Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to Thor nor am I making any money form this work of fiction.
Warning: Some blood in the first ficlet.
5. Painful
As a warrior and general hothead, Thor was accustomed to injury. He was also used to seeing others wounded to varying degrees. Even so, he released a startled gasp, a sympathetic hiss, and then a threatening growl at the sight of his little brother with his mouth literally sewn shut.
"Is this the work of the dwarves? I shall have their heads! They h-" Thor stopped speaking abruptly when he realized his brother was shaking his head and looking at him pointedly.
"It wasn't the dwarves?" Thor frowned when his brother shook his head gain, not sure how to interpret the gesture. "It was the dwarves?" This time Loki nodded, which confused Thor further.
"It was the dwarves, but you do not wish me to take vengeance?" Loki nodded and Thor drew his brows together. "Why not? Do you wish to take vengeance yourself?"
Thor growled in frustration when Loki shook his head again, looking far too calm for someone who had dwarf-woven wire piercing through their flesh and blood gathering between their lips. Loki dabbed his mouth with a handkerchief as Thor thought about the situation.
"Do you feel that you somehow deserve this?" Thor found that difficult to believe. He knew his brother could be too cunning for his own good and quite mischievous, but sewing one's mouth closed seemed a rather extreme and unusual punishment.
Loki shrugged and looked slightly strained, as though that didn't quite sound right. Thor frowned as he thought again. His head was beginning to ache. "You feel that this was worth whatever you gained from the gamble?"
Loki nodded and attempted to grin, but the gesture quickly turned into a grimace as the motion caused the wire in his mouth to pull his skin open further. Thor grimaced as well and placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "What could possibly be worth this, brother?"
To the older male's shock, Loki's eyes lit up like emeralds catching the sun. He motioned for Thor to open a small trunk that was sitting on his bed. Inside, wrapped in fine linen, was something heavy and powerful. Thor could not help but feel a little excited when he unwrapped the linen to find a sturdy hammer. Its handle was short and its head heavy, clearly intended for battle rather than craftsmanship.
Loki wrote something down quickly while Thor admired the beautiful weapon. He quickly handed the note to his brother once he regained his attention.
This is Mjölnir. I am promised its wielder shall be able to strike as firmly as he wishes, whatever his aim, and never fail. If thrown at something, it will never miss and never fly so far from its wielder's hand that it would not find its way back. When its wielder chooses, it will become so small that it may be carried inside his tunic.
To Thor, Mjölnir was magnificent. However, he could not imagine what Loki would ever want with such an item. Loki's approach to battle was as different to Thor's as night to day. He was not the sort to bodily crush his opponents, instead using swift and agile movements combined with sorcery to take them down quickly and cleanly.
Loki also was not as strong as Thor and Mjölnir was of considerable weight. Thor glanced at his brother, knowing that he was missing something. "Is it a gift for father?"
Loki gave his brother a look that clearly stated Thor was an imbecile. Then, he pointed to Thor. When the blonde continued to look baffled he made a 'gifting' gesture before pointing to him again with raised brows.
Thor was surprised, elated, and a little awed. "It's mine…? You obtained this for me?"
Loki nodded, looking pleased that the older male had finally caught on.
Thor looked between his brother and Mjölnir, not knowing how to convey just how touched he was by the gift. While he and Loki teased and challenged each other, he always knew his little brother loved him, but he never expected him to do anything like this. "I- I don't know what to say... Thank you, Loki."
Loki's eyes were bright as he quickly wrote another note and handed it to his brother.
The mighty Thor, humbled by a mere gift. Had I known, you would have been receiving presents since we were small.
Thor smiled. "It is no 'mere gift' brother. I shall wield it proudly and treasure it always. If my arm should ever tire in battle, I will remember the price you paid for this and it will hearten me."
Loki began to smile, but it quickly turned into another grimace. Thor looked at him in concern and placed a hand on his shoulder. The other hand still grasped Mjölnir. "Is there no way to remove that?"
Loki grimace again, clearly for different reasons. Thor chuckled. "I see. You will need the use of a dwarf-wrought blade to- Gungnir…you'll need Gungnir?" The blonde nodded at his brother's woeful expression.
"…And you do not look forward to telling father the tale of how this came to be?" Thor chuckled again when Loki nodded.
Thor draped an arm around Loki's slender shoulders. "In that case brother, I will accompany you. I shall repay your resolve in acquiring me this gift by loaning you some of my own as you face father's disapproval. Besides, this is one story I do not want to miss!"
6. Haunted
Bright green eyes -filled with sorrow, remorse, and confusion- stared out the window to observe the gleaming city below. He knew it should be familiar and in a way it was, but it was a distant familiarity. It was like looking upon a place he'd read about or dreamt about. To his mind, the city was foreign, frightening. To his heart, it was a source of pain and guilt; the origins of which he could not properly recall.
