Thor sat on the edge of the soft bed, pulling the green comforter around the slim frame of his little brother. He gazed at his brother lovingly, watching his side rise and fall gently as he slept.
The healer's had done marvelous work. Loki was now almost completely back to his old self, albeit extremely tired. Thor had taken him back to Asgard the moment they returned to the FrostGrinder. The healers had tended to him immediately, in private as Thor had requested. He wished not for Odin to find out about this.
He needed time to think about what Sif had done before he would allow Odin to punish her.
After the healer's had finished, Thor had taken Loki to bed. The trickster had dozed off several times while the healer's had been tending him. Thor had found it quite amusing, as the normal Loki never showed weakness in public.
Thor gazed a moment longer, before sighing deeply, and getting up slowly and quietly. Thor headed out Loki's bedroom door, closing it quietly behind himself. Fandral caught him as he turned to head toward his own bedroom.
"Oh! Fandral," Thor began, surprised that his friends had come home so soon.
"Hello Thor," Fandral said, as he walked toward Thor, "I'm glad I caught you. I was looking for you actually. How is Loki?"
Thor was surprised that Fandral had been looking for him, "Oh? Well, Loki is going to be fine. He is sleeping now. What was it you wanted me for anyway, Fandral?" Thor questioned. Fandral sighed, looking around the empty hall, looking for anyone who might hear what he had to say.
"Well, it's…." Fandral sighed, "It's a bit complicated you see."
"Come now Fandral, spit it out." Thor commanded, tired and sill angry at what Sif had done to his brother. He noted Fandral's nervousness. He fidgeted, and looked as if he didn't wish to say his next words.
"Thor, I….I saw."
"What do you speak of?" Thor asked, for a moment confused, unsure of what Fandral was speaking of.
"I saw you and Loki…"Fandral paused, casting his eyes to the ground away from Thor, "On the beach."
Thor stared back at Fandral, mortified. "You, what?"
"I saw you and Loki on the beach back at Vanaheim."
"Oh, we were just having a good natured fist fight," Thor announced, hoping Fandral had not seen what Thor was thinking, but his hopes were crushed when Fandral shook his head, a look of embarrassment crossing over his face. "No, Thor, that's not what I was referring too. I can't believe, I just," Fandral trailed off, not wishing to say the words out loud.
Thor put a hand over Fandral's mouth, looking at him intensely, "I don' know exactly what it was you saw, but you cannot breath a word of it to anyone! Especially not my father! Do you understand?"
Fandral nodded multiple times, eyes wide, as Thor let him go. "Who else saw?" Asked Thor, glancing to make sure no one else was walking in on them. Fandral cleared his throat and straightened himself.
"No one, Thor, I promise. When I saw I led them all in the other direction."
Thor smiled putting a hand on Fandral's shoulder, "Good work my friend, and I owe you many thanks. Now, if you don't mind, I would appreciate you forgetting about this whole ordeal."
Fandral nodded, "Of course Thor. I can keep a secret. I just wish I could forget it…" He mumbled looking away. "Anyway, the other thing I wished to ask you was what is going to happen to Lady Sif? Are you going to put her on trial?"
Thor sighed, shaking his head, temper flaring for a moment, before he brought himself back in check, "I do not know right now, Fandral. Lady Sif attempted to take the life of my brother!"
"Thor, she only did it because she wished to protect you!" Fandral exclaimed, worried about his friend's life.
"She wished to-" Thor laughed humorlessly, "She wished to protect me, by taking from me what I love the most? That is a funny way of caring for me!"
"But Thor-"
"Silence!" Thor bellowed, "I do not know what will happen to Lady Sif yet! Be gone, and stop bothering me! I will find you when I am finished thinking this mess over!"
Fandral nodded, walking away briskly, heart in his throat.
Thor turned around angrily, back to his brother's door, hoping that the noise had not woken the sleeping Loki. Thor turned the knob and opened Loki's door slowly.
"Ah!" Thor exclaimed when he came face to face with Loki, standing on the other side of the doorway with a surprised expression, which quickly faded to his trademark blank look.
"Brother," Thor began, pushing into the room and closing the door behind him. "What are you doing up?"
Loki gazed over him, scrutinizing, "I heard shouting."
"Oh," Thor sighed, walking toward his brother, "It was nothing Brother, just Fandral."
