controlled by your fears instead of yourself. I beg you, brother, just think about it. I swear that no one would control you. Never again." Thor stood up and made his way to the door. "I'll be at Stark's tower. I'll check on you tomorrow. Please just give the job a moment's thought. I feel that this could help you."

All Loki could do was sit and watch as Thor left him once more. He wanted to run after him the second the door had closed and walk to the tower to sign his lift over to the job. He wanted to lock the door and never let Thor back through. But instead he just sat in his chair and listened to the quiet voices around him as if that would possibly ground him.