He heard the huge form approaching behind him, felt the familiar presence, well before he heard the man speak. "Loki? What troubles you?"
Thor: His brother; His savior; His only source of comfort.
…And the man responsible for the heart wrenching turmoil he currently suffered.
"Why did you bring me here?" Loki had the distant feeling that he should hate the fact that his guilt and pain were audible in his voice. That Loki was gone, however, and the boy in his place was hurt and scared and in need of answers.
He ignored Thor's pained sigh. "I wasn't missed; I wasn't loved; I wasn't wanted… Our own father despises the very sight of me. The people fear and loathe me…and I don't even remember why!"
He ignored any attempt to interrupt or comfort just as he ignored the tears running down his cheeks and the shudders wracking his thin body. "I know I did terrible things in my past life, but that's a life I no longer recall! Why must I be haunted by this guilt? Why do I have such terrible nightmares? Why am I being punished?"
The large arms he had been avoiding finally caught him. Loki's last defenses crumbled as he was pulled against his brother's solid warmth. He managed to choke out one more question between his sobs. "Why did you bring me back?"
Thor held his little brother tightly and stroked his dark hair. "I brought you back because I cannot imagine myself without you. Our father is an unloving, unforgiving, old bastard; do not heed him. It is not you the people fear and loathe; you are just a convenient target for their fear and anger.
"You did terrible things, yes, but you also suffered terrible things. And you did good as well; better than any of us could have asked, in the end. You should not be haunted so…or punished. I am sorry for your suffering."
Thor kissed the crown of his brother's head. "But I am not sorry for bringing you back. We will find our way together, as we were always meant to, brother. That, I can promise you. I can only hope that will be enough to make you see my actions for what they were."
"And what where they...?" Loki sniffled and wiped his face on his brother's tunic. "Was it need that compelled you? …Selfishness? …Desperation? …Love? …Mourning?"
Thor gently tiled Loki's face up and smiled down at him. "It was each of those, Loki. I mourned you, missed you, needed you; and so I bid your return because I love you and I want you."
Loki's tears slowed. His eyes were still pained and aggrieved, but the confusion ebbed away. "What if- What if I become what I was then? What if that is all I am capable of being?"
"It isn't. Trust me, brother, I know you." Thor wiped his brother's tears and wished that it was as easy to wipe away the pain that caused them. "You were pushed onto that path by many hands and then scorned for not having the strength to do anything but continue down it. It will not be so this time. I will make sure of it."
Loki reached up to grasp Thor's hands with his own smaller ones. The strong, warm hands seemed to offer the foothold he desperately needed. "How?"
"By doing what I should have done from the beginning." Thor shifted his hands so that he could hold Loki's. "By protecting you from those hands that would push you toward that end and offering my own whenever you need something to hold onto."
Loki looked into Thor's eyes intently. "You promise?"
Thor held his gaze and smiled kindly. "Yes. Always."
Green eyes continued to pierce blue with their stare. "And would you promise something else as well?"
Thor's smile and his gaze held strong. "If it will put your tormented mind at ease, little brother, anything."
"Then promise me- If I do start down that path again; if you see me becoming the terror that I ounce was… Promise you will stop me before I can cause such harm again…in whatever way that you must." Loki squeezed Thor's hands and tears began to fill his eyes anew. He had seen the refusal in Thor's eyes before the man could voice it.
"Promise me, Thor! I can hardly bear what I have to live with now…the nightmares, the nothingness… I could not bear to become that again. Please, brother…" Loki clung to his brother's hands for all he was worth as he pleaded with his voice, his eyes, and his soul.
Thor gasped softly as he stared into his brother's eyes and saw more feeling than he could comprehend. "I had almost forgotten…how I could see everything in them, once." He swallowed the pain and the sheer hope that leaped into him at that moment and held Loki's hands as firmly as he was his eyes. "I promise, Loki; I will not allow you to turn to madness again as you did before. I will do anything and everything in my power to prevent it.
"But also know this, brother: if you fall again then I shall fall with you."
Loki released Thor's hands and flung himself against the larger form. His skinny arms wrapped around his brother as far as they could go. His words were whispered, but strong. "Thank you, Thor."
Thor simply held his brother. He would not take back his decision to bring Loki back and seek him out for anything. However, he also felt the sure pull of guilt at the knowledge that he had never thought about how those actions would affect Loki.
Clear blue eyes -filled with sorrow, remorse, and hope- stared out the window to observe the gleaming city below. Once again, his selfishness had caused his little brother pain. He could only trust that he would make up for it this time.