"Oh," Loki looked at him suspiciously, brows drawn together, "what did he, what did he want?" Thor sighed, grabbing Loki's shoulder gently, leading him back toward the bed, "He was just wondering how you were feeling Loki, that is all." Loki opened his mouth to respond, but Thor interrupted; "Now come my brother, you should get back into bed. You need the rest to recuperate." As Thor went to push him gently toward the bed, Loki swatted his arm away violently, an angry looking crossing over his face.
"Do not lie to me, Thor. I heard at least half of your little, chat."
Thor sighed deeply, gazing back at his brother. "It's nothing important Loki, he-"
"This is your fault!" Loki yelled angrily, glaring at Thor, "How much did he see?!" Loki's gaze made Thor feel small. His brother was infuriated. "He did not see a lot brother! And he promised that he would not breathe a word of it."
"I don't care! It is humiliating! I told you to stop, but did you listen? No! You never listen to me!"
Thor sighed, "You enjoyed it, didn't you?! What is this? Are you ashamed of me, Loki?" Thor asked, eyeing his brother, who stood a few feet away, arms crossed and a look of annoyance on his face.
They stood like this, glaring at each other for a moment, before Loki's gaze began to soften slightly, "Yes…I guess I did enjoy it."
Thor lifted an eyebrow, "You did not answer my question Loki." Thor stated, moving toward his brother once more. Loki rolled his eyes, turning his head away, "I do not need to quell your petty insecurities."
Thor continued to look at Loki as he approached, coming close enough to Loki's face that his brother could feel his breath, but not quite touching him. "Fine, I guess I will just leave you alone then. If you really are ashamed of me." Thor made a move to walk away, and then Loki spoke, quietly.
"I did not say anything of the sort." Thor laughed heartily, as he realized this was probably the best he was going to get out of Loki. Thor grabbed Loki's head pressing a kiss to him gently. Loki allowed it, but made no move.
"Come now, brother, you should get back to bed," Thor pushed him gently in the direction of the bed. "You do get cranky when you're tired."
"Shut up, Thor!"
Sif sat quietly by the window in her room, gazing out at the moon high up in the sky. Guilt twisted through her like the branch of a gnarled tree, strangling. She vaguely wondered if she would ever get to see the moon again.
She feared that Thor in his rage would have her put to death. And if not Thor, she feared that Loki may seek her out and kill her himself.
She had no doubt that he might even take her in her sleep. A most undignified death that would be.
She wished that Thor would understand what she had done for him. She had meant only to protect him, to save him, to show him the thing that was his brother.
Sif shivered. She disliked Loki strongly. Even more so since his return. When she had heard of what Loki actually was, she had not been very surprised. He had always been a monster. Always causing trouble since they were children. She could remember Loki constantly coming between her and Thor, trying to weasel his way between them, to tear his brother's attention from her.
She had no doubt that Loki had been, was, jealous of her. The anger in her still resided when she remembered the day Loki had snuck into her room and cut off her hair. When she was younger she had the most gorgeous locks of honey hair. All the women in Asgard had been jealous of her. Thor had loved them the most, constantly admiring the color of her hair in the sun.
And then one morning she woke up to her beautiful hair lying in heaps around her, cut from her head with a dagger in the night. She knew who it was, but it could not be proven. After that, her hair had grown in a horrid black color, as black as a raven's feather. But the joke was on Loki, for Thor admired the black even more than the blonde.
She sighed, and her heart hurt. She did not mean to hurt Thor. Only to finally rid herself of the thing keeping Thor from her.
She had not wished to do it. Ever since Loki had returned, Thor had changed. He had almost centered himself around Loki, determined to make up for what a terrible brother he had been.
And when Sif realized, she laughed out loud. Now who was the jealous one? She had not pushed Loki off the roof for Thor; she had done it for herself. She wished nothing more than for the trickster to disappear once more and Thor to go back to his old self.
When she heard the soft knock on her door, she jumped, grabbing her spear from its place beside her.
She opened the door cautiously, until she caught sight of Fandral. "My Lady Sif," he began quietly, "I've spoken with Thor."
"And?" She asked impatiently, eager to once again close and lock her door.
"He has not made a decision yet. But do not lose hope. Thor is our friend, we must remember this."
She nodded, and closed the door, before he could get the chance to speak more. Now all she wanted was to sleep, as she slid down the door and began to cry.