"v"

6 - Making fun of one another

Loki, around 600, stopped on his track to roll his eyes with a heartfelt sigh.

"Your humour sense needs immediate repair."

The god of thunder scorned down on him from the golden throne; his legs were cast over one of the armrests, an elbow leaning to the other while the fingers coiled loosely around the royal scepter. The helmet he wore featured horns arching into conceited heights.

''I am Loki, hornf- I mean rightful king of Asgard," his rich voice boomed around the echoing hall. "Watch your language, impostor! First of all, kneel before you speak."

"Only a fool would fall for such an obvious trickery, brother."

"It is no trickery, it is the truest phenomenon. With the king's departure, his son follows on the throne. First come, first served, brother. But behold my benevolence: in a properly charming attire, I'm willing to have you as the queen by my side."

"I'll be neither your queen nor following your kinks," Loki pointed out morosely. "Father and Mother are only out on a journey this week. Watch out so this mockery doesn't reach their ears."

"Oh, their rears are perfectly safe from it if you agree to play along and have fun."

"Not in this game, my eternally beloved sibling. Stop your foolery now, before things go awry."

"Why, not for me, they wouldn't. It's always you who gets into trouble for it, remember?"

"In fact, I do, and it certainly doesn't serve your benefit right now," Loki hissed and walked towards the pedestal with long steps to do justice. But then a group of servants entered the throne room, so he postponed the brawling.

The maids gasped as they saw the throne occupied, and they hurried to kneel before it, casting curious glances at the wrongly chosen helmet.

"Come on, don't fall for that, ladies," Loki said in dismay. "He's just being his usual disrespectful self, that's all."

"Those are strong words about this noble warrior with a promising future," Thor noted.

If a look could torment, he might have went up in flames right now, while he returned the stare of the green eyes, beaming.

"True enough," Loki said then before turning his gaze towards the still kneeling servants. "Ah, I just remembered I've planned major decluttering in my residence today. I'll need all your help to finish before sunset," he pointed at the group with a circular movement."

"Oh, no, you won't," Thor interrupted, putting his feet down and leaning forward.

"I do what I want, brother. In fact, I want you to gather as many of the servants as possible!" the sorcerer told the surprised maids and continued with a proud smile. "I wish to distribute my unneeded belongings among you."

"He's joking, you know what a dirty trickster he is," Thor chuckled nervously while descending the steps from the pedestal. "Off you go, ladies, find somewhere else to work today. And as for you," he glared at the slender figure, "you win this one."

"You know your word isn't worth a speck of dust," Loki answered sternly. "End his game at once."

The god of thunder let out a disheartened sigh.

"And it was such fun."

The magic fell off them, and the two brothers dropped each other's appearance, taking up their own. The figures of the leaving servants melted into misty clouds on the floor, soon to evaporate completely. Thor glanced back at them in silent astonishment.

"Well played," the real Loki smiled at the taller god comfortingly."You're getting better at repelling my tease. It makes me a bit sad, to be honest."

Thor pointed at the flashy helmet on the other's head.

"It was a transparent trick, though. I wouldn't put that on if my life depended on it."

"You're depraving Mother's gift, you oaf," Loki responded, while he bobbed his head so a golden horn smashed Thor in the temple, and then he ran away from the blonde's revenge, their stomping and laughter echoing along the corridor.

"V"

7 - A death of someone close

Loki sat by the wall, shirt sticking to him from previous efforts, but it escaped his attention now; knees pulled up, an elbow supported on them, fingers clutching his hair, he quietly sobbed into his arm. Helpless rage, growing tension hindered his strife to clear his mind and obtain better control. But he had never felt farther from giving up, desperation drove him on in this antinomic manner, made him attempt to breathe evenly through the tears, forgetting now and then not to shut his eyes tightly. He was stumbling around in the wicked cycle of having no time left but needing to calm down to fulfil his wish.

Frigga's funeral was going on outside.

Mother's funeral.

But she believed she was simply Frigga to him. That's how they had separated last time, he had made sure it was so. Because he had thought so himself, until his grazed pride had recovered.

And so, Loki wanted to let her know before she departed this world and ceased to be, her existence dissolving among the stars. As sorcerers, they shared a bond that lasted a while beyond death, so he could have done it. If his powers hadn't been restrained by these magical walls. If he had been good enough to get through them. He had already excelled at sorcery, and he had been more than satisfied with his parents' approval, not suspecting he would ever wish he'd have trained so much harder-

His other arm went up to mirror the first, now both hiding his face, muffling the irate, wet hisses to the surrounding creatures. He'd been trying for days, but all he had managed to get through the barrier was a faint stream of energy, not enough for even a breath's notice, and he's been growing exhausted. But there had been no time to rest, this was his very last chance.

Which he then royally missed. Frigga departed from this world, seen off by everyone except her younger son she thought she didn't have anymore.

I'm here, Mother, he would cry in nightmares. I am your son. I am.

But not even dreams would pass through to the other world. There was no connection except for death itself. Nothing but the black void would listen to him.

During the days, he would reach depths he had thought to be unreachable, and quietly, absently call for people dear: Mother, Father, Thor. No one would ever come to make a futile attempt at observing his grief.

Until a few days later, there he stood on the other side of the wall, eyeing fake Loki with the stern justice in his look.

She's gone, brother, Loki's mind wailed.

"Thor," his illusion scorned at the god of thunder. "After all this time, and now you come to visit me."

Mother is dead, Thor, and I didn't say goodbye. You were there, right? Did you send her with love, as she deserved it?

"Why? Have you come to gloat? To mock?"

Are you grieved? Did you love her as well, brother? Why isn't it in your eyes?

"Loki, enough. No more illusions."

The sorcerer's gaze dropped in synch with his fake's. Then the magic dissipated.

"Now you see me, brother."

Their eyes met for real this time. As if a veil had fallen off both of them, Loki observed the change in the summer blue eyes, and finally, he saw the answer. For just a moment, the past few years didn't exist between them; their loss was common, their pain the same: they were brothers.

"Did she suffer?"

He regretted the question immediately. What was he thinking? The years did exist, Loki was Loki, the traitor, the trickster. A personal question was all it took, and the moment of truth was gone, the pain tucked behind present matters.

"I did not come here to share our grief."

The sorcerer resigned to his brother's rigour. He knew just as much as Thor that shared grief could cover up but not erase reality, and that it would have been nothing but a short detour on their respective ways. So he resigned to it, though his exhausted mind wouldn't stop the pesky wailing.

"Go on..."

"V"

8 - Sleeping in

Like everyone else during the process of growing up, Loki Odinson also felt insecure at certain periods. There was the general inner chaos at the end of boyhood. There were the repetitive, shapeless dreams of murderous cold. There was his nagging suspicion that Father preferred to look and talk through him like he was transparent, or that Mother was secretly pitying him for whatever reason. There was his rapidly growing knowledge due to his enjoyment of reading, and with each book the realisation of how little he knew. Tired from his constantly changing perspectives, he sought a sense of stability in the swampy world around himself, and being near his unfalteringly brawny brother seemed to help; even while said doofus was fast asleep.

So, on some tormenting nights, Loki would sit up after a few hours' staring at inner demons taking shape in the darkest corners, and he would sneak along the torch-lit corridor to enter Thor's room at the other end. Sheer luck would prevent him from stumbling over the mess as he crossed the rich carpet, clambering up softly at the foot of the king-sized bed. Thor wouldn't stir even while the visitor nestled himself entirely under the pile of bedspread, which had been carelessly kicked out of the way; the blonde was usually too exhausted from training or personal adventures of life and death.

One benefit of Thor's room was that the inner demons never followed here. Loki could curl up at his unsuspecting brother's feet and listen to the even breathing of a healthy slumber. He himself was a light sleeper, so he never had trouble disappearing from here before dawn.

Except once.

The two boys' first real-life battle was one of Thor's private adventures gone haywire. They had to fight their way out for survival and returned to the palace on the verge of collapsing. Received harsh parental scolding, and a punishment of all-day library work for a week. That was no punishment for Loki, in fact; and it baffled him, since he knew Father as a mostly "not stupid" man. Once again, instead of rejoicing as he should have, he couldn't help feeling like the king didn't really care.

The cycle of recurring thoughts and questions led him to his brother's room. He justified himself: he needed a good sleep after this horrible day. And well he slept; so well, in fact, that when Thor stirred in the morning and rolled over to slumber on, his face smacked into a bare foot, stunning him momentarily from fright.

Disgust took over as the young god of thunder comprehended the nature of the contact, but curiosity made him forget it soon, since he had never seen a creature with a foot for a head. Thus, it was time to obtain knowledge. He did it by carefully peeking under the cover.

What he learned almost made him take a backflip in his glee, but he held it back in time to avoid waking up his brother. He had always wished to share a room and do fun stuff together after bed time, but neither parents nor Loki approved. And now the latter seemed about to change his mind, finally.

Thor decided not to let the opportunity pass: they would play so many silly games between waking up and breakfast that Loki would never want to sleep separately again. But first, the good healthy morning slumber.

He let the cover back down onto the sleeping figure, and he lay down next to it, pulling the bed-worm tightly to himself. After all, it would be a shame if Loki woke up and left the room before Thor had the chance to show him the fun side of being siblings.

"V"

9 - Hugging

Family reunion after a fierce battle against other realms had its own rituals.

"Well done, my son, your deeds shall fly across the land in the form of legends." A hug.

"I'm so glad you're fine. Go to the infirmary for a check-up at once. No detours!" A hug.

"Good one, brother." A pat at the back of the neck, a smile.

"Stop treating me like I'm your dog," Loki asked.

"No." A grin.

"V"

10 - Watching the other sleep

The thunder god was slumbering. He was having a dreamless sleep, his skin barely different from the white pillow, except for the dark spots scattered on his face and probably his body under the sheets, remainders of the battle past. Devices of Asgardian healing surrounded him, glowing in various colours. The room, simple and earthly, contrasted the technology of a highly developed society: one that had been destroyed a while ago, leaving only a few hundred of its kind to find a new home here in Midgard when peace returned.

Loki was scratching his chin in deep thought as he observed the motionless phenomenon from the visitor's chair. In front of him lay a big, rash doofus, who happened to be the saviour of the universe, and his brother. And a pathetic human-lover. And a beaten-up, one-eyed cripple.

He leaned forward to check the scar currently uncovered, his thumb running along its ragged edge. Just as he thought, that eye was too late to recover even by magic. The rest would have been a waste of energy, the healing mediums had been doing a good enough job. Thor himself was forcing his way straight towards recovery, true to his own personality. It was only a matter of time till he woke up. A matter of seconds, in fact, since Loki's thumb and index finger were holding his nose right now.

The sorcerer quickly pulled back his hand when Thor shuddered awake, and his look showed utter innocence as the thunder god's eyes darted around the room and finally stopped on his visitor.

"Valhalla?" Thor breathed faintly.

"Hel, actually," came the answer, accompanied with a sympathetic look.

It took a minute till the information sunk in.

"No, it's not."

"Well, could you imagine me in Valhalla, brother?"

"It's where you belong. Your final deeds belong there."

A sad smile tugged on Loki's lips.

"Apparently, you're the only one in this world who thinks so."

"And me? What am I doing here?"

"You failed. Led the universe to ruin with your foolhardiness."

"No... That can't be-"

The sorcerer's hand slid on Thor's chest soothingly to stop him from overexerting himself.

"Someone else finished the job. All your friends are safe. Just not here, and not together with you."

The god of thunder was already panting slightly from the long missed movement. He closed his eyes for a moment to make dizziness go away.

"You'll see when you recover enough to get up," Loki said. "For now, enjoy your sweet ignorance while you can."

"Fuck."

The sorcerer bit his lip against smiling while sleepiness took over his brother again. This was going to be a fun week, and he himself was definitely going to Hel for it.